The Test of Scriptural Integrity

This week in our leadership series we continue with “Hearing The Voice of God.” While each of us has a learned and preferred way to hear from God, we know from this series that the Father can communicate to you many ways. The same is true for the people you lead. We all have opportunity to hear from Him through the written Word, His loud voice, the gentle whisper, angels, dreams, visions, trances, experiences, and anointed observation. With so many communication conduits, we can hear consistently and convincingly from Him. However, how do we test the "voice" to make sure it is the Father and not our own thoughts, imaginations, or even demonic influence?

I’ll give you three primary tests in the upcoming posts that you can apply to any "voice" you hear. The first test is the test of scriptural integrity. Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:15-17, "you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Paul wrote this from a New Covenant perspective of grace and faith in Jesus.

"Make you wise" must be from the basis of the New Covenant in which we now live. Does what you hear line up with the fundamental truths of the New Covenant? I’m not talking about simply finding some single scripture to validate the "voice". . . . Even the demons know scripture! I’m talking about well grounded, line upon line, precept upon precept, scriptural integrity of the New Covenant. As we read scripture the Holy Spirit brings "rhema" life to the words and assimilates those words into principles of truth that undergird the New Covenant. Test a voice to determine if it is truly the Father’s voice. It must not violate New Covenant principles.