Pastor Doug preached on signs, wonders and miracles. It was an awesome service, check it out at http://www.holyfire.net/ and click on the sermon titled God's S, W, M's. It got me fired up because he reminded us that we have the same power, the same Holy Spirit living inside us as raised Jesus from the dead. Think about that. Why don't we see signs, wonders and miracles in our churches? Why aren't people being healed, why aren't financial needs being met? Why aren't prodigals coming home? The Bible is full of signs, miracles and wonders, so why aren't we seeing more of them in our churches?
I think there are several reasons. One, we don't believe God would use us. Ok, I might have stolen that one from Pastor Doug's sermon but he's right, we think we're not worthy. No kidding! None of us on our own are worthy, that's why God had to send Jesus to save our sorry human rears! Jesus' death on the cross paid for our unworthiness. So get that out of your head, get that out of your heart, Jesus makes us righteous. Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience, many will be made righteous. (NKJV)
Two, we don't want to bother God with our little problems, so we don't ask. Let's think about this. Look around at planet earth here and think about how God created everything there is here. Every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every insect, every bird, every person, every river, every ocean, every mountain, every cloud, etc, etc...He is limitless. Just because we are limited does not mean we should limit God. Our Great God is totally willing and fully capable of taking care of our every problem, our every concern and every need. He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives if we will let Him. He knows how many hairs we have on our head so do we really think He doesn't want to be bothered about an injured shoulder, a broken down car or an electric bill that's due? Come on, He can do all things at all times, we won't be stealing another person's miracle if we ask God to heal us or help us. Read Matthew 7:7-12 for more on asking, seeking and knocking.
Three, we lack the faith to act. We say we believe, we think we believe but yet we don't act on our faith. Why? I think it could be we have gotten so used to believing what we see in the world. Remember Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."(NIV) Oh but the things we see everyday, this world programs us to believe what we see. I've been building on my faith for years and yet I still fall into this trap of believing what I see.
Let me tell you where my sight overruled my faith. We have one car so when it's not running we walk or we borrow a vehicle from my parents, thank God for their support, in fact they gave us the one car we have. However generous they are, we want our car to run properly, it's a 1997 Olds Aurora, yes it's an old Olds but I believe it's not dead yet.
Journal Entry Day 640
June 21, 2014 Sat
10:05 Prayer Room
Break through today Lord, break through! Yesterday the parking lights on the Aurora wouldn't shut off. Chad took it to Standard Exchange and they pulled the fuse for now. Chad started cleaning at the YMCA last night, praise God, an answer to our prayers for provision to pay his student loans, hallelujah! When he got home last night though the dash lights wouldn't shut off. This morning he said the car won't start today. But God gave us authority and power in the name of Jesus. And I prayed this morning in that power, in that authority, in the name of Jesus and I declare and I decree that car will start and those lights will work properly in the name of Jesus. Thank you Lord! Amen.
23:13 Living Room
Thank you Lord! The car started. The inside lights are off. Monday Chad will have them put the fuse back and we'll see the lights are off.
Journal Entry Day 642
June 23, 2014 Mon
08:20 Prayer Room
Well yesterday when I went to the car to go to church the electric door locks wouldn't work, the battery was dead.But instead of persisting in prayer and speaking to my mountain, I gave up and called my dad for a ride to church. Lord forgive me for giving up. What do I do now Lord? Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(end journal entries)
So I allowed my sight to override my faith. Ugh. The great thing though is the Lord is infinitely faithful and merciful and has forgiven me because I was honest with Him and repented for my lack of faith. However, I still hadn't returned to the promise that the car would be fixed completely in the name of Jesus, I still had not acted in faith in the matter of the car, I was thinking maybe God wanted to use Standard Exchange to fix the car. So Monday Chad asked them to order the part to fix the car, it would be at least a week, in the mean time my parents supplied a vehicle.
Then Wed July 2nd Standard Exchange let us know the wrong part was delivered. Hmmm, a sign perhaps? This did occur to me in passing but there were other things fighting for my attention like seeing my daughter Alex who was home for the day. Anyway it would be at least another week before the right part would be delivered.
Then Pastor Doug's sermon reminded me of this promise the Lord gave me about the car being fixed in the name of Jesus. Again I wanted to declare and decree the car was fixed in the name of Jesus but a voice was telling me there were more important things to pray about, that praying about material things was not right and that the Lord miraculously fixing the car was not going to happen. This shook my faith and again I failed to speak to my mountain, I failed to act in faith.
But I refuse to give up on the promise the Lord made to me that first day I prayed about it. He showed me if I would stand over the car and speak to it that I will have whatever I ask. I'm standing on Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)
You see I just haven't acted on my faith yet, I haven't spoken to the mountain yet. But I will and that is why I say there is a miracle coming soon...
UPDATE: July 18, 2014
The Lord answered today, we have been given the finances to pay to have the car fixed! Thank you Lord, you are so faithful! And He answered so quickly, Praise God!!
Two, we don't want to bother God with our little problems, so we don't ask. Let's think about this. Look around at planet earth here and think about how God created everything there is here. Every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every insect, every bird, every person, every river, every ocean, every mountain, every cloud, etc, etc...He is limitless. Just because we are limited does not mean we should limit God. Our Great God is totally willing and fully capable of taking care of our every problem, our every concern and every need. He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives if we will let Him. He knows how many hairs we have on our head so do we really think He doesn't want to be bothered about an injured shoulder, a broken down car or an electric bill that's due? Come on, He can do all things at all times, we won't be stealing another person's miracle if we ask God to heal us or help us. Read Matthew 7:7-12 for more on asking, seeking and knocking.
Three, we lack the faith to act. We say we believe, we think we believe but yet we don't act on our faith. Why? I think it could be we have gotten so used to believing what we see in the world. Remember Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."(NIV) Oh but the things we see everyday, this world programs us to believe what we see. I've been building on my faith for years and yet I still fall into this trap of believing what I see.
Let me tell you where my sight overruled my faith. We have one car so when it's not running we walk or we borrow a vehicle from my parents, thank God for their support, in fact they gave us the one car we have. However generous they are, we want our car to run properly, it's a 1997 Olds Aurora, yes it's an old Olds but I believe it's not dead yet.
Journal Entry Day 640
June 21, 2014 Sat
10:05 Prayer Room
Break through today Lord, break through! Yesterday the parking lights on the Aurora wouldn't shut off. Chad took it to Standard Exchange and they pulled the fuse for now. Chad started cleaning at the YMCA last night, praise God, an answer to our prayers for provision to pay his student loans, hallelujah! When he got home last night though the dash lights wouldn't shut off. This morning he said the car won't start today. But God gave us authority and power in the name of Jesus. And I prayed this morning in that power, in that authority, in the name of Jesus and I declare and I decree that car will start and those lights will work properly in the name of Jesus. Thank you Lord! Amen.
23:13 Living Room
Thank you Lord! The car started. The inside lights are off. Monday Chad will have them put the fuse back and we'll see the lights are off.
Journal Entry Day 642
June 23, 2014 Mon
08:20 Prayer Room
Well yesterday when I went to the car to go to church the electric door locks wouldn't work, the battery was dead.But instead of persisting in prayer and speaking to my mountain, I gave up and called my dad for a ride to church. Lord forgive me for giving up. What do I do now Lord? Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(end journal entries)
So I allowed my sight to override my faith. Ugh. The great thing though is the Lord is infinitely faithful and merciful and has forgiven me because I was honest with Him and repented for my lack of faith. However, I still hadn't returned to the promise that the car would be fixed completely in the name of Jesus, I still had not acted in faith in the matter of the car, I was thinking maybe God wanted to use Standard Exchange to fix the car. So Monday Chad asked them to order the part to fix the car, it would be at least a week, in the mean time my parents supplied a vehicle.
Then Wed July 2nd Standard Exchange let us know the wrong part was delivered. Hmmm, a sign perhaps? This did occur to me in passing but there were other things fighting for my attention like seeing my daughter Alex who was home for the day. Anyway it would be at least another week before the right part would be delivered.
Then Pastor Doug's sermon reminded me of this promise the Lord gave me about the car being fixed in the name of Jesus. Again I wanted to declare and decree the car was fixed in the name of Jesus but a voice was telling me there were more important things to pray about, that praying about material things was not right and that the Lord miraculously fixing the car was not going to happen. This shook my faith and again I failed to speak to my mountain, I failed to act in faith.
But I refuse to give up on the promise the Lord made to me that first day I prayed about it. He showed me if I would stand over the car and speak to it that I will have whatever I ask. I'm standing on Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)
You see I just haven't acted on my faith yet, I haven't spoken to the mountain yet. But I will and that is why I say there is a miracle coming soon...
UPDATE: July 18, 2014
The Lord answered today, we have been given the finances to pay to have the car fixed! Thank you Lord, you are so faithful! And He answered so quickly, Praise God!!
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