In the final analysis, there are only two ways to interpret either Scripture or the Creation: Divine revelation or assumption. Assumptions take various forms and there are many ways to justify them, but they really are just making stuff up. Divine revelation requires standing in God’s presence with the desire to know Him and to obey Him. Since every person is born with a sin nature, we always have to make choices between God’s will and our own wills. To disobey God is sin. When we obey Him, it’s because we have yielded to His Spirit to the point where He has been able to think His thoughts, speak His words, or do His acts through us. Nothing else is righteousness ever. This is the imparted righteousness of God. And it leads to a change in what we are. It leads to holiness. Since none of us is perfectly holy yet, we need to constantly seek the Holy Spirit to correct us. When the Holy Spirit corrects us, it’s always uncomfortable to our flesh. In fact, the flesh dies. However, Christ is built up in us. As Christ is built up in us, our discernment between right and wrong improves.

Since none of us is perfectly holy yet, we need to constantly seek the Holy Spirit to correct us. When the Holy Spirit corrects us, it’s always uncomfortable to our flesh. In fact, the flesh dies. However, Christ is built up in us. As Christ is built up in us, our discernment between right and wrong improves.

When we listen to ungodly counsel, human reasoning (which is always based on assumptions), or worldly friends, TV shows, movies, etc., we begin to sear our consciences. We lose the ability to tell the difference between reality and make-believe. We lose the ability to tell the difference between Divine revelation and made-up stuff. This is what happened to the false prophets. Yet, God said that if they would stand in His Presence, He would speak to them. Of course, the reason they wouldn’t stand in His Presence was because they didn’t want to hear Him. He would tell them things that wouldn’t please the fleshly mind. So, they found ways to avoid that. Even now, some Churches find ways to avoid hearing His Voice (forms, rituals, rationalizations, music with the wrong spirit, unscriptural Church order, etc.). They may even claim to hear His Voice, but those who stand in God’s Presence won’t be deceived by Him.

For you, my advice is that you stand in His Presence. Even though He tells you things you don’t like to hear, listen to Him. Don’t add to His words to make them say what you want to hear. Spend much time reading Scripture, asking God to speak wisdom into your heart (innermost mind). He will lead you where you don’t want to go. He never leads where the flesh wants to go. Yet, He can remove all your sins and bring you into righteousness–eventually into holiness and redemption (freedom from the sinful nature and the influences of Satan).