But God Has Shown Me

The passage of Scripture is from Acts 10:1-48 and Acts 11:1-18, which is all one story, so I am going to summarize much of this and I will quote sections of it, so I would encourage you to read the whole passage of Scripture.

There was a man named Cornelius, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who prayed to God always. And one day he had a vision of an angel of God calling his name. And he said for him to send for Simon Peter, so that is what he did. And the next day Peter had a vision where he was told to eat that which had been forbidden under the Old Covenant law. So, he said, “Not so, Lord!” But the voice spoke, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” And this was done three times.

While Peter thought about the vision the men sent from Cornelius showed up at Peter’s house. And the next day Peter went away with them to see Cornelius. And many people had gathered there to hear Peter. 

Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?” (Acts 10:28-29 NKJV)

Then Cornelius told Peter his story. And then he said, 33“Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” 34Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. (Acts 10:33-35 NKJV) 

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Peter said, “Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” 

44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, 47“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. (Acts 10:40-48 NKJV)

The Lesson For Us

God can and will speak to us through visions and dreams and parables to lead us in the way that he would have us to go if we will be willing to let him do that. For, even though the Scriptures do teach us the ways of the Lord, and they give us his commands in the “do’s and do nots,” the Scriptures do not lead us all in very specific ways the Lord has for us individually in letting us know where to go and what to do and what to say. And this is one reason we are given the Holy Spirit within us to counsel us in the ways we’re to go.

For God has gifted us with spiritual gifts, who believe in Jesus, and he has given us our “body part” assignments within the body of Christ, and he has very specific callings upon our lives individually. And he has specific tasks he wants us to do each day which we may not know what it is until that day comes. And so he has to have a way to communicate those things to us. And so sometimes he will use dreams and visions and parables as a means to get across to us his very specific assignments he has for us, one day at a time.

Now, when I was young, and I would say, “God showed me,” I was scolded by my pastor and told I should say rather, “I think,” as though it was just my opinion. But that wasn’t true that it was just my opinion, for the Lord did speak to me in ways that were specific to my life as I studied the Scriptures and as I was being led by the Holy Spirit living within me. And that is how I knew what I was to do and where I was to go that was very specific just to me and not general instructions given to all followers of Jesus Christ.

But what if Cornelius and Peter had ignored their visions from God? What if they refused because someone told them that God doesn’t speak to us that way, although he certainly did speak that way to people in the Bible? The people who were saved may have been saved anyway, but they would have missed out on that blessing from God and how God wanted to use them. And then God couldn’t use them in the ways that he did because their ears and hearts would be closed to allowing the Lord to lead them in that way.

But because they both heard from the Lord, and they listened, and they did as they were instructed, many people who did not know Jesus previously believed in the Lord and received the Holy Spirit. And from that the gospel of our salvation was spread to the Gentiles, which had been prophesied in the Scriptures a long time ago. And because I obeyed the Lord’s calling on my life, the message of the gospel is going to people all over the world via the internet. And people are hearing the truth of the gospel. All glory to God!

So don’t shut out the Lord’s voice speaking to you through dreams, visions, or parables in order to show you specifically what he has for you to do. Test what you are seeing or hearing against the truth of the Scriptures, and in prayer, to make certain that what you are hearing or seeing is from God, and that it aligns with the Scriptures, but then follow the leading of the Holy Spirit within you. Go where he sends you, and say to the people all that he gives you to say, and do not put out the Spirit’s fire because men say to.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

There’s a Stirring

By Annie Herring

There's a stirring deep within me

Could it be my time has come

When I'll see my gracious savior face to face when all is done

Is that his voice I am hearing?

'Come away, my precious one'

Is he calling me?

Is he calling me?

I will rise up, I’ll rise up

And I’ll bow down 

And lay my crown

At His wounded feet

There's a stirring deep within me

But God Has Shown Me

An Original Work / May 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love