There was a season in my life when I began experiencing God’s presence in ways that were deeply personal and difficult to explain.

I would pray about something, and then experience a moment so profound that I knew without a doubt, that God had answered me. Sometimes it came through a dream. Sometimes through a strong spiritual impression. Sometimes through circumstances that seemed to line up in a way only God could have orchestrated.

I would sit in awe because I knew what I had experienced.

I knew what I had prayed about.

And I knew the joy that filled my heart when I received God’s answer.

But then I made a mistake.

I started telling everybody else.

I Allowed Other Voices to Become Louder Than God's

I would share these experiences with friends, people close to me, and sometimes even spiritual leaders because I was excited. I wanted to talk about what God was showing me. I wanted someone else to understand what I was experiencing.

But instead of strengthening my faith, some of those conversations caused me to question what I had received.

Someone would tell me, “It was just a dream.”

Someone else would say, “I don't think that means what you think it means.”

Another person might offer an entirely different interpretation.

And suddenly, something that had brought me peace became something I was afraid to trust.

I would begin questioning myself.

Did I hear God correctly?

Was that really God?

Did I misunderstand what He was showing me?

The very thing I had prayed for had become buried underneath other people's opinions.

And eventually, I realized something painful:

I had allowed other people's interpretations of my experience to become more powerful than my relationship with God.

Your Relationship With God Is Personal

This does not mean we should reject wise counsel.

The Bible tells us:

“In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” — Proverbs 11:14

God absolutely can use other people to provide wisdom, correction, confirmation, and perspective.

But there is a difference between receiving counsel and surrendering your discernment.

Not everyone will understand what God is doing in your life.

Not everyone has your history with God.

Not everyone knows what you prayed before the answer came.

Not everyone witnessed what happened in your heart.

And not everyone will recognize what God is doing in a season they have never personally experienced.

That realization changed me.

I began understanding that some things God reveals to me are not necessarily meant to be explained to everyone else.

Some revelations are assignments.

Some are confirmations.

Some are instructions.

Some are simply intimate moments between God and His child.

And sometimes, the message is not for the audience. It is for you.

I Learned to Treasure What God Revealed

Mary gives us a beautiful picture of this.

When the shepherds came and shared what had happened concerning Jesus, Scripture says:

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” — Luke 2:19

She did not need to immediately explain everything.

She did not need everyone to validate what God was doing.

She treasured it.

She pondered it.

She carried it.

There is wisdom in learning when to speak and when to remain silent.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 reminds us that there is:

“a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

I had to learn that everything God gives me does not require an announcement.

Some things require prayer.

Some things require patience.

Some things require testing.

And some things require silence until God makes the next step clear.

I Stopped Running to People Every Time the Path Became Unclear

One of the greatest changes in my spiritual life happened when I stopped panicking whenever I could not see the entire path.

I learned that I don't have to understand everything at once.

Proverbs 3:5–6 says:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

That became more than Scripture to me.

It became a way of living.

When the path became fuzzy, I went back to God.

When I needed understanding, I prayed.

When I needed confirmation, I sought Him.

When I became uncertain, I didn't automatically run to another person's interpretation.

I went back to the Source.

And as I continued walking, what once seemed unclear began becoming clearer.

Sometimes God doesn't give us the entire map.

He gives us enough light for the next step.

Psalm 119:105 says:

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

A lamp does not necessarily illuminate the entire road.

It gives you enough light to keep walking.

Discernment Is Just as Important as Faith

There is something else I had to learn: having a spiritual experience does not mean I should automatically assume every interpretation I make about it is correct.

The Bible tells us:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” — 1 John 4:1

That means spiritual maturity requires both faith and discernment.

I can believe God speaks while still testing what I believe I have heard.

I can treasure a dream without automatically declaring that every detail is prophetic.

I can experience something spiritually significant without allowing my emotions to become the final authority.

God's Word remains the standard.

His character matters.

His Word matters.

Prayer matters.

Wisdom matters.

And the fruit of what I believe I have received matters.

I don't need to become suspicious of every spiritual experience.

But I also don't need to become careless with them.

Spiritual maturity is learning how to hold an experience with faith, humility, wisdom, and discernment.

Not Everyone Will Understand What God Is Doing in You

I used to become frustrated when people didn't understand what I was experiencing.

Now I understand that they may not have the same perspective.

A person can love you deeply and still not understand your journey.

A person can be spiritually knowledgeable and still not have the specific revelation God is developing in your life.

Even spiritual leaders should not replace your relationship with God.

They can counsel you.

They can teach you.

They can help you examine Scripture.

They can offer wisdom.

But they cannot become your Holy Spirit.

That belongs to God.

Jesus said:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” — John 16:13

That Scripture reminds me that my ultimate dependence must remain on God.

Not on friends.

Not on family.

Not on spiritual personalities.

Not even on my own understanding.

God is my Source.

Sometimes Silence Protects the Seed

I have also learned that speaking too soon can sometimes expose something that is still developing.

A seed does not become a tree overnight.

A promise may require preparation before manifestation.

An instruction may require obedience before understanding.

And a revelation may require time before its meaning becomes clear.

Jesus often withdrew from crowds.

He prayed privately.

He did not reveal everything to everyone.

There is power in having a private relationship with God that does not require public validation.

Sometimes you need to let God develop something in you before you invite everybody else into it.

Protect what God is growing in you.

Not everything needs to be posted.

Not everything needs to be explained.

Not everything needs to be defended.

And not everyone needs access to your spiritual conversations with God.

My Greatest Lesson

My greatest lesson has not been that I should never talk about spiritual experiences.

It is that I should learn who, when, why, and how I share them.

There are times when wise counsel is necessary.

There are times when confirmation is valuable.

There are times when God will intentionally place someone in your life who can help you understand what you are experiencing.

But I no longer believe that every person deserves the authority to define what God is doing in my life.

I have learned to take what I believe God has shown me back to God.

I pray over it.

I examine it against Scripture.

I wait.

I watch.

I discern.

And then I continue walking.

Because sometimes clarity doesn't come before obedience.

Sometimes clarity comes while you're walking.

Guard Your Relationship With God

If you have experienced something spiritually profound, don't be so quick to hand it over to everyone else's opinion.

Take it to God first.

Write it down.

Pray about it.

Study Scripture.

Ask God for wisdom.

Give it time.

And if you seek counsel, seek people who will point you back to God, not make themselves the final authority over what God is saying to you.

James 1:5 says:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…”

Ask God.

Wait on God.

Listen to God.

Follow God.

And when you cannot see the entire path, trust Him for the next step.

Because your relationship with God is not supposed to be built on everybody else's ability to understand what He is doing in your life.

You were not created to need everyone's approval to trust God.

There are things God may reveal to you that others will not understand.

There are seasons others may not recognize.

There are instructions that may make sense only after you have walked them out.

And there are moments with God that are so sacred that they are better treasured in your heart than explained to a room full of people.

So I have learned to be careful with what I carry.

I have learned to listen before I speak.

I have learned to seek God before seeking opinions.

And most importantly, I have learned this:

When God answers me, I don't have to immediately run and ask everyone else what His answer means.

I can go back to Him.

I can seek Him.

I can test what I have received against His Word.

I can wait.

And I can trust Him to make the path clear.

Because the God who gave me the revelation is also capable of giving me the understanding.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5

Sometimes the most powerful spiritual growth happens when you stop asking everyone else to confirm what God is teaching you—and begin learning how to walk with Him for yourself.

Photo by Luis Quintero