Discern What Is and Isn’t a Word from God

discern

I received an email today from someone I do not know and of whom I have never heard.  To put it nicely, the email was hard to follow and almost unintelligible.  To be more precise, it rambled, made little sense, and in some cases was untrue. I had to discern if it was indeed a word from God.

The subject of the email is what troubles me most.  This individual proceeded to throw misinterpreted and misapplied scripture at me trying to make his case. The author claimed to have had a recent “Esperance” [sic] that “brought God” to Him.  Supposedly, God showed him some passages of Scripture and he felt the need to share it with churches. He was probably sincere, but in his application of Scripture, he was sincerely wrong.

Yet, so many people receive emails like that full of misapplied Bible verses and assume they are reading truth. Not only emails, but TV airwaves, radio frequencies, and the internet provide anybody an opportunity to purvey their religious thoughts.  And immature believers give credence to anyone claiming to be speaking on God’s behalf.

How are we to know the difference?  What are we to do when we encounter such teaching?

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How to Do A Verse Analysis for Bible Study

In high school I was a grammar nerd; I REALLY enjoyed English class.  I even remember what an indirect object is!  Because I was (and still am) a visually oriented learner, I especially liked diagramming sentences because the diagram was a good analysis that helped me see and understand the relationships the words in a sentence had with each other.

sentence diagram and verse analysis

Verse analysis is not as involved as sentence diagramming

The same type of analysis can help us in our Bible study through what I call a verse analysis.  The verse analysis is not as in-depth as the sentence diagram, but useful nonetheless to help us see the relationship of the words in the verse to one another.

I believe that not only did God inspire EVERY word of the Bible, but He also inspired EACH word is.  Words matter and their relationship to one another in a given passage reveal the truth that God wants us to know about Him, His precepts, and His purposes for us.

At the end of this blog, I have included a video tutorial demonstrating how I do a verse analysis, and I invite you to watch it and let me know if it is helpful to you.

A Working Example

Let’s consider as an example Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

My first step is to isolate the main verbs in a passage.  Once I’ve isolated those verbs, I study their context and meanings.  I use many of the tools I mentioned in the “Tools Blog” to help with this task. 

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Somebody’s Knockin’

In 1981, I remember a hit song on the radio titled “Somebody’s Knockin’.”  The song would be the first hit for a soulful sounding, piano playing lady named Terri Gibbs.  For me, it was one of those songs I remember all of my life.  I was blessed this past Easter Sunday when Terri Gibbs worshipped with us at Ty Ty.  

The song and the fact that Terri visited our church also connects my memory to one of the Bible verses that is often misapplied.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20

Most of the time I hear that verse employed as an appeal to an unbeliever to “ask Jesus into your heart.”  A well meaning preacher or witness will present the plan of salvation and then quote the verse above as Biblical admonition to offer Jesus an invitation.

I find two problems with that application.  First of all, salvation is not about me asking Jesus to come into my life, but rather about me surrendering all of my life to Him.  I am not asking Him to join me, I am joining Him.  The second problem with that application is that it misrepresents a most important application for BELIEVERS.

Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation contain letters Jesus dictated through John to seven CHURCHES across Asia Minor.  Churches. Presumably filled with BELIEVERS.  The verse is less Jesus requesting an unbeliever to let Him in and more of an invitation FROM Jesus to believers to enter a personal and intimate relationship with Him.  We have Jesus’ invitation to talk to Him (prayer) and hear from Him (through the Bible) on a regular basis.

Sadly the verse portrays a church going about its business as usual, but with Jesus on the outside.  It stands as a stark reminder to believers that we can go through the motions and still leave Jesus out of our daily lives.  Do you have regular, meaningful fellowship with Him?  He stands ready, waiting for you.

The Dangerous Word of God

The Bible is a dangerous book.  It touches places in our lives no other medium can reach. It cuts through our public veneer and with pinpoint accuracy addresses deeply rooted heart issues. The Bible’s very words are the breath of God himself and its truths have the power to transform the messiest of lives.  Taken seriously and studied with an open heart and mind, the Bible will not leave the student the same as he or she came to it.

As dangerous as God’s word is, it is even more essential.  The Bible cleanses us, transforms us, educates us, and equips us.  The word of God is food for our soul and without it we suffer spiritual malnourishment and find ourselves weak and useless to the King and His Kingdom.  We can read books about the Bible and we can watch movies based on the Bible, but there is no substitute for opening those powerful pages and in the quietness of our soul hearing a word directly to us from God himself.

So, my question is what are you doing with God’s word?  You may tote a copy around, talk about what you think is in it, dabble with it, pretend to know it, but are you systematically and humbly reading, studying, meditating on, and applying it?

God’s word will change your life.  Or is THAT what YOU are afraid of?  There is no substitute and no shortcut for immersing your life in God’s Word on a regular basis.  What are you waiting for?


All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk,so that you may grow by it for your salvation… – 1 Peter 2:2

How to Make Better Decisions – Part 2

So what practical help is available for making better decisions?  Consider this passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

Ask, and it will be given to you; 
seek, and you will find; 
knock, and it will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7

Jesus provided three clear steps we can follow that open up God’s wisdom for us.

 ASK.  A believer with an active prayer discipline naturally makes better decisions because he is vitally connected to the only true source of wisdom.

 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, 
who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. – James 1:5

We cannot overestimate the value of an ongoing daily time of prayer and connection with God.

SEEK.  

We have a reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative source to lead us in our decision making quest:  God’s Word.  The Bible has every principle we need to form our thinking, attitudes, and perspectives.

All Scripture is breathed out by God 
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, 
and for training in righteousness, 
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Regularly read, study, and memorize God’s Word and you will be “complete and equipped for every good work.”

KNOCK.

God does not write instructions on paper and mail them to us, nor does He text us or email us with specific directions.  Once we have prayed and sought God’s direction in His Word, we eventually have to step out in faith to realize the benefit of His wisdom.  

When Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land, the water did not part until AFTER they stepped into the water.

Wisdom has no shortcuts.  Pray, saturate your life in God’s Word, and move in faith.  You will look back at a track record of much wiser decisions.