How to know it is God

I was asked a question some time ago in Bible study and wanted to share what I said. We were talking about obedience to God. Someone asked me, "How do you know when it is God's will and how do you know when it is your own will?"

Answer one: does it conform to Scripture?
Response to answer one: How do you know when it conforms to Scripture and how do you know when it conforms to your own interpretation of Scripture?

In the end, the Bible is not a simple answer book. You cannot just flip to a page and find the answer each and every time. Anyone who reads the NT knows that Jesus has taken OT verses and turned them on their head ("You have heard it said...., but I say to you..."). I do not say that the Bible is not helpful, I merely say that one can find whatever one wants in the Bible. For example, Mark 7:36 ("Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one") or Matthew 8:2 ("See that you say nothing to anyone") (also Luke 8:2& 8:54) make the demand that we remain silent about Jesus. what is someone says, "I am a Mark 7:36 Christian, I do not talk about Jesus"? The world is full of crackpots and cults which (mis)read and (mis)use the Bible.

There are many arguments about the meaning of Scripture. What is clear to one is murky to another. I am dumbstruck by the sacramental theology of many Christians in light of the Bible, yet they look at me like I am nuts when I share my faith. Debates and disagreement on Scripture are as old as the Scripture.

I have spent too many years in study of the Scripture to think that anyone, in isolation, can trust their own personal (idiosyncratic) reading and interpretation of the Word. Not saying reading the Bible is a bad idea. I am saying, reading the Bible and deciding what God's will is based on that (or limiting myelf to people who think like me) is an opening to problems.

So if the Bible alone, as interpreted by me is not enough, how does one know the will of God?

Well, reading how the Church has understood the will of God over time is a helpful starting place. The Church can be wrong and has been wrong and continues to be wrong about all manner of things. Still, it is probably helpful to at least hear what the People of God have said God's will is.

A personal favorite of mine is this. If I decided to do something and I claim it is based on God's will, one question I ask myself is this, "If God were not telling me to do this, would I do it any way?" For example, someone says, "It is God's will I eat this cherry pie." Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But, if God had remained silent on the issue, would you want to eat the pie? If the answer is yes, then there is always the chance that you are hearing your own voice and thinking it is God.

Be inclined, to be suspicious of your own motivation. Ask yourself first, what do I want? After you know that answer then ask, "What does God want?" If you notice God always seems to want the same thing you do, then you can assume either you are an incredible Saint or it isn't God you are listening to, it is yourself!