There are several songs used in church worship that herald this glorious title that we are using for this weeks devotional. These lyrics obviously declare the majestic power of our God who sits on His throne and reigns over all His creation as the only Supreme authority in existence. As we entered another week of miracles being released here at Potter's Wheel Ministries, I am with great anticipation that things are beginning to escalate to a point that we will witness the supernatural more frequent than ever before in our lifetime, and not just limited to the church building either. Why do I say this? Because God is still the same miracle working Father that He has always been, and nothing has changed about Him at all. On the other hand, many of the people of God have changed in how they interpret the Word of God, and thus have substituted a true gospel for an intellectual gospel, therefore, denying the power of what it was intended to accomplish. However, despite this atrocity, there is a remnant of believers that are bold and unreservedly the proof providers of God's power here on the earth.
Last week we established the fact, that we as believers in Christ which have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, are clothed
with something wonderful. And if we are clothed with something wonderful then people ought to be able to see it outwardly. Sadly, we experience more from those who deny its brilliance
from ever being seen as they quietly keep it hid and neatly tucked away from sight. Our society and those who come in to spy out our liberty within the church keep bringing more pressure to censor the Christian voices in order to keep them quiet and common in their activities. The enemy always attempts to close the mouth of the children of God because there are miracles and power lying on the tip of our tongues. However, prophesying was never meant to be just words spoken outwardly for us to be amused with how wonderful those words are framed intellectually, but on the contrary, they are to be a catalyst of inspired vocal expressions that provokes people into action on the Word of God.
The question might be asked, "Why would anyone want to keep their faith in Christ hid to begin with?" I believe one reason is because to wear it in such a way that it can be heard and seen with the evidence of demonstrations of the Holy Ghost
will be very offensive to the unbelievers who are blinded by the god of this world. Therefore, bringing conflict if one stands in its truth from those unbelievers. I must give a clear definition of what I mean by [religious] unbelievers that I will refer to here in my article, so as not to lose my meaning. They are simply those who strongly accept a system of religion, clouded with humanistic views while being mixed along with the Jesus in the Bible. They teach a nice and neat Jesus, but without the evidence of the Holy Spirit duplicating Him in our lives to go about and do what He did. Therefore, these [religious] unbelievers will be on the attack to shut those voices from speaking the supernatural, and will diminish those who profess to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who work in the supernatural. They do this because they don't want to understand it for themselves because they don't like the idea of 100% surrender that it requires, and they refuse to believe it's a genuine move of God when the Holy Spirit moves despite them and their criticisms. The unbeliever's that I am speaking of here are believer's in the idea of Jesus Christ: but they are those who do not believe deeply that the Son of God is a miracle worker in our day working through us to do the same, as His true disciples did in the early church. Therefore, whenever
God does move in these sort of ways of demonstrations that are hard for these to understand they feel it is mostly emotionalism on the part of the individuals who yield to it.
These [religious] unbelievers like things to fall under the form of logical sense, and they find the moving of the Spirit in people's lives uncomfortable, because they do not know how to be free in Him personally. These kind of [religious] unbeliever's would rather have an intellectual gospel which offers no power to express what God desires to accomplish within people's lives, which is to bring total restoration to them. It's here that many of these well meaning Christian's feel its better to be silent and unobtrusive in their faith, rather than accept an active God who moves people to act on their faith, especially when its outside of the normal box of our humanistic ideas. These folks would rather the people of God remain analytical and calm based on their own limited views of how God works. This is because they are more concerned about what makes logical sense to them rather than yielding themselves to something that would require their own surrender to the spiritual moves of God. Many there are who cannot, or will not let go of their control, even to God. They are believer's of Jesus Christ, but unbeliever's to what He supernaturally wants to do in our midst.
I can remember how strange and odd the thought of ever speaking in an unknown tongue was way back before I ever had the experience. At that time it was viewed in my limited perspective nothing more than a silly and useless display of ignorance on the part of weak minded people. I also remember how strange within my limited view of being dunked in water, at least until I understood it's necessary purpose for every believer to identify with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. I can recall hearing someone prophesy in my early days as a Christian, and thought how strange these folks were as they boldly declared something verbally and religious sounding for all of us present to hear, but it was simply because I was limited on my surrender to it, until I understood from the Word that it was the will of God for us to do so. My point is, that every step in God is a step of faith that requires reaching outside of the perceived normalcy of what one may think is right behavior or godly activity. Think about this for a moment: how strange it must seem for someone who is very sick who does not understand God's Word on healing and to have another walk up to them and call them well in Jesus' name. In their eyes, that may seem very strange and even uncomfortable at first to receive, at least until the miracle showed up, then they will most gladly enter the realm of publishing what God had just done for them by running to tell it to everyone they meet without the least of hesitation! On the contrary, the intellectual unbelievers just run around being critical and disputing everything as just emotionalism. This is exactly what happened in the Scriptures to these [religious] unbeliever's who saw the miracles of Christ, but because they cared more about what seems normal and important to men, they were unwilling to acknowledge the validity of those miracles were from God. Thus having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.
John 12:37-43 (KJV)
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
I often have a way of upsetting folks when I teach and preach along these lines, though I don't do it intentually. Well, most times I don't, depending on whose present [smiling]. But when you start preaching a God who does the supernatural and people begin to respond to that preaching while getting free and excited about what God is doing, these [religious] unbeliever's take offense and down play it as nothing more than emotionalism. It's funny, but I reference all through the Bible how the One and only true God, who designed in us these emotional outlets, also affected those same emotions through His pouring out of love and blessings that it invoked an emotional outburst from its recipient. Scriptures tell us that we are to give thanks in all things! Therefore, a thanks that is being offered that has no life or exhibit of emotions to it, is not really thankfulness at all. The Bible teaches that laughter is like good medicine. Last time I thought about it, laughter is an emotion being displayed outwardly because of how something made you feel inside. Oh, I get it, as long as it isn't being done in the church, right? It should be a moot point as far as I'm concerned for us who believe to worry about offending those who would prefer to have a dead gospel that is powerless, lacking in results, absent of any emotional expression, boring to no end because it's based on works, and does not help anyone find their true freedom to live life abundantly in Christ who came to offer it to everyone. That's a pitiful gospel and those who accept it ought to be pitied above all people born; and the apostle Paul had some harsh words regarding the altering of the true gospel to make it void of it's original power and its original representation (Galatians 1:6-9).
Our passage in the gospel of John, clearly shows us that even miracles displayed before the eyes of people will still not convince [religious] unbeliever's no matter what they are. Why? It is because they can't fully embrace it for their love of their own
need to control what makes logical sense, and the personal concern of what others might think about them if they did surrender. This is a sad position, but I can tell you this has been happening for a very long time. The cost of believing something from God will always require faith on your part, which is embracing the motion of activity to what His Spirit is doing, and many times its outside of the conventional thinking of the great minds of this world. With this point in mind, please recall how Naaman who was captain of the host of the Syrian army who was also a leper. Do you think it was strange for Naaman to hear the man of God (Elisha) who was led by the Holy Ghost, who said go and dip seven times into the dirty waters of Jordan and he would be whole? Yet, Scriptures tell us that this ticked Naaman off to the point that he revealed something deeper in his character amiss to his own awareness. Pride! Naaman was expecting certain normal displays from the man of God which would be more to his liking, but God always nails the pride in folks by calling for an act of surrender that challenges the limiting flaw in their lives (2 Kings 5:1-14). The foolish things that confound the wise as the Bible tells it.
Another sad fact to note here, is that there are just way too many preachers that preach an inconsistent God today based of their limited perspectives which are birthed out of the lack of personal experiences or the need of them. When they do this they have to create a doctrine to fit their flawed position so as to keep from contesting God as being truthful to His Word, and at the same time be able to explain to their followers why certain things don't happen like the Bible says anymore. The gospel of John on the other hand, tells us that Esaias prophesied that these [religious] unbeliever's could not believe the report of the Lord, nor could they perceive the Arm of the Lord which was being revealed to them openly through miracles, signs, and wonders. Esaias goes on to say in (vs. 40), that he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and then become converted and the Lord heal them. Who was this talking about? Was it God who would harden their heart and blind their eyes? Of course not. The Bible teaches that God is not willing that anyone should perish. God can't be inconsistent to His nature. Then who is this speaking about? It is referring to Satan, the god of this world who has blinded their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4). The devil doesn't want anyone to walk in the supernatural, so he gets God's people to feel that anything that is outside of normal as far as the world defines normal, is ridiculous, or at best, it is a sign of emotionalism if anyone does dare to enter in that door: which is designed to ridicule in order to keep people from wanting to enter into it again.
Many are the [religious] unbeliever's who do not know who their God is, much less understand His workings among His people. There are [religious] unbeliever's who attribute sickness to God as being a tool to teach us something. There are actually [religious] unbeliever's who profess that speaking in tongues is of the devil. Again, there are [religious] unbeliever's who profess that God does not do miracles today since the days of the apostles ended because we now have the Bible to lead us without having to have any supernatural manifestations. These limiting perspectives have paralyzed the mobility of God's people from doing exploits in the name of their God and it is mainly due to preachers who have preached an inconsistent gospel to them. If you look at the meaning of every name that God referred to Himself in the Old Testament, you will discover they reveal His true nature. In other words, He is a God of more than enough! He is a God that healeth thee! He is a God that supplieth all our needs! Therefore, these give the truest picture of His nature. If you couple this with the Word, which is His "will" revealed, then there will never be a misunderstanding of God's Word concerning what He meant about Himself and His will. He sent His Word to heal us and deliver us from all our destruction (His will according to the Word: Psalm 107:20). Whereas, His name reveals His nature, which is the God that healeth thee and other positive descriptions of Himself that are reliable and that can be counted on. While many believe that God has the ability to do anything, yet, few believe in His reliability concerning what He said He would do in His Word.
We are taught in Scripture not to grieve the Holy Spirit, but I tell you that all you have to do is go in most churches today and this is exactly what is happening. Some [religious] unbeliever may argue, "Well, I believe that God can do miracles, but you shouldn't try to coach people by always suggesting them through your preaching." What ignorance that promotes as to the one who would say such a statement. What does the Word of God teach? "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word." What we preach from God's Word ought to release those very same things in our meetings, home life and work place. Should we just preach a dead gospel for the sake of these that are going to be unhappy with whatever God does no matter what? I say let them brew in their own misery to the point they may realize what they are doing to themselves and those they try to convince that their way is right. This is the blindness that Esaias was prophesying about. Whose report will you believe? And to whom has the Arm of the Lord been revealed? Certainly, not to these [religious] unbeliever's! They would rather agree that our circumstances reign supreme over us. That sickness is a force that we all must concede to in this fallen life that we now live in as a means for God to teach us something. These misinformed folks
are more comfortable and familiar with pain, sadness, misery, and having a lackadaisical life that has no enthusiasm to stand up and declare that our God reigns! Shame on these who portray our Lord in such weakness.
Our God reigns supreme over all sickness and wipes it out of the equation of life. Our God reigns over all of our circumstances that they can no longer maintain a stance to circumvent their diabolic devices against us. He is the God that reigns completely over all
our troubles, all our financial woes, and nothing should prevent us from saying with extreme emotion that it is so! Ha! We must prophesy it, and tell the story of how our God reigns over all the predicaments of life. Let us express it loudly and not be ashamed, and with all our might and strength rise up in the supernatural nature by which we were created in His likeness. We have nothing of our own, but this "will" and "life" that He gave us, therefore, let us use it to declare with all our spirit through the gateway of our emotions that He is our All. We must refuse to listen to the voices that would cry out that we should be more calm and quiet, so as not to offend others by our exuberant excitement over what and who He is in our lives. We must express it as straight and true as the arrow that shoots from our faithful God that always hits His target of objective. Consider how it was Jesus Himself that said, "You are greatly fooled, if you think I came to bring peace. No, I will cause households to be divided." Why did Jesus say this? Because of the [religious] unbeliever's who will never believe anything though they see and hear it. They would much rather that we developed disciples who are "theory carriers" rather than "carriers of God's supernatural ability on display to the world."
An amazing thing I found within the Word of God, is that in the book of James it says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe (James 2:19)." Yet, I tell you though the devils believe, they don't go around and work the miracles of God. The point is that you can believe in God just like the devils do, and remain outside of His flow and purposes to demonstrate His power. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Does your faith ever speak to you? I will tell you a truth, your faith will never tell you to stay in the boat! That voice of faith will always be out in the supernatural arena calling you to come out to where it is: into the deep waters. In every service, I look around and see that there are many who are just hearing more information as I preach the counsels of God's Word. On the other hand, there are those, though they are fewer in number, who are getting revelation and you can tell the difference every time. One stays in the boat and complains about drowning, while the other just leaps into the unknown as though it is as natural as breathing. The Ark of the Covenant was spaced out some distance between those who followed it because they had never been that way before. In other words, if we preach a small gospel anyone can believe in it, but it will not produce but little results. But if I preach a big gospel, it will take faith to walk in it, and those who do, will find that it produces what no other has ever dreamed before in all their life. Which do you think is the real gospel?
I close with this last point in which I am making on behalf of the supernatural nature of our God who reigns over all things. He has given every man a measure of faith that will enable him to be able to apprehend the things of God and even walk in them every day of his life. Our faith is like scouts that we send out to checkout the promise land. Depending on how you see your God will determine what your faithful scouts will return declaring, regarding the promises in which it has been sent to spy out. Many will find their scouts returning only to announce through the spirit of fear, that the opposition is greater than can be conquered. But to us who know our God, that He reigns over everything pertaining to our lives, we rejoice with great enthusiasm, and not in a small way do we rejoice either! We shout for victory with all our voice! We declare of His reigning power above all that would attempt to tame us and calm our exuberance in Him. Our God reigns! Sing and mean it, and break away from those who wish to remain in the boat. Amen!
