Sandy Note 2/27/99: The world is entering into a long spiritual season
of sifting. There are many aspects to this season / concept and the purpose
of the following file is to help give understanding to a variety of issues
having to do with sifting.
All Biblical truth is held between the tension of 2 poles, and that is the
case with the sifting season. God allows the enemy to sift and have certain
influences for many reasons. Yet our God is sovereign and He carefully maneuvers
all circumstances including good and evil forces for His ultimate purposes.
We will see many turn from their independence and run to Him. Be courageous
and take heart, for at the same time, His glory will also be revealed. The
greater the darkness, the greater His glory. So as you read this file, understand
that like many of the files at this website, they are all interrelated and
coexist at the same time.
1] Word Study on SIFT
2] Sifting Touches One’s Faith
3] Word to Ponder - Sifted
4] Word to Ponder - A promise
5] Help the Young Through Sifting
6] A Time of Judgment
7] Sifting - A Time of Upheaval and Not Planted Securely
8] Sifting is Death to Self & Turning Upside Down
9] Sifting is a Part of the Training Process
10] The Shepherds Were Already Sifted
11] A Riddle - Upside Down
12] A Quickened Parable - Sifting Separates the Weeds in Our Lives
13] Straining the Lumps Away
14] A Word About The Sieve
15] Sifting is a Season of Harvest
16] Sifting is For Our Sanctification
17] Upside Down Brings the Leaven to the Surface
18] Sifting Threshes Out One’s Testing of God
19] Discerning the Supernatural Can Bring Sifting
20] A Story About Sifting
21] God Will Overturn, Abasing the High and Exalting the Low
"For surely I will command, And will sift (5128) the house of Israel
among all nations, As grain is sifted (05128) in a sieve; Yet
not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people
shall die by the sword, Who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront
us.' " On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen
down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as
in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the
Gentiles who are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this thing. "
Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake
the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall
drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring
back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities
and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They
shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their
land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,"
Says the LORD your God. (Amos 9: 9-14)
From the Hebrew in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
¤ 1) to quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, sift,
make move, wave, waver, tremble 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to wave, quiver, vibrate,
swing, stagger, tremble, be unstable 1a2) to totter, go tottering 1a2a) vagabond
(participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be tossed about or around 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1)
to toss about 1c2) to shake, cause to totter 1c3) to shake, disturb 1c4)
to cause to wander
The following is taken from 101+ Ways God Speaks (And How to Hear Him)
by Sandy Warner
81. HE SPEAKS WHEN WE HAVE FAITH
Two people who do NOT have a common language begin to communicate. The
tribesman with guttural mumbles asks the white hunter a question. Hesitating
and scratching his head, the hunter responds with a shrug.
These two are not communicating. So instead, the tribesman speaks a word
or sentence by drawing a picture, using sign language and pointing to the
surrounding environment, while the hunter listens and applies. In the process
they form common reference points and begin to understand general ideas.
This is not a word for word translation.
There is a foundation of faith that must exist between the two communicating.
— A faith that says, "I believe that you just spoke to me, and I believe
I can come to understand what you said." For true communication to exist
in the listening process, there needs to be a certain measure of faith that
goes beyond the language of the mind and penetrates the heart with belief.
The Bible states these facts about faith:
1. Faith comes by hearing Him speak. "So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17 NKJV)
2. We each have a portion: "...God has allotted to each a measure of faith."
(Romans 12:3B)
4. It describes faith: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 KJ) The Living Bible says,
"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going
to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even
though we cannot see it up ahead." (TLB)
5. The Greek definition for faith1 (also belief) is translated: {persuasion,
credence, conviction, reliance, constancy, truth, assurance, belief, faith,
fidelity.}
6. We cannot please Him without faith. "...without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is..." (Hebrews
11:6 NKJV)
7. To do anything without faith is sin. "...for whatever is not from faith
is sin." (Romans 14:23B NKJV)
As the Lord speaks to you, and you find "Words" together, faith grows
and blossoms. The Bible says Jesus is "...the author and finisher of our
faith..." (Hebrews 12:2 KJ) He not only is the source of our faith, but also
the completer.
Sometimes the particular Words the Lord speaks to me go through a faith
process of sifting, wavering and quickening before they become planted and
firmly established into a strong, bold faith:
1. "SIFTED faith" - The Words of the Lord are turning in circles without
a secure, stable home. I KNOW I have heard the Lord - I just don’t know
how it applies. This is faith with no sense of balance, security, or
establishment.2 It is like a small screw in a big hole, turning round and
round never becoming set or secure.
2. "WAVERING faith" - I know the general place the Word applies, but
don’t understand what He means. This swings back and forth between different
opinions. The wobbly screw needs to be deeper in the hole to be in a sure
strong place. This happens with time and confirmation concerning what is
believed.3
3. "QUICKENED faith" is like a screw sunk into the right place. The Lord
speaks a Word and I discover a place it fits. When the quickening comes it
has finished its turning, finally finding its proper placement, its niche.4
4. "BOLD faith" is when I know that I know. Having complete confidence
on the inside, I know and understand what the Lord is saying. This is complete
faith without doubts and with absolute assurance.5
When we have grown to the place of complete faith, we come into what the
Bible calls Sabbath rest.6 It is a place where we no longer struggle with
an issue in life. We hear the Lord’s perspective on a matter, rest,
and believe Him. We cease from our own restless pursuits and trust Him. Sabbath
rest is perfect belief in His Words to us.
One of my favorite examples of what I believe is someone entering sabbath
rest is Smith Wigglesworth.7 He was an anointed preacher in the early
1900’s who led thousands to salvation and healing. He was very close
to the Lord, in fact testified of seeing Him. In the process he overcame
enemy opposition. One particular night the devil stood in his room, and when
Wigglesworth saw him, he said, "Oh, it’s only you" and turned over and
went back to sleep. That’s what I call sabbath rest! He knew his opponent,
understood his own authority over such, and simply rested in that truth by
literally going back to sleep! That’s bold faith.
The following is taken from the book, Words to Ponder by Sandy
Warner
SIFTED
This thing the enemy has desired has not been without purpose. Your life
is under Divine restraints and nothing can touch you without My permission.
Back and forth, back and forth. The sieve vacillated back and forth. Up
and down, round and round, you went in circles, ever closer to the wire.
When the time came you left the hard and stubborn places behind. You came
through.
This was not without pain. I interceded for you and suffered with you.
Even your most difficult hours were not without My mercy and grace. I covered
you. Part of My mercy was to give you Novocain and I also put you to sleep.
If I had given you your desired senses to understand, your pain would have
been too great. Even in the midst of chaotic enemy invasion, I operate with
complete control. My grace let you fall through the sieve, My grace caught
you on the other side.
I alone hold you up. You cannot stand in independence and ever hope to
succeed. Even the most simple task will fail if you stand in your own power.
You have great strength before the enemy, but it is not your strength. I
have given you many gifts, but you cannot use them without My help.
There are valuable treasures that come from sifting. For you, it is humility.
If you carry its lesson in an important place of remembrance and cut your
own pride before it sprouts roots, you will never be sifted again. That is
My promise.
Yet an even dearer treasure has been given to Me. Your garden has been
weeded and your heart is soft and fluffy. This is your yieldedness. I have
longed for this quality to come to fruition in your life. I am teaching you
what it accomplishes in the spirituals. You have yet to see the fruition
of what this can accomplish on earth. I will give you eyes to see what your
yieldedness produces. It will be My gift to you.
"Break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he
come and rain righteousness upon you." (Hosea 10:12)
The following is taken from the book, Words to Ponder by Sandy
Warner
THE DOOR
I have brought My people to a door. A door of promise, a door of destiny.
Many have approached this door before, with seeds of promise, only to look
at it, and see the insurmountable walls. They were given the instructions
at Jericho; the time waiting was much more than the time moving. Years of
waiting have passed, and the moving has been in circles. But this has not
been without purpose.
I have gone before you and set up your place. Indeed, you have circled
long enough. Once again, you stand before the door and look at insurmountable
odds. But I say unto you, the hour is due. At My command, these walls shall
fall, and every man shall enter straight before him. I go before you shouting
"Grace." These walls shall fall and you shall be astonished at MY mighty
hand on your behalf.
There are many who have been so sifted by the plough, and blackened by
the fire, they have lost sight of this door of promise, this great door of
Hope. They have been turned inside out, and backwards; some are even upside
down. But I have been turning the perspective so they may see My view. I
am facing them forward, securing feet in front of the door.
Have no fear if you cannot see the door of promise. Your eyes may still
be burning from the smoke. Trust Me to turn you in perfect direction. Have
hopeful expectation of what I shall do. For when it opens, it shall open
suddenly, and the Light from the other side will be so bright, there will
be no questions as to your direction.
I give good gifts to My people. Pick up those hopes lost from yesterday,
and dare to believe, this time from MY perspective. Even as the door stands
before you, I stand on the other side. When I open the door, you will not
walk alone. We will occupy together.
"I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door and no
man can shut it..." (Revelations 3:8)
HEARD: Filter. Search and rescue. Sifted. Tried. Found not wanting. Able
to stand. Get up and go. Search and rescue. Toll the bell throughout the
land. The time of judgment is at hand. Some will laugh and others weep.
VISION: I saw a musical staff that looked like a very long swinging bridge.
There were musical eighth notes, sometimes called running notes, covering
about the first third of the bridge. Some had fallen off the staff head first.
They were still in the air, hadn't hit the ground yet. Others had fallen
down and were lying on the bridge. Still others had fallen on the bridge
upside down. As each note was placed back in an upright position, the staff
would sag and then become taunt. This gave a rebounding effect that caused
some notes to not be able to stay on, and they were flung off.
**Grandma Anna Comment: The sifting is going to be very threatening for
some. Severe reactions are going to result. Some will leave the faith, some
will fall, some will have their faith shaken to the core.
HEARD: Wanted. Dead. Then alive. Pulled through a keyhole. Yes. You have
the keys. Inserting them upside down. Turned. Over and over and over again.
I will comfort them. Come under my wing and stay.
VISION: I saw 2 people doing the alphabet turn. As I saw this, I groaned
and said, "Oh no, not again!" As I watched, the turning was in total &
perfect synchronized unison.
HEARD: Honey. I'm proud of you. Upside down.
SANDY COMMENTS: In the early 80’s I had visions of learning to write
the alphabet (the many ways God’s speaks) with my self as the writing
tool! I was "flying" in the sky, doing aerial acrobatics, turning and flowing
my body in the direction of each letter. Later as I became more accomplished,
more difficult letters like the letter "O" was added. I didn't like that
one!
If you can picture being in an airplane (only it's you without the airplane)
and turning a complete circle. Anything that is loose and not tied down falls
out of your pockets. It's a very unnerving experience. Your feet are not
on the ground, you are unstable clinging onto the Lord, and the only balance
and stability is in knowing He is God. It's like a sifting experience, only
without the presence of evil.
I have seen myself doing this many times, in many seasons off and on,
with in between times of "stability in hearing Him". Do understand, the letters
are not circumstantial life experiences, rather they are specific periods
of relationship with the Lord where everything gets turned upside down in
what you are hearing, and how you understand what you are hearing. It's a
time when you say "God is God and that's all that matters."
What have I learned in the past about this time????? Don't try to outguess
God. I get queasy when I hear someone interpret Him and put Him in a box...
what I mean by that is, trying to interpret what He is saying, and come up
with a perfect pat answer to what He just meant by what He just said. He
is too big to understand. Even when we think we have a grip on things, He
can turn us over and whatever is loose that He hasn't tied down Himself,
will fall away. The only thing you can do, is hang on and know it's just
a season and soon it will get better and He will right you, plant you straight
up and down, on your feet, SECURE & WITH UNDERSTANDING.
Still Small Voice Excerpt Heard via Grandma Anna 5/24/94
HEARD: Fan uprighted. It's a pickle. Sour turned sweet. What happened?
You figure it. It's an 8. What tipped it over? My timing not yours.
Excited? You bet. He's going to like it. Not done yet. Upside down. In
the midst of a cartwheel. Bringing in the ark. Good shepherd. Tried and true.
That's what sacrifice will do. Put it on the fire. Sizzled to a turn. Still
too rare. Wonderful aroma. Doesn't even need sauce.
He did it. Thanks Dad. Good show. Paid the price. Lots of spice. It was
painful. Mothers forget pain. Fathers too. When they see what pain can do.
Giving birth, they did it. Stand up and sing. It's a loud noise. How many
bouncing boys? Walk the beach. Can you count it? That's who you teach. You'll
see. An amazing outreach.
Lots of crowns, when your work is done. Precious in My sight. All your
birds take flight. Don't give up. Wait for Me. Just the tip of the iceberg.
You'll see. A very special family. Lots of pain. Lots of strain. But watch
it rain.
A downpour coming. Drenched. Over and over and over again. Upside down,
right side up. Cartwheels. Turning and turning. What joy. This family did
it. Raising My Boy. They are the womb. It's an earthly tomb. Lots of little
Adam's growing. Going to make a sonic boom.
Watch out it's catching. Such a noise you've never heard. It's coming
from the East. A huge bird. Called him to My foot. That's what it took. People
loving people. Willing to go all the way. Ready to greet the New Day. My
Day. Lots of fire and thunder. Cleansing as it goes. The earth in painful
throes. Groaning and yearning. When will it happen? Let it be. You'll know.
When you see him in the midst of the sea. Thank you dear ones. You did it
for Me.
A riddle heard via His still small voice to Sandy Warner 5/27/95
HEARD: See it through her eyes. Rock hard faith. Belly up. Turtle shell
support you. Rule the world upside down. In my pocket found a key.
Sandy Comment: In my past the Lord told me that He was going to build
within me a rock-hard faith. At the same time He also brought me rhema having
to do with turtles that walk very slow, and carrying a rock hard shell as
a protection and refuge.
At that time, my son told me the big turtles have no natural enemies,
and that is why they grow so big and so old. He said when in danger, they
draw in and hide! (I love that) They are also too tough to eat. Rock hard.
The only that can happen to them is you-know-what... they can turn upside
down. That’s the awful word called sifting. Belly up!
This week I have been rebuilding my backyard flower beds. In the past
there was a patch for 3 years in a row of rye grass that had gotten into
my chicken and hen plants. I tried pulling, I tried digging around, and the
third year I tried weed killer. The killer killed everything including the
hens and chickens. So when I came to the other section that had slowly been
developing rye grass in the chickens and hens, I had been just pulling it
and only sometimes getting the roots because the task looked so overwhelming
to me, and I didn't want to lose my plants.
This time in restructuring the whole bed, I decided to dig up the chickens
& hens to get the rye grass out. I dug much deeper than their planting,
and by hand separated the roots of the grass from the plants. When I dug
up a clump of chickens and hens, I tried pulling the grass up through the
top. Most of the time it was so deeply entrenched in the plants roots that
it would pull apart the chickens and hurt their roots. So I turned the clump
upside down and discovered that the rye grass roots are very visible from
that direction, and if I pulled them straight out from the bottom, they slipped
right out without hurting the plant roots! This took me several hours to
do, as the bed was so big and I wanted to make sure the grass was gone. Mom
came over and saw what I was doing and said "I've seen people weed before,
but I've never seen anyone do it quite like that!"
The Lord quickened some lessons in this experience. First of all I could
see first hand how difficult it is for the Lord to separate the wheat from
the tares, without damaging the wheat.
The second thing I saw was the process of temporarily being upside down.
Last month He was giving me short little bursts of being upside down so that
I might clearly see weeds that needed to be removed from my life. In the
unstable process, once I saw, I could work with Him on my own cleansing,
including repenting, rebuking and renouncing things I saw deep inside. How
easy it is to receive deliverance at this time when we are WILLING to let
Him work on us!
Thanks to my willingness, last month was such an easy process, and I suddenly
saw how difficult we make it for ourselves and for Him when He wants to correct
us about issues. He has to balance the act of correcting us, and yet not
lose the building He wants to accomplish within us. Sometimes we over-react
so badly that He has to back up and re-build the same foundation again and
again, all the while approaching our sensitive areas from different angles.
We get all upset and think we are dung and no good, then He has to patch
us up and then re-build His favor within. This takes time to go around
the same circle, and all the while we don't let Him accomplish what He is
trying to uproot! Unfortunately this can take years around the same circle.
It is so much easier when we understand and simply comply with a temporary
upheaval and stay willing and pliable in His hands.
I saw two strainer in the hand of God's angel, one was made of coarse
mess wire, while the other was made of very fine material, so fine that it
look like invisible to the naked eye. The angel was putting something into
the first coarse strainer and the bigger elements began to fall down, then
the fine strainer was brought out and the sifted elements were once more
sifted through this very fine strainer. It took quite sometimes for the elements
to pass through the fine screen, but then it did, like a drop then another
until nothing can squeeze through it. Then I even saw the hand pressing on
what is left, just to make sure that all that can be squeeze out will be
out.
After a while, the hand removed what was left from the strainer and it
was pressed out like being ironed, and then I saw a very white handkerchief
so beautiful with gold thread stitched upon the border and the materials
was beautiful, then this handkerchief was given to the king and he gently
took and received it and put it to his nose and gently smell it and I saw
a great big smile broke into the face of the king as he hold that handkerchief
close to his heart.
THE INTERPRETATION GIVEN:
In the past years, many of God's wonderful people have been through those
two strainer. God angels carrying out the Lord's order have been sifting
His people, first it was the easier matters that were shaken from our lives,
we were tested financially in giving and in releasing them to God, we were
tested emotionally in how we respond to various situations that crops up
here and there, we were tested spiritually in how we respond to brothers
and sisters as we learn to live and love one another.
After these, we were put to a finer strainer, these time the secret motives
of the heart are being exposed. Things that we hold dear and have difficulty
releasing or letting go , our love ones, our name and our career, our dreams
and our aspiration, our hopes and our longings, even our character and our
dignity...one by one...the angel just press them harder and harder into the
strainer and one by one they fall and are being stripped away from us, until
nothing of self is left in that strainer.
Then like that white, newly pressed , gold stitched handkerchief, our
lives is like a finished work that was brought and presented before the King
of Heaven, who so lovingly smell us and press us close to His heart.. and
He smile for He is delighted into what we have become after all these shaking
that has taken place.
THE WORDS:
" My loved ones, my precious people, my chosen of olds, Oh! how precious
you are all to me. Each and every one of you...precious in My sight...the
apple of My eyes...the Love of My life..
" I know that the past years have been difficult, for I have press you
over and over again...I have put you into the fire of cleansing and
purification...I have emerged you in the rivers of washing...and it is all
for my preparation, it is all for your perfection...to the image of my only
Son Jesus, the Head of all that is being brought forth into glory.
" I know the pain that you've been through, I've seen every tears, I've
heared every moan, I've seen every struggle.. But I am pleased my people
for I've seen how you have submitted and yielded to the work of My Spirit.
You have come and you have responded to Me..
" I know that I have many of you confused in the past for to some I have
come so swiftly and so suddenly and without warning and have acted drastically.
But My cherish one, I have done it out of Love for you. I know what is best
, that is a Father's instinct and that is a Father's wisdom.
" I am delighted that so many of you have chosen to obey.. that you have
chosen to cling on to me despite the questions, the fears, the difficulties..
that you have chosen to trust my heart when you cannot see my hands..
" I am overflowing with joy, I am overflowing with happiness, I am overflowing
with satisfaction in what I have witness...
" There is a great roar in heaven, a great and mighty roar.. A great cheer
is coming out from those that have gone ahead of you...they are saying to
you all...'Hold on to what you have for it will be greatly rewarded...do
not give up...do not surrender...rest in His mighty arm for He is faithful
and just and righteous '....
" Be assured of my love, be secured in your call, be steadfast in your
walk for I am here, I have always been here, and I will always be with you
wherever the path will led..
" Know that my plans for you are for good and that they are eternal and
everlasting...
" Know that my eyes are keeping watch over you overflowing with compassion
and with love..
" Know that my hands are all around you, to lift you up when you stumble,
to guide you when you go astray, to cover you when the storm come, to hold
you close to my heart at all times.
" I love you dearly My people...love you so dearly....more than words
can express...
" Feel my heart...draw close to me...be warmth in my presence....
THE LORD IS GOD AND HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING! PRAISE THE NAME
OF JESUS, OUR GREAT KING, OUR LORD AND OUR SAVIOR!!
The Lord has been impressing upon me to share this. One day, during worship
I received the word "sieve"....and about a week later I was reading the Word
and came across the words, "threshing floor" several times, in several places.
I understand that a sieve is what I call a "sifter thing" in my kitchen.
(It wasn't a word I used, so I knew it was the Lord!) I had to ask about
the threshing floor. Apparently, it is a large area where the grain was
threshed.
The Lord told Peter that satan wanted to sift him like wheat, but that
He had prayed for him. I believe that as I submit to threshing and sifting
in this world, I will become a useful ingredient in the Lord's hand.
For the last few weeks--since the New Year--our house group has been hearing
over and over again the words, "threshing-machine", "winnowing fork" and
"sifting". The overall interpretation seems to be that as a church we will
be threshed (yes, that means beaten), shaken up by the winnowing fork so
that all the chaff and straw can be blown away by the wind of the Spirit
and sifted of all impurities. This is a preparation for the HARVEST!!--we've
been promised in Saskatoon.
I too, have been meditating on the "sifting" that appears to be happening
in many places. But the Lord reminded me of the sifters my husband used to
work with in the flour mill. These sifters are taller than a man and about
3 feet wide and deep. There are 24 screens of varying sizes inside, and they
shake violently. When the crushed wheat is poured into them, it is sifted
according to size. Master bakers specify what type of wheat and what fineness
they require for their products and the wheat is taken from the appropriate
screens. The millers may pull wheat from the middle screens and process it
for crackers or cookies. The larger wheat pieces on the top screens may be
pulled and crushed through the rollers again for cake flour. And the very
lightest and smallest pieces, the bran, will be packed for cereals. Higher
protein wheats will be used for bread and buns.
So what I was reminded of is that the Lord Jesus knows what He is doing
with all the shaking and sifting. He is separating us and pulling us aside
for His specific uses. I think this is called "sanctification!" :)
The following is taken from 101+ Ways God Speaks (And How to Hear Him)
by Sandy Warner
89. HE SPEAKS WHEN WE LIMIT FLEECES
Using a fleece is a comforting way to please the soul and personality,
but is not recommended as a pattern of relationship with the Lord. Most people
use fleeces by stating a certain need for guidance: "Lord, if You do such
n’ such, then I know I’m supposed to do such n’ such." Notice
the if-then clause. This clause suggests making a contract with God on YOUR
TERMS. When a person lays a fleece before the Lord, he is putting God into
a position to answer according to his way, not God’s. It is controlling
the limits of circumstances and asking God to fit that mold.
There are those who lust for signs. (The Pharisees wanted signs, rather
than Jesus. They did not see HE WAS the sign.) People who look for signs
are also vulnerable to falling into a snare. They are ones who lay fleeces
before the Lord on a continuing basis. One satanic realm of influence is
the lust for signs.
God knows the heart, and may answer a fleece, as recorded in Gideon’s
plight. Notice the awe and respect of Gideon’s heart in approaching
God in this manner. Placing the fleece before the Lord was with great caution
as unto the fear and respect of the Lord: "And Gideon said unto God, Let
not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me
prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece, let it now be dry only
upon the fleece and upon all the ground let there be dew." (Judges 6:39-40
KJ)
The fleece was a request to God, and God answered as His gift. This was
not without consequences. God wanted Gideon’s army cut down to 300 men.
It was not that God was angry so Gideon had to make up for the use of the
fleece by cutting his army; but that the fleece and answer were very much
like a contract. Gideon suggested a contract on Gideon’s terms. God
answered. Then God gave Gideon God’s terms: 300 men.
The scriptures suggest God is reasonable, listens to the will of man,
and is willing to be flexible and work with him. He is our Good Father. However,
we should not test Him to see how far He is willing to bend. This whole concept
is something to be approached with reverence, respect and awe. He’s
not Someone to bargain with in the market place. Those who use fleeces on
a regular basis are asking for trouble.
Fleeces suggests a flexible part of God’s nature, but when we draw
the line of flexibility it is best WE BE THE FLEXIBLE ONE.
If one has the wrong motive: a lust for signs, lust for knowledge, demanding
(striving with) or testing and proving Him, one day the Lord will thresh
out that leaven in the heart through a sifting process.
There is one other reason God would cut this weed out. There are people
who have been accustomed to using fleeces with a pure desire to find out
His will. He knows the heart, and perhaps will even answer for a season on
their terms. Yet there will come a day when He wants them to grow and come
out of this type of relationship with Him. Fleeces put God in a box, He is
not cheerfully willing to stay there for very long! There are many of ways
to hear from Him without putting Him in a box. He desires to bring His own
up and out, seeking Him on His territory.
The following is taken from 101+ Ways God Speaks (And How to Hear Him)
by Sandy Warner
MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT THE SUPERNATURAL
Part of the process of discernment is learning to make accurate decisions
about what you are exposed to without being impulsive, rash, judgmental or
critical: but with careful prayer, thought, consideration, and TIME. It is
good to make a decision. The Lord is bringing the earth into a time when
it’s TIME TO MAKE A DECISION. (Joel 3:14) Much of the population today
is choosing sides in response to moral and ethical issues. What we have already
seen politically, spiritually, and physically is only one small drop of what
is to come.
We are coming to the end of an age when both God and satan want a commitment
one way or another. Some of God’s people have been riding the yellow
line for a long time, afraid to voice an opinion, or make a stand about what
they believe. They have taken the middle of the road approach to avoid
confrontations and ruffle as few feathers as possible to get through life
in one piece! The yellow line hasn’t been a problem because there
hasn’t been much traffic. However, the traffic in both directions is
now increasing and the guy in the middle is going to get crunched. The pace
is accelerating. Because of the great shaking, the fence straddlers are going
to be forced to make decisions about what they believe one way or another.
The Lord’s supernatural outpouring is going to break and/or shake
up man’s religious boxes as to Who He is. There are many ways man boxes
God. One way is by interpreting the Bible to say God intended the supernatural
to die with the early Apostles. Man will be confronted with a choice of removing
the box and allowing God to reveal Himself as He chooses. Or, he may not
be included in the blessings of the pouring forth of the latter rain of
God’s Spirit.
Have you ever been in a belly-gusher rain? One time we had a deep, very
loud, and overwhelming downpour. The gutters overran and Cuddle’s kitty
pillow and blanket were drenched. I think it scared Cuddles, as after I washed
and dried her bed (without offending soap or softeners) she would not come
back and rest. She was sleeping somewhere else in the neighborhood and coming
back to eat. It really bothered me and I kept praying that she would return
and find her place of comfort.
Finally I came up with an idea. Whenever my son got her towel out and
placed it on his lap, she came running! So I told Sonshine to also get her
clean blanket that was on top of her pillow, and sneak it in with the towel
so she could get her smell on it. He did this and she loved her time with
him. Then he placed her on her pillow with her blanket. The next day she
was contentedly sleeping there.
The point of the allegory is that sometimes the supernatural rain of the
Lord upsets our security as we are frail human beings. We become unstable
and need to return to our resting place. The Lord wants to build in you a
secure foundation and He understands. He will do His best to bring you to
that place of security, that safe place of faith in Him.
People can go through a sifting process when they are learning to discern
the supernatural. They really desire God and earnestly want to make the correct
choices. However the inability to make the decision causes the wavering to
become intense. So many have already been sifted in their hearing and led
astray because of lack of knowledge. To keep from being sifted, a firm foundation
is needed in reading the Bible and understanding Who God is. The things that
God speaks will always line up with Who He is, so if you earnestly desire
God and come across something that shakes a box inside you, PRAY about it,
and ask HIM. If you are insecure about what you’ve been exposed to,
go to Him and He will establish you. He will help you find Him and make the
decisions that are correct.
The following is taken from 101+ Ways God Speaks (And How to Hear Him)
by Sandy Warner
HE SPEAKS THROUGH CHILDREN’S WORDS
"You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their
example shame and silence your enemies." (Psalms 8:2 TLB)
"Beware that you do not despise or feel scornful toward or think little
of one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always
are in the presence of and look upon the face of My Father Who is in heaven:
Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid, or restrain, or hinder
them, for of such {as these} the kingdom of heaven is composed." (Matthew
18:10 & Matthew 19:14 AMP)
Children are gifts straight from heaven and His heart. I have been astonished
by the direct Words of my Father that come through what they say and do.
As I walked through a prolonged season of wavering, seemingly on a spiritual
swing set vacillating between two opinions, I would swing one way and think
maybe the Lord meant such n’ such, or I would swing the opposite. The
Lord gave me a picture-vision of myself near the waves of the ocean. Every
time a large wave (overwhelming circumstance) would come close, I would scurry
to the top of a very small and skinny tree. The bottom trunk was about four
inches in diameter. When the wave would hit, the tree bent way over to one
side and then the other, bouncing back and forth!
It was a perfect allegory of what I was doing during that season. Isaiah
35:3 says, "...confirm the feeble knees." My knees were anything but confirmed,
they felt more like rubber legs, just like that tree trunk! I felt so sifted
and tired of wavering. One day as I was thinking about wavering back and
forth with rubber legs and feeling very condemned, my very young son interrupted
my thoughts. He said out of nowhere, "Mama, I am worried my knees might break."
Regaining my composure, I explained that when we bend and exercise our knees,
it is good for them for it makes them strong! That was one of many times
I remember his little voice penetrating my thoughts and bringing me encouragement
from the Lord. I am now trained to know and believe that good gifts come
in small packages!
VISION: I saw a right hand turn something over that resembled and upside
down glass.
HEARD: He changes things. Truth.
Eze 21: 26, 27 "…exalt him that is low, and abase him that is
high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until
he come whose right it is; and I will give it him."
The following is taken from the book, Words to Ponder 2 by Sandy
Warner
UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE BATTLE (written in 1999)
There is much you do not understand when suddenly there is a victory and
just as suddenly there is a defeat. This is because you have entered an era
where the final battle is in the making. All of the spiritual forces are
at work to take ground once and for all. And you are caught in the middle.
This is not a time to sleep and be taken unaware. For when the waves of
darkness come, they can sweep you off your feet and suddenly you are left
sifted and upside down wondering what hit you.
This is a time to prepare for battle and understand the nature of the
battle. There are seasons of war and seasons of rest. Likewise, there are
seasons of victories and seasons of resting in the victories. These times
are just like the waves in the ocean. The enemy forces ride in, gathering
strength in numbers, while raising the tides of evil onslaught upon the earth.
When this happens, this is the time to stand. Stand with the power to tell
the enemy no. Command the darkness to retreat in Jesus Name. Stand armed
with the Words I have given you. Do not bow under the circumstances, but
stand knowing it is but an enemy wave. Command, praise and trust Me through
it and you shall rise above its destructive path.
As My believers stand firm and the strength of the enemy depletes, the
evil forces retreat to gather energy for another round. Take advantage of
those times to draw near to Me and gather your own strength for the battles
to come. Angelic activity and blessings have greater access during this time.
Take advantage of this understanding. Gather food to feed your soul, and
gather supplies for nurturing those in a weaker condition. Take this time
to rest from the heat of war, and seek Me, enjoying the blessings of My Presence.
For in those times I draw near to Mine Own ones, and reveal Myself to them.
If you understand the nature of this long war, you will learn to ride the
waves. Rise above the enemy circumstances when they hit and ride the blessing
waves when they arrive.
Always remember that in it all, I AM in control. Everything the enemy
does is with My permission. This is a time when the enemy has been allowed
to touch the earth with swift judgment. It is a wake up call. I use this
for good, to cleanse and bring forth repentance. The enemy intends it for
complete destruction. The measure it touches your own life is the degree
in which the intercessors stand in the gap against the incoming waves of
evil as well as the degree in which you yourself need repentance. If something
has touched your life, see the truth, repent and then find the secret place
hidden in Me and you will ride out the storms in a place of safety.
There will come a time when it will be impossible to rest in circumstances
without genuine faith in Me. To truly understand this is to understand the
fear of the Lord and understand I will no longer wink at sin, but bring swift
judgment. Take heed and find your covering under the shadow of My wings.
"They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those
that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with
the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded
by his side, and so builded…. In what place therefore ye hear the sound
of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. "
(Nehemiah 4:17-18, 20)
VISION: I saw a very funny prophetical picture: There was a group of water
ballerinas doing water ballet in the water. They had just gone under water
and were turning themselves around under the water. In the process of turning,
the one closest to me opened her eyes under water and then she REALLY opened
her eyes in a shocked look. She was gazing just past my shoulder. Then she
looked again as though she couldn’t quite believe what she saw, and
her eyes were bugging out. She pushed herself to the surface and the look
on her face was one of being absolutely astounded. I turned around to see
what she was looking at and there was a huge ocean liner that had come in
ready to dock. It was practically on top of us. But behind that was another,
and another and another and another. There were many ships all lined up in
single file clear to the horizon, all coming in. I realized that our ship
had come in!
Sandy Comment: Sometimes we are buried under circumstances and occasionally
upside down as we swim through the process. The parable of this vision is
that God has been working a great work to bring our "ship" in, and we are
sometimes so overwhelmed in the sea of life that we fail to see His promises
until it is right on top of us.
Notice I titled this one, "Sometimes Sifting is a Matter of Perspective."
In this vision, the ship was not upside down, the ballerina was.
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Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner. To
better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God
Speaks, And How to Hear Him.” Website:
www.thequickenedword.com Email:
swauthor777@usa.net
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