Rodney Howard Browne teaches that if you

do any study on issues, try not to get side

tracked away from the simplicity of the gospel. Do not

run off on a tangent into something that does not produce

life.

You will always know if you are into false

doctrine when you begin to lose your joy and your peace.

The scripture says, “In thy presence is fullness of joy; at

thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm

16:11). Let peace be your umpire.

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in

your study of the scripture. Remember that the Holy

Spirit is the teacher. He will take God’s Word and make it

alive for you. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Having a Hearing Ear

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. The voice

of a stranger they will not follow.” (See John 10:5, 27.) It

is interesting to find out that many Christians who have a

“quiet time” really have a quiet time because they never

hear from heaven. They never listen to see if God would

actually speak to them.

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are

the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). God will lead you by

His Spirit, but there needs to be a sensitivity to the

anointing and it only comes with spending time in His

presence. Only then do we recognize when God is

speaking to us and instantly obey. In other words, we

need to develop a hearing ear.

He That Has Ears to Hear

“He that has ears to hear what the Spirit is

saying,” is a phrase that is repeated throughout the New

Testament. It’s not talking about the natural ear, but the

spiritual ear.

We know the story of Samuel and how he heard

someone calling his name. He went to Eli and said, “You

called me.” Eli said, “I did not call you.” This happened

several times and then Eli realized that it was God who

was speaking even though he did not hear that voice (not

having ears to hear). He then said to Samuel, “Go lie

down and when you hear the voice, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for

your servant is listening.’” (See First Samuel 3:1-10.)

The Case of the Broken Telephone

We have heard the sayings, “There is none so deaf

as those who will not hear,” and “People hear what they

want to hear.” I am reminded of a story I heard of a

farmer who wanted God to speak to him, One morning,

as he was sitting on his front porch of his farmhouse, a

hand appeared and wrote in the sky the letters G P.

Instead of finding out any further information, the

farmer sold his farm and went on the mission field to

fulfill his heavenly direction. After failing hopelessly and

spending much time in prayer, he heard the Lord speak to

him. He said, “What is the problem, son?”

The farmer said, “Lord, I obeyed You. I did what

You told me. I read the letters in the sky and knew it

meant, Go Preach.” The Lord then said to him, “Son, the

letters did not mean, Go Preach; they meant, Go Plow.”

In this man’s zeal for God, he ran ahead and

misinterpreted the will of God for his life.

Perfect Timing

It is interesting to realize that most people don’t

miss God in the general direction of what God has called

them to do. Rather, they miss the timing, partly because

they don’t listen to what the Spirit of God is saying.

They have never developed their spiritual ear to

the point of hearing God’s voice more clearly. Instead,

they are led by circumstances and situations in their lives.

Blown by the winds of adversity, they wander around

aimlessly, never accomplishing the will of God.

Charismatic Gurus,

Have You Had Your Fortune Told Lately,

and Other Horror Stories

Another scenario is that some Christians gravitate

to so-called “prophets” ( charismatic gurus of the day ( to

get another “word from God.” But it’s always something

vague, something remote, and it never produces a

workable, tangible reality in their lives.

After several years, the individual has a large

collection of predictions, dating back over the years, and

not one has come to pass. But it’s another nail in the

religious coffin of death and bondage.

The truth of the matter is that prophecy is

confirmation, not information. The Bible says, “As many

as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

It does not say, “As many as are led by the prophets are

the sons of God.”