Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.
–Hebrews 3:15–

CHAPTERS 16-19, which are labeled under the section “Why Doesn’t God Speak to Me Like That?,” are helpful in that they might help to remove obstacles for the “open but cautious people” or the theoretical charismatics out there. I tend to think of people who are in the Christian & Missionary Alliance, the Southern Baptist Church, or the Assemblies of God. They are theoretically open to the miraculous gifts of prophecy, dreams, visions, etc–but they often don’t experience these things. They want to, but they still don’t receive it. What is wrong? Deere goes into great length why this is. Through years of experience as a pastor and charismatic conference speaker, I think he speaks with authority on the subject of why certain Christians do not hear the voice of God, or have dreams and visions.

1. Unbelief. Deere says that cessationists don’t hear the voice of God because of their unbelief. Jesus says many times in the Gospels that faith is essential to God giving His blessings. But if certain Christians have more faith in the Bible than they do in the idea that God can speak in dreams, visions, and voices…well, then God won’t speak in those ways. Why should He waste His time sending visions to people who will just find ways to explain them away? When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth? Let’s hope so. If you really want God to speak to you apart from the Bible yet not in contradiction to it, then you are going to have to pray and accept the idea that God does speak apart from the Bible. And dwell in faith and in trust that God will send you messages this way.

2. Pride. Deere maintains that it is because God opposes the proud, that God does not speak to them (1 Peter 5:5). I find that inconsistent with Job 33:14-18 mentioned above. God gives prophetic dreams to keep men from pride and Hell. However, if some men receive such warnings and still go on in their lives with a spirit of pride, without repentance, then yes, I would think the warnings would eventually cease; and the voice of God would stop speaking to that person. A person with a superior attitude is just like Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14); people who are always seeking management positions, exalting themselves over and above others, promoting themselves for vain purposes, looking down their noses at others, wanting to control others, exerting their authority and letting them “know who’s boss,” authoritarian, rivalrous, and competitive:–such people are children of the devil. God does not have a friendship with them; and God does not speak to them, no matter if they do go to church on Sunday. You may ask, “What about being a confident employee? A hard working, competitive employee?” Be careful. The trap that pride may lay for you might just be under the name of “confidence”. When you go to work, it should be about honoring God, pleasing your manager, and providing financial security for your family. It should not be about your “aggressive” work ethic that is out to prove that you are a harder worker than everyone on your team. Remember that pride goes before a fall (Prov. 16:18). Looking down on others economically, socially, morally, theologically, and religiously: is not okay (Luke 18:9-14). God has high moral standards and pride is not one of them. Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” What we call “looking down on others” is pride or “haughty eyes,” which God hates and detests. Pride of Bible knowledge is included (rationalism). Pride in the Westminster Confession tradition is included, such as its statement on Scripture in chapter 1, which speaks against continuing revelations (cessationism). Consider beggars as better than yourselves. Approach them, give to them, and pray with them, if you want to please God. Psalm 138:6: “Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.” Beware of the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees who would cut you off from the gift of prophecy so they can control you with their Bible knowledge which they acquired at seminary (Matt. 16:5-12). Such men diligently study the Bible, but they have never heard God’s voice nor seen a vision of Him (John 5:37-40); and they will judge everyone by their lack of experience.

Deere makes an interesting point about the authority of Scripture, dreams, and visions:

Any time we say, “The Bible says…,” we run the risk of usurping God’s authority if our interpretation or application of the Bible is wrong. Instead of the authority being located in something as subjective as a dream or a vision, we have simply transferred that authority to our own interpretation, which may be every bit as subjective as anyone else’s dream or vision (pp. 267-268).

This is a valid point. Not that we should allow anything else to be considered a higher authority than the Bible. But, if we want to be more accurate in our interpretation and application of the Bible, I prefer to follow Wesley’s hermeneutical method delineated by Albert Outler, known as the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral”: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. All four sources of knowledge feed a full-orbed epistemology (or philosophy of knowledge). In the “tradition” category, the best I can say would be any books by or about John Knox, George Fox, John Wesley, Charles Finney, William Booth, William J. Seymour, Smith Wigglesworth, Donald Gee, David Wilkerson, Dennis Bennett, Kathryn Kuhlman, John Wimber, and Jack Deere. These are the best names I can list for any solid type of “evangelical charismatic” tradition: these names span from the Protestant Reformation to today. When people turn to the more “Reformed” theologians, you find that the theology becomes less spiritual, and more about the mind; theology becomes displaced by a dry Bible knowledge and everything is about the head: and such “knowledge puffs up” (1 Cor. 8:1). But if theology is done in and around “Wesleyan” theologians, it is likely the spiritual condition of the hermeneut will be more on target with the heart of God.