Recently on a well-known television talk show (ABC's “The
View," which has over 3 million viewers each week day), it was stated that
hearing the Lord speak to you was a sign of mental illness.[1] This was insulting to say the least.
It's nothing new however. Because even in the Garden of Eden
Satan tried to get Eve to doubt whether she had heard from God or not. Because
doubt set in; we now have this mess in the world of sickness, poverty and
death.
Genesis 3:1. Now
the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, "DID GOD REALLY SAY, 'You must not eat from any tree
in the garden'?"
Revelation 20:2. He
seized the dragon, THAT ANCIENT SERPENT, WHO IS THE DEVIL, or Satan, and bound
him for a thousand years.
You see, this statement on television was not an attack on
the Church or Christianity; this was AN ATTACK AGAINST THE CHARACTER OF GOD! So
for people that have had hope that God has spoken to them; now they're being
told that they have some kind of mental illness, “Did God really say…?”
But, if God spoke to you; He WILL do as He promised. The
Word says:
Numbers 23:19. God
is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
The questions before us today is (1) does God still speak to
people (2) if so - who does He talk to and (3) how does He talk?
Is hearing God, Satan, demons and angels a sign of mental
illness? Hearing voices can be a common type of auditory hallucination. The
voices in auditory hallucinations can be pleasant or threatening. Hearing
voices can be associated with some psychiatric disorders or medical conditions,
including: bipolar disorder,
psychotic depression,
schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders, and schizophrenia.
Medical conditions affecting the central nervous system,
such as brain tumors, delirium, dementia, epilepsy and other seizure disorders,
and stroke, can be
associated with hearing voices.[2]
BUT, all of this does NOT mean and does NOT prove that a
person is mentally ill because God spoke to them. First, does God still speak
to people? Yes, He does! The Word says so:
Hebrews 1:1-2. 1In
the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in
various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
Second, who does God talk to? He speaks to His prophets and
to His people:
Amos 3:7. Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but he
revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Hebrews 3:15. As has
just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."
Finally, how does God talk? God speaks through the Word and sometimes
even prophecy. But, remember, He will also many times remain VERY silent. Such
was the case when Jesus was on the Cross:
Matthew 27:46-49. 46About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli,
lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?"). 47When some of those standing there heard this, they said,
"He's calling Elijah." 48Immediately one of them ran and got a
sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah
comes to save him."
Yet, even though Jesus did not hear from His Father on the
Cross; He endured till the end, for our salvation. So whether you ever hear God
speak or not; just know that He has spoken through His Word (which is the Holy
Bible)!
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_View_(talk_show).
(Accessed, February 21, 2018).
[2] https://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/hearing-voices (Accessed, February 17, 2018
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