Jesus is always speaking, but are we really listening?!
A common misconception in the Western church is that God no longer speaks to us through supernatural means. I believed this before I set out on this adventure, but I realized that God is the same God of the Bible; His character is constant and we have astronomical power when we are walking with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit speaks through miraculous healings, prophecies, tongues, words, and visions. I have seen it all with my own eyes. I have experienced His insane power. This is much more common in Eastern culture because without the distractions of materialism, they rely heavily on the Lord and their eyes are opened to His miraculous works. I was afraid of this at first. I felt like God was a stranger; like I was seeing a new side of Him that I never knew existed. I soon realized that it wasn’t a new side. I was just going much deeper.
I’ve heard many people in American churches ask why God doesn’t perform miracles anymore. The answer to this question is that actually, He does!!!! And you don’t have to go to a third world country (although I highly recommend it!) in order to experience it. I encourage you, if you are reading this right now, start praying big prayers. Bigger than you’ve ever prayed. Dangerous prayers. And just see how God begins to move. Don’t put Him in a box. Ask Him to open your eyes to all that He is doing around you. Ask Him to show up in crazy ways like in the stories the disciples tell in the New Testament. He might rock your world and take you to a new level of faith that you didn’t know could exist.
John 14:12 // Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
This is a promise that Jesus made, that we would be able to be a conduit of miracles for Jesus Christ and do EVEN GREATER THINGS than He did, because of the Holy Spirit! And we know that Jesus keeps His promises!
So, I want to share a vision I had recently. A “vision” is really just something you are picturing in your head, like a daydream, but it’s being fed by the Holy Spirit.
So I’m walking with Jesus through a cave full of darkness. Jesus is walking ahead of me, holding my hand and pulling me along behind him. Without Him, the darkness would be able to reach out and grab me. Thick black weeds hang from the ceiling and reach out from the walls and creep up from the ground to entangle, trip, and choke me. But since Jesus is there with me; I am surrounded by His light. He is light and therefore I am light. The darkness shrinks away from Him, from us, as we are both surrounded by the light of Jesus. The evil must flee. He leads me out of the cave, and we are standing in a meadow full of warm light. This light shines on my face and makes me radiant; it fills me with warmth and the fullness of joy. I bask in it. This light is God’s love. In this meadow is a tree in full bloom. There is a rope swing hanging from the branches with flowers entwined all along the length of the rope. Jesus gathers me into His arms and I feel His love, joy, and peace seeping into my every pore. He sits on the swing and I am at His feet; gazing at Him with love and wonder and complete contentment as He speaks His love to me and sings songs over me.
Start asking God to take you deeper. Because ultimately the goal of this is to help us to know and love Him more. So start praying big prayers and start asking God to speak to you in new ways!
