God Said...
Did He really tell you that?
You wake up in the morning, pick up your Bible, and open it to the page where the bookmark rope happened to fall. Then, you find a verse that perfectly mirrors an event from just yesterday. ‘Wow! I’m really in the spirit!’ you think, marking another win on your sensitivity scoreboard.
You begin to psychoanalyze every event in your life, searching for “signs” in everything. The wind blowing as you pray outside appears to be an answer to your prayer; hearing the same song repeatedly during the day feels like God is speaking to you; writing an exam at 7:00 means you will pass with flying colors because 7 is apparently the Biblical number of perfection, a social media post popping up just as you’re pondering a question or even a butterfly that seems to follow you around—all of these become interpreted as divine messages.
Well, life is spiritual, isn’t it? But is this the right approach, or are we over-spiritualizing our lives by chasing every sign? Is God speaking to us, or are we merely fabricating things in our quest to hear Him?
Let me start by saying that this might be one of my controversial ones, and I am open for further discussions if you are up for it.
I one hundred percent believe God speaks to us. I also one hundred percent believe that God is not a liar and will never be a liar. How, then, do I reconcile these two when I believe strongly that God told me something, yet the opposite happened? Clearly, I was the problem, right?
one hundred percent, I was, and Beautiful Eulogy helped me realize a mistake I could have been making.
Symbols and Signs is one of the songs that really stopped me in my tracks. Forced me to think and ponder about many things I had been doing, things I believed. So, I thought I’d share and hopefully get you to start to think things through, too.
Preacher saw them dollar signs
He on that paper chase
Stuffing profits in his pockets
A wolf with a sheep's appearance
And the reason he's making that scratch huh
Is cause those ears itch
Pimping out the Gospel (watch out)
A prostitution of false doctrine
Lies whistle in the wind
But we listen
If there's a little truth mixed in
In the first verse, the song addresses one of the biggest issues with today's Christian body: false prophets/pastors. It is bad enough that they exist, but now they seem to be even louder and more in-your-face than the genuine ones. Beautiful Eulogy, and in fact, the Bible might have a theory as to why that is the case today, as seen in this verse and 2 Timothy 4:3-4. We, indeed, have done this to ourselves.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
We want to hear the good things, and these people will do that for us - at a fee, of course. They sell a new form of Christianity, heavily loaded with prosperity prophecy after prosperity prophecy, because we want to hear it. They call us out during services to tell us that God has promised us billions and billions of foreign currencies, and someway somehow, this confirms something we have heard before. Alas, another sign, it seems. We no longer thirst for sound doctrine but nice and powerful words to satisfy our inner desires and let our daydreams and wishes click. Every service becomes an opportunity to get another sign or hear another word about our own prosperity. Sadly, that’s all it really is about today.
Now to perhaps my favorite part of the song
But don't you find it interesting
How most of the time
Your self-interpreting seems to coincide
With what's deep inside
Your heart's desires
Seems rather convenient, doesn't it?
The mind is a really powerful place. And while this is a strength in most times, often times it can be our very undoing. We all have desires, we all have goals, and we all have mental images of what we want, what we need, what we long for. Yet, God has a plan for each of us. Sometimes, our personal aspirations and God’s plan are as compatible as oil is with water. This is where issues start to arise, unfortunately.
Good Christians know the importance of living in God’s will and, as such, tell themselves they will commit one thing or the other to God’s judgment and ask what they should do.
I really like this person. I've received a lucrative business offer. But before I move forward, I have to pray and ask God if He approves. And you know what? Almost every time I ask, the answer is a resounding yes. It almost feels too convenient—like what I want is exactly what God wants, too. I mean, I prayed, didn’t I? I was really hoping for a sign. And then, right while I was praying about her, my phone rang, and lo and behold, it was her calling. Clearly, this is God answering my prayer, isn’t it? Today when I did my morning devotion, I read the book of Jeremiah, and look, he literally sent me a verse today. If this isn’t God speaking, then what is? Every sign begins to make sense. And every little thing is yet another confirmation that God has given the green light to what I was praying about.
I like it when the wind shifts
They say it's the movement of the Spirit
Still small voice, ya'll hear it?
Remember that time I saw that leaf fall
I was positive it was God's call
Does this sound familiar? You are not alone. This situation is aptly put in the song. Many of us are consumed by symbols and signs when we are trying to hear from God. Then we SELF interpret everything happening when looking for these signs, and we make sure the interpretation aligns with our heart’s desires. Of course, we don’t do this intentionally. But the power of our minds and wills controls us so much that we don’t even realize it. Only when things go wrong do we realize how foolish we were acting. In the words of Odd Thomas, “sometimes what we believe to be true from our supernatural pursuits is actually a fluke, a series of events that's used to distract you from the truth”
It's boring when my life is more like the book of Ruth than Exodus
I've never seen the partin'
Of an ocean
Or a cloud by day or pillar by night
Just a normal everyday working of life
Those of us who have not experienced any genuine signs from God and have also not succumbed to their mind playing tricks on them may share the same sentiments as the lyrics above. A dangerous ground to tread. Yes, we continue to long for the complex and extraordinary. An unnerving voice here, a cloud of fire, a three-legged angel wearing a multicolored sackcloth. And once we don’t see these things in our lives, then something must be wrong. We begin to feel like we are not spiritual enough because we have not experienced some extravagant show of nature bending to prove that God is around. Big Mistake.
There's this idea that an individual
Is somehow more spiritual
If he sees these signs and symbols
And takes what's normally invisible
And makes it simple
But I say the mark of a mature man
Is the one who reads God's Word and understands
And allows that to govern his decisions and his prospective plans
We love to complicate things, but Christ has called us to a very basic message. We long for mysteries and complexities yet ignore the very straightforward way [1 John 2: 24-25]. I believe, just as the lyrics say that true maturity is shown in the understanding of the Word of God and the subsequent submission of oneself to its precepts. Letting all your plans and decisions be based on scripture is the mark of maturity.
The danger with chasing signs is that we can easily start to lose discernment. Ironic, isn’t it? It may seem that by following, catching, and interpreting signs, we prove that we are discerning. But it is a very dangerous path to follow, and as a growing Christian, you may be led astray. Why? Because the devil is more cunning than we can even fathom.
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:4-5
So all these signs can be machinations by the Devil as well. If the devil was dumb, he would present himself as the devil, knowing fully well that you know not to deal with him. And so, he disguises himself, playing “almost” Christ. To confuse us. So, the very “good” signs you find could very well be calculated to lead you astray and cause you to make the wrong decision. Just as God can speak to you, so can the Devil.
How, then, do we know that a sign is from God if we are indeed presented with one?
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
We need to know the voice of God. If your biological parent or guardian calls you, you’d most likely recognize their voice. That’s why, even over the phone, you can easily tell when an impostor tries to say, “my son” or “my daughter”—it just doesn’t sound right. It’s the same with God. When we truly know His voice, we can recognize when the enemy is trying to impersonate Him. But in this context, it’s not an audible voice like you might expect. The "voice" of God is His mind revealed to us—through Scripture, which is God-breathed.
This is why if you think you have a sign, you must “listen” to it and find out if it is God’s voice, the enemy’s, or even yours—by subjecting it to scripture. The same applies to any prophecy that one who calls himself or herself a prophet may say to you. It is not the truth until it syncs with God’s word. Take it with a pinch of salt until then. This is why the Church in Berea (Acts 17:11) is my favorite church in the Bible. They are described as open-minded, yet they examine the scripture daily to see if what (a whole!) Paul was preaching to them was true. These people would certainly never be fooled by fake signs and would know the voice of God.
DISCLAIMER TWO:
God speaks to us! He really, really does. There have been a gazillion moments in my life where I know for sure He is speaking to me. But I think there is an innate sense that you have that can identify when He speaks. One so strong that you know in your heart, although you cannot explain it, that He just spoke. And oftentimes, you don’t need any spectacular sign. You just need the Holy Spirit to guide you.
I am not in any way suggesting that God does not show us signs, or that signs are evil, or anything of that sort. And in your very unique situation, I am not saying God will not do it because that may very well be the case. He speaks, and He gives signs, but these are not what we should be chasing. Otherwise, once you do not feel/see anything, you may think something is wrong with you.
These things do not make us more spiritual or more right with God. So yes, desire to hear from God and see Him in whatever dimension He may want to present himself to you. But let this desire to hear God lead you straight to prayer and to His word, especially because that is literally where He is. Do not let this desire lead you to the next man looking to make a quick million dollars because he may very well perform some magic tricks and fool you. Magic tricks because they may very well seem real but are simply illusions.
Of course, genuine men of God exist, but the ultimate responsibility will lie on you to separate the goat from the sheep in this case. Symbols and signs are important, but we have to submit every single one of them to God and the scriptures. Or else, you may be headed for doom. Everything we need to hear is in the Bible, so appreciate it when He gives you the occasional signs; just don’t bank all your faith on them.
But, I'll give you a sign that's obvious
One of the most supernatural acts is that God, through His Word
Has actually revealed everything pertaining to life and Godliness
…
Silly us, ignore the plain
We prefer a riddle
Dying to see a miracle
While holding God's diary
Looking for signs
PS. If you loved this, help me petition Beautiful Eulogy to release new music. I am starving!
Love how well you addressed this matter. God bless you!
"It is not the truth until it syncs with God’s word" - so true!