(Judges 6:36-40)
36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
What I find interesting about Gideon is that he sought a sign after God told him that He will save Israel by Gideon's hands. God did show him two signs to confirm that He will use Gideon. However, the reality is that the signs shown to him did not change the fact that God had spoken to him. Gideon knew it was God who was talking but he did not believe that God could use him.
When we keep asking God to show us a "sign" or "confirm" what He has already told us, we show a lack of faith in God's ability to use us. I know from experience. I could use the fingers of about ten people to help me count the amount of times I asked God to confirm my call to pastor a church. I've asked God to confirm the confirmation that confirmed the confirmation of the original assignment and then asked for more confirmation. God's answer never changed.
We need to get to a point that the original assignment is confirmation enough. How do we do that?
- Lose the Fear: If you do not let go of the fear and doubt, you will not be able to let go of the need for confirmation.
- Trust God: God chose to use you because He knows you better than anybody else. He knows you better than yourself. He knows that you're capable. He will supply you with everything you need.
- Know Who You Are: You are a Christian which means you suppose to be a follower of Jesus the Christ. Follow the examples He left for us. Jesus walked with faith in God, spoke boldly, believed in what He was saying and moved according to God's will.
Let's make a declaration that we no longer need a sign from God. Let's move in His will based on what He said and not on how many times He had to tell us.
Why do you think we look for signs or confirmation? What else could help us move to God's initial call to us?
Why do you think we look for signs or confirmation? What else could help us move to God's initial call to us?
Pastor Jeremiah "JB" Marshall
Gospel Outreach Community Church
Website: www.gospeloutreachcc.org
Blog: www.jeremiahmarshall.blogspot.com
