Wet Fleeces

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Dion Todd August 14, 2015 - Filed in Devotional - 11,426 views
  Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry on all the ground, then shall I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken. It was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. Judges 6:36 WEB
  
  Gideon was now scared and confused. He thought that he had heard from God, so he tore down the altar of baal, and built an altar to God over it during the night. Now the townspeople were mad at him. He had wanted to be obedient, but now things were growing worse and an enemy army was gathering. He became doubtful and scared and could see the storm clouds coming.
  
  When the Lord spoke to Gideon, you can bet one of the next things that ran through his mind was, "I must be making that up. He had many questions as to whether that was God actually communicating with him. Even after the first fleece test was successful, he wanted a second test to confirm that one.
  
  When you hear from the Lord, it is normal for the next thought to be like Gideon's, one of doubt. When the word is sown, the enemy comes immediately to snatch it away (Matt 13:19). Gideon asked the Lord for a confirmation and used a fleece.
  
  In my own life, this seemed to work at first when I truly did not know if it was the Lord speaking to me, but after I came to know Him better, the tests seemed to stop working. Occasionally when I am completely stalled, He may give me a sign to encourage me to take the next step, but it is rare these days. It is usually signs following and not signs leading.
  
  We help a child to learn to walk, but after they learn how, they walk on their own. As we build a relationship with God and take on the mind of Christ, we begin to know when it is the Lord speaking. Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice (John 10:27) and that His sheep would not follow a stranger (John 10:5). You can tell the difference.
  
  Do not be surprised today if you pray and when the Lord starts talking back you think, "I must be making that up!" We have all been there, but somewhere deep inside you, you know that it is Him. Trust God. If you miss Him, He will find you. He is able to keep you from deception when your focus is on Him. Hearing the Lord is easier than you think.
  
  Prayer: Father I thank You so much for all that You have done for me. I pray that You teach me to hear Your voice better, to recognize when it is You speaking. I want a deeper, more meaningful relationship with You today. Draw me Lord, in Jesus name I pray.
  
  Note: Happy Friday! For any who did not see the website announcement, we are changing the starting day of the weekly Bible Studies to Tuesday (instead of Monday) due to our personal schedule. Most likely it will be viewable by Monday afternoon. For those who would like a personal message when the study is posted, be sure to join the Bible Study group, which can be found under the "Groups" link on the website (you need to be signed in to join). ALSO, please note that we have changed our mailing address to: Refreshing Hope Ministries / P.O. Box 67 / Conway, SC 29528. Thank you all so much!