Sermons and Studies

Wet Fleece and Deceptive Spirits

If you don't have a hard-copy Bible available or an app on your phone, Bible.com is a fantastic, free resource with multiple versions in numerous languages available. (I'm not trying to promote one site over another, I just know and trust this one.)

Before we begin, why not start with some praise and worship music that hits you right in the spirit, and spend some time worshiping the God who created you? If you're limited on time, play the music while you pray. Don't forget to ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to learn and understand from this lesson!

We're starting out in II Chronicles 18:18-22. Rev up your app or your Bible and let's get to work! Look at what Micaiah says of the other prophets: A deceiving spirit was sent out into the mouths of ALL the prophets in order to deceive the king!

Now check out Genesis 3:1-7, and Matthew 4:3-6. Satan mixes truth with lies, like mixing cyanide (a poison that tastes like bitter almonds) with candied almonds! His mix of lies and the truth seem palatable and 'delicious' but in the end, they kill.

There's a really funny movie starring Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty called 'Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot!' In it, Stallone plays a cop, with Getty as his mother. At one point, the cop looks at his mother and says, 'Ma, I give you an inch and you take the entire New Jersey Turnpike!' (The NJT is a 118-mile, multilane highway, by the way.) Satan is very much like Estelle Getty's character, in that respect! Give him an inch and he'll go as fast and as far as he can get, including disguising himself to look like an angel- or sounding like one! When we pray, how can we be sure that the answer we seem to be getting is actually from God?

Judges 6:33-34 tells of Gideon's response to what God was telling him. I used to criticize Gideon for his lack of faith, but in the end of it all, Gideon proved wise to test the spirits! After all, if it hadn't been God telling Gideon what to do, he and his men would have been slaughtered! Well, we don't own sheep, so putting out a fleece and waiting for it to get wet won't work, so now what?

Turn to James 4:2-3. First, test yourself! Set aside any worldly, selfish desires in the matter you're seeking God's will about. If you want the answer to be a certain way, it's easy to convince yourself that it's actually God's decision! But, as Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, God's thoughts are not ours, so what He's telling us to do can sometimes seem to make no sense. (More on that in 'Where Else Can We Go', by the way.)

Flip over to Romans 12:1-2. Keep your focus on Godly values and attitudes. Don't give the devil an inch!

Next, I John 4:1-6 reminds us to test the answering spirit to make sure it's from God. (See? I told you Gideon had the right idea!)

II Corinthians 13:1 and Deuteronomy 17:6 tell us that we need to get corroborating evidence to confirm what you think God is telling you. Christians often call this 'confirmation'. Usually, two or three are a good idea. You don't have to ask the person; if it's really an answer from God, the confirmation you receive will be from an unexpected source!

Finally, James 1:22-25 tells us to act on the (confirmed) answer! After all, if, after all of your effort in getting the right answer, you fail to apply it, you're not only disobeying what you know God wants you to do, you've wasted the time it took for you to get that answer in the first place! (Faith formula: belief plus ACTION equals faith.) Acting on your answer will actually help you to strengthen your faith.

Heavenly Father, sometimes it's hard for us mere humans to know what it is You want us to do. Help us to practice hearing You, Father, so we can be sure to do the work You have for us to do! Lord, thank You for Your patience as we learn and for Your grace in giving us the answers we ask for in the first place! Your Word promises that if we ask, You will answer, if we seek, You will be found by us, and if we knock, then the door will be opened to us. Help us to hear the answers when we ask! In Jesus' Name we praise and give You thanks, amen.