Saturday, February 1, 2014

MIRACLES

 Miracles are Real Because God is Real
"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. John 9:4-7

     If God is not moving miraculously on the behalf of His people, it is not because God has not changed. It’s because His people have not changed. God is and always will be a Miracle working God for those who seek, trust and love Him with all their hearts. But God will not put up with sin, iniquity, pride, arrogance and lack of integrity, truthfulness and openness amongst His  people. These things cause the rains of blessing to be held back for God’s word is true:

Sow for yourselves righteousness;  Reap in mercy;  Break up your fallow ground,  For it is time to seek the LORD,  Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.  You have plowed wickedness;  You have reaped iniquity.  You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way,  In the multitude of your mighty men. Hosea 10:12-13

     God’s people need miracles because a miracle settles the issue. Be it the salvation, physical healing, financial or spiritual deliverance of a loved one or for themselves. But if their finances have dried up or their miracles don’t come, they are not to  blame anyone but themselves. They by their own decisions and reactions to truth, determined their own fate. For God doesn’t lie and His word is true:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Everyone means every one unless God has changed the word everyone to mean only some special and particular person. Now the word of God records a story of an important person who almost missed his miracle because of his arrogance and pride in not listening to the instructions given by a true man of God:

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel." Then the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 1 Kings 5:1-6

Faith comes by hearing and acting on the word of God. Naaman heard that God had a true man of God who would heal him of his leprosy. Then it went passed the mind stage into the desire state of the heart. For it is in the heart where victories are won and lost. If you have faith you can move a mountain.

But if you do not want to move a mountain all the faith in the world will not do much good. To every one has been given a measure of faith to believe God and to trust Him. But then Naaman almost did not get a miracle because he looked to what was logical and reasonable, the King of Israel to heal him. God’s word records:

And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me." So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 1 Kings 5:7-9

God’s people will not get healed going to false ones even if they are Kings or so called men of God. False ones have their excuses for they lack the power that God gives to His true ones and especially His true Apostles and prophets. But some people do not believe that apostle and prophet exists, so they do not get their miracles and healing. For you can not go to someone who does not exist even though God’s word states:

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of  knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28

Those who deny and dispense with the truth in the word of God automatically cut themselves off from miracles. The truth that God’s word says about prophets:

Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." 2 Chronicles 20:20

To believe means to obey and to listen the words spoken by the prophets. Something many are not prone to do. For God’s word records:

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 1 Kings 5:11-13

The carnal mind is enmity with God and it can not please him. But faith and obedience and heeding God’s word spoken by His true ones please God. God loves to use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise so that no one can glory except in the Lord. It’s is humbling and sometimes humiliating to become child like and with a child like faith do what is required. But for those who pay the price of listening to a true man of God  they will receive their miracle. God’s word records:

And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean..

And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant." But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused. So Naaman said, "Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.  1 Kings 5:13-17

God gives miracles freely by grace and with out any money string attached. Unfortunately this does not always appear to be the case, even in the house of God.

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him." So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, "Is all well?" And he said, "All is well. My master has sent me, saying, 'Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.' "

So Naaman said, "Please, take two talents." And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant did not go anywhere." Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? "Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever." And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow. 2 Kings 5:20-27

There are those who will try to take money for God’s free gifts of miracles be it salvation, healing, deliverance or any good thing. But when they are exposed by true men of God the unfaithful servants will pay a terrible price just like Gehazi, Elisha’s servant did.  Those who try to make money out of God’s gifts will inevitably pay for their foolishness unless they repent and bring fruits worthy of repentance.



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