I have some concerns and questions.  First of all, I’m married and am a minister. Recently, my wife began a journey to seek God, and some things she is telling people are kind of far out there.  I have faith in the Lord and know He can do anything, but what I’m puzzled about is that she is telling people that God said she was sent here and once was an angel and that she was the commander of God’s army.  Not only that, but all her siblings are angels (one was a seraphim angel, one was this, one was that).  But I have been talking and walking with God my whole life.  He tells me one thing and tells her something different.  Then, one day, I tell her God told me to tell her to basically stop lying.  She was standing right in front of me and said God said that I was a sinner and to repent.  Then, an hour passes, and she then said God said that He had forgiven me because I didn’t know and had no wisdom.  I was led to tell her the story of the Nephilim.  She  said she was sent here like Jesus and John the Baptist.  This is starting to cause a situation where I don’t know what to do.  How can God lead me one way and lead her another?  I know from the Word many things.  She also said, like John, the Lord took her memory, and now it’s coming back to her.  I need some direction.  I cant fight her anymore, but what she says I am responsible for.  I’m the husband.  I need to know what the Scripture says about this whole matter.

Sincerely,
Conflicting Reports

Dear Conflicting Reports,

You are both expecting the Lord to speak to you directly, but He speaks to us through His Word.  John warned that adding and subtracting from the Scriptures is wrong (Rev 22:18-19).  Paul warned that we should not go beyond what is written in the Scriptures (1 Cor 4:6).  He also said that if even an angel from heaven (which your wife claims to be) were to preach another gospel, they would be condemned (Gal 1:8).  Contrary to what many churches teach, God doesn’t speak directly to us when we go to Him in prayer.  He does answer our prayers, but not with words.  The book of Jude says that we have all of God’s words handed down to us, once and for all, in the Bible (Jude 1:3).  Just because you feel something in your heart, doesn’t make it true.

Religious confusion happens because we take our ideas and ascribe them to God.  That is why your wife has one religious view, and you have another.  God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33)… people are.  All religious confusion comes from selfish desires, individual ideas, and jealous factions of mankind (Jas 3:16).  When we serve God according to our own ideals, we are zealous but not knowledgeable, and zeal without knowledge is useless (Rom 10:1-2).  The only way to find unity is to use the Bible as our only guide – nothing more.  God only created one standard (Eph 4:1-6); if we want unity, we’ve got to do things His way.  Ask your wife to show you book, chapter, and verse in the Bible that proves she is a reincarnated angel… we have a pretty confident feeling that she will be at a loss for honest words.

Hi, I am a twenty-one-year-old English major; I have one more semester before I graduate.  My problem: I don't believe that romantic love exists.  I know there are others that think the same.  Most people think they are in love, but when something comes along and they break up, they find out it wasn't love or that they hate the person.  Relationships to me are pointless.  It's unnecessary stress; more than half of marriages end in divorce within the first two to five years.  I can be completely successful without someone.  I actually thought about caring for someone, tried, but couldn't.  Is there something wrong?  I'm in no way apathetic or whatever; I just don't put emotions into something that I feel isn't worth it.  I care about things.  Rarely have I been angry.  I've never been jealous.  I'm happy when I need to be happy.  I'm focused on graduating and getting the things I need done.  I get emotional over things such as when my grandfather died; I actually cried.  Am I incapable of caring about the one person that God may have sent for me to be in a romantic relationship with?

Sincerely,
Love Nausea

Dear Love Nausea,

Romantic love is a real thing, but it isn’t a necessity… and some people never get married.  The Bible dedicates an entire book of the Bible (Song of Solomon) to the subject of romantic love.  Marriage, when pursued by godly people, can be one of the most wonderful blessings on this planet.  After all, two are better than one (Eccl 4:9).  However, Christ made it clear that romantic love isn’t for everyone – some people were born without the desire for that type of relationship (Matt 19:12).  Paul wasn’t married and made it clear that he was able to serve the Lord more efficiently because of it (1 Cor 7:32-35).  You don’t have to pursue romantic love, and you are in now way “defective” if you aren’t interested in marriage.  We are all uniquely made by the Lord and have the freedom to serve Him through marriage or without it.  Don’t look down on those that pursue romance, and don’t feel bad about being different.

I am a believer.  Unfortunately, I hang out with lost people and have a tendency to do what they do (drink, etc.).  I feel God drawing me closer to Him.  I have a very wounded heart from the past.  Here is my question: will God in one form or another take people He does not want me to be around out of my life since I can’t seem to do it on my own?

In the last month, I have had a falling out with three of these people, and it wasn’t my doing.  Please explain; thanks.

Sincerely,
Too Friendly

Dear Too Friendly,

The Lord helps those who make decisions to put Him first.  God won’t magically remove all the temptations from your life, but He will make sure you are never tempted beyond what you are able (1 Cor 10:13).  God promises that the struggles of this life can be resisted… and there is an expectation that you will do that.  Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33).  As you expressed, unhealthy relationships will destroy your soul like rust destroys iron.

God promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (Jas 4:8).  As you make decisions to purify your life and build healthy relationships, God will reward you for those decisions.

I read a few things online about the Bible.  Is pot/weed a sin because I did not see anything about it in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Blowing Smoke

Dear Blowing Smoke,

Plants (and drugs made from plants) are wonderful things if used as God intended – medicinally.  Anything that removes the clarity of someone’s mind or makes them drunk is sinful if used recreationally (1 Cor 5:11).  Christians are to be sober-minded, so that we can properly learn, grow, and serve the Lord (1 Thess 5:6).  The devil loves an addled brain, and the moment we stop thinking clearly, he is ready to pounce (1 Pet 5:8).  Furthermore, the body is a temple and should be treated as God intended – not destroyed with drugs (1 Cor 6:19).  Drugs destroy your body and mind.  You were bought with a price; glorify God in your body (1 Cor 6:20).

(The following is a follow-up to Preying Preacher)

He says the Lord gave him a dream about me, and the Lord put us together; he has been a preacher for ten years… so he says.  I do love him, but I don’t know what to think.

Sincerely,
In A Trap?

Dear In A Trap,

Anyone that tells you that they have had a vision from the Lord is lying to you.  1 Cor 13:8-10 says that all prophecy and visions have ceased now that we have the perfect Bible.  We have written on this topic extensively in “Three Cheers For Miracles” and “I Dreamed A Dream”.  You are being deceived into leading a sinful life.  This preacher is a charlatan and is wickedly conning you into a lascivious relationship.  No matter what he says, you must leave this relationship and never look back.  Sin is sin, no matter how he makes you feel.