Did God Do That?

Exodus 20:7 (the 3rd commandment), says,

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

I’ve seen some people use God’s name in vain by saying that God has “called” them to do this…or say that…or go there. Ever heard somebody say, “I know I’m supposed to do this, because God has told me to…” and the whole time thought, “There is absolutely no way God has told him/her to do that!”

I believe that God does still speak today. Let me be clear with that.

But we can easily manipulate others, and misuse God’s name, when we attribute things to Him that He would not/could not condone. Often, I believe, when this methodology is employed, it’s a cop-out. It’s a misguided way of justifying sinful, self-seeking endeavors.

In order to know God’s will, we must start by knowing God. Loving Him. And loving what He loves.

Check out this video. I find it funny that Anderson Cooper is disgusted over Heidi Montag’s thanking of God for this performance. My favorite quote from this video: “If God has the time to work on this production, and that’s the best that God can do, we’re all in trouble.” (Anderson Cooper)

chris

Great post. Something worth mentioning as well is all the credit the evil one receives. You know, sometimes I hear people say, “pray for me, the devil is really doing a number on me today”. I mean, they are giving him credit for a flat tire or losing their keys. My thought is why give the devil more credit than he deserves? Maybe things happen for a reason or even from one’s own absentmindedness or carelessness or lack of responsibility. Better yet what if God himself is teaching a lesson? Let’s give credit where credit is due.
- Ben Reed
  
  Or maybe that funny feeling in your stomach is a product of the burrito you ate for dinner last night…
  - Mindy M.
    
    Or chicken you've left out in truck too long?
    You're funny, Ben.
    
    And, I definitely see your point in the post.
    I have a hard time holding my tongue when someone says that they are following God's will by divorcing their spouse. I want to go, "Now hold on for a second, how could that possibly be God's will?"
@ragamuffinvoice

Ben, I'm with you on this one. I've run into people who too often say, "God told me…" and expect you just to accept that. I believe that if God told someone in the church something, it's going to be supported by the Word and through others in the body of Christ. You're right in saying it's a cop-out for people who just want to indulge themselves or build themselves up at God's expense, or at least his name.
Kris

I have felt deeply convicted to do something or change something in my life several times. I have also felt extreme peace when I know I am doing what God would approve of. I also feel pretty cruddy when I am doing the opposite of what I am commanded to do. But I think you are talking about using God as a justification of sinning. I can see what you mean about that being an example of using His name in vain. Never thought of that. Good point.
- Ben Reed
  
  I agree with you, Kris. Doing something that God would approve of…obeying God…is definitely His will!
  
  It's funny how our physical body is often affected when we are disobeying God, isn't it?!? You said you feel cruddy when you're not obeying Him…so do I.
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Pierre Schramm

This is an invaluable piece of advice and one I’ve struggled with for a long time… for once you start questioning whether something actually does come from God, you then move on to the much harder question: “How do you know if it does come from God?”

There’s a few answers to that I’ve come across. The most frequent is “if it comes from God, you just know it”. It does have some credit – unless you also believe in the Devil and his ability to disguise himself , in which case that just falls down. [To a lesser degree, this also applies if you’re fooling yourself].
Similarly with “checking it against Scripture”: yes, if what you feel called to goes against Scripture, you probably got it wrong. But the converse does not necessarily hold: after all, the Devil tempted Jesus with (twisted) Scripture.

Reluctance is sometimes a good sign (and motivator to thoroughly check!), but thankfully God doesn’t always call us to do things we don’t want to do.
As far as I can see, though I can be wrong, the best approach is to pray about it. Judges 6:11-27 (Gideon) is a very good example of a calling and answer to it. I’ve been told by a preacher that Gideon always knew that it was God speaking, but was just making excuses – I’m personally not entirely sure. What comes clearly out of this is: it’s alright to not rush into a calling headfirst; though once it is established it is one, you should follow it immediately. Establishing it comes through a dialogue with God: prayer.

On another note, thanking God for a mediocre performance is appropriate, as all things, ultimately, come from God…
- Ben Reed
  
  I so agree with you, Pierre…establishing it comes through a dialog with God…prayer.
  
  You’re right, that all things come from God, but I’m not sure I could ever thank Him if I were to do mediocre work. Not sure He’s pleased by my half-hearted effort.

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Did God Do That?

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