Positioning Yourself for a Miracle, part 6

How would you respond if God asked you to do something stupid? Outlandish?  Make you look like a fool?  Make a public spectacle of yourself?  Would take many years to accomplish?  Would require all your available financial resources? Embarrass yourself and your family?  Had never been done before?  Could not understand it? How would you respond?

Consider Noah (see Genesis 6-9).  Noah was 500 years old when God spoke to him.  He didn't know what rain was because it had never rained before.  His instructions were precise, it would take an incredibly long time to complete them.  He had to use his own resources to make this happen. Was this really God giving him these instructions?  Noah's confession may have been -- I will do this, I can do this, nothing will keep me from doing this, God will help me, nothing is impossible with Him. 

How did Noah position himself for the miraculous when he and his household would be saved from the floodwaters that destroyed the whole earth?  Obedience, not just hearing the word but doing it.  Patience, taking the time to accomplish the mission.  Faith to believe that God said it, and that settled it.  Commitment and follow through, I will finish what I started no matter how much time it takes.

Will you allow Noah to be an example to you? Will you position yourself so that God can do for you exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think ... (see Ephesians 3:20)?

 

Positioning Yourself for a Miracle, part 5

If God were in a conversation with satan, how would he describe you?  Yes, you.  How would God, in a few words, describe you to the devil?  Saved ... unsaved?  Righteous ... unrighteous? Positive speaking ... negative speaking?  Truthful ... liar?  Lover of God ... lover of the world?  Faithful ... unfaithful?  Trustworthy ...  untrustworthy? Good person ... bad person?  Committed ... uncommitted? Humble ... prideful?  Prayerful ... prayerless? Lover of God ... lover of self? Pure ... impure?  Patient ... impatient?  Giver ... hoarder?  Forgiving ... unforgiving?  Kind ... unkind? Knowledgeable ... ignorant?  Obedient ... disobedient? And of course, the list goes on.

Once, God was in a conversation with satan on two different occasions.  Both times, God described Job in the same manner (see Job 1:8, 2:3) -- blameless, upright, fears God, and shuns evil. In addition, the book of Job opens with this same description of him (see Job 1:1).  Not once, not twice, but three times God repeats to us and for us this description of Job -- blameless, upright, fears God, shuns evil.  Job's experience became the worst of the worse.  He lost everything including his 10 children, his health, and his wealth.  Job reached a place where he absolutely needed a miracle.  The good news is that Job was already positioned for that miracle, for God to do exceedingly, abundantly above all he could have asked or imagined (see Ephesians 3:20).  How so, you may be thinking?  According to God, Job went into his great loss as blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil.  Indeed Job was already positioned for a miracle?

Are you in such a position today?  What do you need to do to be in position for your needed miracle?

Positioning Yourself for a Miracle, part 4

Is there hope for an unbeliever, a sinner, an unsaved person? Can such a one position herself/himself for a miracle?  Yes, there's always hope.  Yes, such a one can position himself/herself for a miracle.  Not sure of what to believe in such a case.  Consider a biblical example.

Rahab, the prostitute, is one such example (see Joshua 2 & 6).  She and her entire family were saved when Jericho, their homeland, was totally destroyed. Why?  Good question.  Her faith, her courage, and her efforts positioned her for the greatest miracle of all.  Yes, I know you're thinking, how could an unbeliever have faith? Remember that salvation, according to Romans 10:9-10, is belief in the heart and confession with the mouth.  What did she believe?   What could she have known about God?  More good questions.  She, along with all the people of Jericho, knew how God had moved on behalf of his people for the past 40 years.  They had heard about their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and Pharaoh ... they knew about their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea on dry land ... they knew how God led them with a cloud by day and fire by night ... they knew how God supernaturally fed them ... and so much more. She believed that God would destroy Jericho just as He had destroyed the Amorites. She had come to realize that their God was all powerful, nothing could stop Him from moving on behalf of His people, nothing was impossible for Him. 

Rahab's faith gave her the courage to hide the two spies.  She put forth the efforts to help them escape.  And she put forth the efforts to follow their instructions to her.  Her house would be identified by a scarlet cord that she had to hang from a window in her home.  Every family member in her home when the Israelites came would be saved. You know the end of the story.  This unbelieving prostitute and her family were saved when all others in Jericho were destroyed. Rahab's faith, her courage, and her efforts positioned her for the miracle working saving power of God to be displayed.

You can position yourself for a miracle just as she did.  Act now – in faith, with courage, make the effort.

Positioning Yourself for a Miracle, part 3

As Christians, we serve the miracle working God.  We serve the God with whom nothing is impossible.  We serve the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever more.  We find throughout the Scriptures miracle after miracle after miracle.  Around us today, we need only look to see the miraculous.  We can expect and experience the miraculous in our own lives.  One of those interesting questions raised in an earlier blog -- is there a greatest miracle?

Yes, I believe there is.  Now your question may be, really, what is it?  I'm glad you asked.  The greatest miracle is a gift, a gift that only God gives.  It is a gift that, according to the Word of God, is without repentance or irrevocable (see Romans 11:29).  The greatest miracle is a gift that is undeserved. It is not something that we have to work for or that has to be earned.  We don't have to be either good or clean enough to receive it, nor be either bad or filthy enough to not receive it.  No matter how little your faith, God has given you enough faith to receive this miracle.  Maybe, you've figured out what the greatest miracle is.  Or just maybe, you're still pondering over it.

Well, I believe that the greatest miracle is the gift of salvation which leads to eternal life.  Ephesians 2:8-9 -- "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast."   This miracle gift opens the door to everything that we need for life and godliness. It is through this single, solitary gift that we may receive God’s great and precious promises, and experience the miraculous.  And the gift of salvation opens the door to eternal life.  Romans 6:23 -- "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Receive the greatest miracle of all.  Read Romans 10:9-10 -- "That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

Positioning Yourself for a Miracle, part 2

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." 

Isaiah 7:9b

God has given to us many biblical examples of those who positioned themselves for a miracle.  A doctor's report that you are going to die is terrifying, but a report from God Himself that you are going to die is likely even more terrifying. It is more likely indescribable.  With a doctor's report, there is place for expectation of a miracle.  But with Almighty God, the giver of life, can we really expect a result different from His report?

Consider what happened with one of Judah's kings, Hezekiah (see Isaiah 38).  God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him to get his house in order because he was going to die. God had spoken, that settled it. OR did it?  Following such a report, could you believe God for a miracle? A different report?  A change of mind? Should you?  Interesting questions, yes?  Pay attention to Hezekiah's response.  Even so, he positioned himself for a miracle.  After hearing the report of the Lord, Hezekiah still prayed and cried out to the Lord to spare his life.  He reminded God of his faithful walk before Him and his wholehearted devotion.

Now you might find this hard to believe, but God changed His mind. God not only heard Hezekiah's prayer and saw his tears, but He changed His mind.  All of this happened before Isaiah could leave the king's palace. God sent him back to tell Hezekiah that He would add 15 years to his life.  WOW!!!  For you, for us today, can we, will we position ourselves for a miracle when the situation and circumstances seem impossible? When God has spoken?  Will you stand firmly, boldly, and confidently in your faith? Try it, I dare you. 

 

Positioning Yourself for a Miracle

 

Does God perform miracles today? Will He? Will he perform a miracle for you? Do you need God to perform a miracle for you? Can you expect Him to perform a miracle for you? OR should the first question be what is a miracle? I'm glad you asked. Should God do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think," in a given situation for you, would you consider that a miracle (see Ephesians 3:20)? If God does the "impossible" for you, would you consider that a miracle (see Luke 1:37)? OR if miracles are supernatural, do we experience the supernatural today? OR are there levels or degrees of miracles? SO is there a greatest miracle?  Interesting questions -- what do you think?

 

God sent the prophet Isaiah to deliver a message to King Ahaz, the king of Judah (the southern kingdom consisting of two tribes).   At that time, the larger nation of Israel (the northern kingdom consisting of 10 tribes) had joined with the large nation of Syria to war against the small nation of Judah. As you would expect, the king and the people of Judah were very fearful. Greatly outnumbered, they were probably absolutely terrified. Does this sound like where you may be even now? Know that God sent the prophet to explain to the king how to position himself and his people for a miracle. 

 

Not being a respecter of persons, God has sent the same message to you today on how to position yourself for a miracle. The message is found in Isaiah 7:4 -- Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart ... ."

 

To Fear or Not To Fear

God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

To fear or not to fear, that is the question.  Sound familiar?  In thinking about the answer, other questions may be raised in our minds.  What is fear?  Fear used as an acronym has been described as False Evidence Appearing Real. Looking at the reference scripture in other translations, we find the words timidity, cowardice, afraid, cowardly spirit, and fearfulness.  Fear is also described as craven, cringing, fawning. 

Recently in a group discussion, the question -- what is fear -- was asked? One ready response referred to fear as an emotion.  Responses to the question -- is fear a spirit -- were half YES and half NO.  Not unusual responses, typical responses.  What is your response? Through the discussion, I was reminded of how easy it is to not see the very word before our eyes ... how easy it is to be blinded by the evil one ... how easy it is to overlook the truth ... how challenging it is to move out of our comfort zones.  You now maybe thinking, what is she saying?  Thank you for asking.  Read the reference Scripture again, and again, and again. What is it that God has not given us? It is the spirit of fear.

Whether we like it or not, fear is a spirit.  Fear is an evil spirit.  Fear is from the enemy, the devil, satan. Fear is demonic.  To fear or not to fear, that is the question.  Whose report will you believe?