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p.7 Hearing the voice of God “We need to begin to believe that things have happened that we can’t see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. We can believe that there are television and radio signals in the atmosphere, even though we can’t see them. We know that all we have to do is take a television set, turn it on, tune it in, and we’ll see that those signals were there the whole time. But we need to begin to apply this to spiritual things. We can’t limit this concept to just our physical realm.” (You’ve Already Got It!)This is the exact example that the false prophet/teacher William Branham taught about God speaking and our tuning in. Wommack says It’s (all) just a matter of hearing His voice.” “His sheep hear His voice. He didn’t say His sheep CAN hear His voice or SHOULD hear His voice. He made the emphatic statement that His sheep DO hear His voice. …all true believers can and do hear the voice of God; they just don’t recognize what they are hearing as being God’s voice.” And where did he say his voice is? His voice is his written word, so there is no mistake who is speaking. Any other voice we hear instructing us and giving doctrine must agree with the Word written or it not from Him. He further explains “Radio and television stations transmit twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; but we only hear them when we turn the receiver on and tune it in. Failure to hear the signal doesn’t mean the station isn’t transmitting. Likewise, God is constantly transmitting His voice to His sheep, but few are turned on and tuned in. Most Christians are busy pleading with God in prayer to transmit when the problem is with their receivers.” This was William Branham’s teaching and it been wrong since he said it. As if his voice is speaking all the time and its on a certain frequency. God can have us hear his voice anytime and anywhere, we don’t have to tune in. he spoke to Balaam who was not listening through a donkey, he spoke to Jonah when he was running away. We are not antennas that need tuning in. He next explains, “It’s in stillness, not busyness, that we tune our spiritual ears to hear the voice of God. The Lord always speaks to us in that “STILL, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), but often it’s drowned out amid all the turmoil of our daily lives.” “Second, and this is very important, most often we mistake the voice of the Lord for our own thoughts. That’s right. I said the voice of the Lord comes to us in our own thoughts.” What he is saying is hearing a voice not by the Scripture, and by our own thoughts! He uses John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Which has nothing to do with hearing but worship which is toward God. This is what he uses for his application. “This is saying that communication with God is Spirit to spirit, not brain to brain or mouth to ear, the way we communicate in the physical realm. The Lord speaks to our spirits, not in words, but in thoughts and impressions. Then our spirits speak to us in words like, “I think the Lord wants me to do this or that.” The Lord doesn’t typically say “You do this or that,” but He will impress your spirit to do something, and then your spirit says, “I think I should do . . .” Therefore, we often miss the leading of the Lord, thinking it’s our own thoughts. Not in words! Then why were the words given to us in the Bible. Where is the Word of God (Which is God voice, his speaking to all)? It is put aside, for a direct communication. Do we not use our physical faculties to read it, and gain understanding. Apparently his Gnostic interpretation of continual direct communication overrides the Word which is the no.1 way God first and foremost will communicate with us about anything. Any voice, or words or impression we receive should agree with his Word, so that we know it is him. David said he has hid his words in his heart, which is then drawn out for counsel when needed. Can God can speak to us or lead us personally at times, of course. But any voice that teaches outside the Scripture, and is not finding its source in Scripture -- will lead one away from the God of the Scripture. God does not confirm any extra biblical teaching. Any Voice heard that you put above the Scriptures to govern your life, will lead you away from God. What he is teaching is dangerous as he leaves out the only objective sure way to hear from God and instead opts for a mystic manner of communication. The point is his counsel of how we always hear God. The Lord always speaks to us in that “STILL, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). How many examples do we need from Scripture to prove this is inaccurate? Deut. 4:12 “And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.” Deut. 5:25-26 the people feared and said “if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die.” That is no still small voice(this was said again in Deut.18:6) Ps 29:3 “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders” Job 37:2(This whole chapter) Hear attentively the thunder of His voice , And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.” V.4He thunders with His majestic voice “That’s not a small or still voice. Job asks “Can you thunder with a voice like His? (40:9) The Psalms are filled with descriptions Ps 18:13 the LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice” (Ps 29:4-5) “The voice of the LORD is powerful ;The voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars” Ps 29:8 “the voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness.” Dan 8:16 “I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision." Who but God would be instructing the angel Gabriel. Numerous times in the Old Testament the prophets spoke in the first person the words of God. Yet we are told God now speaks through his Son (Heb.1:1). Those words are written We can see by numerous examples that Wommack neglects the whole of Scripture In the New Testament Matt 3:17 “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This was audible, called in Hebrew bat kol. The disciples in Matt 17:5-7 and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.” Do you become this afraid from hearing a still small voice Paul heard a voice that was certainly was not still like Elijah heard, as others heard it too. Acts 9:4-7 “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me.” V.7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.” Rev 11:12 “the two prophets, And they heard a loud voice from heaven.” Rev 14:1-2 John writes, And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder.” To say it is always a still small voice is wrong. Why did he speak to Elijah this way, because he was panicked it was calming and reassuring. To use this communication as the only means when Elijah was not having faith is just wrong. Wommack says, “Learning to clearly distinguish God’s voice is invaluable. Instead of going through life blindly, we can have the wisdom of God guide and protect us. There isn’t a single person receiving this letter who couldn’t have their life radically transformed by hearing the voice of the Lord better. (How to: Hear God’s Voice) Rom. 15:4-5 “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” 1 Cor. 4:6 Paul uses Apollos and himself to teach “that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written.” This means hearing a voice that is not coinciding with Scripture. Paul says in Col.3:16 to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. He makes us wise to what is written not beyond it. It is written down for equal access to all. Our faith comes from hearing the Word of God, all through the New Testament it speaks of what is written to believers. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 sums it all up “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Can anyone say the voice they hear is inspiration of God like the Scripture or do the same things Scripture does? The validity of stories being told Andrew Wommack has many examples of hearing God speak in stories of his life. Ironically in his sermon “How to: Hear God’s Voice” he gives this story.“I once was planning a trip to Costa Rica, a place I had been before, and was excited to be returning to. Yet, as I prayed about it, I lost my desire to go. Instead, I actually felt dread about going. The first thing I did when that happened was make sure I was really seeking the Lord with my whole heart. While on a road trip, I spent seventeen hours praying in tongues, and the more I got my mind stayed on the Lord, the less I wanted to go back to Costa Rica. On the strength of that alone, I canceled the trip.” “When the people of Costa Rica asked why, all I could tell them was I didn’t want to go. That was hard to do, and I’m not sure they understood. The plane I had booked my flight on crashed on take-off from Mexico City, killing all 169 persons onboard. The Lord warned me of that and saved my life, not by saying, “Don’t go to Costa Rica,” but, by communicating to my spirit and taking away my desire to go.” This is the only plane flight I found that remotely resembles his story. A Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727, en route to Los Angeles from Mexico City, crashed and burned Monday in the mountains west of the Mexican capital. 166 people aboard were reported dead. April,1, 1986 LA Times) The plane was going to LA, not Costa Rica. So one has to wonder if this happened as he says, or at all. Considering it was the Lord that took his desire away to not go to Costa Rica, which the plane was not headed to. And this is his teaching about hearing God’s voice? Something is not right. If one were to check other stories there may find similar conclusions. To conclude, there so many things this man teaches that are wrong, from Genesis to salvation in the new covenant. This has to be said, caution - proceed at your own risk.
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