If you haven’t spent time alone with Him to know Him …

If you haven’t heard directly from Him what His thoughts are …

If you haven’t studied His eyes and heart until you understand His feelings …

If you’ve only consumed theologies and teachings about Him …

No matter how many weeks and months and years and decades you spent feeding at the table of your religion …

If you learned the scriptures that support your existing opinions and ignore the ones that would disrupt them …

Then … 

You only know man’s interpretations and beliefs about Him, or …

You know your own “truths”.

You know mission statements.

You know your specific group’s theology.

You know your specific church’s or denomination’s culture.

You call “true” what your people tell you to call “true”.

You call “right” what your people tell you to call “right”.

But is it what God would say if you would but listen to Him? 

You may not know God well enough to fuel that confidence in your opinions …

You may not know God at all.

And yet you are sure you are speaking for Him.

Don’t be fooled …

Pride and self-righteousness and power feel good in the short term …

But pride comes before a fall.

No matter how brazen or angry or certain or large your tribe …

Majority thinking does not equate to an endorsement by God.

There is no substitute for knowing Him. 

Matthew 7: ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’