On Guidance

Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him [YHWH], he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him. - Numbers 7:89

There have been a few books (in addition to the Bible) that have deeply affected my ministry and walk with Christ; The Knowledge of the Holy by Tozer, Decision-Making and the Will of God by Friesen, and Understanding People by Crabb, just to name three. But in the mid-80's, Henry Blackaby and Claude King co-authored a study entitled Experiencing God and it made a huge difference in how I saw and approached God's purpose. In particular, the section on how God speaks shaped my approach to understanding His direction for my life and how it related to my part in His overall plan to redeem lost mankind.

Not ruling out the possibility of audible guidance, Blackaby gives four means through which one might hear God's voice: His written Word, prayer, circumstances, and the Body of Christ. And while I have known God's direction in my life in some way through all these means, I am convinced that there is a caveat which should govern any guidance one may (or may not) think they have received. It is this. Our God is not the author of confusion; therefore, when He speaks we should expect that all these means of communication will agree with one another, or He simply has not spoken.

Every morning, read seriously and reverently a portion of the Holy Scriptures, and acquaint yourselves with the history and doctrine thereof. It is a book full of light and wisdom, will make you wise to eternal life, and furnish you with directions and principles to guide and order your life safely and prudently. - Matthew Hale