God Told Me

## You Had Better Run When the Deceiver Says This to You

Some of the most dangerous words spoken in Christian circles are, “God told me.” The words sound spiritual. They appear to end every argument because who are you to question God? A person may use them to pressure you into a relationship, demand your money, control a church, excuse reckless behavior, or force you to accept something that contradicts Scripture. Once God’s name has been attached to the speaker’s desire, disagreement is made to look like rebellion against God.

First Kings 13 gives us a brutal warning about believing someone who claims that God told him something different.

A man of God came from Judah to Bethel with a direct command from the Lord. He was to deliver God’s message against the corrupt altar erected by King Jeroboam. God also gave him personal instructions concerning his journey:

“For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.”[[/quote]]

1 Kings 13:9, KJV

The command was not vague. The man did not need further clarification. God had spoken, and the man understood exactly what he had been told to do.

Then another voice entered the story.

## “God Told Me Something Different”

An old prophet living in Bethel heard what the man of God had done. He found the man sitting beneath an oak and invited him home to eat. The man of God repeated the command he had received from the Lord. He explained that he was forbidden to eat bread or drink water in that place.

The old prophet claimed that new information had come from heaven:

“He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.”[[/quote]]

1 Kings 13:18, KJV

Then Scripture tears away the religious disguise:

“But he lied unto him.”[[/quote]]

1 Kings 13:18, KJV

The old prophet had credentials. He knew the language of faith. He claimed spiritual authority and even brought an angel into his story. He did not openly tell the man of God to rebel. He claimed that God had revised the command.

God told you not to go, but God told me something different.

That is how deception often works. It does not always begin by denying God’s Word. Sometimes it claims that a private message has been given which permits someone to disobey what God has already made clear.

The man of God went back with the old prophet, ate bread, and drank water. On his journey home, a lion killed him.

“And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.”[[/quote]]

1 Kings 13:28, KJV

The lion killed the man but did not consume his body or attack the donkey. The lion and donkey remained beside the corpse as visible evidence that this was divine judgment rather than an ordinary animal attack. The old prophet lied, but the man of God remained responsible because he chose another man’s claim over the command God had already given him.

## The World Shouts, but the Deceiver Often Whispers

The world will shout at you to ignore the truth of God. That is dangerous, but at least the rebellion is visible. The world openly tells you to follow your desires, redefine sin, reject biblical authority, and live as though God has no right to command you.

The quieter voice is often more dangerous because it does not tell you to reject God. It claims to speak for Him. It says, “God told me something different.” Open rebellion attacks Scripture from the outside. Spiritual deception stands beside you, quotes Scripture, uses God’s name, and quietly leads you away from what He has already said.

Deception does not always arrive through an obvious fraud shouting from a stage. Sometimes it sounds reasonable, spiritual, compassionate, and deeply personal. It may come through a preacher, friend, family member, romantic interest, or religious leader. Sometimes it sounds like your own thoughts.

A quiet impression tells you that God understands why you must ignore His command. A trusted person assures you that God has made an exception in your case. A desire becomes so strong that you begin calling it divine guidance. You stop asking whether the message agrees with Scripture because you like where it is leading you.

The deceiver does not always say, “Reject God.” Sometimes he whispers, “God told me that His command does not apply to you.”

That voice is dangerous because it sounds close enough to faith to escape immediate suspicion. It borrows God’s name while leading you away from God’s Word.

## God Will Not Contradict Himself

The Holy Ghost will never lead someone to violate the Scriptures He inspired. God will not command purity in His Word and then privately authorize sexual sin. He will not condemn adultery and then tell someone to abandon a faithful spouse for a supposed soulmate. He will not warn against greed and then order a desperate person to give money to a manipulative preacher who promises a miracle in return. He will not establish standards for spiritual leadership and then excuse abuse because the offender claims to be anointed.

God does not need to contradict His written Word in order to direct your life.

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent.”[[/quote]]

Numbers 23:19, KJV

When someone says, “God told me,” the statement does not end the conversation. It begins the examination. The claim must be tested against Scripture. No dream, feeling, prophecy, private impression, or supposed angelic message possesses the authority to overrule what God has already revealed.

Paul gave the same warning in the strongest possible language:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”[[/quote]]

Galatians 1:8, KJV

Even an angelic appearance would not have the authority to change the gospel. The messenger does not stand above the message God has already given.

## “God Told Me” Can Become a Weapon

A person claiming to speak for God can place enormous pressure upon someone who sincerely wants to obey Him. That is why this language is so effective in manipulation.

“God told me that you are supposed to marry me.”

“God told me that you must give this amount of money.”

“God told me that you should not question my leadership.”

“God told me that anyone who leaves this church is in rebellion.”

“God told me that you must forgive me immediately, so we do not need to discuss what I did.”

“God told me that this political candidate will win.”

“God told me that you are standing in the way of His plan.”

These statements are designed to take away your right to examine the claim. They place the speaker in God’s chair and force you to choose between surrendering to that person or appearing to disobey God.

You do not owe unquestioning obedience to anyone who claims private access to God’s instructions for your life. Christian leaders must be tested. Prophecies must be judged. Counsel must be examined. Anyone who becomes angry because you compare his words with Scripture has already told you something important about his motives.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”[[/quote]]

1 John 4:1, KJV

The Bible does not command believers to be gullible. It commands us to test what we hear.

## Spiritual Language Does Not Prove Spiritual Authority

The old prophet in First Kings 13 knew exactly what to say. He said, “I am a prophet also as thou art.” He established religious credibility before delivering the lie. Then he invoked an angel and the word of the Lord.

Deceivers still do this. They tell you how long they have preached, how many people follow them, what title they hold, which famous ministers they know, or how powerfully God supposedly uses them. None of those things proves that their message is true.

A Bible in someone’s hand does not make his words biblical. A title before his name does not make him trustworthy. A large congregation does not mean God approves of his teaching. An emotional testimony does not turn falsehood into revelation.

The question remains: Does what he says agree with what God has already said?

The Bereans were praised because they did not accept Paul’s preaching blindly. They searched the Scriptures to determine whether his message was true.

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”[[/quote]]

Acts 17:11, KJV

If the apostle Paul’s message could be examined, your pastor’s message can be examined. Your favorite teacher can be questioned. Your own impressions must also be tested. No human voice is beyond the judgment of Scripture.

## Study So You Will Recognize the Lie

People who do not know Scripture are vulnerable to anyone who speaks confidently about God. If your Bible remains closed, you will have little defense when a convincing person attaches God’s name to a lie.

Paul told Timothy:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”[[/quote]]

2 Timothy 2:15, KJV

Studying Scripture is not reserved for pastors and theologians. Every believer needs to know what God has said. You cannot properly test a message against a Bible you rarely read. You cannot recognize distorted Scripture if you do not understand Scripture in its context.

The man of God in First Kings 13 knew what God had commanded. His failure was not ignorance. He allowed another voice to become more persuasive than the word he had already received.

We face the same danger whenever we know what Scripture says but continue searching for someone who will tell us what we want to hear. We ask one person after another until someone finally gives divine-sounding permission for the decision we have already made. At that point, we are no longer seeking God’s will. We are recruiting God’s name to endorse our own.

## Your Own Heart Can Deceive You

The deceiver is not always another person. Sometimes the voice belongs to us.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”[[/quote]]

Jeremiah 17:9, KJV

A strong feeling is not the same as the voice of God. Peace about a decision does not automatically mean God approves of it. People can feel peaceful while walking straight into sin because they have already silenced every conviction that challenged them.

We are capable of confusing desire with direction. We can call impatience faith, recklessness obedience, attraction love, and ambition a calling. Once we have decided what we want, “God told me” becomes a shield against correction.

A person guided by the Holy Ghost will not be afraid of Scripture, wise counsel, patience, or honest examination. Truth does not fear inspection. Deception demands immediate surrender.

## What Should You Do When Someone Says, “God Told Me”?

Listen carefully, but do not surrender your judgment. Ask what Scripture supports the claim. Read the passage in context rather than accepting a verse pulled from its surroundings. Examine the character and motives of the person speaking. Look at the fruit the message will produce. Seek wise counsel from believers who are not under the speaker’s control.

Be especially cautious when the supposed message benefits the person delivering it. If God always seems to tell a preacher that other people should give him money, tell a leader that no one may question him, or tell a romantic interest that you belong together, something is rotten.

Do not be intimidated by religious confidence. God is not offended when you test a claim made in His name. He commanded you to do it.

When a message contradicts Scripture, the examination is over. Reject it. It does not matter how sincere the person appears, how emotional the testimony becomes, or how often God’s name is repeated.

God has not changed His mind because someone says an angel visited him.

## The Voice You Must Trust

God has spoken through His Word. Scripture reveals His character, exposes our sin, and leads us to Jesus Christ. The purpose of spiritual discernment is not to make us suspicious of everyone. It is to anchor us so firmly in truth that we cannot be carried away by every confident voice.

Jesus said:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”[[/quote]]

John 10:27, KJV

The voice of Christ will never lead you away from the Word of Christ. The Holy Ghost will never contradict the Scriptures He inspired. Any person who claims otherwise is not offering deeper revelation. He is offering deception.

First Kings 13 is not merely an old story about a prophet, a lie, and a lion. It is a warning written for every believer who will ever hear someone say, “God told me something different.”

God had already spoken. The man of God knew the command. Another voice contradicted it, and he followed that voice to his death.

Study the Word. Know what God has said. Test every spirit and every teacher, including the quiet voice within your own mind. When someone uses God’s name to lead you against God’s Word, do not debate until deception wears you down.

Run.

## Come to the Truth

The greatest lie Satan tells is that you do not need Jesus Christ. He will offer religion without repentance, spirituality without truth, and comfort without salvation. God’s Word says that every person has sinned and needs the grace of God.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”[[/quote]]

Romans 3:23, KJV

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose from the grave. He is not another spiritual voice competing for your attention. He is the Truth.

Recognize that you are a sinner. Ask Christ to forgive your sins, come into your heart, and save you. Turn from sin and place your faith in Him as Lord and Savior. Do not trust a preacher, church, religious experience, or private revelation to save you. Trust Jesus Christ.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”[[/quote]]

John 14:6, KJV

## The Moral

Never abandon what God has already said because someone claims God told him something different. A religious title does not make a lie true. Spiritual language does not make disobedience holy. Your feelings do not outrank Scripture, and no private revelation possesses the authority to rewrite God’s Word.

The world may shout at you to reject the truth. The deceiver may whisper that God has made an exception. Both voices lead away from obedience.

Know the Word of God well enough to recognize the difference. Hold to what God has said even when another voice sounds confident, compassionate, or spiritual. It is better to stand alone upon the truth than to follow a respected liar into judgment.

God had spoken. The man of God listened to another voice, and it cost him his life.

Do not make the same mistake.