Some people apparently have God on speed dial. Every decision comes with a divine endorsement. God told them to move. God told them to quit. God told them you were jealous. God told them to pursue somebody who already said no. Somehow, the creator of the universe has time to validate every preference they have, but asking how they reached that conclusion is considered disrespectful. Man, hell naw.
I have questions for folks like this. Who told you that every thought entering your mind deserves to be credited to God? How did you determine where it came from? And why does your certainty mean the rest of us are supposed to stop thinking? If you are going to tell me a decision came directly from an all-knowing being, I am going to ask how you ruled out the possibility that you misunderstood.
That question was on my mind while watching a woman on TikTok describe what she understood to be instructions from God. According to her account, she had been in an apartment for about a month before a series of events she connected to following God’s guidance ended with eviction and living in her car. I do not have enough information to explain exactly what she did or establish what caused the eviction. What caught my attention was the way she presented the experience as an act of faith.
Losing housing does not prove somebody made a bad decision, and hardship does not settle whether a person’s beliefs are sincere. But calling an experience spiritual obedience does not explain the decisions involved, either. I wanted to understand how she had evaluated that guidance and what practical support she had. The consequences remain after the comments fill up with people congratulating you for trusting the process. Are those people offering you somewhere to sleep? Because encouragement from strangers does not pay a security deposit.
There is already a place for these questions within Christianity: discernment. In 1 John 4:1, believers are instructed to test spirits rather than accept every claimed spiritual source. The passage addresses false prophets, but the caution matters here: invoking God does not put a claim beyond examination. Asking how somebody reached a conclusion should not automatically be treated as hostility toward their faith.
Job offers another reason for humility. In Job 42:7, God rebukes Eliphaz and his two friends for failing to speak rightly about him. To me, that should give people pause before confidently explaining what God intends for somebody else’s life. Being willing to speak on God’s behalf does not establish that you know what the hell you are talking about.
I understand that faith can involve uncertainty and sacrifice. What I question is the refusal to consider that a personal interpretation might be wrong. How did you distinguish guidance from your own desires, fears, assumptions, or impulses? Did you seek advice from somebody willing to disagree with you? Feeling strongly about something does not answer those questions, and neither does finding an audience that tells you what you want to hear. I am questioning judgment and accountability, not diagnosing strangers or treating religious belief as evidence of mental illness.
The stakes change again when somebody expects other people to obey that interpretation. “God told me you’re my wife” becomes an attempt to override rejection. “God said you need to forgive me” becomes pressure to restore access without accountability. A leader says God instructed everybody to give money, then treats questions about where it goes as evidence that somebody lacks faith. It’s convenient how the instructions keep benefiting the person delivering them.
In those situations, disagreeing with a person becomes disobeying God. Their interpretation becomes your obligation. I do not accept that arrangement. You can believe God told you to pursue me, and I can still tell you no. You can believe I should forgive you, and I can still decide you will not have access to me. A divine signature on your wishes does not cancel my right to make decisions about my own life.
If you believe God gave you instructions, own the choices you make in response. Explain your reasoning, consider the consequences, and leave room for correction. And if every message happens to endorse your wishes, excuse your behavior, and require somebody else’s compliance, I have every reason to question whose voice you are actually listening to.
