Strong Delusion: 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
"God told me to . . . ." More wrongs have taken place, riding on the leathery wings of that specious declaration than most of us could ever imagine. The very phrase itself is seldom used outside the realms of Charismatic Christian sects, psychotics, and more than a few ‘jihadists.’
Genuine faith and belief in God have all too often been the target of the malicious smears and negative press of the mainstream media. Not in a small part because of the fantastic assertions of some seriously delusional people who claim that God has audibly spoken to them.
Clearly we could all agree that the words, "God spoke to me," or "God told me to . . .", could easily occupy that same area of colloquial speech such as  comments like, "The shower is calling my name." That is not what I am talking about. I am referring to the erroneous and far too delusional contention that God is actually communicating in a verbal manner and "I am the only one who can hear Him!"
So, for the record, let’s be clear here - God does not now nor has He verbally communicated with any human being since the end of the Apostolic Age, and anyone who says differently is either a lunatic or a liar! Such claims always fail to find scriptural support. In other words - there is nothing in the bible that supports such nonsense. However, there is support for the truth that God no longer speaks to us through the prophets. In Hebrews 1: 1-2 - "God,
who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He as appointed heir of all things, through whom he has made the worlds . . . ." And even those loons who would have us believe that God, Himself speaks to them are violating the very words of Christ Jesus! Revelation 22:18 - I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy on this book; if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book . . . . Still want to tell us how God "spoke" to you last night? Why then do these ostensibly spiritual individuals claim they have received ‘special revelation?’ There are several possible answers: for many, the problem is that they have convinced themselves (or have been convinced by others) that genuine saving faith must be ‘experienced’ if it is to be real. They believe that they need to experience something beyond the revelation provided for us in holy scripture; something revealed only to them. This is part and parcel of the ‘strong delusion’ Paul referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. Left to their own devices they delude themselves into believing that God literally ‘speaks to them,’ in an audible voice. Now you can understand how they could twist the most sinful behavior or activity into a defendable position. After all - God told them to do it!
These spiritual miscreants merely use this outrageous claim to validate their own vile inclinations or desires. Remember: they take pleasure in unrighteousness and God is more than willing to allow them to ‘believe the lie.’
So how are we to seek God’s true will for us if He no longer audibly ‘speaks to us?’
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God
, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 We need nothing more that what holy scripture reveals to us. The "inspiration of God" also translates to "breathed by God." That would be the work of the Holy Spirit. According to the Westminster Larger Catechism, "The Holy Spirit . . . does not reveal any truth in addition to what is revealed in the Bible, but only enables the sinner to see and believe the truth already revealed in the Bible."
Despite the charges by unbelievers that faith is a fantastic and futile belief system, God has always made it clear to us that He wants no one to walk in the darkness. In fact, our Christian faith is always described in terms of ‘light’ shining through the darkness. But we cannot hope to bask in the light of God’s holy word if we are preoccupied with rolling about the floor, babbling unintelligible phrases, and suffering from strong delusions. May God always be with you.