Speaking for God Job 32:6-22

    A lot of people say they speak for God.  But are they really speaking for God, or are they speaking for themselves? 
    Sometimes listening to the wrong people can lead to trouble, even death.  In the 1970s Jim Jones led people to believe the voice of God told them to commit suicide.  And many people died believing him. In the 1990's David Koresh became the voice of God to a select group of people in Waco, Texas.  And bodies of his followers went up in flame, tragically displaying the potential danger of listening to someone who says he or she speaks for God.
    Others really do speak God's truth.  The late Billy Graham had led thousands of people to Christ by preaching God's word.  His voice had been a voice we can trust.  Mother Teresa has also spoke for God.  By helping starving people and showing them the love of Christ, she demonstrates how a person can speak for God with his or her life.
   How can we tell when a person truly speaks for God?  Most of us can tell the difference between a David Koresh and a Billy Graham.  But sometimes it's not so obvious.  When I began reading Elihu's speech in Job 32, he sounded like he really could have been a voice from God.  But as the chapters go on and his speech continues, I realized he sounds a lot like Job's others friends.  All of them were convinced that Job's calamity happened because of his sin.  But Job knew the problems weren't his fault.
    Hearing God's true voice can be tricky at times, I had even mistaken God's voice from people that I love.  But with the help of the Bible and prayer, we can usually tell whether or not someone speaks for God.  And when they do, we'd better listen.