This is the second part of a series about God speaking to his people.  In Part 1, we explored the heart of God that deeply desires to reveal himself to his people and all the ways in which he has done that through the centuries. In this part we will discover that God’s word frequently emphasizes his speaking and our hearing in addition to reading the written word.

There are actually two Greek words that are translated “word” or “the word” related to what God says.  Logos tends to emphasize the entirety of God’s written communication to his people which is the Bible.  Rhema tends to emphasize a fresh word from God, which is not a binding revelation for all believers, but something that speaks to a certain situation or an individual.  Both words are used in the N.T. and the natural reading of the New Testament would not suggest that God’s fresh word to individual believer’s or churches was confined to the first century. So, if you have been taught that God no longer speaks to his children apart from the written word, let me encourage you to take a fresh look at some familiar scriptures.

Although God speaks to us in many ways his primary agent for communicating with His people is the Holy Spirit. The written word of God is his most available communication to us but even when we are seeking to know God and his will through personal reflection on the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is the one giving us understanding and application of that word. We experience the Holy Spirit in those moments as insight or understanding, but without the Spirit “speaking” to our spirit, we could not even understand God’s word as he intends.  “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

But through the Holy Spirit, God also speaks to our hearts and minds apart from our reflection on the Word.  Note the following scriptures and the words or phrases that have been bold-faced for emphasis.

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep…He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…his sheep follow him because they know His voice … they do not recognize a stranger’s voice … I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me.  (Jn. 10:2-5, 14-15)

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  (Rom. 10:17)

But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will only speak what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.  (Jn. 16: 13-14)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:10-14)

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  (Rom.  8:16)

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is his name.  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  (Jer. 33: 3)

Notice that these scriptures use words that signify direct communication between God and his people.  It shouldn’t surprise us.  From Genesis to Revelation, the biblical record is that God spoke to individuals face to face, through his Spirit as the word of the Lord came to numerous men and women,  through dreams and visions, and through angelic visits.

God spoke in these ways in the Garden, from the Garden to the giving of the Law at Sinai, from the giving of the Law to the cross and, more than ever, after the cross and the sending of the Spirit by Jesus. Why would we assume he would suddenly stop speaking a fresh word to his people somewhere around the end of the first century when it is evidently the nature of God to speak to his children through his written word (whether the Torah or the New Testament) and through a freshly spoken word. Since, God is the same yesterday, today and forever should we not expect to hear his voice on a personal level since we are his children?

Why do some things seem to tumble into place as soon as we pray and others take months or decades or a lifetime?  Is it our intensity in prayer, our faith for God to move mountains, or our personal intimacy with God that makes the difference? At times, each of those elements may factor in.  But often, the same person with the same intensity, the same faith, and the same intimacy finds that some prayers seem to be answered quickly while others take time – sometimes a great deal of time.

Dutch Sheets, in his book Intercessory Prayer (a great read ), suggests one possibility for your consideration.  He speculates that prayer releases the power of the Holy Spirit into situations and that some simply take more power to accomplish than others. I know I could object immediately to that notion since God has all power and he dispenses that power as he chooses. But God only acts in concert with his people on a great number of spiritual playing fields. There are many things God wants to do but holds back until his people pray so that we are “partnering with him” in the work of the kingdom.

I don’t think there is just one answer to our questions about prayer but I think we should consider the possibility that strongholds exist in spiritual realms like walled cities standing against siege weapons.  Some walls are higher and thicker than others.  Some are made of timber like forts on the frontier. Others are made of dirt piled high and others of great stones. Think of prayers as spiritual catapults where we continue to hurl stones at the wall of the enemy where he has established a stronghold in a person’s life, in generations of a family, or in a community.

As we press in and pray, is it possible that we are firing shots at the wall and must continue to bombard the enemy’s stronghold until the wall cracks, then begins to crumble, and then finally collapses sending the enemy scattering into the night? We don’t always know how high or thick the wall is or how long it has been in place when we begin to pray.  We don’t know how skilled and experienced those are who man the walls for the enemy.

Another way to think of this is that prayer is like an energy weapon. We carry power generated by the Holy Spirit. He is responsible for the energy that powers our weapons. But we are responsible to track down the enemy, point, and shoot.  As we point our faith toward a situation and pull the trigger of prayer, the Holy Spirit releases energy into the situation that our heart and prayers are focused on.

So, when we pray, we are assaulting enemy strongholds and when we and the others praying with us have released the power of the Holy Spirit into that situation long enough with faith and fervor, the wall must eventually fall and when it does…we will see the kingdom established quickly in that place and the enemy in wild retreat.  Undoubtedly, many things related to prayer are still a mystery.  However,  we do know that the one in us is greater than the one that is behind the wall.  We do know that the power that overcame hell and raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us.

So, in those moments when you are weary and you wonder if you should continue to pray because you have seen no change – pray again.  Perhaps, the wall is already beginning to crack and crumble.  Perhaps, the next volley will see its collapse and hearts will be opened, bodies healed, and cities transformed.  Remember, Jesus told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against his church.  In Christ, we have the enemy surrounded. Victory is assured. Just keep firing away in the faith that we are more than conquerors in Christ – every time.  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never give up (Lk.18:1).

Few of us are ever aware of the provision and power that God offers us when we face impossible moments in our lives.  I admit that I am one who often misses it as well.

I love the story of Elisha when he was surrounded by the army of Aram in the small town of Dothan.  The king of Aram was at war with Israel. Each time he set an ambush for Israeli troops, Elisha would receive a word of knowledge from the Lord, warn the leaders of Israel, and the King of Aram’s plans would fail miserably.  His initial thought was that a spy was leaking his battle plans to Israel but one of his captains convinced him that the prophet Elisha was the one informing on the King.

The King ordered a nationwide manhunt for the prophet who was to be found and captured.  Word got back to the king that Elisha had been seen in Dothan in northern Samaria and so he commanded his army to surround the settlement.  We’re told in 2 Kings 6, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. ‘O my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked.  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ’O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

The Lord had already responded to the need of Elisha and his servant with the power of heaven poised to do battle on behalf of the man of God. The servant was terrified because he had no faith to see what God had already made available in this impossible moment.  Apparently, God left the fate of those soldiers in the hands of his prophet who could have called on the angelic army to destroy his enemies.  Instead, he asked the Lord to strike the army blind for a season while he led them to Samaria where they were eventually released. After a demonstration of God’s power on behalf of his people, the text says, “So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory” (2 Kings 6:23).

Here is the lesson.  If God is for us, who can stand against us?  God is never taken by surprise.  When the King of Aram ordered the capture of Elisha, God had already provided for Elisha’s victory. The servant was overcome by fear.  Given the chance he would have stolen away in night and hidden in the hills. Elisha, having faith in both the power and the character of God, stood without fear and saw the provision of God that others could not.

We will all face our impossible moments when no strength or resource of our own will provide the victory we need. Failing marriages, children bent on self-destruction, financial crisis, cancer, or the overwhelming loss of a loved one. We all come to moment when we feel as if we are surrounded by an overpowering force that we cannot stand against. In the moment, pray Elijah’s prayer for yourself, “O Lord, open my eyes that I might see!  Lord, show me by faith and by your Spirit, the power and provision that you have made available to me for this impossible moment. For with you nothing is impossible.” In the kingdom of God, those who are with us are always more than those who are with them.

Yesterday my wife Susan shared a story with me from the Internet about a tribe in Africa that takes a unique approach to tribal discipline.  When a tribe member breaks one of the tribal laws or social conventions, the assumption is that the individual is essentially good but broken. Instead of punishing the behaviors, they place the offending individual in the middle of the village and for two days, the rest of the tribe surrounds them and speaks positive things and good names over them.

The story didn’t report on the tribe’s assumptions about the benefits of the ritual so I’ll speculate on a few possibilities.  If they assume an evil spirit has corrupted the person, then perhaps they sense they can fight evil by speaking good over the person and in that way drive away the enemy.  Perhaps, they believe the person has forgotten his or her essential goodness and so two days of declarations reminds them of who they are or “reboots” them to their default settings. Perhaps, all the positive things spoken over the offender are simply designed to call them to a higher standard of living.  I have no idea if there as been any Christian influence in the tribe but there is something very biblical and very powerful about their approach.

Now, I am speaking about our tribe of believers only.  Ours is the tribe marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. Mankind, in general, is not essentially good because mankind has a fallen nature.  However, once an individual has been born again, is a new creation in Christ, and has the Spirit of God within…he or she must be considered essentially good. God says that we are priests and kings, holy and sanctified, sons and daughters in the household of God, and partakers of the divine nature.

Within each of us is the goodness and greatness of God.  This goodness and greatness is the reality that God has placed within us but it is often a reality that needs to be called out, nurtured, and developed. James says something interesting in regard to this truth.  He says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ja. 4:29).  Paul says that prophetic words spoken over believers should always strengthen, encourage, and comfort (1 Cor.14: 3). There is something about declaring positive things and good names over one another that builds up and even heals.

There are numerous other passages in the N.T. that have the same flavor. Nowhere do I see passages commanding the opposite.  The gospel of the flesh and the demonic would certainly contain commands and passages such as,  Be ye critical one to another; Be hateful and demeaning in all that you do;  Be quick to point out failure and remind one another of it as often as you come together; Shame one another daily;  Speak the truth one to another with great disdain and condescension. We could go on…but you get the drift.

The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, spends a great deal of his time telling us who we are in Christ.  He goes to great lengths to describe our new identity as children of the Most High God.  The writers of the New Testament speak that identify over the church in their letters. There is purpose and intentionality in doing that.  God declares, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth.  It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).  We all know that God’s word carries creative power and that it is living and active.  It has the power to call forth something out of nothing and to shape creation to conform to God’s will.

Have you noticed that the word from God’s mouth was most often declared to creation through the lips of his prophets?  As God put his word in the mouths of prophets, they declared that word and nations rose and fell, kings were placed on thrones and removed.  Bones lying in desolate valleys rattled together and became standing armies as God’s man declared God’s word over the valley of death.

Our identity, our holiness, our strength, our glory, and our victories have all been spoken by God and written down.  His Spirit puts those words in our mouths and as we also declare the word of God given to us, his word once again goes forth.  As it goes forth, it accomplishes its purpose.  God calls us to be a tribe that surrounds those among us who are broken and declare good things over them.  We are to call out who they are in Christ and the destiny he has ordained for them so that God’s word will accomplish its purpose in their lives.

As we speak honor to one another, encourage one another, and speak only words that build up, we help to establish the believer’s self-image – the internal view we hold of ourselves. We typically conform to that view because it is who we believe we are.  But more than that, we activate supernatural forces that draw those things out of us and make them realities. The words we speak that are God’s words are prophetic in nature.  As we, like Isaiah, consistently prophesy over the wasteland of someone’s brokenness, life and holiness will come forth.  And, by the way, we should declare  that same word of God over ourselves until we see God’s goodness and greatness fully formed in us as well.

As followers of Jesus, how many of us really believe that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12)?

The New Testament is full of reverences to satanic schemes, demonic oppression and torment, and battles in the heavenly realms.  It is full of admonitions to recognize the enemy’s ploys and stand up against him.  In Matthew 4, we see a wilderness showdown between Jesus and Satan as soon as Christ’s public ministry is launched.  We then see Jesus, the twelve, the seventy, and the church exercising authority illness and over demons and casting them out each time the gospel was preached.

There are a number of ways demons afflict people in the New Testament record.  There is the tormented and “insane” tomb dweller of Mark 5.   Then there were those who were deaf, mute, and blind.  Some had back problems for years while others seemed to have conditions that produced seizures. Undoubtedly demons manifested in people in numerous other ways as well.  Tradition maintains that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute before coming to Jesus. We are told in scripture that she had seven demons cast out of her.  No doubt they contributed heavily to her brokenness and destructive lifestyle.  Many references to deliverance say that a demon was cast out and the person was healed as a result. It’s fair to speculate that demons manifested as all kinds of physical and mental illnesses as well as physical conditions.  Wherever there is an authentic disease or condition that exists in the natural realm, it is likely that demons mimic and produce those conditions in many. For one, medication will suffice.  For the other, deliverance is needed.

It’s interesting to me that many of the people who came to Jesus seemed to have an accurate diagnosis of physical illness versus demonic affliction. One would come and say that his daughter or servant was ill and needed healing while another would come and say that his son or daughter was suffering from a demon. We live in a culture where even Bible believing Christians never consider that an illness or psychological condition might be caused by demonic forces.

First century Jews lived in a culture that gave great credence to the spiritual realm.  When disaster, affliction, or torment entered their lives, they considered spiritual causes as much or more than natural causes.  So they ran to Jesus or his followers and found healing and deliverance. In our world of rationalism, technology, and science those who believe that physical illness, physical impairments, addictions, learning disabilities, or psychological conditions such as depression, rage, anxiety, panic attacks, etc. might be rooted in demonic activity are considered weird or backward.  In many cases, even the church rejects the notion of demonic affliction and would invite anyone who wanted to minister deliverance or supernatural healing to leave immediately.

Yet the biblical model is to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead.  Most churches declare that the Bible is their guide in all things and strive to duplicate biblical patterns and models in their churches … until it comes to “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.” How many of us have heard prayers asking God to help the doctors do what they do rather than asking God to heal by his power and compassion?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t go to doctors or pray for them. I believe medicine is a grace of God and doctors are a grace to this world.  What I am saying is that greater power and greater solutions lie in the spiritual realm. I am saying that some illness and physical conditions have spiritual roots and vaccines will not solve that issue.

It is clear that the majority of believers in the western church believe our healing is in the hands of doctors and secular therapists much more than in the hands of God. Even believers tend to exhaust all solutions they can find in the natural realm before they turn to the spiritual realm in desperation. Paul’s admonitions would seem to suggest that we should look for spiritual solutions even before we turn to solutions in the natural realm.

I am encouraged, however.  There is a worldwide move of God at this present time where the power of the kingdom of heaven is being displayed in the name of Jesus. Millions are coming to Christ.  Thousands are being healed and delivered.  Even in western nations and America, churches are beginning to live out the commands to preach, heal and set free in the name of Jesus. It is just my heart that every Christian would find the power of Jesus Christ for their lives and the lives of those they love who live in torment and brokenness.  The church simply needs to remember Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 6 to live with an awareness of where the real battles are waged and the real solutions are found.  Then, press in to discover the power of God and the divine weapons he offers to every follower of Jesus.

Words have power.  Your words have power.  Not just the power to influence or persuade but supernatural power.  God spoke creation into existence – both the seen realm and the unseen realm, the spiritual and the natural.  You are made in God’s image.  Your words also carry power. Although our words have power to create to a much lesser degree than the Father’s, they still have power to set things in motion with life-changing and world-changing  outcomes.

God intended to rule the earth through those he created and into whom he breathed his life giving Spirit.  He gave Adam and his descendants dominion over the earth and all the works of his hands.  They were given authority to subdue the earth and establish the culture of heaven (God’s will being done) on this earth.

How does anyone rule?  With power and authority.  Authority directs the power that backs it up.  In the case of Adam, he would command with authority and the power of heaven would back him up.  How do you command?  You command with words. As Adam would command, the Spirit of God or the angels of heaven would move to establish what he had spoken.

Our prayers accomplish the same thing.  As we pray, we invite heaven to act on our behalf or another’s behalf to bring about outcomes on the earth that are consistent with God’s will.  When we speak a blessing over another person, it is a form of a prayer and by faith we believe that God will act on behalf of the one we blessed to bring about some positive outcome.

In other words, your words set things in motion in the spiritual realm that creates realities in the natural realm.   That is why we pray and bless.  That is why we are commanded to pray and bless, even our enemies, because the heart of God is to do good to all men.  When we speak, he acts on our words.

But there is another part of the spiritual realm that hopes to harm, to oppress, and destroy.  The demonic realm also hears our words and has the capacity to act on them.  When we speak hurtful words, condemning words, or vengeful words we are declaring curses.  Curses are simply prayers for the harm or destruction of another.  Curses have the capacity to mobilize the demonic realm to being about destructive realities in the natural realm.

In Numbers 22, Balak, the king of Moab, was confronted with the presence of a million or more Israelites camping along his borders.  Terrified, he summoned Balaam and asked him to place a curse on Israel so that Moab might defeat them in battle.  The idea was to summon spiritual powers to war against Israel and to hinder them so that they might be defeated. Balaam sought God before he pronounced the curse.  God told him not to do so because he should not curse what God had blessed.

The blessing of God sets angels in motion to bring about positive outcomes for the one who is blessed – provision, success, victory, good health, protection, favor, etc. God commanded Balaam to refrain from the curse because that would set the demonic realm against Israel and hinder the blessing and victories that God intended.

Words, then, have the power to set things in motion for good or for bad in the spiritual realm. That’s why proverbs tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death. It’s why James counsels us to guard our tongues so that we don’t burn down a forest with one spark – so that our words don’t ignite a destructive force in the spiritual realm that goes far beyond what we intended.

Your words have power.  You walk in the authority of the kingdom of heaven so your words have great authority.  God directs us to bless and not curse. He directs us to be careful with our words and speak only those things that build others up. In the same way we need to speak life to ourselves.  We need to speak blessing and goodness over ourselves rather than condemning words that curse and demean.

Watch your words.  They are powerful and authoritative.  Speak blessing, strength, success, peace, competence, provision, safety and affirmation over others as well as yourself. You have the capacity to set powers in motion in the spiritual realms for great good or great harm.  Watch your words and choose to be source of blessing.  Be fresh water that gives life wherever you go because you speak life to every person and situation your encounter.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1Jn. 3:8). Whatever Jesus healed, cast out, or overcame were works that the enemy had constructed on the earth.  In the opening salvo of Christ’s war on the devil, he announced that he had come to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and to set captives free (Luke 4).  He then proceeded to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, heal every kind of sickness and physical condition, cast our demons, raise the dead and break the power of sin over countless lives.

However, sometime in the last 2000 years, a few prominent theologians decided that the very things Jesus opposed on the earth did not come from Satan but from God himself.   Somewhere along the line, theologians decided that since God is sovereign, everything that happens on this planet is his will and has been ordained by heaven.  That kind of theology makes God the author of rape, abortion, famine, war, cancer, birth defects, and crib death. That kind of theology makes God a heartless manipulator of people and circumstances.  However, John definitively says that God is love.

The truth is that there are countless things that happen on this planet that do not reflect the heart or the will of God for his people.  For instance, in his first letter to Timothy, Paul says, “This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim.2: 4) Paul clearly states that God’s desire is for every soul to be saved.  Scripture also clearly says that not all will be saved. In the matter of the world’s salvation, God’s desire will not be completely fulfilled.

Even, when the persistent acts and sins of men demand God’s righteous judgment, that is not what God rejoices to do.  In the book of Ezekiel, God says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” declares the sovereign Lord.  “Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live” (Ezek. 18:23)?  He also says, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ezek.22: 30). Sometimes, disaster comes because man leaves God no choice.  Like parents exercising tough love toward a rebellious child, God sometimes brings discipline or judgment.  But it is not his pleasure to do so.

The world is clearly full of tragedy.  In his sovereignty, God gave man free will and in doing so set limitations on himself in terms of how he would intercede in the affairs of men.  When mankind chooses violence over peace, adultery over faithfulness, abortion over parenthood, bitterness over forgiveness, deception over truth and rebellion over obedience, bad things happen and people are wounded in ways that were never in the heart of God for his people. When men act in such ways they open themselves and their families up to the work of Satan who comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

However we understand God and his heart for us, the clearest demonstration of his heart is found in Jesus. Jesus declared in John 14 that whoever has seen him (Jesus) has seen the Father.  Whatever Jesus did on the earth is an accurate reflection of the heart of God.  The heart of God, like the heart of God’s Son, is to heal, bless, set free, and eventually abolish death altogether.

When we blame God for the tragedies, the pain, the sorrows of life we misjudge his character and his heart for us.  That misconception is a great tool of the enemy to alienate people from a God who loves them and to limit our faith when we pray.  If we ever believe that God’s heart for his children is that they be raped, abused, murdered, ravaged by cancer, and stuck in crippling poverty, or die tragically then how will we pray against those things?  How will be believe that God is sitting on the edge of his throne waiting to arise and set his children free from the hate-filled works of the devil?  And yet, that is where he is.

The good news is that disease, disabilities, shattered emotions, broken families and all the rest of Satan’s work is not the heart of God for his people.  Jesus came to begin dismantling those works in individual lives and then in society as a whole.  The church has been commissioned to do what Jesus did and to continue to destroy those works with the love of God and the power of heaven.  God longs for us to call on him in faith to push back the borders of darkness through us.  He longs to display his power to heal, mend, and set free through us, just as he did through Jesus. Whenever we have it in our hearts to do the works that Jesus did then we can rest assured that heaven is ready to join us in the battle.  Be bold today.  Know that God is on your side when you push back in faith against the kingdom of darkness.

I have always been puzzled by the large number of evangelical churches that declare “the age of miracles is past.”  These churches maintain the position that God no longer intervenes in the lives of men and nations with miracles as he did in both the Old and New Testaments.

This position holds that the miracles of Jesus and the apostles were granted only to validate Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God and the apostles as those who spoke and wrote under inspiration of the Spirit.  Once Jesus had performed enough miracles to validate who he was and once the apostles had done enough to validate who they were and, thus, the inspiration of the New Testament…miracles were no longer needed.  Miracles just faded away as the apostles died off.

There are a number of strong theological responses to that position.  Jack Deere, a former Dallas Theological Seminary professor, does an excellent job of that in his classic book, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit (Zondervan, 1993).  But apart from detailed theology, why would one argue so strongly against miracles in our age or any age?

I suspect that, ultimately, a Christian would argue against the validity of miracles because he or she has “never seen one.” But the same argument would eliminate the reality of angels for most of us.  Evangelical Christians believe they exist and even minister on our behalf but I am not sure most of us have ever seen one. I believe in “black holes” in space although I have never seen one.  I believe in Tahiti, although I have never actually seen Tahiti nor personally known anyone who has.

Now, I suspect that would also be true of most Christians who don’t believe in present-day miracles.  So it must go deeper than that.  Perhaps, it is about fear and doubt concerning my own relationship with God. Perhaps, I might hold that position  because if God still performs miracles, if he still heals, if he still speaks to his people apart from the Bible,  if he still delivers people from bondage in a single power encounter…and I have never experienced him in that way…then, perhaps, I am afraid that there is something wrong with me or my faith.  So, I simply deny the things that might create doubt for me.

Here’s the thing. Deep down we all want God to still act in miraculous ways on our behalf. All of us will face moments when we need a miracle, we need to hear the voice of God, we need to be healed, we need to be delivered.  Deep in our souls, we want a God who will display power on behalf of his children.  And, whether we recognize it or not, all who pray believe in present-day miracles.

By definition, a miracle is a moment when God intrudes into the natural order of things to bring about an outcome that would not occur without his intervention.  Every time we pray for something, are we not asking God to intervene in the natural order of someone’s life or a nations destiny?  So… we all pray for miracles and believe in them.  Some just believe in small or subtle miracles rather than the big, obvious ones.  But a miracle is a miracle.

If God still operates in the miraculous then he operates in the miraculous. We might argue that God acts sovereignly and directly, but he does not give miraculous gifts to people….no healing, no prophecy, no miracles, and certainly no tongues!  But the same people who object to a prophetic gift or word of knowledge would declare that their own preacher or worship leader is “anointed.”  To say that someone is anointed is to say that God has given that individual a supernatural level of ability that goes beyond the natural.  How is that different from a healing gift or a prophetic gift?

The truth is that God’s Spirit has operated miraculously in the church since the days of Jesus.  Angels have ministered while we were unaware.  The Spirit has revealed truth to you when you thought you were that insightful.  God has whispered a word of knowledge to you (someone just popped into your mind) and you called a friend who needed your encouragement. You thought it was coincidence.  People you know have been healed miraculously but the doctors called it remission.

So…we want a God who still moves on our behalf with power.  We pray for miracles every time we ask God for anything. And most of us have experienced the “miraculous gifts” of the Spirit – we just called it something else.  Wouldn’t it be better if we just decided that what God has always done for his people, he still does today?  Wouldn’t it be better to follow the desire God has placed in our hearts  and begin to ask for and expect the extraordinary from our God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us (Eph.3:20).  God is not glorified when we ask for the ordinary but the extraordinary.  Ask for miracles because the age of miracles is now!

Many believers have made brokenness their identity. These individuals focus on the past rather than the present or the future; on what God has not yet done for them rather than what he has done for them; on their lack of resources rather than the resources they have in Christ; on their weakness rather than on his strength, and; on their view of themselves rather than on his view of them. A significant part of transformation in the Kingdom of God is based on choosing a kingdom mind-set. The gospel of the kingdom points us to power rather than weakness, abundance rather than poverty, and significance rather than insignificance. The reality of the Kingdom of God on earth enables us to choose a heavenly focus, as we become what we behold.

Paul knew about extreme “personal makeovers.”  He wrote,  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17-18).

Notice that this kingdom mind-set is directly related to our freedom and our freedom is directly related to our focus. The Apostle Paul did not miss this point: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Phil. 4:8). “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18). “Fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Heb. 3:1). “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..” (Heb. 12:2).

In the natural, whenever you have five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd, you send everyone home. In the kingdom, you pray for the abundance of heaven to be manifested and feed every person in the crowd with food to spare.  In the verses above, Paul tells us to fix our eyes and our thoughts on Jesus. To fix is to establish a permanent position that does not waiver. Our focus determines our view of reality. For those in the Kingdom of God, reality is not what is seen with the natural eyes but what is seen with the eyes of faith and the eyes of our heart. The focus we choose in our seeing, listening, speaking, and thinking will determine the lenses through which we view life.   (Excerpt from Born to Be Free by Tom Vermillion, Morgan & James Publishers, page 30)

If we are honest, many believers today are saved but remain in bondage to sin, addiction, shame, and a host of other hindrances to their walk. The truth is that other than church attendance, a large percentage of believers look just like the people they work with or go to school with who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them. Divorce rates in the church rival divorce rates in the culture at large. Christian teens seem to have little power over the cultural pressure to drink, experiment with drugs, or to be sexually active. A significant number of believers live on antidepressants, tolerate marriages dominated by anger and rage, live with bitterness toward the past, and are crippled by an overpowering sense of unworthiness and rejection. I’m not scolding these brothers and sisters for not being “the Christians they should be” because I have struggled with many of those issues as well. These believers are desperately looking for freedom, but in many cases have not been shown by their churches how to access the freedom that Jesus promises.

A gospel that only gets us to a place of forgiveness but that does not radically change us so that we stand out in contrast to our culture is not the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached. Paul pointed to this truth when he said, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Phil. 2:14-16). Stars stand out in stark contrast to the darkness. Jesus himself declared that his followers were to be the light of the world. Those who wear the name of Christ should stand out in the crowd by their sheer “differentness.” Jesus spoke of being “born again” not as figurative language for trying harder but as a reality where something real and essential has been altered in everyone who comes to him. After a while, that essential difference should become apparent, not a as a reflection of our efforts but as a reflection of the power of God working in us and Christ being formed in us.  (Excerpt from Born to Be Free by Tom Vermillion, Morgan & James Publishing, 2013, Page 11).