Second Guessing God

I’ve noticed at least three chances to second guess God this week. God gives us great opportunities to show our faith by giving us a specific task, and instead of running with the eyes of faith to do that task, we start having doubts! I believe God is teaching us a mighty lesson…

We have an enemy who wants us to doubt what God is doing through us.
When God tells us to do something or to say something, He has a reason for it. God will give you something to say that is just the right word at just the right time for just the right person. So what I’ve noticed is that we know we’ve heard from God and we’re ready to be obedient, but while we’re waiting to move on what God would have us do, Satan comes in and puts seeds of doubt in our minds. Lord, we need discernment! When you see that happening, that’s when you need to take those thoughts into captivity. (2 Cor 10:5) That means you cast that thought out and lock it away. Any time it tries to come back into your mind, you make sure to cast it away again, so you won’t ever act on it. When you know you’ve heard from God, tell Satan to take a hike when he comes at you with doubts! He’s not going to get you to turn from what God told you to do because you know how he operates. And even though you may not fully understand why God is asking you to do what He’s asking you to do, you trust Him because His ways are higher than your ways, and His thoughts are higher than your thoughts. (Is 55:8-9) God is sovereign, or in control, and He knows the big picture.

Gideon, from the book of Judges, reminds me of a second-guesser. In Judges 6:12, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites, God called him a “mighty warrior”. God called him this before he ever did anything mighty. God knew who Gideon would become. Gideon tried using the excuse that he was in the weakest clan, and he himself was the weakest in his father’s house, but God told him again that he was to go save Israel. Now Gideon knew that this was God talking to him because in Judges 6:22 we read, “When Gideon realized it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, ’Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!’” (It was known that if you looked upon the face of God, you would die.) God also told him that He would be with Gideon, so Gideon was obedient at first, and with ten men, he tore down his father’s altar to Baal, and the wooden image beside it. He did this in the dark cover of night, but he did it none the less! It’s after this initial step of obedience that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he gathered men to fight with him against the Midianites.

Then Gideon started second-guessing God. He needed some reassurance. The first time he asked God to wet a fleece with dew and make the ground dry if God was truly going to save Israel by Gideon’s own hand. When Gideon saw that the fleece was wet and the ground was dry the next morning, he asked God again to show him the opposite and make the fleece dry and the ground wet. When he awoke the next day, he saw that God had done what he asked. Gideon had second-guessed God not once, but twice! God was gracious enough to continue to use Gideon for His purposes, and He is gracious to use us when we second-guess Him as well. But the idea here is that we want to stop when we see that we are starting to doubt and second-guess God. Don’t put out the fleece, but instead, when you know that God has spoken to you, trust Him. Gideon knew God had spoken to him, and God will make it clear to you as well. Remember, He will never contradict His word. God has given you the faith to put out all the fiery darts of the enemy when the enemy starts spreading those seeds of doubt. (Eph 6:16) You don’t have to second-guess God, but instead you can choose to move forward in the power and in the Spirit of God as His "mighty warrior" no matter what God asks of you!

*All Scripture reference from the New International Version
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