Book Review: Is God Speaking to Me

Is God Speaking to Me, by Lysa TerKeurst, is a brief booklet taken from her book, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.  In this three-chapter synopsis, TerKeurst spends the first chapter describing what it means to have a soul that "longs for more".  She encourages women to daily say "yes" to God, emphasizing the act of surrendering to God through prayer each morning.  She focuses on obedience to God's commands, which she terms "radical obedience".  She also introduces the idea of radical blessings, though she does not define these blessings until chapter three.

Set to release September 1, 2020

The next chapter is spent discussing what it means both to hear God's voice and to be assured it is Him speaking.  She states, "When God speaks to me, it is a certain impression on my heart that I've come to recognize as Him."  She then lists 5 questions she asks herself to determine if what she is hearing is from God or not.

The final chapter describes the radical blessings that result from following God wholeheartedly.  These include a deeper relationship with God, a more adventurous life, depth of inner peace, better relationships with people, having a meaning and purpose to life, and having an eternal perspective.

TerKeurst emphasizes subjective experience in this book, which is not surprising, considering the title.  She states, "As we experience God personally, we come to know new names for Him.  When we've experienced His provision, we come to know Him as our Provider.  When we've experienced His comfort, we come to know Him as our Comforter.... The longer we know Him and the more we experience Him personally, the more we learn about His character."  This sounds good.  But let us think it through.  Wouldn't it be great if God would just write us a book with all of these characteristics prominently on display, worked out in the lives of sinful humans who have lived before us?  Isn't it great that He has done just that in the Bible?  Isn't it great that we do not have to wait for personal experience to see and embrace Him as our Provider and Comforter?  There is great value in experiencing God's character on display in our lives, but we learn about His character, first and foremost, through His written Word.

TerKeurst lists questions to ask oneself while studying Scripture.  While she states that these are just starting point questions, they are mostly self- focused:  "Who is this passage speaking to?  What is it saying to me?  What direction is this passage giving?  How might I need to change my way of thinking or acting as a result of this verse?  What are some other verses that relate to this topic, both in the Old Testament and New Testament?"  She does not include any question of context or authorial intent.  These two questions are essential building-blocks for studying Scripture.  Skipping to personal application of a passage without regard to the context surrounding the passage or authorial intent is dangerous!  We must handle the Word of God properly in order to understand what God is communicating to us through it. We cannot skip the step of interpretation on our way to figuring out application.

When determining whether one is hearing the voice of God, TerKeurst states one should ask herself whether or not the action she is seeking to do would please God.  She states, "Would this please God?  You see, if what you are doing pleases God, then even if what you thought you heard from Him wasn't His voice, you still please Him.  We should always seek to err on the side of pleasing God.  Ask this question, and you'll know what to do."  This statement should raise red flags!  Yes, we want to please God.  But does it really please God when you claim your actions are something God instructed you to do, when He did not?  Arriving at the proper actions does not excuse using an erroneous method to get there.  The ends do not justify the means.  Putting words in the mouth of God that He did not say is irresponsible and dangerous.

I mostly disagreed with what TerKeurst had to say.  She makes statements that sound so good, yet are not quite right.  Her subtle deviation from Scripture is difficult to discern at times.  This practice of misrepresenting Scripture is dangerous and cannot be taken lightly.  Small errors in Biblical interpretation lead to big errors in theology.  And theology sets the framework for how one views and interacts with the world and with God Himself.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:

★☆☆☆☆