You’ve probably heard someone say something like, “And then God told me…” It might have been a pastor, a teacher, or a friend sharing a story. But when you hear a phrase like that, do you ever find yourself wondering: What does that mean exactly? Did God really speak to them? How do they know?
Statements like that raise important questions, especially for those of us who are learning to study and teach the Bible. What role does personal experience play in understanding God’s Word? Can we trust our feelings to lead us into truth? Does God still speak today, and if so, how?
These are not small questions, and they deserve thoughtful answers.
For me, the bottom line is this: Scripture takes precedence over emotion or experience.
Our feelings matter, and God may use them to draw our attention, but they’re not authoritative. His Word is. When I teach, I strive to be precise with my language and careful with what I claim. After all, if we’re handling the Word of God, we ought to do so with humility and clarity.
Over the years, I’ve developed a few guidelines to help me stay grounded. These aren’t rules to follow blindly, but principles to help us think well and speak wisely when it comes to teaching Scripture. If you’re leading others or simply trying to navigate your own study, perhaps they’ll help you too.
A Word from the Lord?
Only say “God told me” if you’re so certain the voice is from the Lord that you’d stake everything on it including your comfort, your reputation, even your firstborn.
That’s the kind of certainty Abraham had.
When God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, the command must have sounded deeply wrong. Everything Abraham knew about the Lord pointed in the opposite direction.
God hated the child sacrifices practiced by surrounding nations. He had promised that Isaac was the child through whom Abraham’s descendants would come.
And yet, Abraham obeyed because he was absolutely convinced that the command really was from God (Genesis 22). He trusted God’s character even when the instructions seemed to contradict everything he understood. And he followed that voice to the very last second, until God intervened and stopped his hand.
That’s certainty.
So far, I’ve never experienced a moment like that. I’ve never heard a voice or had a prompting that carried that kind of weight or clarity. And to be honest, I’ve never met a teacher who has, either.
Many of them who say, “God told me…” are not claiming anything like Abraham-level certainty. More often, they’re describing an impression, a conviction, a moment of clarity in prayer or reflection. And to their credit, they usually acknowledge the need for discernment. They’ll say things like, “I felt led,” or “I sensed God nudging me,” and they’ll talk about testing that impression against Scripture.
And that’s exactly the right instinct, because not every inner voice is divine. Some are just our own hopes or fears. Some are shaped by emotion or exhaustion. And some are not from God at all.
When Desire, Opportunity, and Advice All Say “Yes”—But God Says “No”
Scripture trumps experience, desires, emotions, advice and the “voice you think you heard.
Consider this event in 1 Samuel 24. David and his men are hiding in a cave when Saul enters, unaware, to relieve himself. The contrast between the bright sun outside and the darkness inside leaves Saul blind and utterly vulnerable. David is just a few feet away. The man trying to kill him is within striking distance and has no idea.
Now think about how we’re often taught to discern God’s will. A common model suggests it’s a mix of three things: your desire, your circumstances, and the counsel of godly people. If you want to do something, you have the opportunity to do it, and wise believers support it, surely it must be God’s leading, right?
That’s exactly the situation David faced.
He had the desire. Who wouldn’t want to end a long, unjust manhunt?
He had the opportunity. Saul was literally caught with his pants down.
He had the counsel. His trusted men urged him to act: “This is the day the Lord has given Saul into your hands!”
But David didn’t take the shot. Instead, he quietly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
Why? Because David knew something deeper. He knew the Word of God. And God’s Word was clear: Do not raise your hand against the Lord’s anointed.
Desire, opportunity, and even godly counsel may all align and still be wrong. Without the foundation of Scripture, even well-meaning advice can lead us astray.
God’s written Word stands above all other voices. That includes your own thoughts, emotions, experiences, dreams, or promptings. It even includes claims of personal revelation. If what you “heard” contradicts what God has already spoken in Scripture, then it wasn’t from Him.
The Word of God is the final authority. It always wins.
Teaching Isn’t Spotlight Time
Bible teaching isn’t about the teacher. It’s about the text.
One of the surest marks of faithful teaching is this: your students should leave knowing more about Scripture than they do about you.
The goal of every Bible study or sermon must be to convey the essential meaning of a specific passage to the listener. That means walking through what the passage says, unpacking its concepts in language modern ears can understand, and applying it with humility and care.
Stories, illustrations, and personal examples can be helpful, but only if they serve that goal. If they don’t lead people into a deeper understanding of God’s Word, they’re just noise. Without explaining meaning, no real Bible study has taken place. All you have are pious reflections, stirring exhortations, or maybe some interesting stories, but no Scripture taught.I
In my experience, those who frequently claim divine personal revelation often (consciously or not) make the message about themselves. They received a word. They were chosen. They have a special calling, a movement, a cause, a program that God is about to use in extraordinary ways.
That kind of self-centered framing is a red flag.
Be cautious if the “message” doesn’t deepen our understanding of Scripture or reveal more about the character of God, but instead centers on what a teacher claims God is doing through them. God does call people. He does use people. But faithful teaching always shines the light on the Message, not on the messenger.
Say What You Mean, Mean What You Can Prove
Be precise with your language. Avoid phrases like “God told me” unless you encountered a burning bush.
When we’re teaching Scripture, clarity matters. Often, we use expressions like “God showed me” or “I felt led” to describe those aha! moments when a confusing passage suddenly makes sense or a truth clicks into place.
And that’s real. That moment of understanding is the Spirit’s work, opening our eyes, shaping our thoughts, helping us grasp truth. We don’t take credit for that insight. God gives understanding (2 Timothy 2:7).
And sometimes, when people say, “God told me,” what they really mean is, “I suddenly understood what I hadn’t before.”
But here’s the challenge: vague language about personal revelation can easily confuse people. Or worse, shield us from scrutiny.
I wouldn’t rebuke a teacher for using such phrases, especially when they’re describing personal clarity rather than claiming new revelation.
But I would advise caution. When we say, “God told me,” we may unintentionally put our interpretation or our application above question. After all, who dares challenge someone claiming a direct word from God?
That’s dangerous territory.
In some cases, “God told me” becomes a shortcut, a way to silence objections when we’re not entirely sure we’ve done the hard work of exegesis. Instead of saying, “Here’s how I reached this conclusion from the text,” we claim divine endorsement.
But the goal of Bible teaching isn’t to be impressive. It’s to be faithful.
If I can not defend a point from the passage, I should think twice before declaring it. And if I’m speculating, I ought to say so.
God’s Word is strong enough to stand up to scrutiny. Our interpretations should be too.
Final Thoughts: Start with Scripture. Stay with Scripture.
I’m not saying God never prompts, guides, or impresses truth on our hearts. He does. But our confidence doesn’t rest on inner impressions or emotional experiences. It rests on the unchanging Word of God and the hard work of Bible study.
God gave us the Scriptures to anchor our faith, not to compete with our feelings, but to correct them. Personal revelation, however sincere, should never carry more weight than the written Word.
As teachers and Bible students, we have a responsibility to handle that Word carefully. That means aiming for clarity, humility, and precision. It means refusing to hide behind vague spiritual language when what we really need is better study. And it means remembering that the goal of all Bible teaching is to help others see more of God, not more of us.
So next time you’re tempted to say, “God told me,” consider saying this instead: “Here’s what I’ve seen in His Word.”
That’s where real authority begins.
Part of the Series: Bible Study 201: Learn to Teach the Bible
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