In Judges chapter 6, Gideon was looking for a sign from God about His will and intention by telling God that he was going to put some wool on the threshing floor and if, in the morning, the fleece was wet and the ground was dry, then Gideon would know that God was going to help him defeat the enemy.
When Gideon got up the next morning the fleece was soaking wet and the ground was dry.
Then it shows in verse 39 that Gideon suspected that the Lord was displeased with his test but asked God anyway to make the fleece dry this time and the ground wet as further proof.
The Lord complied again but Gideonīs method was faulty because he asked for the first miracle and yet still did not believe and had doubt and asked for a second miracle. Demanding the second sign was an indication of unbelief.
Today we do not need to put out fleeces in order to know Godīs will because we must never forget that the devil can perfomr miracels also, so an externatl sign is NEVER an indication that something is the will of God. We have Godīs Word instead and through prayer and study we can receive His guidance and we can know Godīs direction for our decision and choices.
The safety net is the fact that God will NEVER go against His Word nor against His Character. II Timothy 3:16, 17 says -- īAll scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.ī
Here is that same scripture in the Living Bible (itīs ONLY a paraphrase though and I donīt recommend this version as your only source) īThe whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is Godīs way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.ī
Godīs Word also says that īHis sheep hear His voiceī. God can speak directly to our hearts. On top of that, we will have a total īpeaceī and the assurance in our hearts that we are making the right decisions.
I will also repeat what I said to Janny on an earlier Q & A ....
I HAVE put out fleeces but NOT very often and I really donīt like to do that because we have the Holy Spirit, we have the mind of Christ on all matters, we have the Word of God, and as sheep we hear His voice.
You really need to pray and ask the Lord about this because it COULD so easily become the easy escapism and a quick fix type of thing for people.
In the past 27 years I have not fleeced more than 10 times AND only after I had first sought God for a long time using the above methods and was still not certain.
