Common Misconception in the Bible Teachings – Asking for a Sign when we Pray is Wicked

Common Misconception in the Bible Teachings – Asking for a Sign when we Pray is Wicked

Written by Joseph Ho, May 6th, 2009

Most of the Christians in the churches do not really do their own independent testing of scriptures when they received the teachings. They followed a kind of innocent simplistic obedience that whatever comes from the pulpit is from God; since pastors are ordained by God, therefore they all must be speaking the truth under the anointing. I have personally encountered that pastors don’t all speak the truth when they preached on the podium in front of the church congregation. More than twice, I encounter pastors speaking against the word of God. Even so called Prophets of God can give conflicting prophecy to a person when asked about the same thing. This is the truth and its happening in the churches, so where is the anointing from the Holy Spirit?

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (New International Version)

19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.

God does not make it easy for us to know his will doesn’t he? Since, we have to also meditate upon the prophetic words. But, God did give us a way to test the truth and that is to ensure that by 2 or 3 witness we can decide a matter. The good shepherd teaches us to test the prophetic words with 2 to 3 different means, or from 2 to 3 different prophets, or from 2 to 3 different facts.

Why test something using 2 to 3 facts or ways?

In the engineering world, we define a location in space using 3 coordinates. Two coordinates is sufficient to define a point in a plane but by 3 coordinates we can define a point in space. Then again, this coordinate system must be positioned with respect to some fixed location; in this case, we fixed our faith on the Lord our God. Whenever I need to decide on something important, I will always seek out 2 or 3 confirmations from 2 to 3 different people, at 2 to3 different churches or by 2 to 3 different means I hear from God. It is very foolish to let one word from anyone (Pastors or Preachers or Prophets) to decide who you have to marry and which business you can undertake, all these decisions are life changing, its major sorrow when we make a wrong move. When we make a mistake it’s not always due to our hidden sins, but more often than not its due to our covetous heart. We already decided in our hearts what we want and we seek God to confirm that instead of seeking God to follow his instructions, as if God does not know what is best for us. Here are some of the bible verses teaching us to do this.

Deuteronomy 19:15 (New International Version)

Witnesses

15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Hebrews 6:18 (New International Version)

18God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

Matthew 18:16 (New International Version)

16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’

God is the most trust worthy Shepherd we can ever have, because he has laid down his life for us. Showing us he cared so much that he is willing to give his life for our salvation. So he is absolutely trustworthy, no questions need to be asked about this one. God also promises to lead us and to guide us, and he has to do that by speaking to us. So when we pray we have to be very specific and let God answer us by the way we can understand his answer. By that, I mean that we have to let God answer a Yes or a No by the way we ourselves will put it to God. This leads us to create a sign language with our God. What I am saying is not dream or vision, that we do not need a sign. What I am saying is that we have to let the Yes be a sign and a No be another sign, so that when the sign comes we know which is the answer from God.

And when we use a sign language with God, it can not be a coincidence, it is never a coincidence; it is his answer to us, for nothing happens by accident. David said in his Psalm that unless God ordains the day it can not come to pass, which means we can not live that day the way it is unless God has agreed to it. The bible says he will instruct you.

Isaiah 28:26 (New International Version)

26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.

Deuteronomy 32:12 (New International Version)

12 The LORD alone led him;
no foreign god was with him.

John 6:45 (New International Version)

45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

Jeremiah 7:23-24 (New International Version)

23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

Isaiah 30:21 (New International Version)

21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Psalm 32:8 (New International Version)

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

Jeremiah 18:2 (King James Version)

2Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

How to Ask God for a Sign?

I taught this to my society members but some of them say asking for a sign is wicked and also that the bible teaches us not to test God. Where did they get this from? Let us examine the facts, and divide the word rightly.

Matthew 12:39 (New International Version)

39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Luke 11:29 (New International Version)

The Sign of Jonah

29As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

When you do not meditate on the word of God and read the words in the bible correctly then you will get a wrong impression and this can have a dire consequence to your spiritual life. It can close a significant door which you may never again open unless you need to seek the answer desperately or when someone storms your mind with the truth. Most people read this verse to mean that wicked people ask for a sign. That is not so, and it’s a wrong interpretation. Christians will fight you for that, rather than seek the truth to find comfort they will fight you tooth and nail because their pastors teach them that, and; if you insult their pastors’ teachings you have insulted them indirectly since they listen to their pastors. They love their pastors more than the truth. And again they have made their pastors to be an idol in their hearts. So they will rather take the side of an error than to admit their pastors are wrong. This is why Jesus said the heart is extremely deceitful who can understand it? What the verse means is that a wicked generation asks for a sign, the generation is a wicked one wanting a sign to confirm who Jesus was and Jesus refused to give them any. Jesus did not mean they were wicked because they asked for a sign.

Asking for a Sign in Prayer

In my most desperate moments of my life, and I mean truly desperate like my boat was sinking fast, I had to seek the Lord for help and I would spent many hours reading the bible thinking it would speak to me, and that was my only way to get a word from God, so I read it day and night. But by God’s mercy, he used this particular verse to speak to me, it literally spoke to my spirit man, and I took this advise seriously.

Jeremiah 6:16 (New International Version)

16 This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.

The Lord asked me to seek the ancient paths, so I read from Genesis onwards, since ancient means Old or the Old Testament. And, lo behold, I came across this verse which again connected me in the spirit man on how to ask God for a sign. It’s the story of Abraham’s servant asking God which is the woman to be chosen as a wife for Isaac, and he prayed for a sign.

Genesis 24:12-21 (New International Version)

12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.

From here, we know that Rebecca was the one chosen by God to be the wife of Isaac according to the prayer made by the servant of Abraham. He asked God for a sign, the sign was that Rebecca would answer him in a certain way, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too” that was the key word. There are many bible stories of how God answered men’s prayer through them asking for a sign which they have made to God and God returned the answer by the sign chosen by them. So yes, God answers by signs, and we can choose anything or anyway we want for God to answer us. One word of advise here, please don’t ask God to part the Red Sea or to move the Sun 12 steps backwards, since we are not the main character of the bible. A simple sign will allow God to act faster but not too common a sign so that when it comes you would not believe it.

So I tested this ancient way and it worked for me very well indeed. I have asked God many times using this ancient way and he always answers me, so I am very glad to have learnt one way to talk to God. And yes, I have made major decisions based on this ancient way, as you would call it. God is merciful to grant me this simple way to speak to him but I have to believe it since he led me to find how to speak to him and receive a reply from him so I did, and I prospered in my decision. This is not a method; it’s an ancient way for people of God to ask for a sign.

If you want to learn more about such things  check out my website or send me an email, I have written a book on How to hear from God in 14 ways, it’s called “My Sheep Hear My Voice”. If you master them all, you will always be able to get the counsel of God in all matters at all places and all the time. So how can you then walk blindly when the light of the world is guiding you and speaking to you? God bless and may you seek him with all your mind, body and spirit.