What should we do with dreams, visions, promptings, and “words” from the Lord? According to 1 Corinthians 12–14 and Acts 2:17, it’s clear that God still uses dreams and the gifts of the Spirit to help us discern His will, but it’s an area where we need to be very careful. Additionally, these things should never take the place of God’s principles. They can be supplements, but not the main dish.
I think of the Word as spiritual nutrition. We understand how physical nutrition strengthens and restores the body. Scripture nourishes us spiritually. Most of the questions we face can be answered, at least in principle, by what God has already spoken. Is this wise? Is this righteous? Does this honor God? Whereas gifts, dreams, etc. simply supplement the Word; they never replace it. Think of an actual supplement.
You might take vitamins, but that little tablet isn’t your meal. It supplements the meal. In the same way, Scripture is the meal. The Spirit’s promptings, confirmations, and other forms of guidance never become a substitute for what God has already revealed. As with many things, people gravitate to extremes. On one end are those who are very emotional and take this topic way beyond the scriptural boundaries.
As a result, they become unstable. But on the other end are those who are so closed off that they rarely hear from God. I often use the comparison of a circus environment versus a cemetery. Neither is beneficial. If Paul and his companions in Acts 16 had the whole Bible, it wouldn’t have told them to go to Macedonia. They wouldn’t have known.
God sometimes leads us in things that aren’t crystal clear. Scripture gives us principles to live by, but it doesn’t always give us the exact direction or course to