Things I Wish Christians Would Stop Saying: "The Lord Told Me!"

I really do wish Christians, especially preachers, would stop saying:

“The Lord told me!”

How many times have I heard T.V. preachers, for example, make this bold claim? I’ve heard one of my former pastors use it as a matter of fact. He probably said, “the Lord told me” at least twice in every sermon. I never gave it much thought back then but it did give me the impression that this man was certainly well connected!

But when Christians use this phrase, do they realize what they are saying? It raises some interesting questions for me:

Does God speak audibly to preachers or anyone else making such a claim? I’m not one to criticize another’s faith experience, but I must say that I have never heard God speak audibly to me! I also am delighted that I have never used this claim to give weight to anything I might say in a sermon.

Why would God speak to my pastor years ago and has said nothing to me all these years? Is it because I am not as well connected as my former pastor? Am I not as spiritual? Or, worse yet, am I not listening for God’s audible voice carefully enough? It would be so easy for me to feel a bit slighted or even depressed because I don’t have the inside track to God’s will. Guess I’m not in the inner circle it seems.

Why would a Christian make such a claim, to begin with? Well, I think saying something like this is intended to shut down any and all opposition. In other words, if my goal is to suppress opposition to or disagreement with my sermon thesis then I must evoke an authority larger than myself: “The Lord told me to say this today!” 

Saying “the Lord told me” shuts down further debate over controversial and difficult issues. How many preachers have told their congregation that the Lord told them to preach against some sin du jour or even worse who to vote for in an upcoming election? Claiming such direct authority is misleading in my opinion.

How can a layperson argue with a preacher who comes across as being so well connected to God? 

Sure God speaks to us through a variety of means, such as through the Scriptures or through another person. But make that clear the next time you claim “the Lord told me!” It would be more honest it seems to me.

Do you get my point?