MIRACLES

When the Scriptures say, "God's ways are not our ways" we think that does not apply to miracles. After all who would not like a great miracle? But to be honest miracles are not God's best for our lives blessings which He has already been given us is. I know this thought runs contrary to most Christian belief and teachings, but come on brother, let's get God to jump through the victory hoop for us so we can get Him to give us a new car or bigger house. Or even touch our body when we have overindulged to the point our weight is killing us. Now I speak from personal experience. To have God's best for our lives we must cooperate with God's natural laws and His divine spiritual principles. When God does a miracle for us He supersedes (suspends) or extends His natural laws and/or divine spiritual principles sometimes to cover our disobedience and failure to walk in the way He would have us go. Often we will pray for God to touch our body to help us lose weight and we even ask for a miracle when all we have to do is push away from the table, but no a miracle lets us off the hook. Or we pray for God to do a miracle in our finances (probably living beyond our means) when all we have to do is cut up some credit cards and stop over spending, but no a miracles let us off the hook and we can go and shop till we drop. Well, God has already provided all we need for our daily healthy living, prosperity, and so much more there really is no need for Him to give us a miracle. He may (He does not have to) if He does He knows the plan He has for our life could be in jeopardy of failure or we will experience an early untimely death. It is when we fail to follow God's natural and spiritual divine principles we need a miracle. In Ephesians Paul tells us, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1:3) God has already given us everything we need to do what He wants us to do. God "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing" that is past tense. What more can we add to "all?" In the Bible "all" means just that "all." God hath blessed us with "all" spiritual blessing. Shall we add a miracle to the word "all?" The hunger for miracles in some people (Christians included) is greater than the hunger for God. The root and source of all we do MUST be found in Christ. Most Christians do not know miracles return or go back to a normal condition because miracles are not permanent in our lives. God gave the Children of Israel manna (heavenly food) to eat while in the wilderness what a wonderful miracle, but it ended and manna was never again recorded in the Bible. In the Book of Joshua after the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan river, "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. 12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." (Joshua 5:10-12) The wonderful miracle of manna ceased and things went back to the natural law of food (seed time and harvest) in the divine spiritual principles God established. Principles like if you do not work you should not eat, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Many Christians today expect God to supernaturally provide food and shelter, but have no intention of finding work. In the 80s and 90s many Christians went on "love walks" not working so other Christians could provide for them as they spent more time with God. What a bunch of mule fritters! These Christians were just lazy. Peter never walked on the water again after the episode with Jesus correcting him. Matthew gives us a good account of this. "And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." (Matthew 14:29-32) After Jesus and Peter hit the boat Peter never walked on water again. I wonder why Peter left a place of safety? Looks and sounds like Peter wanted Jesus to do a miracle for him so he could do something supernatural. The natural laws of gravity and weight kicked in for Peter the rest of his life. I remember when we lived in Ridgeley, West Virginia and my father was working in Quantico VA while in the USMC. Well it was time to go to church, but we had no gas in our car. What to do, well a good friend of my mother Mill Miller, a dear woman of God said, "Beverly do you believe Jesus turned the water into wine?" And my mother replied, "yes." So Mill said, "do you believe God can turn water into gas?" My mother replied, "yes." So Mill said, "fill her up." So in blind faith my mother filled the gas tank with water and off we drove to church. As a matter of fact we drove all week on that tank of water and when my mother told my father he went high and to the right. As special as that miracle was at that time the next week the car needed gas to run on. Miracles are not permanent because they are an extension or stopping of normal conditions or circumstances of natural laws and divine spiritual principles. Miracles are not God's best His best is for us to operate in the natural laws and divine spiritual principles in obedience to His word that He has established for us to live successfully now and in the future. After all miracles are not a guarantee from God, but a blessing "hath" been done (already given to us) where miracles have not been done. To make things even more confused we have problems with determining the outcome between a miracle and a healing. A healing is something that happens over time where a miracle is a suspension or extension of God's natural laws and divine spiritual principles. Often we pray for a miracle when in reality what we want is a healing. We must not get confused and ask the LORD for what we want. After all our prayers for such things are things we want from God and even in this we must be careful not to get over in the misuse of our asking the LORD for things. The word "amiss" is an interesting word that is often used. James tells us, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3) The word "amiss" means to be sick, to be diseased, evil, or grievous. It has more to do with our heart condition than asking not according to God's will for the situation. Here James was saying you receive not because of your evil, grievous heart. When we go after miracles instead of walking in the natural laws and divine spiritual principles we can get over into tempting God. You can ask Brother Peter. Again I know this is not the main stream Christian doctrine miracles seem to have a magical spell on us, but God is not in the business of doing magic He is looking for our obedience in following His divine order and spiritual principles so that He will not have to pull a rabbit out of His hat. Sadly if He has to do something supernatural (and He will because He has a plan and purpose in His heart for us) to save us He knows the plan and purpose He has for us is in jeopardy of failing. Now do not think we have succeeded when we get God to do something supernatural for us we have not we have failed. When we look at the greatest miracle in our lives -- salvation it is not done by God doing something supernatural for us, but by us in obedience confessing our sins. John tells us, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The word "confess" means we agree with God what He is saying about us is true. The greatest confession we can make is our need for God and out from that we must follow His divine principles and laws He "hath" already given us. Now that would be a real miracle.

WTFMT 41 (HGM ON 28 MAR 17

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-41 TEXT: "For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." (Exodus 32:29)

 

I. BLESSING BELONG TO US

A. God is attempting to release many blessing to His people. But quite often these blessing are missed. A believer may bog down in the mean's which God uses, rather than focus upon God's intentions.

B. If such be the case, the treasures are ignored while the methods fill the believer's vision. The apostle Paul learned to focus upon the purposes of God. Others with him focused upon the hardships, and therefore left the work of God. Leaving the work of God, they forsook the purposes of God. C. When God brings us into the wilderness, we must forsake the hardships. They are not the purposes of God. If you see only the hardships which you are experiencing, you will never see the possessions God has for you. Like the children of Israel, you may get so bogged down with the wilderness conditions that you never see the Promised Land.

D. Forget about conditions as much as you can, and allow God to work within you. The more God can do in you, the more He can do for you!

E. God is attempting to make us a fruitful believer. The purpose of God is to fill your life with victory all the time. Lelia N. Morris, who lived a hundred years ago, caught this vision and wrote the hymn;

Victory All The Time. Victory victory! blessed blood-bo't victory! Victory! Victory! vict'ry all the time; As Jehovah liveth, strength divine He giveth Unto those who know Him, vict'ry all the time.

F. Another lady gifted in song was Deborah. She too saw and experienced God's victory. She was a judge of Israel in the days before the kings of Israel. After her victory against the oppressing king of Canaan, Jabin, by name, she sang the lead part in a duet with Barak, her general. Some of their words are recorded in Judges; "The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel." (Judges 5:5) Even as the difficulties in the Wilderness of Sinai melted for Joshua and Caleb, so God melted them for Deborah.

G. For God, there is no insurmountable mountain; "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth." (Psalm 97:5) Any difficulty will melt before the Lord. A believer may so focus upon difficulties that they are enlarged, magnified. This is expressed in the cliché, "some people make mountains out of molehills. Most of the older generation in the wilderness was like this. But there are yet the Joshua and Caleb today who so walk with God that they "make molehills out of mountains." It is our choice.

H. When the generation of Joshua and Caleb saw and heard about all the difficulties involved in possessing the Promised Land, it overwhelmed them. This prevented them from possessing the land. God attempted to communicate to these people that His greatness was sufficient to surmount any and all difficulties. Whatever it is that must be faced in life, God is bigger!!

I. Nothing can stand against the greatness of God. Hear the voice of the prophet Nahum coming to us through 25 centuries; "The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him." (Nahum 1:5-6)

J. Imagine a power of such immensity being our ally. We can't lose! Just the thought ought to double us over with laughter. There is no power that can compare to God's. No power - nothing- exists apart from God. He created all. No power, no circumstances, no situation can operate apart from and independent of God. The very existence of Satan cannot be without God. God could even now snuff out his existence and activities. All things have come out from God. He is our all and all and over all.

 

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

A. We each have our own views of life. When we meet horrible situations, we see everything breaking apart. Our view of life is warped. We see things outside of God and beyond His control. So we attempt to fix things and get the pieces together again for God, so that once again He will be in control. Whom are we trying to fool??

B. Don't kid yourself. God is in control, always. He is still on the throne, always. Allow God to reveal life to us, instead of badly botching its meanings through our own misunderstandings. Our mind is not built for such a task as understanding life. But the revelation is in God; there we can discover it.

TIME TO STAND UP

I just returned from Turkey, man is it time for the Body of Christ to stand up. The nightly excitement activity was planning who they were going to talk to other Turkish people about Jesus. I felt like I was in the first few chapters of the Book of Acts. In America it seems we discuss plans to feed our stomach and go do something for the denomination or religion we belong than to tell people about Jesus. I was amazed at how the Spirit moved without singing, dancing, or working things up. No money changed hands or promises were exchanged except for a promise to keep things in secret because if certain people found out lives could be called into question. This brought me back to the central point of sharing the word of God, the message must be brought down to the heart level, by the Spirit of God, where God can work to change our character and nature. This message is far more than a good story about events in the Bible in what this person said or did as God used them. Far more than a message filled with head knowledge or swelling words of going in harm's way overseas for the LORD yet the preacher does not even have a passport. Talk is cheap and from the pulpit such talk is laziness and hypocritical. A message where spiritual growth and development is the central focus of the message. Most of the churches we attend speak of love and salvation (which is important), but lack the ability in the pastors to speak on spiritual growth and development due to the inward lack in them. This is why the Body of Christ (around the world) is so off track no desire to grow up in God because the pastors, preachers, and teachers fail to teach on spiritual development, yes from their own lack. I will probably get some hate mail, but that is okay when I saw the commitment and dedication in the face of the danger and even death from the folks in Turkey, well it is time to stand up and speak the truth in love. I cannot believe the politics of the Body of Christ in world. In America, now that President Trump (we must keep him in our prayers the terror by night and the arrow by day is very real in his life) is in the White House many Christians feel God is not so angry with America after all a conservative won the White House God's anger must have been assuaged, well I am here to tell you this thinking is dead wrong. Yes I agree righteousness (when it comes to the word of God) prevailed I do not understand how the so called Christians who voted for Hillary Clinton, who supported killing babies, sodomy, and lesbianism in our society that God calls an abomination, yet millions of so called Christians stood their ground and voted for abomination. Our Supreme Court said such acts are legal in the eyes of man, well not so in God's eyes. Our Supreme Court has always been at odds with God and His word and continues to be. In 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford (this ruling was one marker that led to the Civil War) the decision that legalized slavery, well the Supreme Court was grossly then wrong and still is wrong (on same sex marriage and abortion casing great unrest in America) and on so many moral issues. My friend just because the Supreme Court rules on manmade law does not make it true and final. There is a higher judge and His name is God Almighty, His law is supreme and all men will kneel to it someday. I am sorry my friend, but I can no longer turn my head to such sin I will give such folks in the world a wide birth and let them believe what they want to believe, but at the same time keep my eye on them as I stand afar off (both physically and spiritual) from them. You know God does not follow a political ideology or idea God is holy and righteous and He is looking for His character to be birthed in each and every Christian. I hear many Christians say America is a Christian nation, well this is just foolish wishful thinking, oh no, a nation cannot be Christian. But, America can be a nation of many Christians as with other nations around the world and out of those nations God is building a Body of Believers who someday will become His Bride. America and all of the world someday will be no more. And yes I love America I gave 24 years of faithful and dedicated service in the U.S. Navy, but I do not love America more than I do Jesus. We must be careful as ministers of the Gospel not to miss this point. To be honest I have and often struggle here. But Jesus did not come to save America, Kenya, Nepal, Germany, Sweden, Russia, China, Japan, or any nation for that matter. Jesus came to save that which is lost and that which is lost is man. Jesus came to save lost men and women who are lost in heir sin and who know not a Holy God and His Son Jesus Christ, who live in a world of spiritual lack and depravity. Karen made a statement a few days ago that I have been thinking about she said, "unless we give our heart to the LORD we are a complete failure." I shared that with about 150 inmates at a prison in Vanceboro, NC and I got a lot of amens and head bobs, they know what failure looks like. It is time nay it is past time for the Body of Christ to stand up for the truth even if it offends us, the world, or even if it requires persecution. I wonder what the Christians around the world think of the Christians in America claiming they are persecuted yet have not suffered beatings having their life threatened at gun point, family members tortured both physically and mentally, and so much more. I hope and pray the Christians around the world will not judge the Christians in America too hard because they know our time is coming unless America gets back on track with God. Our message must be bold, strong, and loud again like it was in the two Great Awakenings from days gone by. Yes I know the Scriptures do not support a third Great Awakening, but that is okay Jesus is still looking for lost men and women and we must do all we can within the limitations and restrictions of the guidelines within the word of the God. Sadly the apostate "church" is over into Christian entertainment and the selling of truth forfeiting the opportunity to really lead someone to Christ. Christian TV rangers please do not fool yourselves into believing you are helping the LORD, sadly you are not. This entertainment and selling of the truth for power, influence, and money has led to the spread of many deceptive spirits in the so called "church" and around the world. Service today in America in most "churches" is nothing more than entertainment that have NO spiritual results. If you want to get a big crowd just have a Gospel sing or a party, but the same folks who come to hear the singing or feed their face will rarely come to hear preaching or God forbid come to a home group meeting. Jesus talked about such folks in Luke, "And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept." (Luke 7:31-32) America's (our Houses of Government) and spiritual leaders (our houses of so called worship) have entertained the people, but the people have not responded in doing the right things, they have continued to drift further and further away from God's divine spiritual principles. It is time for true Believers of the LORD to stand up and clean out the houses of iniquity that fill our land. What it will take is a falling on our knees and allowing God to show us our short comings and waywardness first then a holy boldness to stand and deliver the words "you are the man" as Nathan told King David. It is time for the "church" around the world to be accountable for the word of God and the countless sacrifices of the missionaries who have laid their lives down. It is time for the church around the world to be accountable for all of the money and resources given to them throughout the years. How much money does the nations of the world want from America? When will the nations of the world be accountable to God for the blessings He has given them over the last 200 plus years? Jesus also said in Luke, "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:47-48) I wonder what part of these verses do many denominations refuse to agree with? "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." God means that. How long will nations who have been heavily evangelized, who have received the wealth and sacrifice of other nations going to squander what was given to only ask for more? It seems like an open fire hose, the more given the more is expected. When will the African continent stand up and support her own people? Or will her survival continue to be dependant on America and other wealthy nations? It is time for the nations of Africa, India, and Asia (and yes I have wonderful brothers and sisters in these place) to stand up and look to God for their help and not America and other wealthy nations. Lastly it is time for the Body of Christ (the people) to stand up and grow up. This was the prayer and heart from Paul, spiritual growth and development for the Body of Christ, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, where by they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head,evenChrist:16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:14-16) But there is not much a desire to grow up. Growing up requires us to be responsible for ourselves and our actions. We can no longer blame Satan, our brothers, and/or our sisters for our failures and coming short of God's glory. Time and time again Paul encouraged the Christians of his day to be teachable, learn the lessons God has for them, be learning and ever learning not learning and never learning. Stop making the same mistakes over and over, but learn the lesson God is teaching and drive on to the next lesson God has placed before us. That is what this time on earth is all about, yes to a degree learning how to function now, but the training is not on this world as much as it is our next life. Now we are learning how to function, learning how to operate as God operates in our next life. So when we get to our next life God will not have to train us we will be productive from day one when we arrive into our next life.