Today's Devotion
From Mike MacIntosh
So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said--look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said." And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew." And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Judges 6:36-40
A group of British pastors were discussing the advisability of inviting D. L. Moody to their city for a crusade. One man, wondering if Moody was the best possible choice, asked the committee, "Does D. L. Moody have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" And quietly one of the other pastors replied, "No, but it's evident that the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D. L. Moody."
I pray that the Holy Spirit would have a monopoly on our lives -- that we would be completely surrendered to His perfect plans for us.
But how do we know God's plans for certain? Gideon, lacking faith, demanded miracles in order to be convinced that God's plans would really come true. Twice, Gideon reminded God of what He had said, asking for a miracle to prove that God's promises were trustworthy. And twice, God reaffirmed His promises with a miracle. Now, we all know that God needed no reminder! For some reason, though, God provided these miracles, despite Gideon's unbelief.
But this is not the way we should seek God's will. It's simply not biblical. Essentially, Gideon told God, "Do what I tell You to do before I do what You tell me to do." It's an approach used by people who don't have faith that God will actually do what He said He would do in His Word. I've heard many Christians refer to this approach as "putting out the fleece," referring to the miracles that Gideon requested. It is not only evidence of a lack of trust, but of self-pride. Be very careful with that.
In reality, we can only know the will of God as we're filled with His Spirit. When you're filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, God's will becomes abundantly clear; and you won't have to be hesitant, or question His abilities. The Lord wants such a loving and trusting relationship with you that you wouldn't even think about questioning His plans for you. Lord, have a monopoly on our lives, that we would trust you completely, like never before!
Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
