GOD, GIVE ME A SIGN!

Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew. (‭Judges‬ ‭6‬:‭36-40‬ NLT)

I once knew a pastor who had a lot of faith - or so he thought.  One day he was walking alongside Lake Michigan and had an impression that he could walk on water.  Without thinking twice he started running down the pier and jumped off the end thinking he had enough faith to walk on water.  

It was more like the biggest splash that anyone had ever made plus he felt like a fool.  His faith was humbled.

Gideon was just the opposite.  His faith was small and he needed a sign that God was really in what God was asking Him to do.

Maybe you have a faith that is small, that probably feels like no faith at all.  I have felt that way often - that I don't have enough faith for what God wants me to do.

I like what 2 Timothy 2:13 says “if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

I also like the fact that we don’t see God blast Gideon for his weak faith.We see God patiently work to grow Gideon’s faith.

God knows right where Gideon is in his walk with God. God knows right where you are also.

God is patiently working to grow your faith.

It was not so much that Gideon needed a sign to know what to do. He knew what God wanted him to do. It is that he needed a sign as an encouragement to do it.

God is faithful to help you grow even when you feel like you have no faith at all.  There's not a person out there who has never felt doubt.  We all do.

Gideon wanted proof from God. He already had the evidence of past deliverance. The wonder of the miraculous exodus had apparently faded. The spectacular work of God doesn’t always convince.

Jesus performed miracles, yet people still rejected Him. We may wish for some extraordinary sign from above, yet God wants us to exercise faith, to trust Him without seeing.

The bottom line was that Gideon was finally ready to obey God—are we? Or are we hesitating, waiting for some divine signal to get us going?

Gideon wanted to know God's perfect will.  Pastor Charles Jones  gives 7 Ways To Know God's Will...

1. The Word.

The first place we look for the will of God is in the Word of God, the Bible. This is the known, sure, absolute, revealed will of God.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

2. The Voice of the Word.

The second way to know God’s will is by the voice of His Word. God speaks not only through His Word, but He speaks through the voice of His Word.

The Psalmist says, "Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word" (Psalm 103:20).

3. Direct Revelation

The third indication of the will of God is this... A direct revelation: a prophecy, dream, vision, or voice.

"Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).

Make sure it is according to His Word!

4. Godly Counsel

Fourth on the list is godly counselors.

"In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14).

"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established"(Proverbs 15:22, KJV).

Godly counselors are people who not only believe the Bible, but who are practicing it the way they ought to. They are not only hearers of the Word, but doers also (James 1:22).

5. Open and Closed Doors

What doors is God opening or closing right now in your life?(1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Revelation 3:7-8).

6. Burdens (The Witness of the Spirit)

The 6th way to know God's will is the witness of the Spirit--a certain intuitive conviction that gives you faith. You just know that a certain course of action is the will of God! The Lord may not tell you in an audible voice or give you a visible sign, but you know from that still, small voice in your heart (1 Kings 19:12), that inner conviction.

7. Fleeces

Sometimes you can ask for a specific sign. This we call a fleece, a term taken from this story of Gideon in the Old Testament (Judges 6:36-40).

Sometimes to find out what God’s will is, we have to first find what it isn’t. If, after trying all these ways, you still aren’t sure you have found the will of God, take the first step in the direction you think He is leading you. A boat has to be in motion before the rudder can take effect.

Take one step, then stop and ask God to confirm that you’re going the right direction. Then if the answer’s not clear or you’re still not sure, give it some time. God may be waiting for certain circumstances to be right before He can show you any more than He has.

In the meantime, keep busy for God right where you are. You don’t find God’s will by just sitting around doing nothing. While you’re waiting for God to reveal His will, keep busy doing the things you know He wants you to do: Love and praise Him for His goodness, study His Word, and be a blessing to others in your present situation.

As God reveals His will to you I pray that you would be willing and obedient to move forward.