Bob Russell is senior minister at Southeast Christian Church

"God spoke to me last night and told me I should share this Scripture with you today." It wasn't unusual for Harold to make those kinds of statements to me. He often claimed God spoke to him directly sharing some special revelation.

At first I didn't know exactly how to respond to Harold. I didn't want to appear unspiritual, and I didn't want to offend him, but I was skeptical of his claims. It's not that God can't speak directly to people, because nothing is impossible with God.

But I've never heard God speak in an audible voice. To determine God's will for my life, I've always had to wrestle in prayer, study Scripture, and counsel with friends. I'm usually able to look back and see how God has guided my life through open and closed doors, but I've never heard an audible voice from God, and I doubted Harold's experience.

But the primary reason I was skeptical of Harold was because the Bible indicates that God doesn't speak that way any more.

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:1-3).

God did speak in an audible voice to people such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Samuel. God spoke in a variety of other ways to others-handwriting on a wall, storms at sea, a still small voice, and once God even spoke through the mouth of a donkey.

But in these last days God has spoken clearly and perfectly through His Son. The words of Jesus are communicated accurately in the Bible. The Hebrew writer seems to suggest that we shouldn't expect the same kind of verbal communication as in previous eras.

In fact the Bible instructs us to be skeptical of claims of divine revelation. First John 4:1 instructs us to test the spirits to see if they are of God. It's not a sign of spirituality to naïvely accept every claim of divine revelation as true -- that's a sign of immaturity. If we took every person who claimed a special message from God at their word, we'd be vulnerable to all sorts of cults and false teachings.

So instead of just nodding and saying, "Thank you, Harold, for sharing that message God gave to you," I told him how I felt. I explained that I doubted his claims to verbal revelation. As a result he had a condescending spirit toward me, but he still kept bringing me messages from God.

I once asked, "Harold, when you say, ‘God spoke to me,' are you implying an audible voice such as the boy Samuel heard in the temple? Or is this just an inner impression you have of what God wants you to do?" He assured me it was a distinctive, audible voice. When I asked him to tape it, he explained it wasn't exactly like that.

One Sunday morning after church Harold met me at the door just elated. God had spoken to him the night before and revealed that he would be reunited with his wife within two weeks. The two had been estranged for over a year.

I said, "Harold, I really hope that happens. But you know how skeptical I am of these claims at revelation. If you aren't reunited with your wife in two weeks will you at least begin to question your interpretation of your experiences?" "That won't be necessary," he assured me. "It will happen as God said. He keeps His promises."

I didn't see Harold for a while after that. About six months later he came back to church and met me at the door.

"I felt I needed to explain to you where I've been," he said. "God spoke to me several months ago and told me I needed to go to another church."

When I asked if his wife went with him, he sadly reported that they were still separated. Somehow she just wouldn't listen to what God was saying to her through him.

As Christians, we should be thankful that God has communicated Himself perfectly in Christ. The life of Christ and God's will for our lives is communicated clearly in the Bible. His Word is consistent, and we can be thankful for the dependability of His word which is a daily lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

*This article first appeared in The Lookout.

Bob Russell is an accomplished preacher at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., and author of 13 books. His latest, released in June 2002, is titled "Jesus Lord of Your Personality." His sermons are heard several times weekly on "The Living Word" a nationally syndicated radio program. He also writes a weekly column in The Lookout, a magazine printed by Standard Publishing.