Is it wise for a New Testament believer to find the will of God for their life by putting out a ‘fleece’ of some type before the Lord?
While it may sound like a good idea at first impression, a closer inspection may detect a serious flaw and the potential to destroy your life. If you, like many others, have questioned whether putting fleeces of some type before the Lord is a valid way to discern the will of God in your life, then read on and let’s find out together!
Looking at humanity, it appears throughout our history that the human species is always looking for an easy way out. In fact, many inventions and technological advances we use every day were designed to make our lives easier. We have automatic dishwashers, power windows in our cars, large diesel-powered tractors to plow the fields, machines working assembly lines, and microwaves to heat our food. Voicemail and automated email have reduced the need for secretaries. Video conferencing such as skype and facetime have helped eliminate the need for people to meet face to face. Trucks, trailers, and airplanes have eliminated a lot of the need for trains. Face it, modern technology has made our lives easier than ever before in history.
This side of our nature often tries to affect other parts of our life as well. We don’t want to clean our room. We don’t want to study for a math test. We don’t want to get up at 4:30 am and go to work. On a bigger scale, we don’t want to make life-altering decisions that affect our jobs, where we live, who we marry, which house we should buy, whether we should go to college and which one, and many other issues.
Sometimes life presents us with difficult choices and there is no way around the difficulty of having to face those challenges. This situation can be even more difficult when it seems that God is silent and we cannot fully discern what his plan or will is in the matter. Sometimes these periods occur because we DON’T want to hear the Lord because we know he’s going to lead us in a direction that we may not be prepared to go.
Fear and reservations prevent us from allowing him to fully speak into our lives and we shut our heart down on purpose. Jesus asked the disciples in Mark 8:17b-18 NASB “…Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Having eyes, do you not see? and having ears, do you not hear?” The disciples hearts had become hardened to the point they did NOT want to hear or understand. If you look back in your life, can you identify any time in your life when you were in that position?
Perhaps some of the reasons it’s harder to hear God or know his will is because of distractions and issues. It could be a result of life getting extremely busy, church services, jobs, kid’s activities, sick family members, schedule issues, unexpected visits, etc. When life gets busy, it may become all too easy to neglect our time with God and not spend time praying, studying, and fellowshipping with him like we normally would. Those silent times are very dangerous and great caution should be used to proceed ahead as something besides God can fill the void.
The more you are in love with God and sincerely desire his will in your life, the silent times can seem almost unbearable. It may become easy to allow frustration and desperation to creep in and lose sight of your ultimate purpose.
The Godly thing to do is to keep up with your spiritual duties and relationship to the Lord. Some people however in desperation choose another path.
Enter fleeces. You know what I’m talking about. You have an important decision to make, yet for whatever reason, you can’t get a clear picture or direction on what to do. It seems as if there is no clear answer no matter how much you pray, how many verses you quote, how many people you talk to, which meetings you go to, or which direction you look. You pray – “LORD I MUST KNOW RIGHT NOW!! It’s decision time!!” Panic sets in. Perspiration breaks out. You’re sweating now. I have to make this phone call! The bank is calling! What do I do? Do I go here? Do I do this or that? What about my kids?!? “Lord, I really need to hear you right now. Where are you?” You enlist all your prayer partners and get a prayer chain going. You raise your hand at church and say that you have a ‘special unspoken’ request. You fill out church prayer request cards, send emails, ask for a prayer cloth, and in your mind begin to scroll through a list of people you think can touch God for you. You know you do. I have done it too.
Then we get a brilliant idea. “I know what I’ll do. I remember the story of Gideon in the bible and how he put a fleece out before God to know what direction to take. Yes! That’s it! That’s the answer.” Or is it?
You’ve probably heard the story but let me briefly recap the story of Gideon’s fleece. The Israelites would live for God for a while, but eventually they would revert back to their sinful lifestyle and incur the judgment of God as he removed the hedge of protection from off them. This allowed the enemy to come in and the Midianites came in year after year and defeated the Israelites and stole their crops. In that season of desperation and crying out to God, an Angel appeared to Gideon and told him that he had been chosen by God to bring deliverance to God’s people. Gideon however was extremely cynical, insecure, and overwhelmed with hopelessness. Gideon couldn’t believe that God would move on their behalf. He questions where the God he had heard about was.
The first thing God told Gideon to do was to destroy the altar of Baal the townspeople had built. We could learn a lot just from that. If you are not clearly hearing the voice of God right now, then make sure there is not any sin or ‘idols’ in your life. Have you allowed something to replace God in your life? Do you have sin in your life you are trying to deny and hide? Are you depending on someone or something instead of God? Is there something else that has come in and is drowning out the voice of God? If there is any sin or idols in your life, then tear them down and burn them out! Let God be God!
Back to the story of Gideon. Gideon took some men and completely destroyed the altar of Baal and the groove of trees that surrounded it. This made the people of his community extremely angry and they immediately screamed for his death. Gideon’s father declared if Baal was a god, then he could defend himself. If it wasn’t bad enough that his own community turned out to kill him, the Midianites and Amalekites were just right around the corner.
Gideon, faced with the daunting challenge of having to pull together a make-shift army composed of rag-tag buffoons who just tried to kill him. Not only that, but he would have to quickly get them battle-ready in order to meet the massive army that was pulling over the mountainside and descending on them like a horde of locusts ready for the spoil.
What would you do? It’s easy for us to tell Gideon just to trust in the Lord and go out there and win in the name of the Lord, but that’s because we read the book and know how the story ends. I wonder if the story would have been different if it were you or I in the story instead of Gideon? What would we have done? That question can probably be answered not through speculation, but in analyzing our life and what we did in the past when faced with incredible odds. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?
Gideon decided to use a fleece of wool, prayer, and the morning dew to ‘fleece’ God and determine if God was really going to do what he said he would. That’s where the idea about fleecing God like Gideon did comes from. Gideon placed a fleece of wool on the ground and prayed to God to let the fleece be covered with dew but leave the ground completely dry. It happened just as he asked. The fleece had so much dew in it, that he wrung it out and filled up a whole bowl full of water. He then prayed the opposite would happen the next night and just as he prayed, it happened. The fleece was dry and the ground covered with dew. It happened! Hallelujah!
Now, that seems so easy doesn’t it? We could just ask for a sign as to what to do. That would take all the pressure off us and make things really easy. There wouldn’t be any need for faith and we could just do whatever it is. BOOM! Done! That’s what we’re all looking for right? There wouldn’t be any need to wait, tarry, act in faith, step out on nothing, depend on God, follow the spirit’s leading or anything – just get the fleece on!
When you ask for a fleece, you’re asking for trouble. Why?
First, placing a fleece before the Lord is almost like tempting him. It’s asking God to prove to you with a physical sign what he has already told you spiritually through his word or in prayer.
Look at Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by the devil.
“And the tempter came and said to him, ‘if you are the son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread’” (Mat 4:3).
Now let’s remember the events leading up to this temptation. Jesus had gone to the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was baptized and came up out of the water, the voice of God thundered from heaven in front of everyone gathered there and said “…this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mat 3:17).
Satan’s attack was to come and immediately challenge Jesus on the ‘word’ that had just publicly received as a confirmation of his ministry and purpose. The devil was trying to get Jesus to ‘fleece’ that it was indeed true. How did Jesus answer this line of thinking? He answered with the word of God and said “…thou shalt not temp the Lord thy God.” (Mat 4:7). This same thing is still happening to the body of Christ today. The devil doesn’t have to invent new tricks because the old ones still work best.
If you challenge the word or direction of God in your life by asking for a fleece, you are nullifying the operation of faith. Jesus said in Mat 12:39 – “…an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign…” If God wants to give you sign, let it come at his will, timing and direction, not because you asked for a physical sign to prove God’s word or leading is true.
Let me give you another quick example.
In Luke 1, a Priest named Zacharias was burning incense at the altar of incense in the Holy place of the temple. The Archangel Gabriel suddenly appeared to him and told him that he and Elizabeth were going to have a son and they were to name him John. This boy would grow up and operate in the spirit of the Prophet Elijah.
Now, you would think that the Archangel Gabriel appearing to him out of thin air and the event not killing him would be all he needed to believe the word; but no.
After Gabriel finished up telling him that his prayers were answered and all that was going to happen, Zacharias said, “…whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years.” (Luke 1:18). Now I can imagine in my mind the arch-angel Gabriel thinking – ‘I just appeared to you out of thin air while you were ministering, told you that your prayers were answered, told you the future, told you that you would have a son, what to name him and how to raise him, what spirit he would operate in, and what he would do for God – and you want a SIGN (fleece)?!!?
Gabriel’s actions answer basically what he was thinking. ‘Okay, you want a fleece that what I told you is going to happen? How about this: Be struck dumb and unable to speak until it comes to pass because you would not believe!’
This goes back to what I am saying. If you ask for a fleece, one way or another, you may not like the result.
Another reason not to put fleeces before God is that God does not overwrite or overpower people’s free will.
If he did, there wouldn’t be any sin in the world and it would still be like the Garden of Eden. No hurt, no loss, no pain, no sorrow. If you place a fleece before the Lord such as needing a phone call, email, ‘word’, or some person coming to talk to you for a confirmation of what action/decision you should take – you are putting yourself, your family, your ministry, and the will of God for your life at great risk. Your life is literally in the hands of a ‘fleece’.
Satan can interfere with the other person, situation, or circumstance, and make your ‘fleece’ not manifest like you prayed for it to happen. Then what? You make the exact choice you should NOT make. What if they get a flat tire and don’t make it when you asked? What if the email goes to the junk folder instead of the inbox? What if you place a phone call and the other person does not have any reception or do not have their cell phone on them at that moment? What if the individual gets side-tracked and is not listening to God, or they dismiss what they hear and blow it off?
We could go on and on with endless examples of it not working because life or Satan got involved and messed up your ‘fleece’.
If you think about it, what’s the difference between your ‘fleece’ and just grabbing a coin and flipping it for heads or tails? For example, “Lord, if you want me to marry this girl, then let this coin land on heads!” If you really wanted to marry her, you know what you would do if it landed on tails? You would pick the coin back up and holler out – “Okay Lord, I really meant the best 2 out of 3!”
Most people who want something really bad will keep changing the fleece until the fleece results in the answer they want in their flesh! Those who live by the ‘fleece’, die by the ‘fleece’. You may get what you wanted, but you may live the rest of your life regretting it!
It reminds me of the story I heard about a man who was on a diet. He prayed to the Lord and said, “Lord, if it’s your will for me to get a donut, then please let there be an open parking spot right in front of the donut shop and then I’ll know it’s alright for me to have a donut.” It took him 6 trips around the block, but on the 6th time around, there was an open parking spot! See how it works? He was willing to drive around the same block as many times as it took to get his ‘fleece’ to fit his fleshly desires.
The apostle Peter wanted to fill the vacant spot left by Judas Iscariot as one of the 12 disciples. He could have waited until the Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost, but he decided to go ahead and call a vote and fill the spot. He got everyone together and set the criteria for who could qualify. They cast lots (rolled dice) and the lot fell for Matthias (Acts 1:23).
Was it the right thing to do? I don’t know, but Matthias is never mentioned in scripture again. That speaks volumes to me. Perhaps Peter should have waited on the infilling of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, and then they all could have followed the leading of the Holy Ghost for their decisions (Acts 2:28-39).
So, what does all this mean for you and I?
To rely on fleeces and put your faith, hope, and direction on a fleece is to fall back into the sense realm and rely on what the bible calls the carnal (fleshly) man – touch, taste, hear, see, and smell.
Fleeces are an attempt to eliminate having to walk by faith. The bible says that “…when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:3). One of the purposes of the Spirit of God coming to dwell in you is to lead and guide you in every decision you make and to provide direction of your life.
To replace the word of God and the Holy Spirit’s leading with a fleece is like building an idol and saying you can’t have faith in God to lead you. It is saying the word of God and inward witness are not sufficient for you. Fleeces are our sinful, carnal flesh begging God for a physical sign so that we will NOT have to rely on faith and the inward witness of the leading of the spirit.
A fleece is a lazy, flesh-based approach to finding the will of God for our lives.
Seeking guidance by fleeces does not line up with New Testament theology after the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God came to live on the inside of the believers. It is not in the scope of this article to teach on how to follow the leading of the spirit but several verses about the Spirit’s leading are relevant right now.
First is Romans 1:17 – “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”
Second, Romans 8:14 – “For as many as are LED by the SPIRIT of GOD, they are the sons of God.”
Third, Psalms 119:105 – “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
Does it say the sons of God are led by fleeces? Led by songs? Led by ‘words’? Led by ‘visions’? NO! you are to be led by the Word of God and the Spirit of God! It does NOT say the just shall live by FLEECES. The bible says you will be led by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit which on the inside of a person. Paul called it the “…inner man.” (Eph 3:16).
Gideon lived in the Old Testament, operated under the Old Covenant, did not have the Holy Ghost, and didn’t even believe the angel who appeared to him. It wouldn’t be wise to base your theology on finding the will of God from Gideon.
Today, in the New Covenant, we operate under something far greater. How great is it? It’s so great that even Angels desire to look into it! (1 Pet 1:12). Once you are filled with the spirit of God you can be led by the spirit of God. Jesus said in John 6:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…”. See also John 14:26; 1 Cor 2:10-13; Eph 4:7-15; 1 Jn 2:20 and 1 Jn 2:27).
Do NOT put your life, family, faith, ministry and the plan of God for your life into the hands of a fleece! Put it in the hands of the Word of God and the Spirit of God who will guide, direct, and point you in the right direction.
If you find yourself struggling – Go to the word of God and quote scripture for yourself and make it personal.
For example, “Lord I just thank you right now that according to Proverbs 3:6, you said ‘In all my ways acknowledge you, and you would direct my paths.’ God I acknowledge you right now in this situation and ask your direction in the matter. Close the doors that don’t need to be open. Show me the door you want me to take! I take authority over this decision in the name of Jesus right now. I bind and rebuke every voice and distraction of the enemy. I silence the voice of the enemy and I allow the Holy Ghost to lead and guide me right now in Jesus name! Lord, you said in Proverbs 14:12, ‘There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ I avoid the wrong path right now in your name. I acknowledge I want your direction no matter what. I confess you are my God and King and you know best no matter how I feel about it! I surrender to you right now. Lord, I surrender my life, my heart, my will, my emotions, my direction to you.”
If you take this approach, I believe you will be blessed to consistently find God’s will, purpose, and plan unfolding in your life even if it may take some time for direction to appear. Stay true to the word. If you make a mistake, at least you failed trying to obey God with all your heart and not by relying in your flesh through a fleece. It will stand as a testimony before God that you tried to follow him! Follow the inward witness of God, not a fleece. I will try in the near future to write some articles on how to follow the leading of the Spirit of God. Till next time – hope you enjoyed!
God bless,
Rev. Theo Heartsill