Break Bad Habits
Build Better Ones
Become Better Men
- Nate Whitson -
Do you remember the story about Gideon and the sweater in Judges 6?
Gideon wanted to know the will of God, so he decided to figure it out by putting out his sweater in the front yard each morning and asking God on one occasion to make it dry when everything around it was wet - then to make it wet when everything else was dry.
It's from this story that some Christians will say "put out your fleece" as a way of asking God to confirm His will for you by a dramatic sign.
A surefire, can't-miss kind of way to figure out what God's will is for your life!
Or is it?
I shared a series of podcasts about this recently and thought it would be good to rehearse what we talked about in episode #107 of the Get In The Fight podcast again today.
If case you missed it (or won't listen to it), here's one of the key points that I think bears repeating today:
You don't need to set out your sweater to know God's will for your life!
It's human nature to want divine guidance and "a sign" that God is with you.
Who wouldn't want such a thing to guarantee that you're on the right track?
But to ask God for a sign isn't the wisest thing to do. At least according to Jesus.
Here's what He said about us doing that:
“One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign." - Matt 12:38-40
Certainly, you don't want to be labeled as adulterous and evil, right?
But isn't this exactly what you're doing when you explicitly or inexplicitly ask God for a sign or a clearly labeled road ahead?
"God, if you make it super clear that I'm supposed to do this - then I will fully obey you! Make it obvious so I don't miss it."
"God, make this decision I'm about to make clear to me by revealing your will when I open the Bible and randomly pick a verse to see what You tell me. I'll close my eyes and pick a verse and You just lead me to what you have for me!"
Umm...no. This is a bad idea if you ask me.
Instead, God gives us clear instructions on how to know His will. Listen closely to the clues here in Romans 12:1-2:
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Did you catch it?
Knowing God's will for your life is knowable!
How?
- Every day you must die to yourself and live fully for Him.
- Recognize that the world is trying every day to make you conform and look just like the rest of the people out there.
- Change the way you think to make His thoughts your thoughts.
Simple? Yes.
Easy? No.
But you CAN know what God's will is for your life if you follow this pattern.
There's no magic sweaters involved, but if you'll follow Him each day and make Him #1, you'll know His good, pleasing, and perfect will for your life.
Nate
----------------👇🏻 👇🏻 ------------------
P.S.
Do you know what God wants you to do?
Have you ever asked Him for a sign to make it more clear?
We've all done this many times and it makes sense why we do.
But God isn't making His will for you mysterious on purpose.
What is His Will for you? Email me and let me know your thoughts or what questions come to mind when it comes to knowing God's Will for you.
