Every word of God has proven to be true.
He is a shield to those who come to him for protection.
Do not add to his words,
or he will reprimand you, and you will be found to be a liar.
Proverbs 30:5–6
The only thing you can be certain of is God’s Word. Your hunches, your dreams, or your visions can’t be counted on 100 percent of the time. Only God’s Word can. So when you say, “God told me,” I say show it to me in Scripture. Otherwise you run the risk of “adding to” his Word. And a lot of time what you’re adding is just your own desires and passions that are so powerful that they feel like the very voice of God. But every “word from God” must be tested. God still talks to his children today, but his words will never, ever contradict his written Word, the Bible. When you get a “word” from God, don’t talk about it with everyone; just take it to the Word and look for more of what you heard there. Does it contradict what’s written in Scripture? Does it center on serving self? Is it all about your happiness and fulfillment? Then there’s a big chance it isn’t from God. God’s focus is your holiness and not so much your happiness. When you think you’ve heard from God, pray that God would reveal more to you through the wisdom of your counselors and friends. But don’t be so eager to share your dreams and visions with the world just yet. They’ll see them soon enough if they were really godly visions.
It can be easy, in all the excitement of your dreams, to want to act on them immediately and see them come true now. But that can get you ahead of God. Slow down. If it is his will, then it will be done on his timeline, not yours. Rest with confidence in his ability to bring to pass whatever it is he would bring to pass, and don’t try to lead God in the direction you want to go. Stick with his Word and find your path by doing what is written in the Scriptures.