Experience the Impossible: Simple Ways to Unleash Heaven's Power on Earth (17 page)

If those who do not walk with God can do miracles, then those who walk with God are without excuse.

T
he great debate over whether or not God still does miracles in our midst rages on in many religious camps. We can be thankful that the anti-miracle camp is shrinking in numbers, as God’s power is being made manifest increasingly all over the world. Tragically, though, doubt still affects many lives. It is the new believers I am most concerned about. They grow up hearing lies and in turn reject their purpose for being. They miss out on the hope of their calling that is meant to keep them alive and prospering, regardless of the season they are in.

Since the Bible does not remotely teach this concept—that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, except for when He changed—anti-miracle proponents have to twist Scripture to have it say what they want. The verses I hear most often applied this way are Matthew 7:21–23:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who
is in heaven will enter. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

The implication of the naysayers is that when we testify to miracles we have seen Jesus do, we are among those who will not enter the Kingdom, because this verse was aimed at us, and people like us.

Let’s take a closer look at what Jesus actually taught in this passage. He identified three vital things in this discourse, addressing two groups of people. The first group is those who do not enter heaven simply by virtue of calling Him Lord. If what we call Him is not backed up in our lives by doing His will, then our confessions of Him as Lord are meaningless. What is His will? It is
on earth as it
is in heaven
. Jesus Christ illustrated it perfectly, as He came to do the Father’s will (see John 6:38). When the man with leprosy wanted to be healed, he told Jesus that if He was willing, He could heal him. Jesus said He was willing. It was His will (see Matthew 8:2–3). Over and over again the Bible says He healed and/or delivered
all
. You can never go wrong by doing what Jesus did.

The second group of people He addressed did what the first group missed. They did His will—they prophesied, cast out devils and performed miracles. But they did these things without two greater priorities functioning in their lives. The first thing missing for them was intimacy with God; He said He never knew them. God can know all about us, but can know us with intimate knowledge only to the degree that we open ourselves to Him. That is why confession is the beginning of our relationship with God. It is the act of opening ourselves to Him. Secondly, this group of people also practiced lawlessness. Their lives were inconsistent with the purpose of the miracles
they were performing. Miracles are signs that bring people to Jesus, and that leads to freedom. Lawlessness is the opposite of freedom. For that reason, these two groups of people must depart from Him.

You cannot have false prophets unless you have real ones. You cannot have false signs and wonders unless there are real ones to compare them to. The counterfeit would be nonexistent if the real did not exist first. It is silly at best for people who do not have signs and wonders to argue against them. All fire is strange fire to those without fire. If those who live lawlessly perform miracles, then those who claim to be right with God must do them all the more! There is simply
no excuse
.

The most revelatory prayer prayed by anyone other than Jesus has to be the prayer of Ephesians 1:18–23. Here is a small part of it: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling. . . . He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Our hope is connected to the fact that all powers have been placed under His feet, and we, the Church, are His Body. The demonstration of His power, through people who have become open and honest before Him, turning from a life of lawlessness, is essential for an adequate witness of Jesus on the earth.

And this, true followers of Jesus, is our call.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, the fact that You are the One who called me to life is a hope beyond all dreams and desires. But now that You have called me, I want to please You with demonstrating Your will. I want to know Your heartbeat for people and live with the awareness that nothing is impossible with You. I commit myself to demonstrate Your will, according to the grace working in me, all for the glory of God.

Confession

I was created to be able to demonstrate the will of God. It is in my God-given DNA to hunger and long for His will to be demonstrated all around me. I will not settle for anything less. And by His grace, I will manifest these things that He might be glorified, and that people might be free.

A bitter reaction to the sins of others is often worse than the sins of others.

T
hat statement makes very little sense at first glance. So many atrocities have been done throughout history. It is hard to imagine a bitter reaction to evil actually being worse than the original act. In that way, my statement is wrong. But look at it this way: Jesus, who is perfect, taught us that those who want to be forgiven must forgive.

The most compelling parable that Jesus told along this line was about a man who had been forgiven of an astonishing debt of millions of dollars, but who then refused to forgive the debt of someone who owed him something like twenty dollars. The one who originally forgave the man with the massive debt rescinded that decision and instead had him imprisoned for refusing to forgive his neighbor’s small debt. The point is rather clear: If you want to be forgiven, you must forgive. Jesus also taught that those who are forgiven must forgive as well.

All of my sins were against a perfect God. The only one who Himself is pure, the only one who has the absolute right not to forgive, chose to forgive me. The least sin committed against One who is perfect is far greater than the greatest sin committed
against another sinner. That is the point of Jesus’ parable. We who have been forgiven such horrible sins committed against a holy and perfect God must demonstrate that same forgiveness by how we treat others. It is a must.

When a sin is committed against us, it has a devastating effect on our lives. What is the one thing that could make it worse? Not forgiving the one who sinned against us. Perhaps you have heard the statement that goes something like this: “Not to forgive because you hope the other person will suffer is like drinking poison hoping someone else will die.” That is the nature of bitterness and unforgiveness. It kills its owner.

One of the most sobering statements in the Bible about this subject is found in Hebrews 12:15: “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” This is one sin that has the power to contaminate and infect many others. The implication is that innocent people are defiled. Elsewhere, Jesus talked about being a stumbling block to others, that it would be better to have a millstone tied around one’s neck and be cast into the sea (see Mark 9:42). Bitterness defiles, causing collateral damage.

My unforgiveness puts me in the same category of sin that I despise. At that moment, I become most like the person I have judgment against. This kind of heart blinds us to our own heart conditions, or we would never allow such a defilement to enter our lives. In forgiveness, I lay down my right to condemn, giving to the other the same mercy I want God to give to me. Forgiving others is an investment into my own future, for the merciful will obtain mercy (see Matthew 5:7).

Love forgives because love invests in people’s freedom often before they want it or even know they need it or that it is possible. I call it an investment because of the likelihood of a return—people being set free. People who are forgiven long before they want it or even know they need it are much more likely to be
drawn into a discovery of God’s forgiveness. This is the beauty of life: to be able to bring others into God’s forgiveness.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me. I know there is nothing I could ever do to earn such a priceless gift from You. Help me to stay free from bitterness by being quick to forgive. And help me never to forget how privileged I am to give the gift You have given me to others, that You might be glorified.

Confession

I am forgiven by God. I did not earn forgiveness, but I can and will give it away. As a representative of His Kingdom, I will freely give the gift of forgiveness that was given to me. I set my heart to forgive quickly and lay down my right to demand the judgment of others. I purpose to live this way that God might be glorified through me.

The playing field of our faith is as big as our recognition of God’s goodness.

F
aith explores the realms opened by the promises of God found in the Person of Jesus Christ. These promises contain some of the greatest revelations ever received by mankind. They reveal the nature and heart of God. This is the most unexplored territory in existence. It is eternally great and far more vast than one could comprehend in a lifetime of exploration. This is the next great adventure. And it will last throughout all eternity.

Those who never make the connection with God’s goodness struggle constantly with the expectation of tragedy. This fight creates unnecessary conflict any time they try to discern the source of a problem. Many attribute the clear work of the devil to God Himself because, as we have seen, they truly believe that God authors bad things to happen for our good. In other words,
the end justifies the means.
We would not accept this standard of logic in any other area of life. Yet it has become common in the theology of many, simply because they do not understand the cornerstone of all theology—God is really good. I would be arrested for child abuse if I did to my children what many
say God does to His; this shows there is a good chance deception is involved here. This is not as complicated as many make it out to be. Goodness in heaven is at least as good as goodness here on earth.

When the issue of God’s goodness is settled, our assignment becomes much clearer. There are many ways to illustrate this truth. When a person begins to burn with the conviction that God is good, things begin to open in her understanding that were closed before. Realms of possibilities present themselves in a way that requires exploration. And that is the pleasure and joy of faith—to explore the world of possibilities made available through God’s goodness. Instead of living in reaction to problems, hoping for breakthroughs and solutions, we live proactively, looking for occasions for God’s love and goodness to be manifest.

I watch daily as our church family looks for problems to address in His name. And it is really amazing to see what happens when believers take that approach rather than one of a defensive posture, protecting what I have in God. Remember Jesus’ story of the man given the one talent (an amount of money) to invest (see Matthew 25:24–26)? Protecting what he had was the worst possible option. This is a Kingdom of advancement, and requires forward movement. My claim is this: We move forward in faith, according to our understanding and conviction of God’s perfect goodness.

This brings us to the challenge of the hour—is it possible to live in pursuit of God’s manifested goodness in places that have never seen it? Is it possible to look for problems, knowing that God’s purpose is in the deliverance, not the affliction? Is it possible to activate our faith in His goodness enough to give us an appetite to see these things changed that have raised their arrogant heads against the knowledge of Jesus Christ?

My answer is yes to all of these issues. This is our time to get the goodness issue settled. And then out of that conviction, we
can look for chances to let our faith explore the boundaries of goodness that are much more extreme than we could possibly imagine.

Prayer

Father, I long to be one who burns with the conviction of Your unquestionable goodness. I am tired of doubting or tainting one of the most basic foundations of all Scripture: Your goodness. Heal my own heart as it pertains to this truth. I want to be a part of the body of people that You entrust with all that is necessary to display Your nature to the world. It longs for this. And I want to make sure the world sees who You really are: a perfect Father, who is intensely good beyond measure.

Confession

I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that God is perfectly good, all the time. No evil or darkness exists in Him. There are no hidden agendas where God really takes pleasure in the punishment or suffering of mankind. I, therefore, embrace the call to display the goodness of God daily, and look for problems to address in His name, that He might be glorified.

Worshipers are positioned by God to summon nations to their destinies.

T
he Psalms are songs of worship. The nature of the worship expression as prescribed by David is found on both sides of the cross. It is affirmed in the first Jerusalem council in Acts 15, and shapes more than our music. It defines our nature as believers—we are worshipers first.

The Psalms are more than a complement to the theological books of Scripture: They are filled with more revelation than I think we usually give them credit for. These are songs written
in
the glory of God. Insights exist in here that we cannot find anywhere else in Scripture, giving hope for things we might otherwise lose sight of. God’s view of nations is one of those great surprises found in the Psalms. And while there are many judgmental statements made in this book that are certainly fitting for the day they were written in, there are also many songs with New Covenant themes, sung prophetically about a coming day—our day. These songs we must hold dear as ones that can shape the course of world history.

Here are a few that carry Jesus’ heart for nations:

“All the ends
of the earth will remember and turn to the L
ORD
, and all the families of the nations will worship
before You”
(Psalm 22:27). This one has extreme importance for us because Psalm 22 is one of the most important Messianic psalms. Many details of Jesus’ crucifixion are found here. It seems only right to watch Jesus get the reward for His suffering—nations, made up of surrendered families found in worship.

“Let the nations be glad and sing
for joy; for You will judge the peoples with uprightness
and guide the nations on the earth”
(Psalm 67:4). The context for this verse is salvation visiting the nations. This joy is found in their salvation and gives them guidance into His purposes. But the revelation of this great event was given to those who knew God as a loving Father, desiring to bless His children (see Psalm 67:1–3).

“
All nations whom You have made shall come and worship
before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name”
(Psalm 86:9). Nations will find the purpose for their creation. Their design is revealed in their salvation, and then they come full circle and worship. This insight was given to those in the glory, before the New Covenant was ever established.

“So the nations will fear the name of
the L
ORD
and all the kings of the earth Your
glory”
(Psalm 102:15). Nations, along with their leaders, will come to a proper fear of God before all of this is over. That fear is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is reformational in its effect. This picture of reformation was given to those who were in the glory, ministering to God.

“I will give thanks to You, O
L
ORD
, among the peoples, and I will sing praises
to You among the nations”
(Psalm 108:3). This is a wonderful description of the peoples of the world giving a healthy expression of praise and honor to God. In this case, the nations are made up of people who surrender to their loving God.

“Praise the L
ORD
, all nations
; laud Him, all peoples!”
(Psalm 117:1). This verse illustrates my beginning statement quite clearly. It is the picture of worshipers summoning nations to God.

These songs literally came out of the glory of God. That place of presence, that place of undefiled worship, was the womb of
revelation of God’s heart for the nations. It is in that presence that we find out what our responsibility is—to sing and declare the destinies and purposes of God for the nations.

As important as sound theology is, the purpose behind singing and declaring these songs of destiny goes far beyond being biblically correct. It is the act of summoning nations to their reason for being, and doing so out of the throne room of the almighty God. This is the privilege and responsibility of worshipers. From the glory, and a heart filled with great hope, we declare over the nations what the Father is saying.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the great honor of worshiping You with clean hearts. You made that possible. And thank You for letting us feel your heart in the process. I desire to say what You are saying and summon the nations to their purposes and destinies. Help me to do this effectively, all for Your glory.

Confession

I embrace the privilege of carrying God’s heart for the nations, for all peoples of the world. And by God’s grace operating in me, I will declare His heart for the nations of the world, that the Lamb of God will receive the reward of His sufferings. I do these things for the glory of God.