Acts 1:24-26
“And they prayed and said, ‘You O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.’ And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
This verse is situated directly after Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit to come and right before the Holy Spirit does descend upon all flesh. It is evident that at this point the disciples were not baptized with the Holy Spirit because in verse 26 it states that they “cast their lots.” To cast lots was like rolling dice. For millennia people had been casting lots that they might know the will of God because they were spiritually dead and had no “inner witness” to guide them in their decisions. They would have to go and see the prophet in order to hear from God if they did not cast lots. This was perfectly fine for Old Testament believers who wanted to hear God’s direction, but what about New Testament saints?
It is my humble opinion that this type of seeking God’s voice is now outdated because He has provided the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of us and be our guide. Most people I know do not “cast lots” in the traditional sense to hear from God. Rather, they place qualifiers on prayers such as ..”Lord if you want me to work at this place let the hiring manager wear a white shirt” Or something like that. It may not appear the same, but it is still casting lots {Also known as fleecing God}.
After the disciples chose Matthias in this way, we never read about anyone in the body of Christ casting lots again. That is because they were all from thence forward baptized with the Holy Spirit and they could hear His instructions from the inside. This is the perfect will of God. To hear the voice of the Lord on the inside is to be protected from false circumstances manifesting to steer us off course. The wicked one can hear your prayers and he will orchestrate situations that appear to be God in order to deceive you. Thus God has given us the better way- we hear from the inside. However, not all believers are able to hear God on the inside because they have blocked their ability to hear Him. He is still speaking, however. They have done this by refusing to believe in and take part in the separate and distinct baptism of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they have made it necessary to hear God through casting lots as in the days of the law and the wicked one brings their ignorance to bear by extreme deception, murder, theft, and destruction.
Let it not be so among you. Do not seek after the external for direction from God who is internal. Be baptized with the Holy Spirit and know unequivocally that you hear from God without interception.
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