When we talk about God laying something on our hearts, I think of Ezra 1:5. God moved, or stirred, the hearts of some of the exiled Jews to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of the Lord. The ones who went had some sort of inward compulsion or prompting from God in their spirits to go. In a previous post we pulled out some principles about serving from that verse. An observation was made in a comment about how some Christians claim God laid something on their hearts but then “do an about face.” How do we know if it was God who laid it on our hearts or something else?
Overused Christian Jargon
I do agree that the use of the phrase “God laid it on my heart …” can be overused and even misused. It can get confusing when people insist on God’s moving and then don’t follow through or if they do but things go obviously wrong. Let’s remember that God is not a God of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).
We, as Christians, need to be careful of the words we use. We also need to be careful with being so emphatic in how we express ourselves that it paints us into a corner of having to justify ourselves, and even worse, trying to justify God, like He is to blame.
Sometimes Misused Christian Jargon
To be sure, there is a very real sense in which God, through His Spirit, moves or stirs our hearts. Think of Jesus’ words in John 10:4-5 — “His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Yet, sometimes when we Christians say “God has laid it on my heart to ….”, we would be better saying the following:
This is what I feel comfortable doing.
This is what I want to do.
This is what I think I should do.
This is what I feel like I am expected to do.
These words, “God laid it on my heart,” could more so reflect our personalities, our own will, feelings, desires, or thought processes. Sometimes they might even stem from the culture of the church or ministry of which we are a part.
We might have good intentions and be sincere but the influence of self and others can be ever so subtle that we think it is of God but isn’t. We will be more likely to get it right when we realize the influence God’s Word must have that supersedes the pull of ourselves or others.
A Connection Between God Laying Something on Our Hearts & His Written Word:
- God will never contradict His Word. If what you think God has laid on your heart doesn’t line up with God’s Word, He is not the source of what you want to do. It must be consistent with the commands and principles found in the Bible as well as the character and ways of God as described in His Word (2 Tim. 2:13).
- If we are not regularly spending time with God in His Word, we better not trust our perceptions of what we think He has laid on our hearts. Jesus said His sheep know His voice so well that they can differentiate His voice from others (Jn. 10:4-5). How are we going to get to know His voice above all, including our own, if we do not spend time with Him in His Word?
- Discernment comes through the “constant use” of God’s Word, chewing on the meat of what we read (Heb. 5:14). A casual and inconsistent approach to God’s Word that stays on the surface will not bring the spiritual maturity needed to differentiate between what He has laid on our hearts and what our own feelings, desires, or thought processes dictate.
The same analogy may be used for those who proclaim they “are called of God to be in ministry”. If that is true then why do some pastors bail out of ministry? If God did indeed call someone to become a minister/pastor by the infilling of the spiritual gift then shouldn’t they remain in that ministry until God calls them out of it?
What if God’s Spirit impressed upon you to “come along side” the pastor to pray for him and minister to him, yet the pastor rejects them… is there a problem with the minister/pastor for not being respectful of that person? Just a few thoughts.
So many people that has been called and eventually give up is because their ego got the better of them. Instead of waiting on and let God lead them and tell them when He think they are ready. They get impatient because they are too eager to get going. They not fully equipped. They then run ahead of God’s perfect plan. But then the wheels come of because they neglected to learn how to tighten the wheel nuts properly. See when we lean unto our own understanding. And what to run ahead of God’s plan with our own plan we fall short. Because God knows everything and sees every thing. Our vision and knowledge and understanding is humanly limited but Gods vision, wisdom and knowledge surpasses all understanding. We need to learn to trust and we need to learn to be patient in God.
Recently a lady at church approached me and said that it ‘ was laid on her heart’s for me to join the choir. She made it seem that God directed her to approach me.
Since then, this same lady has tried to get the best singers out of the choir, lied, gossiped and tried to turn people against me. Played the victim when she is the pursecutor. She has caused disruption and disharmony and placed herself higher than anyone even though she cannot hold a note.
My question is WHY would God put me amongst all the things I dislike ? IF it truly was from God He would give me peace, instead it’s full of confusion!!
Needless to say I am leaving that ministry to find something I can honour God in with a happy heart not a heavy one!!
Mel, what you wrote of seems like a difficult situation. I cannot say whether it was of God or not for you to have gotten in the choir. But, let me give you a few thoughts.
1) Just because someone says God laid it on their heart doesn’t mean it truly is of God. People’s own motivations and feelings can easily drive them without them realizing it.
2) Just because something ended up being hard or unpleasant doesn’t mean it wasn’t of God. If we never have situations like that, we will never personally learn a lot of things God has to teach us. Patience, perseverence, and a lot of qualities God wants to build within us don’t have opportunity to grow in us if we’re never in situations that call for these things.
3) Regardless of whether something was originally of God or not, He is still sovereign and can use whatever it is to His glory and for your good. Think of the familiar verse, Romans 8:28: — “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” What is the good that God is, or wants to, bring out of this situation? I pray you will be able to take an objective step back and look at it in this way.
Thank you so much for your reply. Either way I am in the choir. I love to serve and worship God and He has promoted me spirituality to that position. So I guess you are saying either way HE will make it work. I have taken time to think and God has increased my patience and my ability to pray instead of just lash out verbally…so some good has come from it.
Thank you for making me rethink leaving the choir. This woman has caused a lot of disharmony in the choir and throughout the church but I realise that she needs deliverance from that troublesome controlling spirit. How can a whole church not take to one person?? I have never witness this in my entire church life!! I truly believe she cannot help it if I’m honest ..and neither does she want to be helped as pride gets in the way. It’s in the Almighty gracious hands. He will fix it…
Thank you once again for your reply and may God continue to bless and keep you.
You are welcome, Mel. Praise God for giving you perspective. Sometimes it comes down to accepting that we are each personally accountable to God for how we act and react. Maybe the 40 Day Challenge to Help You Maintain a Healthy Perspective will be helpful for you. Click on the link to go to a page where you will find a link to a free copy of it.
When someone doesn’t want to be helped, there isn’t much we can do but pray. But, prayer is powerful (James 5:16) because we pray to a God who is able to work in all situations. Let me encourage you that whenever any negative feeling pops up toward her that you use it as a signal to stop and pray for her. You’ll be amazed at how that helps you get through a disheartening situation like this. — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)
If you want peace and you want to worship the Lord in freedom in your church choir you gotta attack this one in the spirit. No need to deal with the woman causing the issues, This is the power of the spirit and we must walk in it if we are to be victorious. Pray into it, against it, worship with all you have in you and that issue will resolve. Not a fight you’ll win in the flesh, but we are not called to operate in the flesh as christians. The same power that conquered the grave lives in you…attack it in the spirit and just show the love of Jesus to the woman who needs it. It will reslove. God bless x
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12)
Hi! I think it’s safe to say that God ‘laid it on my heart’ when I’m prompted to do something nice for someone, because all good things come from Him :-) As long as my motives are pure and I’m not expecting anything in return. For example, I make and sell a certain object. Sometimes I feel the urge to just make one and give it to someone just to bless them. In those cases I definitely believe the Holy Spirit led me to be His hands and bless someone who might have had a need that I wasn’t even aware of. I love it when I get those urges!!! :-)
Hi, Elizabeth! Even when we don’t see obvious results or the person doesn’t seem grateful for what we do, we can still feel good about it knowing that He had a purpose for it. God uses our goodness toward others in ways we may never realize so it’s important we follow through on those promptings of the Spirit. Thanks for sharing!
I believe God wants me to write and illustrate children stories that are Christian. I am doing this and I have written about 30 stories in a series and am trying to get published. But I don’t have a lot of money to self publish. Will God provide the funding? My last publisher didn’t pay me.
Hello, Jennifer. I do believe God provides for us to do His will. So, the first question to grapple with is –what is His will in this? You obviously seem to have a passion for writing and children. Writing and illustrating stories for children certainly is one venue for that passion. If that is the direction you are to go, then ask, Is it God’s will for you to write stories? Or, is it God’s will for you to make money writing stories? Keep in mind that sometimes Jesus sent the disciples out to do His will without taking their own provisions with the expectation that He would provide as they went, but sometimes He told them to take provisions with them. Sometimes the Apostle Paul served according to God’s will by letting others minister to his needs but sometimes he used his tent-making skills so he could do ministry without charge. Either way, God was providing to do His will.
Some other issues to keep in mind might include: 1) Timing – We sometimes can be right about what God wants us to do but not always on the time frame. 2) Perseverance – Even when it is the right timing, things don’t always perfectly line up as God is accomplishing other things we are unaware of, still working, but just not in the way we think He should. We need to keep at it, learning the lessons God has for us along the way, faithfully walking through the doors He opens, and trusting that He is at work even when we don’t understand.
The stories are Christian and I believe God inspired me to write them down. Jennifer
I pray that God will open the right doors in His timing in His ways and for His glory! I encourage you to keep turning to Him for wisdom in where to go from here.