This past week, Joy Behar from “The View” accused Vice President Mike Pence of “mental illness” because he says he hears from God.
“It’s one thing to talk to Jesus; it’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct,” said Behar.
Those comments led Pence to remind Behar Christianity is not a mental illness.
“I can honestly tell you my faith sustains me in all that I do and it’s just a regular part of our lives. But I’m not unusual,” Pence told Axios’ Mike Allen.
Joy Behar may not understand it, but to millions of Christians around the world and throughout history, hearing from God is a normal part of their faith. For those who believe in the Bible, listening to God and expecting an answer is fundamental to Judaism and Christianity from Genesis to Revelation.
It goes back to the beginning and all the way to the end.
In the book of Genesis, God talked with Adam in the cool of the day.
In the book of Revelation, John the apostle heard the Lord on the island of Patmos.
In between those two books, the Bible is filled with ways God talks to and communicates with His people.
He spoke to Ezekiel in a “still, small voice” (Ezek. 19:12b).
He called Ezekiel “son of man” in the valley of dry bones.
In the New Testament, He spoke to Joseph in a dream and warned him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27a).
And the apostle James said the heroes in the Bible were just like us.
In the fourth century, St. Augustine said he heard the voice of “as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting and oft repeating, ‘Take up and read; Take up and read … I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book.”
Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., defended Mike Pence and said, “If he’s [Mike Pence] hearing God, Martin Luther King Jr., my uncle, said he heard the voice of Jesus say ‘stand up.’ Is my uncle crazy?” she asked.
It’s not a one-way street.
The old hymn says, “He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.”
And you can train your ears to hear God even more clearly.
Craig von Busek gives seven keys to hearing God.
Of course John the apostle admonished believers to test the spirits to see if they are of God and how to distinguish between the voice of God and counterfeits.
Because of this incident, Joy Behar likely has a number of people praying for her now more than at any time in her life. These intercessors will be praying not out of condemnation but compassion.
They know that God loves Joy and wants to speak to her.
Their prayer will likely be ‘Joy, are you listening? Because He’s talking.
Reprinted with permission from CBN.com. Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, all rights reserved. {eoa}
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