One of the things Christians run after, one of those they are so desperate to see, is miracles. I do not know any Christian who, after hearing of mountain-moving faith and after reading the Lord’s promise saying that those who believe in Him will do the kind of works He did and even greater ones (John 14:12), has not fervently desired to perform a miracle or to be used to do one.
Many have locked themselves up in fasting and prayer, begging the Lord to use them ‘‘mightily’’, i.e. in signs, miracles and wonders. I have also prayed some of these prayers and I have been used many times, but never to the expected magnitude. Then, with time, I decided to sound out the Scriptures and seek God’s face to understand why there were so few (little) miracles in Church today. That’s how I discovered that there are three triggers for miracles.
Mark 11:22-24, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
Faith is the first and most evident of all.
The Holy Scriptures warn us that it is impossible to be pleasing to God without faith (Heb 11:6). How many times has Jesus not said: “Let it be done for you as you have believed”? As for James, “The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.”(5:15) So, to what extent are you convinced that what you're about to say or ask will be done? Don’t you really have any doubt in you when it comes to laying hands on a corpse or telling a barren woman that she will be a mother in 12 months? Can you pray for a blind or a lame without hesitation because you know for sure that his handicap will be over by the time you are through with your short prayer? And I say short prayer because theoretically, you don’t need to put yourself out of breath nor tire everybody with your shouts: you should simply be able to speak to the illness for it to go. Are you sure of yourself?
And here is the trap: indeed, we don’t have to be sure of ourselves, but we have to be sure of Him. We should not doubt God. Jesus said : “Have faith in God” and not “Have faith in yourselves.” “I cannot do it on my own; but I know that if it is His will, He who lives in me, CAN.” We do not see results because we go about these things as if we are the ones who have to perform the miracle and as we are sadly aware of our limitations, we end up transferring them unto God.
When a boss asks his employee to do something, this one must simply perfectly execute the order. If the outcome is not good, it is not his problem, but his boss’s: we don’t have neither the burden, nor the responsibility of the miracle. We must simply present God, then let Him act without interfering and without attempting to steal the glory that belongs to Him.
Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”
The second element is the preaching of the Word.
Inasmuch as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, so, the word of God does not return to Him without fulfilling His will and His purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11). Paul used to say that his speech and message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1Corinthians 2:4). If what you say produces no effect, if your ministry doesn’t see any miracle, humbly and honestly ask yourself if you are preaching the Word of God. Do you really say EVERYTHING that God asks you to say and do you say ONLY what He tells you to? If you add your pinch of salt to it, then, it is no longer God speaking, but you; and God will not work with you to confirm your words or actions. Very often, the Lord communicates to us a message as clear as crystal but because of shyness, shame, embarrassment or just too much reflection over it, we dare not say it as commanded. So, we modify it a little, thinking that it is not such a big deal and God will put up with it, only to be later on surprised to have no result: ‘‘Lord, I am disappointed; You did promise me You would do this or that if I said this or that. I spoke and You did not do anything.’’ Oh Yea? Have you truly been a faithful ambassador? Have you represented your King’s will with dignity or yours?
Woe unto whoever adds or takes from whatever God has said (Deuteronomy 4:2 & 12:32, Revelation 22:18-19). Paul was so conscious of this, that he was constantly requesting believers to pray “that words may be given to him in opening his mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which he was an ambassador … so that in it he may speak boldly, as he ought to speak.” and also, « that God may open to him a door of the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which he also has been bound, that he may make it clear, as he ought to speak.”(Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3-4)
To be continued…
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