"For as he thiketh in his heart, so is he:" Prov. 23:7a

A few years ago my wife had a friend who tried to explain to her why she changed churches. She told Vicki that she moved because she "felt God" in the services of her newly found assembly. Her girlfriend insisted that she "sensed the presence of God so strongly in that place." When Vicki asked her what made it strong and what God felt like, she fumbled for an answer, and eventually said that it was a real "pressing" feeling in her chest, almost as if she couldn*t breathe well, Vicki questioned if she thought God was smothering her, and she was somewhat embarrassed. She finally admitted that no one had ever inquired so specifically about it before, and agreed that her answer sounded a bit silly.

Another memory I have was the time at a friend*s wedding that a man told my wife and me that he "felt the Lord when be got within three miles of the place." When I asked him for a more detailed explanation of his feeling, he became very defensive of his story but never changed his wording of it. "Three miles, I tell ya!" I began to tell him about the dispensation of grace and the completion of the scriptures, but he became annoyed and walked away.

I can also remember just after I first came to an understanding of the word rightly divided when I heard the choir singing about feeling the brush of angels* wings and knowing the Lord was in that place. I wondered at the time if they realized God was omnipresent or how they thought He was there differently than somewhere else. It was supposedly a somewhat mystical, nearly fluttery feeling. Lots of other people appeared to sense it, and I*m not sure if they were

acting or sincere. Again the question comes to mind, "Just what does God feel like?" No one would dare to speak with me about it. Maybe they perceived the downward spiral I and my family were on with the pastor and leadership since we had been sharing the revelation of the mystery we*d recently learned.

Incidently, there*s no mention of ‘feeling God* in the scripture. I can*t imagine why it got to be such a popular saying. But straying from the written word of God seems to be the normal expression of faith anymore. I am amazed at the number of ‘traditional denominationalists* who tell stories of spiritual experiences which wander so far from Holy Writ. I am suprized that so many deviate from God*s words on the page. They must suppose that no one can repudiate their yarn if they say "God told me " But I*ll stand on the firm foundation of the KJV and believe that Paul*s mystery revelation completely completed God*s Word, just like it says in Col. 1 :25-26, "Whereof I am made a minister~ according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:" So if anyone thinks their seeming episode with the supernatural makes them special, don*t tell me! Although visions and voices are reported commonly today among professing ‘church people,* we grace believers should have an answer for these encounters. The fad would fade if folks understood God*s eternal purpose in Christ in Ephesians 3.

Preachers routinely ‘feel the call of God* to another location. It seems the salary advance is a sure sign that ‘God opened the door* for them to make their move. There*s another favorite phrase! Lots of things are masqueraded to be an ‘open door from God.* What if the pastor leaves and his troubles spring up again at his next parish? All he has to do is hear another call and go through another open door. Sounds like a pretty evasive plan to me! The imprisoned apostle Paul requested prayer that God would allow him another opportunity to share a particular message in Col. 4.3

"Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:" He didn*t bum and beg for money from his acquaintances to finance his ‘witnessing trip* (i.e. vacation at the beach). His primary concern was to deliver the dispensation of grace to the Gentiles that God had charged into his trust.

in the gospel." In 1 Thess. 2:4 Paul said that he was "allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel." Again in I Tim. 1.41 "According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. " Yes, Paul had a distinctive truth to make known. He had some special information from God to reveal. Thank God he was faithful to tell it.

Do you realize that*s what we*re supposed to be doing? "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" 2 Tim. 2:2. Few of us are incarcerated at all, none of us are jailed for preaching, so all of us always have open doors of opportunity every day to tell the wonderful secret of Christ.

We don*t have to wait until we*re ‘feeling God* or ‘hearing his call.* We simply have to be obedient to the knowledge we have through His written Word, our Bible.

                                  This is David Dowell, saying "Think About It!"    

Mr. Dowell lives in East Tennessee with his wife Vicki and their six children.