I am angry at myself.
When did I become so passive? When did I start to accept the attacks of the enemy as "normal"?
When did I accept that it was normal to constantly lose ground and be pressed into a corner?
Is it not finished? Did Jesus NOT die on the cross to defeat sin and death? So then what is my malfunction here....
How often do I cry out to the Lord for a "miracle" to come down and fix all of my problems and make me and my loved ones happy? (note the me comes before the loved ones....)
Why do we not see miracles? What even is a miracle?
Let's take a look.
Jesus and a Chronological Look at his ministry
(unverified but pulled from this website -> Sunny Hills church)
Jesus did many miracles outside of these that are not recorded according to:
John 20: 30 Yeshua performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these things have been written so that you may believe that Yeshua is Mashiach Ben-Elohim, and that by believing you may have life in His name."
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Mashiach Ben-Elohim) and have life in his name?
What is a miracle (Greek vs Hebrew):
In Greek, miracles are usually associated with the following words.
- Power (dunamis), which means "mighty deed."
- Sign (sēmeion), which refers to a miracle that figuratively represents something else.
- Wonder (teras), which indicates something extraordinary.
In the ancient Hebrew they would be associated with the following words.
- Beauty: A place, thing or event that goes beyond the normal such as a miracle, sign, wonder or beauty.
- Wonder: An amazing sight or event as a piercing. [freq. 36] | kjv: wonder, sign, miracle| {str:4159}
- Mark: The sign of an agreement between two parties. [freq. 79] |kjv: sign, token, ensign, miracle,mark| {str: 226}
Looking at the above definitions and the list of works that Yeshua did, they are indeed miracles. Many times the things we pray for (while mostly selfish in nature) are asking for miracles. For power, a sign, a wonder, or a mark of God's power coming down to defeat death and give the life that we want.
But the question is, is this how things are supposed to be? Crying out for Abba every time we need something? Crying out for his spirit and wanting to be in his presence is different from asking him to handle and take care of everything for you. Where is the responsibility and maturation in that model? It seems like there is no personal growth.
The Round About Point:
I am angry at this lack of growth in myself. The crying out for Abba to fix stuff and being complacent waiting on him to move. There is a time to be still before the Lord. There is a time to go forth and to make disciples of all nations, walking under the authority of Yeshua.
Matthew 28: 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I find myself praying often, "If it is in your will, Abba."
Does that sound like a Child of God who actually knows his father? Shouldn't we earnestly desire and seek to know what the Father is doing? Shouldn't we know what it is that Abba is calling us to do and how to bring the Kingdom of heaven into our sphere of influence?
John 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He trims so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and is dried up. Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. 7 “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” 9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full. 12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. [a] 13 No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. Now I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I selected you so that you would go and produce fruit, and your fruit would remain. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. 17 “These things I command you, so that you may love one another.” 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you out of the world; therefore the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b] If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for the sake of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me also hates My Father. 24 If I had not done works among them that no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and have hated both Me and My Father. 25 So is fulfilled the word written in their Scripture,[c] ‘They hated Me for no reason.’[d] 26 “When the Helper comes—whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about Me. 27 And you also testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
What is Abba's ultimate goal? Do you know what He is doing?
Back to the miracles talk, Did Jesus pray so passively for those who needed healing? "If it is in your will father, let this man get up and walk!"
No.
He commanded people to be healed, for unclean spirits to come out and for death to cease.
"But Jeriah, he was the Son of God! How can I do that?"
Okay, then lets look at the disciples....
Acts 14:8-10 8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,[b]10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
Or perhaps
Acts 16:16-24 16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
So the question no longer becomes "if it is in your will, Abba!" It should be our Job to be earnestly seeking out Abba and knowing his heart. It should be our Job to see those who "had faith to be made well" and to call forth Life.
Are you INTENTLY looking at all those around you? Are you seeing what you want to see or do you actually SEE?
I am sick and tired of feeling like Death is winning.
Jesus has defeated Death. We are just awaiting the day that death is done away with.
What to do:
The onus is on YOU to learn the Heart of the Father and to walk that out.
Do you call forth life every opportunity you have with BOLDNESS?
Boldness comes to those who understand whose authority it is they operate under. It is not by our hands and strength. It is by the overwhelming love of God who cannot stand by and watch is people suffer.
He is wanting you to learn to walk by the spirit, to call forth life in all circumstances and to bring the Kingdom of God to all those you interact with.
Are you tired of feeling like death is winning?
Then change your perspective and learn who it is you serve and what his goals are.
Then you too can call forth miracles knowing that it "is in his will."
Prayer this week:
Pray for eyes to see what is ACTUALLY happening.
Pray for revelation on what it is Abba is doing in your sphere of influence.
Pray for Abba to highlight people in your sphere of influence
Then, pray for those people.
Be bold when you are supposed to, be humble always and stay under the authority of the King.
You are to build his kingdom, not your own.
And your Father and King loves his children and wants them to be free.
Get rid of complacency.