The God Card

“Then God said…” _Genesis 1:3

Call me a cynic or unspiritual, but when someone plays the “God card” (God told me…) as the reason for doing something alarm bells go off in my head.

If they tell me, “The bible says…” I can go look that up.

But when they say, “God told me…” where can I look?

I tell you where I look, I look very, very closely at their lives over the long haul.  I do believe God can communicate to his people, He is God after all.  But what gives me comfort that it was really God is not the goosebumps and feelings.  I want to see evidence that they have done their homework and have walked with God long enough to actually recognize His voice. 

Playing the God card to end a conversation or to stop a close examination of the evidence is cheating.  God is not afraid of the light of truth and someone who plays the God card to skirt accountability and cover sloppy planning should be avoided.    

Something I’ve learned, if someone says, “God told me…,” count on it, God told at least one other person as a witness.  Don’t make a move until you find that other witness.  It may slow you down, but it will also keep you from being deceived and from heading off in the wrong direction.

The ONE THING for today: A little sanctified cynicism is always in order when someone tries to justify a chancy decision with the God card.  Just because they played the card doesn’t mean you have to pick it up. Most days what God has already said that is recorded in the Bible is enough to keep you heading in the right direction. Always start there and always go there for validation.