“You are going on an adventure!”
My dad said when I told him my plans. I was moving to a new city where I knew no one, did not have a job offer, a place to live, and had no money. He, and virtually everyone in my family, was skeptical about my decision. But I was confident I was doing the right thing despite its risks. Why? Because God told me so.
Or at least that is what I thought.
Two weeks before I crammed all my belongings in my car and made a one-way trip from Houston to Austin, TX, I asked God to tell me where I should live. I had just graduated for the second time without a job offer and was practically homeless because of an abrupt change in my living situation. I had the option of moving back to the east coast with relatives and explore career opportunities there. But I felt an irresistible pull towards Austin and thought God was telling me to go there. So with a conflicted heart and teary eyes, I fell on my knees and begged God to give me a definite sign for confirmation.
“Lord, I think you are telling me to move to Austin; if it is indeed Your will, please give me a sign. Let such-and-such happen so I may know I heard from You.”
Searching for revelation in the wrong places
That night was not the first time I asked God to give me signs to confirm His Word. At the time, I believed God speaks to us outside the Bible, and I should be receiving personal revelations. I got this teaching from famous (and questionable) teachers I followed when I was a new Christian. They taught that a Christian’s life should be marked with direct messages from God through various means, such as still small voices, visions, dreams, impressions, and signs.
They always provided examples of God speaking to them outside the Bible and explained how it enriched their spiritual lives. And it was pretty appealing.
I longed to hear my Shepherd’s voice. I longed to hear words from the Beloved’s mouth addressed only to me, to receive fresh revelation and guidance about my life. Consequently, I bought many books on hearing God’s voice, listened to several sermons, and tried everything the teachers said.
I tried emptying my mind, silencing my thoughts, and even chanting the same word repeatedly for focus. When I prayed, I kept a pen and paper next to me to jot down anything God “told me” and even tried writing with my eyes closed. I was always looking out for audible voices, signs, and coincidences that could be of God and examed my dreams to decipher potential messages.
It was exhausting, but I thought I needed to learn how to discern God’s voice so I could follow it. Unfortunately, I searched for God’s truths everywhere but where He had already spoken.
The Word more sure
When I was trying to hear God’s voice, I neglected my Bible—except for random readings hoping a verse would leap off the page—in favor of subjective experiences. And it was a disaster.
No matter how hard I tried, I could never hear God speaking. Or rather, I could never be sure He was the one speaking to me. Whenever I thought I heard from Him, whether from a text taken out of context, a persisting thought, or strange ideas during prayer, their origin always had a coat of uncertainty. Was it God speaking? Me? The devil?
And herein lies the fundamental problem with extra-biblical revelations; they are not sure. They always require more tests to prove their authenticity. When I thought God told me to go to Austin, I asked for a sign and another sign before moving. Even then, I was not 100% sure; there was always a chance that I misread the signs and got it all wrong.
We cannot rely on extra-biblical revelations or build our lives upon them; it is a weak ground that will crumble beneath us. We need a word more sure, and the apostle Peter tells us about it in his second epistle.
He says, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic Word more fully confirmed.” (2 Peter 1:16-19a)
Peter witnessed one of the most extraordinary events in world history: the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. They heard God’s voice thunder with praise for His beloved Son, saw Old Testament heroes Moses and Elijah, and beheld the glory of Christ as His face shone with bright rays of light. Yet, he did not count these supernatural experiences as trustworthy as Scripture. He says the prophetic Word—the whole Bible, is more reliable than what he has seen with his eyes and heard with his ears. If Scripture is surer than an actual event that two other witnesses can confirm, how much more our subjective signs, thoughts, or impressions?
Yet, many Christians pursue signs and other special revelation from God in lieu or besides Scripture. Much like the Pharisees and Scribes in Mat 12:39; 16:41 who asked Jesus for signs and wonders from heaven, when they already had signs from Scripture, we demand special revelation from God when He has already given us the Bible. We waste our time straining to hear fallible whispers when we have a prophetic word more sure.
Pay attention to the Word
Peter not only affirms the superiority of Scripture but also its priority. He says, “to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 2:19)
The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). When we step away from Scripture to pursue extra-biblical revelations, we step away from the light into darkness. And when we walk in the dark following whispers and small voices, we will stumble and fall. It is futile to search for God’s truth through obscure means when Scripture shines so bright. So give all your attention to it!
Impressions, visions, signs, etc., may lead you astray, but God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, will always guide us onto righteousness. As the old hymn says, it is a firm foundation.
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He has said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
What more do you want God to tell you than what He has said in His most excellent and perfect Word?
