“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:12-13)
Wow! Talk about a bold man of God! Let’s look at another example.
“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” (I King 17:1)
“Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” (James 5:17-18).
I love reading about men and women of God like this in scripture! I love seeing the power of God flowing through them so strongly that they have true dominion over creation – just like God commanded Adam and Eve to have. I’m not a supernatural junkie, but I love to see how God fulfills His Word. It is always amazing to me because in my head I think I have it all figured out, then here comes God off my left or right flank and blindsides me with His goodness!
My simple question for years has been, “Where have these men and women of God gone? Why don’t we see the supernatural anymore?” After all, God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is straight Bible right there. So who moved? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I did. I can’t speak for anyone else because I have seen supernatural healings, I have heard supernatural revelations, I have seen the power of God flowing through His children over the years. But not so much anymore. Why?
When Jesus is mentioned and all He did the excuse is always given, “Well, of course He could do those things – after all, He Is God!” But if that were true – now bear with me on this – shouldn’t He have been doing supernatural things before He turned thirty-three? Maybe the legend about Him molding a pigeon out of clay and bringing it to life when He was a child is true after all? Surely somebody would have recorded that in a historical record somewhere. After all, He would have been a national legend or prodigy WAY earlier than what we read! So when DID He begin His ministry and the miracles for which He is known? It was only after He came to John the Baptist in the Jordan River and fulfilled scripture by being baptized. When He came up out of the water the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (another discussion, another time). He then went out into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan – from which He returned victorious and strengthened. THAT’S when the miraculous began to flow from His life!
So many churches today give lip service to the Holy Spirit – especially around Christmas when Gabriel told Mary she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit – but then He (the Holy Spirit) is safely tucked away again, out of our hair, until next Christmas. Oh wait, we talk about Him again briefly at Easter and the Day of Pentecost. We like the idea of such power, we say we want that power in our lives, but are we willing to let Him make our lives messy and botch our schedules all up? Are we willing to ditch the one-hour church service and allow God to do what He really wants to do, or are we too time-conscious and agenda-driven?
What about you personally? It’s one thing to point our finger at “the church” but isn’t the church made up of “usses” – of many individuals? If that’s the case, then the church merely reflects the personal lives of its congregants. It is up to you and me to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives freely, without restraint, without barriers. After all, Elijah was just a man like we are – subject to normal emotions, thoughts, fears, worries, etc. Yet he was able speak a command and nature responded to his authority! Joshua was just a young man when he came under the mentorship of Moses, yet we see him performing the same action. He spoke – actually, he commanded – and it was so.
Our challenge today, my friend, is to begin watching what comes out of our mouths. We read in the New Testament that sweet water and bitter cannot come from the same fountain. The same is true of our words. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What is your mouth speaking? What does that reveal about the condition of your heart (beliefs)? Furthermore, what does the condition of your beliefs tell of the condition of your thoughts? We are to have our minds (thoughts) renewed with and by the mind of Christ. Hmmm. Perhaps I need to spend some alone time with God and get my mind and heart right. How about you?
Be blessed.
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