"Those people who say they hear god talking to them scare me to death!"

An acquittance said something along those lines at a small gathering not too long ago.  Some obviously deranged person had committed an act of unspeakable violence and gained national media attention after telling law enforcement officers that god had told him to kill a bunch of people.  (Why does the media encourage such atrocities by publicizing these lunatics' rantings?) 

I have yet to hear of any person use that excuse without thinking he was either crazy or lying.  Fortunately I am not responsible for judging such people. 

Yet I speak regularly with people who tell me that god has somehow communicated with them; whether through circumstances, feelings, voices or other people.  I do not think these people even remotely mentally disturbed.  They are from all walks of life and various spiritual traditions, many being quite different from those I have known.  Their experiences are almost as varied as their personalities and the things they hear seem contradictory to me.  I accept these people as they are and, again, am glad I am not responsible for judging them in any way. 

In the middle of a more recent discussion about differing world views, a good friend suggested that an approach like mine represented some sort of closed system where any idea that contradicted existing conclusions must be rejected without further contemplation because it contradicts God's perceived will.  My friend seemed genuinely indignant.  His apparent position was that anyone who rejects an idea as being against God's will is arrogant because there is no way any human being could be aware of God's will. 

After contemplating my friend's suggestion as openly and honestly as I could for many hours over the next few days, this post pretty well reflects what I have been able to conclude about my own experience.  I would appreciate any suggestions that might help me correct or refine these ideas. 

First and foremost, I do not expect anyone to believe anything just because I say it.  Second, my experiences of hearing God's voice has influenced me to be less arrogant than I was before that process commenced, because my continuing response has been "Who am I that God might be aware of my existence, much less that He should condescend to speak to me?"  But if God has in fact seen fit to speak to me, then who am I to question His judgment?  That is one of the most difficult conclusions I've ever had to draw.

As I have tried to listen for God's voice, the things He has said have required me to change my mind about quite a few things through the years.  I have had to repent.  I've had to admit I was wrong, ask to be forgiven, and ask for His help to turn and go in a new direction.  I frequently have had to adjust my behavior as well as my thoughts.  That process almost always is difficult, but rewarding.  I suspect He will continue to correct me so long as I continue listen to His voice. 

One byproduct of that process is that, in those instances where I am fully persuaded that I have heard His instruction, I am fully surrendered to His will and not to my own.  Is that not what humility seeks; to subject one's own decisions and value structure to those of some higher or more noble authority?  As I perceive that condition, I am not right.  I merely am surrendered to the will of the One who is right. 

Am I completely missing the point here?