When someone says, “God told me,” the conversation can become difficult very quickly. They may be describing a genuine experience of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, an impression they’ve interpreted too confidently, or an attempt to make their wishes sound unquestionable. The claim deserves attention, but it doesn’t settle the matter simply because God’s name has been attached to it.

I believe God still speaks to people today. I don’t believe the Holy Spirit stopped guiding, encouraging, warning, or working through spiritual gifts when the New Testament period ended. But believing that God speaks doesn’t require believing everyone who claims to speak for Him. Openness to the Spirit and careful discernment belong together.

God Has Revealed Himself in Jesus

Hebrews 1:1–2 describes God speaking through the prophets in earlier times and through His Son in these last days. Jesus is central to how Christians understand God’s character, purposes, and relationship with humanity. Any claim about divine communication needs to be considered in light of Him. We shouldn’t become so interested in private messages that Jesus becomes secondary.

Some Christians understand the completion of the apostolic foundation and the biblical writings as reasons not to expect continuing prophetic revelation. Others distinguish that foundational revelation from the Spirit’s ongoing guidance and gifts. Both groups can affirm that God addresses us through Scripture while disagreeing about other forms of communication. It’s important to understand that disagreement rather than assuming one side believes in God’s voice and the other doesn’t.

My own view is that the revelation of God in Christ doesn’t require the end of every other form of divine communication. Acts describes the Holy Spirit directing believers after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The question is how that activity relates to the church today. I understand it as something we should remain open to, while preserving the authority of the gospel and Scripture.

Scripture Remains Our Authoritative Guide

God can address us through the Bible as we read, study, and hear it taught. A passage may expose something we’ve been excusing, clarify a responsibility, or provide encouragement we need. Sometimes its relevance becomes especially clear in a particular situation. That can be a meaningful work of the Spirit without requiring a new message beyond the passage itself.

However, a verse becoming personally significant doesn’t free us from reading it in context. We can misunderstand Scripture just as we can misunderstand an inward impression. A passage about a particular historical event shouldn’t automatically become a prediction about our next business decision. God’s use of Scripture doesn’t turn careless interpretation into sound interpretation.

Private guidance must therefore remain accountable to biblical teaching. Someone who claims God has authorized dishonesty, exploitation, or cruelty hasn’t supplied an exception to His character. We should examine the message rather than assume its spiritual language makes it trustworthy. Scripture gives us a substantial basis for doing that.

The New Testament Describes Continuing Spiritual Communication

At Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel’s promise concerning prophecy, dreams, and visions as he explained the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:17–18). The passage presents participation extending beyond a small class of religious specialists. Sons and daughters, young and old, and servants are included. God’s activity isn’t confined to the people most likely to possess social authority.

Acts 13 also describes the Holy Spirit directing the church at Antioch to set apart Barnabas and Saul for a particular work. The direction came within a community engaged in worship and fasting, followed by prayer and the laying on of hands. It concerned a practical ministry assignment rather than a new gospel. That distinction helps us understand what ongoing guidance can involve.

I believe God can still communicate through spiritual gifts, dreams, visions, and inward promptings. I wouldn’t rule out an audible voice, but neither would I make such an experience an expectation for every believer. Scripture doesn’t require us to receive guidance in one uniform way. The form of an experience also doesn’t, by itself, establish its source.

Prophecy Should Serve People

First Corinthians 14:3 describes prophecy in terms of strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. That should influence what we expect it to accomplish within a congregation. A prophetic message isn’t supposed to become a performance through which the speaker proves their importance. Its value concerns the people being served.

Prophecy can include a warning or information about what lies ahead, as other New Testament accounts demonstrate. But predicting events isn’t the whole purpose of the gift. A church that becomes preoccupied with dramatic forecasts can neglect the ordinary work of encouraging faithfulness and helping people. Spiritual excitement shouldn’t replace spiritual benefit.

Nor should prophetic ministry become a way to control personal decisions. Someone’s claim that God has identified your spouse, required your donation, or assigned you unquestioning loyalty needs examination. A spiritual gift doesn’t make its recipient the owner of another person’s judgment. Ministry should help people respond to God rather than make them dependent on the person delivering the message.

God’s Communication and Our Interpretation Aren’t Identical

God doesn’t make mistakes, but people can make mistakes while claiming to have heard Him. We may misunderstand an impression, add an explanation that wasn’t given, or confuse our own wishes with His direction. Sometimes a person speaks sincerely and still gets it wrong. Sincerity matters, but it doesn’t establish accuracy.

That is one reason to avoid overstating certainty. “I believe the Lord may be prompting me to share this” acknowledges something about the person’s understanding that “God says you must do this” can conceal. Modest wording doesn’t make a genuine message less genuine. It leaves room for others to examine the claim without feeling that questioning it means opposing God.

If a prediction fails, the speaker should acknowledge the failure and accept responsibility. Repeatedly revising the explanation, blaming the hearers, or announcing that an invisible fulfillment occurred doesn’t provide meaningful accountability. We need to distinguish God’s faithfulness from our own fallibility. Protecting a person’s reputation shouldn’t take priority over telling the truth.

Testing a Message Isn’t Quenching the Spirit

First Thessalonians 5:19–22 places the instructions not to quench the Spirit or despise prophecies alongside the command to test things and hold onto what is good. Paul doesn’t require a choice between openness and examination. Both belong to a responsible response. Rejecting every claim without consideration and accepting every claim without discernment each neglect part of that instruction.

First Corinthians 14:29 likewise directs others to weigh prophetic speech. A congregation isn’t expected to receive a message unquestioningly because the speaker has a reputation for spiritual gifts. Other believers have a role in assessing what is said. Accountability is part of the setting in which the gift should function.

We can ask whether the message agrees with Scripture, reflects Christ’s character, and stands up to honest examination. We can also consider whether its application is wise and whether the speaker remains teachable. No single feeling of excitement or peace substitutes for that process. A claim that forbids scrutiny has already departed from the pattern Paul describes.

You Don’t Need a Constant Stream of Messages

Believing God still speaks doesn’t mean every thought is a revelation or every coincidence contains an instruction. Nor does it mean believers who haven’t experienced dreams, visions, or striking impressions are spiritually inferior. Much of following Christ involves understanding and practicing what He has already taught. Ordinary faithfulness isn’t a lesser form of Christianity.

We can pray, study Scripture, seek wisdom, and remain attentive to the Spirit without trying to manufacture an experience. If an impression comes, we can consider it humbly. If it doesn’t, we can still make responsible decisions and serve the people around us. God’s guidance isn’t limited to moments that feel extraordinary.

I believe we should welcome what God genuinely gives while refusing to surrender discernment. His voice doesn’t need to be protected by exaggeration, coercion, or excuses for failed claims. We honor Him by listening carefully, testing responsibly, and responding faithfully. The aim is a church receptive to the Spirit and mature enough to distinguish His work from the things people mistakenly attach to His name.