Free He Did It All For You by Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland

this man was looking for a way in! He wanted more of the things of God. He knew that Jesus had said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
    Another area in which many people have been deceived, is in “putting out a fleece.” The person who uses a fleece is depending on a physical sign of God’s will in a situation, and if he’s not watchful, he’ll get fleeced.
    Now Gideon used a fleece, but let’s analyze his situation for a moment. In the first place, Gideon was not a reborn man. Consequently, he was forced to rely on physical evidence. He had no knowledge of God whatsoever because his entire family was following Baal. Second, there was no prophet in the land to give him the Word of God, and in those days the prophet was the only source of revelation knowledge. Third, Gideon was dealing with an angel—something completely foreign to him. Therefore, in his position, he had no choice but to put out a fleece—get a physical sign showing him what to do.
    As believers, you and I are not in Gideon’s position. We have been born again and are led by the Spirit of God. We have access to the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God to use as a guide in finding God’s will for our lives. If you don’t know what to do in a particular situation, go to the Word of God, spend some time in prayer, meditate in the Word, and the Lord will begin to lead you. He said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27).
    You will know what to do by the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to depend on a sign from the natural, physical world to lead us. We are not blind. We have spiritual eyes, and we are to use them. Also, when you put out a fleece in the natural world, you give Satan a chance to foul up the operation since the physical world is his field of operation.
    Here is a three-step formula that will cause success in every area of your life. Nothing can stop it. Every Christian endeavor, no matter what it is, will succeed when it is backed with this kind of prayer and dedication because God is behind it.
    1. Find the will of God in your situation by prayer and meditation in the Word.
    2. Once you have found the will of God, confer no longer with flesh and blood. Don’t ask other people what to do. I may discuss a situation with my wife or my staff, but once we have prayed and I know the will of God, then it doesn’t matter what they think or say about it.
    3. Get your job done at all costs. Don’t allow anything or anyone to stand in the way of God’s will.
    To live in this kind of successful life, the believer must come to the realization that he has complete access to the ministry of Jesus. Jesus said in John 16:13-15, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come…he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” What a statement! This is almost more than the human mind can comprehend.
    The Spirit of God has been sent into an earthly ministry just as legal and real as Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus came to provide the way for us, and the Holy Spirit has come to teach us the way. Jesus came to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. The Holy Spirit has come to see that the Christian covenant is fulfilled.
    The Spirit of God did not take the place of Jesus—He is God the Holy Spirit, and He is fulfilling His own ministry as God the Father directed Him.
    The Word of God and the Name of Jesus have taken Jesus’ place here on earth. He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5), and “Believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light” (John 12:36). As a new creation in Christ, you have the Name of Jesus, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God to enable you to stand and minister in the place of Jesus.
    Benefits of Righteousness
    As a believer, you have total access