“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).

“God told me.” Over the years, I have learned to dread these words in a conversation. Whenever someone says this to me, I know the conversation has ended. From that point on, logic, reason, and the clear teachings of Scripture are all thrown out the window.

Any attempt to talk these very sincere believers off the ledge of stupidity is, in their eyes, a direct assault on the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 is often used (abused) to justify heart-led, feelings-driven, short-sighted, completely unbiblical decisions. But look again at this verse. “He [the Spirit of Truth] WILL NOT speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak.” Since the Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21), guidance by the Holy Spirit ALWAYS comes with a passion to align our decisions with the word of truth and a willingness to be corrected by mature believers since we know full-well that Satan can also quote verses from the Bible, but always for self-serving purposes and never with any regard for their context (Matt 4:5-6; 2 Cor 11:14). ”

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn” (Isa 8:20).