Return of the
Miraculous
“Miracle” is the word
given to distinguish what we recognize as beyond the normal. But then, what is
normal for Christians? Is it normal for Christians to live only in hope and
never experience God’s blessings and promises? Are we to have a faith that can
move mountains? Are all of our mountains figurative? Some of them are real aren’t
they? What of healings? What about signs and wonders that testify of the
veracity of God’s word? What do we do when we live in a face off with
Pharaoh? And finally, didn’t Jesus say that
we would do even greater (works of miraculous nature) than He did?
Miracles are one
distinguishing mark of God’s people. Without miracles the bible would be no
better than a fairy tale. And what of rebirth? It is a
miracle is it not? Then shouldn’t it follow that Christians would live a
miraculous life?
I find that not enough
miracles are happening. In fact, some of what people call miracles are not
really miracles. Christians are settling. Why? Because they want the miraculous
and something close to a miracle is better than no miracles at all. Or so it
seems. This may be what you do when the real isn’t happening. But the real is
coming.
God is more interested
in us having miraculous experiences than we think. He initiates them. He is at
work now, stimulating His children to expect them. They are occurring. Let me
tell you of some miracles God has been having me release. I use this term release
because I don’t know how else to describe my involvement. He uses me to release
His miraculous. The following miracles I describe are the beginning of many
to come on the church, not just with me but scores of believers.
During the mid 1990’s
when the Holy Spirit fell on the church with laughter and joy bringing
repentance and salvations, the Lord was also visiting our church with miracles.
The goal of that visitation was to reintroduce the church to the Third Person
of the Trinity who is the Person of Might and Power. He had become merely an
experience called the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. In actuality, He is a
person who came to dwell in us and form Christ in us. That formation is to be
in character and well as deed. Christ’s body must have Christ’s
power.
One Sunday I was
speaking to the church from 2Cor 9:8-11. When I got to “he who supplies seed to
the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply
the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,” the Holy
Spirit spoke to me and said “I will do this right now.” In my mind I could hear
myself asking the Holy Spirit to repeat Himself and He said, “have them check their pockets, wallets, purses and see”.
Seven times I asked
the whole congregation to do this. The first time was hard, but not as hard as
the seventh time. They gave me reluctant stares but did so anyway. It wasn’t
until the seventh “search” of their wallets that money started to
manifest. Many different amounts
appeared. Some received $10, others $20, $40, $50. Then there were those who
received odd amounts like $14 or $11. Each amount had a significant meaning to
the person receiving. They were messages accompanying the manifestations. The
amount of money was often a signal to the receiver that God had heard them. The
greatest message of course was that God was their source. This was happening
right at the time the stock market was at its peak and right before it began to
fall.
There are many
remarkable stories to tell about this season that went on for several years. I
will share a few. After a certain meeting, one brother who hadn’t received
anything went home and once there the Holy Spirit told him to check the pockets
of a coat in his closet. When he did he found $2300. He never kept that kind of
cash around. Another time, a woman who was married to an addict and gambler,
was standing in the rear of the church with her husband. She had to be very
careful with her money. She knew she had nothing in her pocket book. But she
looked anyway. Her husband who wasn’t a believer looked on. Her search produced
$500. That husband became a believer. Jesus said in John 10:38 that even if
they would not believe him at least they should believe in Him because of the
works He did.
These miracles
continued and would be activated whenever the Holy Spirit prompted me to
release one. Every miracle had a scriptural significance and meant something in
particular for the person receiving. People began finding money in all manner
of places that the Holy Spirit would indicate and it was always as I had said
for a specific purpose. For example one woman was to fly to
It has been my
pleasure to take this miracle to many places and churches in the world. In each
place the money would manifest in the countries form of currency. When I would
minister to people from other countries that were in the states, they often
would receive their countries currency and not U.S. dollars. We have seen money
increase in checking accounts, saving accounts and even while on the way to the
bank with a deposit, have the amount increase before
the deposit was made. One of the churches I was working with in
Along with the money
multiplying and manifesting, there were other miracles that were occurring.
These had to do with the reappearance or recovery of lost items. During this
season I was teaching on the need for the church to “recover and restore”
things that had been lost or taken by Satan. I was using scriptures in Judges 7
about Gideon recovering from the Midianites and
teaching from 1Sam 30 when David went off to recover all the Amalekites had taken.
I told the church that
we don’t physically go after things that are lost or stolen, but we can speak
and command them back. I was speaking first of the spiritual things that belong
to the church and second the material things that have been lost or stolen from
us. We prayed a general prayer and then I asked the body to offer specific prayers
and commands for their situations. All kinds of things reappeared from baby’s binkies seemingly appearing out of nowhere to wedding rings
that had been lost for years. The miracles were confirming the overall word of
recovery. This is still a needed word to the church.
For a season, the
money miracle stopped. God didn’t let me minister it anywhere. Even though the
miracle had spread to the
has been in a slump for three years and multitudes have lost millions. Many are
without jobs. But our God is still around. He hasn’t changed. His economy doesn’t
depend on a stock market subject to greed and fear.
This time the miracles
are in association with the message of Favor, The Acceptable Year of the Lord
the Year of Jubilee as outlined in Leviticus 25. However you view this
Favorable Year it indicated that or something supernatural was happening with
land producing enough crop for three years without sowing or reaping.
Later on, Isaiah spoke
by the Spirit regarding Jesus and this Year of Jubilee and included healing and
deliverance, Isa. 61:1-3. This, the first message Jesus preached in
This time the miracles
are providing needed confirmation of favor, rest, provision and return.
On
One unique miracle
recently involved a brother who made the mistake of paying all his bills first
and then finding he was short with his tithe. He had the cash laid out before
the Lord and asked his forgiveness for doing things in reverse. He bowed his
head and turned to look at the money and found God had provided “seed for the sower” by making up the difference he was short. Who says
you can’t tithe because you don’t have enough. To those who want to, God will
make it possible. Even children are
receiving this miracle. One 6 year old boy was so excited at having $5 manifest
in his pocket at service that he wants to get a journal to record all the
things God is doing in his life. This involvement with youth is vital. It
connects them to the present move of God making them feel included.
When money manifests
on a person, I ask that they immediately sow their increased seed by giving a
tithe or more. They respond and sometimes find that God immediately responds
with more money. This has happened many times. Once in
To answer this
question we need only look in the scriptures. When the widow at Zarephath, was told by Elijah that the jar of flower would
not be used up, and the jug of oil would not run dry, God was speaking of His
continuous provision, 1 Kings 17:1-16. We are about to experience the
miracles of 2Kings 4:7, where the widow received word that the oil would be
enough for her and her son and that she could sell the rest and pay her
debts, and live on the balance. This type of miracle points to the “greater
miracles” Jesus spoke of since Elisha preformed twice
as many miracles as did Elijah.
Additionally, the
miracles of flour represent the “bread of life”, the word come down, our daily
feeding of truth of God’s word and the oil, the person of the Holy Spirit by
whom we live. There is both natural and supernatural benefit through these
miracles. For those widows of the Old Testament, their oil and flour would be
like cash to us. Essentially the same message is being sent. However, today we
look to contemporary manifestations.
The scripture God used to start these
miracles, 2Cor. 9:8-10 is traced to Isa. 55:10. God
compares the rain and snow coming down from heaven as natural imagery to
confirm the spiritual truth of God’s word not returning void, but accomplishing
everything He sent it to do, vs. 11. Now in similar fashion, God is sending
miracles to confirm His word to the body.
The word of God can bring the supernatural and
the supernatural can confirm the word. They work in cooperation, each
reinforcing the other. Miracles without messages and revelation from the word
of God would be nothing more than entertainment. The word without confirming miracles
would be religion without hope, exercise with no results to show for it. The
miraculous is part and parcel of our faith. Miracles are signs also of the
restoration of the apostolic ministry. Miracles are to accompany the word and
the work of God.
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I am adding a special note to this article about performing
miracles. They are certainly gifts of the Holy Spirit and He distributes them
as He wills. I do pray for more release of miracles. But it is the Holy Spirit
that gives me the witness and timing for their occurrence. In all the occasions
mentioned above the Holy Spirit has shown me either a vision in advance, or
spoken to me in my spirit or given me what I call an inward “buzz” that says “do
it”. He has also shown me how they will manifest and where to direct people to
look. He has instructed me at times to tell the people that the miracle will
continue after the meetings.
In all cases, I am completely dependent on the Holy Spirit for
guidance. My response is obedience, which is faith at the moment. Sometimes
there is more than one gift at work in the completion of this miracle.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit is releasing the gift of faith in the congregation,
or in some individuals. Sometimes He is releasing it in me, especially when the
circumstances don’t seem conducive. You can say He gives me words of knowledge
in these situations since I know in advance what is going to take place. But
this isn’t always the case.
I find also that I must speak out what God wants to do. The
speaking releases the miracle. I tell the people specifically that they will
find money when they look. I can’t say maybe you will find money. In the same
way the Lord’s words don’t come back to Him void neither will the words of a
miracle if God tells you to speak them.
I have been presumptuous at times and found myself looking
foolish. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He wills and that includes
the person(s) place and time. The government of God falls completely under His
jurisdiction. I try to remain under authority, speaking what I hear. I can’t
operate this miracle or any other, any time I wish. But I will say the Lord is
very favorably disposed to bless His children.
When the miraculous is happening, the level of faith rises to
such a degree that it seems impossible to think otherwise. You come into a “zone”
where the infallibility of God permeates. It fills and floods the realm. It
seems normal and anything to the contrary isn’t normal. God wishes for us to
come to this place
Blessings In Christ,
This Ephesians Ministries International®
article is a publication of Ephesians Ministries International®.
Ephesians
Ministries International,
Http://ephesiansministries.org