Speaking on His Behalf

A revelation is a beautiful thing. It is when you hear the voice of God, feel His touch, or sense His hand guiding you into a particular direction. Revelations can come in many different forms and can be on a diverse range of topics. You may get a revelation on something like cutting back on the amount of sugar you take, on the way you speak to others, or it can be something major such as letting go of a relationship that is not for you.

Sometimes these revelations can be re-occurring. Particularly when you have forgotten what the message was about. I received this type of message last night after turning out the light to sleep. That and first thing in the morning is usually when I get such messages. It is a topic I have written about before and it remains a mystery to me why it keeps slipping from my mind.

Why is it that we so easily decide on God's behalf?

Have you ever done something and thought 'mom would flip if she saw me right now,' or 'if so and so where here they would say ... ' I guess its part of human nature to sort of guess what actions or words we would expect from someone without actually getting to the facts.

This is what I have found myself doing with God. It was pointed out to me (again) that instead of asking God what He thinks about something, or what He has already spoken on something - through his word - or other means; I am constantly making conclusions and theories on what to do - on His behalf.

Why or how does this happen?

Sometimes it can be out of habit, without much thought or deep reflection. this often happens when I am on auto-pilot as I have been lately. Living a busy life with school, kids, work, and family events can easily push me into a mindless frantic state where everything happens through large amounts of multi-tasking, miracles, and hard work. I say miracles because I have no idea how I get half the things on my endless lists done. As soon as one list ends another one is half filled. I am yet to adjust myself to this pace of life.

Honestly, when I moved to Zomba I imagined a slow and terribly boring existence. Not one where I barely catch my breath through the speeding hours of the day. Nevertheless, this is one reason that can lead to the poor connection with God and with myself that births zoning out the voice of my Creator.

Another reason is in not reading my Bible. Again, this is closely associated to being so busy and disconnected that I leave out the most important aspect of Christian living. I am one of those people that works well with routine, and lack of one throws me off so that it takes days before I can settle again. These days, my lack of fixed routine means I sleep whenever the cousins decide to leave after a late night visit, or I work six days a week without a day off to rest. This means connecting with myself and with God is a huge challenge, and consequently - a non event.

Learnt behaviour, one of the most prominent phenomenons in psychology.  Learnt behaviour in the human being can lead to all sorts of good and bad habits. In my case, I have learnt over the years how to relate to God the same way I relate to my dad. This can be a good thing but at the same time it can work against me. You see, my dad and I haven't lived together since I was 12 years old. There have been visits and holidays here and there, fewer than I would have liked but pleasant all the same.

There is no bad blood between us, however,  we both know that he is not the one I can go to when I need something. Whether it be for advice, or money, or just to hang out. He is one of those absent-minded professor types, and I totally get this. The problem is, I often end up relating to God in the same way I do with my dad. When I need something, I will often process it in my own mind and reach a conclusion without considering the fact that I haven't actually checked with God about it. I may use scripture on this, or theorize correctly on how and what may be right.
The bottom line remains, I am literally putting words in God's mouth.

Do you ever do this? It may be for other reasons other than those I have. It may be in many or few areas of your life. Regardless, it is wrong!

Imagine if someone did this with you. Imagine someone out there acting on your authority on something when they haven't a clue on what your authority actually is. Take a moment and consider how you do this, and how you can stop. There is only one way to know what God wants, and that is to ask Him.

I pray that we may continue the path to righteousness not through clever ingenuity, or acts of holiness, but only through every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Blessings always,

J.