A word from God

I'm reading through the book of Jeremiah as part of my daily reading and have come to chapter 23. It's a profound chapter addressing the problems of their day AND ours. God says to Jeremiah,


Jer 23:23 "Am I not a God near at hand"--GOD's Decree-- "and not a God far off?
Jer 23:24 Can anyone hide out in a corner where I can't see him?" GOD's Decree. "Am I not present everywhere, whether seen or unseen?" GOD's Decree.
Jer 23:25 "I know what they're saying, all these prophets who preach lies using me as their text, saying 'I had this dream! I had this dream!'
Jer 23:26 How long do I have to put up with this? Do these prophets give two cents about me as they preach their lies and spew out their grandiose delusions?
Jer 23:27 They swap dreams with one another, feed on each other's delusive dreams, trying to distract my people from me just as their ancestors were distracted by the no-god Baal.
Jer 23:28 "You prophets who do nothing but dream-- go ahead and tell your silly dreams. But you prophets who have a message from me-- tell it truly and faithfully. What does straw have in common with wheat? Nothing else is like GOD's Decree.
Jer 23:29 Isn't my Message like fire?" GOD's Decree. "Isn't it like a sledgehammer busting a rock?
Jer 23:30 "I've had it with the 'prophets' who get all their sermons secondhand from each other.
Jer 23:31 Yes, I've had it with them. They make up stuff and then pretend it's a real sermon.
Jer 23:32 "Oh yes, I've had it with the prophets who preach the lies they dream up, spreading them all over the country, ruining the lives of my people with their cheap and reckless lies. "I never sent these prophets, never authorized a single one of them. They do nothing for this people--nothing!" GOD's Decree.
Jer 23:33 "And anyone, including prophets and priests, who asks, 'What's GOD got to say about all this, what's troubling him?' tell him, 'You, you're the trouble, and I'm getting rid of you.'" GOD's Decree.
Jer 23:34 "And if anyone, including prophets and priests, goes around saying glibly 'GOD's Message! GOD's Message!' I'll punish him and his family.
Jer 23:35 "Instead of claiming to know what GOD says, ask questions of one another, such as 'How do we understand GOD in this?'
Jer 23:36 But don't go around pretending to know it all, saying 'God told me this . . . God told me that. . . .' I don't want to hear it anymore. Only the person I authorize speaks for me. Otherwise, my Message gets twisted, the Message of the living GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies.
Jer 23:37 "You can ask the prophets, 'How did GOD answer you? What did he tell you?'
Jer 23:38 But don't pretend that you know all the answers yourselves and talk like you know it all. I'm telling you: Quit the 'God told me this . . . God told me that . . .' kind of talk.
Jer 23:39 "Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take you in hand and throw you to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. I've had it with the lot of you.
Jer 23:40 You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as a disgrace."

• It's amazing- I hear that God is speaking to the church today as well! I hear it from Christians often, "The Lord told me...." and off they go on some wonderful new revelation, but when I ask them if they are spending time in God's word I must tell you that I am greatly disappointed. Most Christians I run into do not spend time in God's word AT ALL! I am really disappointed by that. If this is true in other parts of the church in America we are in trouble.
• No one is willing to invest their time in the living word of God, but indulge new revelations like a wonderful piece of candy. It's almost as if they do not really want to hear what God really says, but would rather get some "word from God" to direct them and short-cut the very book God gave the church to help us grow up.
• I am tired of it. I am tired of hearing "The Lord told me" (when I know, after I hear what he supposedly said, that he didn't speak to them at all!) I am tired of people not caring enough about God to take even 5 minutes to spend in his word. I'm tired of the very things God speaks about in this passage in Jeremiah 23.
• So, having heard it, and seen it for many years now let me give you my insiders view- If someone says, "the Lord told me" I will almost guarantee they didn't get it from the bible, nor are they spending any time in the bible. I will almost guarantee they wouldn't know the voice of God if he spoke out loud from heaven. I will almost guarantee that these "revelations" are pride based....(I hear from God and you don't!)
• Well, enough of that. I have wanted to say something about this for years, and never have, so now...there it is. For my charismatic brothers- get in the word and see what God really says. For my evangelical brothers- get in the word and see what God really says. Then, when you say, "Can I share with you what I found in the word that really spoke to me?" I'm there! I'm all ears....that's my kind of word from God!

Now I know I will hear from some saying, "but doesn't God speak today?" Yes he does...and that's a visit for another post. But for today....get in his word and let him speak to you!