When "God Told Me" Ends the Conversation

I have used it. You have used it. We have all used that phrase that ends the conversation, that shuts down correction, that makes further questions impossible. "God told me."

It sounds spiritual. It sounds holy. It sounds like divine revelation, something we cannot question, something we cannot correct.

But I have been wondering: what are we actually doing when we say "God told me"? Are we actually hearing from God? Or are we using God's name to shut down the conversation?

This is a hard question. But I think it is an important one.

The Conversation-Ender

There is something about the phrase "God told me" that makes further conversation impossible. It is a conversation-ender. You cannot question it. You cannot correct it. You cannot weigh it. Because who are you to question what God said?

So we say "God told me" and we walk away. We have said what we needed to say. We have shared what we needed to share. And now we are done.

But here is what is happening: we have used God's name to opt out of the conversation. We have shut down the dialogue. We have made ourselves un accountable.

Let me give you an example. You share an idea with a friend, something you think might help them. And they say: "I do not think that is right. I think we should do it differently. And frankly, I felt like God told me this is the way."

What can you say? You cannot question what God said. You cannot correct their revelation. You cannot weigh it. Because who are you to question God?

But here is what is happening: they have used God's name to end the conversation. They have made themselves unanswerable. They have shut down the dialogue.

This is what "God told me" does. It ends conversation. It ends correction. It ends discernment.

Notice what Paul does not say. He does not say "if God told you, you do not have to weigh it." He says "the others should weigh carefully what is said."

Even prophecy has to be weighed. Even revelation has to be examined. There is no word that is above scrutiny.

If we say "God told me," we are opting out of this weighing. We are saying our word is above examination. But Paul is saying nothing is above examination.

What We Are Actually Doing

Let me tell you what we are actually doing when we say "God told me." We are using God's name to avoid accountability. We are using divine language to shut down dialogue.

We are saying: "This is not my idea. This is not my opinion. This is from God. So you cannot question it. You cannot correct it. You cannot weigh it."

But this is not what faith looks like. Faith welcomes examination. Faith invites weighing. Faith submits to testing.

The Bereans did not just receive Paul's word and say "God told him." They "examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." They weighed. They examined. They did not just accept.

Notice what the Bereans did. They received the message with great eagerness, but they also examined. They weighed. They tested. They did not just accept because Paul said "God told me."

This is what we are supposed to do: receive with eagerness and examine with rigor. Both together. Not one without the other.

When we say "God told me" and refuse to examine, we are not being like the Bereans. We are being like those who reject examination.

The Problem With Divine Language

I want to name something that is rarely talked about. When we use divine language, we are often avoiding something. We are often escaping accountability.

We say "God told me" and we do not have to explain. We say "the Lord led me" and we do not have to give reasoning. We say "I felt like God said" and we do not have to provide evidence.

But this is not how Scripture works. Scripture invites testing. Scripture invites weighing. Scripture invites examination.

When we use divine language to opt out of testing, we are not being spiritual. We are being avoidant. We are using God's name to avoid the hard work of discernment.

Solomon is saying: even the first case seems right. Even the first word sounds right. But then another comes and questions.

There is always another who questions. There is always another who weighs. That is how we find truth. Not in the first word, but in the questioning.

When we say "God told me" and refuse the second voice, we are refusing the questioning. We are refusing the weighing. We are refusing the way truth is found.

What We Are Actually Saying

Let me tell you what we are actually saying when we say "God told me":

We are saying: "I do not have to explain this. I do not have to give reasons. I do not have to be accountable. This is from God, so it is above questioning."

We are saying: "You cannot correct me. You cannot weigh this. You cannot question this. Because it is from God."

We are saying: "I am not accountable. My word is not weighable. My revelation is not testable."

But this is not how faith works. Faith is testable. Faith is weighable. Faith is accountable.

Let us test the spirits. Let us weigh the words. Let us examine what is said.

The Alternative to Divine Language

So what do we do instead of "God told me"? Let me offer some alternatives:

Explain. Tell us why. Give us the reasoning. Do not just claim revelation, share the weighing.

Invite. Invite questions. Invite correction. Do not shut down the dialogue.

Welcome. Welcome the second voice. Welcome the one who questions.

Be accountable. Be willing to explain your reasoning. Be willing to be corrected.

Test. Test what is said. Weigh the words. Examine the revelation.

Notice none of these involve divine shutdown. None of them end the conversation. Instead, they invite dialogue.

This is what faith looks like. Not divine shutdown, but divine dialogue. Not closure, but openness.

The Invitation to Discernment

We are invited to something better than divine shutdown. We are invited to discernment. We are invited to weigh, to examine, to test.

This kind of discernment produces what divine shutdown never can: truth, accountability, community.

When we welcome the second voice, we free ourselves to actually find truth. We free ourselves to be corrected. We free ourselves to be in community.

This is the better way. It costs us more. It requires us to be accountable, to welcome questioning, to be weighable. But it produces something that divine shutdown never can: real discernment, real truth, real community.

Let us be people who welcome the second voice. Let us be people who weigh what is said. Let us be people who examine, not just accept. Let us be Bereans.

Test all things. Not just accept. Test. And then hold fast to what is good.

We are supposed to test. We are supposed to weigh. We are supposed to examine. That is what we are invited to do.