faith and miracles are not nasty words

I am convinced more than ever beloved, as I have shared with you many times, but convinced now more than ever, that until we receive true biblical miracles from the throne of God in our own lives through diligent prayer and worship and "faith" not works, and through very strict obedience to the Lord in all areas, until we encounter our 'own" miracles, the world and the Church is not going to really listen to "miracle messages." What I mean is this. If all we got to share and preach to them about is what a miracle the Apostle Paul got, or Elijah, or a biblical figure in history, or a friend of a friend got one..... NO, we are going to have to be able to share teach, preach, from work to pulpit, about "how WE got a miracle/s from God' through reaching out to him by faith and touching the hem of his garment, and walking in obedience to him, and living a life dead to the flesh and alive to Christ the way "we are told to." !

Then, we can rest in the assurance the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon us in a double portion as it was upon Elisha. He hungered for the anointing Elijah had upon him, and he wanted it in a double portion, and he got it. Here we see a picture of Elijah as a type of Jesus, swept up into heaven, and leaving behind to Elisha, a type of the Church, his anointing, the Holy Spirit, and that "in a double portion to a Church hungry for it" ! Elisha used it well ! Carrying on the ministry of his former master and mentor Elijah, and miracles followed him every where he went, just as we are promised in Mark 16 by our Lord Jesus, that these signs will follow all those who believe in my name.... He goes on to give a list.

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰ Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Notice verse 20... He (Jesus) 'worked with them' and 'confirmed his word' by the 'signs that accompanied it'. (the Word of God).

I tell you we cannot ignore such a passage of scripture such as this ! We cannot ignore any longer that Jesus WILL confirm His Word with signs wonders and miracles. The Church has been to afraid, to unbelieving, trying to many other ways, being to lazy to stay shut in with God in the Word and Prayer, and it is time to do what we hear and see.

Jesus made it clear in vs 20, that... "The disciples went OUT and preached EVERY WHERE."

The point is they "went out." "They Preached." They did this every where," Not just in there Sunday gatherings !

Jesus tells us through Mark just a few chapters back in:

Mark 11: 22-26

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” ^[26]

He's clearly saying that you can have that miracle in your own life. All you have to do is have faith in the Father, God. Whatever this mountain of impossibility is in your life, "speak to it." Tell it to go throw itself into the sea, to be gone, to cease, to leave. Speak to the devil who is attacking you, speak Christ's living words of faith to the enemy. Speak to the circumstance and situation that has come upon you with the size and weight of a "mountain," and believe that what you say will happen, this is faith. Not just because you "said it," but because "you are saying what Christ has already said", and when his word is abiding deep within you and your heart is seeking God and not miracles for miracles sake, but you want Jesus and him alone, then you can and should use the promises, the word of God, for everything in this life ! Not to pray, or use the scripture to deal with the situation and then "hope" everything works out, or run to a man some where to fix you up and meet your needs. No, a million times NO !

We have to believe God for a change, and speak the words of life he has given us into our circumstance and stand in the armor of God, with our weapons of warfare which are powerful and mighty through Christ. Holy weapons, with divine power from the Holy Spirit to tear down strongholds, and demolish 'arguments' (things contrary to the word of God) to tear apart everything that would set itself up against the "knowledge of God." (the Word). He said our weapons are not carnal, they are not fleshly weapons of intellect and academics and man made theology seen through the eyes of some one who does not truly believe or practice what they teach. And we do not have to have a PhD to use these weapons or have faith, or have access to the knowledge of God. No, we have to have faith. He said with out faith it is impossible to please God. Not without a diploma, or a seminary background, or a call to the ministry. You do not have to be a Prophet or a Pastor, you have to have faith to please God. I am not, and the word of God is not talking about religious works, but faith.

Faith is not a nasty word. Miracle is not a nasty word. False teachers and those who do not practice what they preach, and the money mongers and wolves in sheep's clothing after financial gain, have turned many of God's people into quivering mounds of fear, concerning true biblical faith and the miracles Christ wants to do in their lives and the lives of others. Jesus has much to tell us about "His kind of faith", and the miracles he does, as he is the same yesterday, today, and forever ! Let us listen to what Christ teaches us, and not what fearful men or greedy men, or those who teach with fear and approval of men (men pleasers) teach, but move into what Jesus is saying. It is safe there !

This is about trust, and believing. He said "..All things are possible to him who believes.." Believes what ? Believes the word of God and walks in it.

John tells us in 1John 4: 1-3

¹ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

This word he uses in vs. 2 "Acknowledges." It means to "Say the same thing as, (Jesus/the Word of God), to agree with (the Word), to walk in covenant with !

Can you see the simplicity of this ? He is saying if you 'acknowledge' me, abide in me and word abides in you, John 15:7 then ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you ! You say I tried that and it did not work ! Ah, but trying it is not the correct way. This is not an "it," to try, but our Christ to believe and follow and trust. Our God who has already made all things possible to us who believe through his suffering and death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to the Father, and sending back to us who call upon his name the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of God, and the Baptism of His Holy Spirit and fire to give us great boldness and power and love and desire to be like Christ, the giver of all life ! This is not some one you "try." It is a life you live by faith in the son of God.

To "acknowledge him," we are saying the same things He (Jesus) says in his word to us, we are in agreement with him, and walking in covenant with him, not just showing up ! Not just going through a routine ! Not just having daily devotionals in-between TV shows and all life's activities. No, it is a life surrendered unto the Lord, committed to Him, and devoted to him, and clinging to him, and abiding in him and believing that what he says is true, and taking that into our spirit in repentance and rest...

Look with me at Isaiah 30: 15-16

¹⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

   “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
   in quietness and trust is your strength,
   but you would have none of it.
¹⁶ You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
   Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
   Therefore your pursuers will be swift!

Here are a people who in verse 1 were told they had been stubborn and obstinate. Going their own way, making their own plans, doing things and 'making plans that the Lord never gave them'. Plans they made for themselves, forming an alliance he told them. This alliance, is with the flesh and the world and the devil. Yes beloved, there is much of this in what is called Church today. This alliance is with those that are carnal in their walk and thinking and do not acknowledge God, as we saw in 1 John. These plans they make are not by the Spirit of God he tells them in verse 1. They are heaping sin upon sin... How ? Verse 2 in chapter 30 says they seek the shade (comfort and ease) of Egypt, (we left Egypt when we came to Christ) but these people still hate the fire of God that is brought by the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, to burn in them and deal with them, and form them, and 'conform them' into the image of Christ ! No, instead they run to the shade. They seek the easy way, they use carnal weapons and carnal methods and worldly ways to get through the fire, and get rid of those mountains in their lives we read about in Mark 11:22. They trust in Pharaoh's protection the next verse tells us. In other words, if one decides to take the easy route, and stay in their shade, and seek his own way, his own plans, his own schemes, he is taking his council from Pharaoh, Satan, and the world and the flesh ! The very things Jesus warns us to overcome, the world the flesh, and the devil ! The very one who came to kill steal and destroy, has now become the one in whom the trust has been placed.

For example, what is your mountain ? What is it that is your fire, your besetting sin, your pain. What is the overwhelming difficulty in life you face time and time again, or refuse to face? So you scheme and plan and form an alliance. You say what alliance have I formed ? Just this beloved. You've now come to the place where with all that Jesus has shared with you through His Word, all he has spoken to you through His Prophets, all he has given to you to over come, you have refused to walk in this his way, and to step out in a bold faith like never before and say 'I will trust Christ with it all." No matter what! You have refused this way, and this walk, in this area and that, and now you have more faith in Satan (Pharaoh), to keep you in bondage, than you do Christ Jesus do deliver you, because you will not enter into his (Christ's) repentance and rest back in verse 15. His quietness and trust, which bring to you his true salvation and strength. Salvation is more than a prayer to escape hell. It is deliverance from hell, yes. It is deliverance from the wrath of God, but it is also much more than that. It is a promise of deliverance and healing/s and the power to walk in love and a sound mind, and walk in covenant with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. To do the works of Jesus and allow him to lead you into that walk of death to self and life in Christ and abiding in him, and trusting him. It is a communion with Christ, a love walk, a relationship with the God of this universe !

You see these same people here in verse 16 said, no, we will flee on horses. What does this mean? It means they fled from the 'whole truth'. They pick and choose which parts they will and will not walk in the word, and areas they would not surrender completely to the dealings of the Spirit of God. They fled from the very hope, the only hope they had to deliver them, and on the "swift horses," which represents the flesh nature and the walk in flesh and our own ways, and our own comforts and compromises. They failed to receive the rest of God and the peace of God, and the power of God, and 'their pursuers' were swift, the word says. These "pursuers" are the powers of darkness. They come to kill, steal, and destroy. Their coming is just as swift as the rate of speed we draw away from the word of God and form our own plans and ways, and walk around the word and fires, instead of through it with Jesus !

Beloved, there is much hope and good news in verse 18. Look

¹⁸ Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

The Lord, even after all this, even after all the apostasy, and wandering, and fleeing, and obstinacies, after all the refusal to die to flesh and do it all God's way. After all this. Those that will, in verse 15, come to him (Jesus) in repentance and rest, in truth and trust and hope and faith, and "acknowledge Jesus", saying the same thing he says, agreeing with him by faith, and walking in covenant with him, not in fleshly works, but by his grace through faith. All that will leave the "shade of Egypt" and the protection they think they have by the easy road and the false security through their fear of the "whole truth" and repent of giving Satan more credit to make them sick, and miserable, and defeated, and wore out, for all these, God says..." I long to be gracious to you. I long to give to you compassion and justice, and bless you. Just come and trust me. Come and follow. Truly follow me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people !

True godly sorrow, and true repentance is sweet in the eyes of God no matter what you have done, or how bad things seem, isn't it time you begin to trust Jesus, and say what he says, and allow him to bring that genuine biblical miracle into your life and bring his love and grace and mercy and peace and healing and deliverance to you ? Then you can stand up and say, "I have had a miracle from the Lord Jesus." I was here, and he brought me through. I was backslid, but he brought me back. I was sick and he healed me. I was depressed but he gave me joy. I was weighed down by a mountain, but he removed it when I did it all his way, and followed him with a whole heart ! What a blessing you will receive beloved, and then, what a blessing you will also be !

"FAITH AND MIRACLES ARE NOT NASTY WORDS"