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The Supernatural … Do You BELIEVE?
Posted on July 27th, 2007 in Faith by Fred McKinnon
Happy Friday, everyone!
Fridays are usually pretty light and fun … but this entry isn’t light at all .. it’s pretty heavy and intense. I am apprehensive about posting it and I’m not even sure if I should read whatever comments may come my way … but I’m open to what people think. It has to do with “the supernatural”.
Several things have happened in the last few days which keep me thinking about this subject. One of the most profound is the revelation that one of my blog friends (I’ve got this whole network of web2.0 blog relationships now!) has recently discovered that he has Stage 4 colon cancer. His name is Stef Tarapchak … he’s around my age and is an awesome man of God who is a regular contributor on AC180, another great blog with multiple contributors encouraging men in their walk. This is some heavy news and I’d encourage everyone to step up and pray diligently for Stef. My prayer is that he would be completely healed from this disease – that God’s redeeming power would be displayed in and through him.
The issue has opened the door to a lot of discussion on healing. I wouldn’t necessarily put “healing” in the same boat as “supernatural” … the Bible actually mentions “gifts of healings” and “supernatural miracles” as two separate gifts. (see 1 Cor 12 .. verse 9, 10, and 28 especially). I am a firm believer in both “healings” and “miracles” and it saddens me that so many discount this as something that is “not for today”. I believe God can heal instantly (miracle), over time, and I absolutely, totally believe that God can use medicine, doctors, etc., to bring about healing. I’m nowhere close to a “natural remedies” type person in how I practice and live my lifestyle, but the truth is I believe that God has probably given us so much that we already need for healing just in the various natural remedies we have here on the earth. The whole debate of “is healing God’s plan for everyone” comes into play … I try to keep my mouth shut, because you seldom “win someone over” to your way of thinking … but I usually wind up talking about what I believe anyway.
But that’s just a small part of this thing God is showing me.
Why don’t we see MORE of the supernatural? It’s the same with all of us – we hear stories of signs, wonders, and miraculous things happening all over the world … sometimes we leave the USA and go on a mission trip and witness/see things that are supernatural and miraculous, only to come back to our churches and accept the reality that those things “just don’t happen around here”.
Here’s what I think … we just don’t BELIEVE.
I’m the first to confess … I’m a skeptic. In my heart, I believe. From my own personal Bible study … I believe. Yet, in reality … my mental capacity and life’s experience constantly TRUMP that. That’s wrong, I confess … but it’s true. Notice, I said “it’s true” .. but it is NOT “Truth” … did you get that? … I’m saying “it’s true, but it’s not Truth”.
A few examples:
- recently, someone showed me a few pictures that were taken … in the pictures, 3 crosses were displayed in the clouds … a very breathtaking, clear visual. Almost every fiber of my being thought “wonder what sicko Photoshopped that”. Could and Would God do such a thing? A beautiful display in the clouds, reminding us of His work on the cross. I BELIEVE – ABSOLUTELY. Yet, you see and read what my mind said. As I gazed more I put the picture down and softly said “God, I want to believe”.
- recently, there was a prophecy calling the church to pray to avert a terrorist plot. I believe in the prophetic gifts and office … yet, I found myself thinking “oh brother, more doom and gloom, here we go again” … yet, God’s Word says “do NOT despise prophesy” (1 Thes 5:20) … leaving me fearful at my own attitude.
- years ago, there was a revival of sorts that came through our area with some weird manifestations … specifically, “gold dust”. I dunno if it was gold, glitter, plastic, or what .. but all I know is that because I was one of the musicians asked to play during this time period … I was “up close and personal”. There was NO WAY it could’ve been faked. I watched closely – I observed … I tried to figure it out .. but I couldn’t see anything fishy going on … yet … a HUGE PART of me kept saying “I dunno … I dunno if I really believe this”. (someone asked “why would God do something like that” … and the response from one of my dear friends was “I can’t explain that anymore than I can explain why God made an ax head float”. (see 2 Kings 6:6)
I could go on and on … I think you get the idea. I’m not trying to prove anything … I’m not trying to push anything … that’s not the purpose of my post today … the purpose of my post is to confess, publicly … that I don’t like my skepticism. I think the skepticism I feel is shared by the bulk of the church … probably because we’ve seen some fake, carnal stuff that has burned us. But isn’t God bigger than that? When there is something of great TRUTH, WORTH, and VALUE … won’t their ALWAYS be a COUNTERFEIT?
As I type this, tears seem to well up in my eyes. There is this familiar feeling I’m having … I know it well … I’ve just realized something. No kidding – I’ve just figured this out. Now, I know why I weep EVERY SINGLE TIME I watch “The Polar Express“. I’ve never been able to figure it out … few movies compel me to just lose myself and start weeping. I’ve said it over and over … “something in this movie is getting to me”. At the end of this movie, when the little boy finally hears the bell .. and he believes … it overwhelms me to the point of tears.
I realize now .. it’s not just about Santa Claus … it’s a much bigger revelation.
I weep because the Spirit inside of me is longing, crying out, and yearning to …
BELIEVE.
“I believe Lord, help me in my unbelief”. (Mark 9:24)
OK … so now it’s your time to confess.
Laying it before you with all transparency,
Fred
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22 Responses to “The Supernatural … Do You BELIEVE?”
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Let the confessions begin … lay it all out.
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Strangely, I just revisited my post on this same subject over at my new blog, HEAT & LIGHT. If you haven’t read this one, I wrote it originally in response to an atheist, but I combined the response with part of a sermon I gave once in Athens on Miracles.
Anyway, check it out:
http://heatlight.wordpress.com/
blessings, bro…
shannon
p.s. – here’s the most relevant excerpt from my blog…
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I believe there are three main reasons we do not frequently see the sort of spectacular miracles that occurred at the time of Christ. First, it may be, in part, that we lack faith. There seems to be circular relationship between miracles and faith; miracles produce faith, but it take faith to produce miracles. In fact, Mark 6:4-6 implies that there were times when people so lacked faith that he was UNABLE to work miracles among them! That may unnerve me, but it is never the less true.
Secondly, there are many cases where, due to the pervasiveness of a scientific world-view, we often find ourselves explaining away a possible work of God as a mere chance occurrence. We forget that God works in the natural world, and rarely recognize God’s work, even when it’s right before us.
Lastly, however – and this argument is quite unlike the other two — there isn’t as much of a need for them, because we now have the full revelation of God in the Scriptures. We must keep in mind that even in the Bible, astounding miracles were clustered primarily around three limited periods. First was the Mosaic period, as God led his people from slavery to the Promised Land. Second was the prophetic period of later Israel up through the writings of Isaiah. Lastly, the apostolic period of Jesus and His Apostles during the founding of the church and the writing of New Testament scripture. That is not to say that miracles don’t ever happen outside those time periods, because according to Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and foreverâ€, but that there are clearly times that God uses miracles as his tool for communicating with us less frequently. Since we have the Scripture, now is one of those times. God’s revelations in the Bible does all that any miracle is to accomplish; the Scripture’s reveal God’s nature, give evidence for the truth or falsity of an individual as a spokesperson for God according to whether or not their message is true to the word of God, the Bible contains a message from God which has been shown reliable over and over again through the centuries, and gives us a huge supply of evidences for God, primarily his work in salvation history. Maybe this is why when we do hear of outrageous miracles taking place, they are often in countries that haven’t yet the incredible availability of the Scriptures – there, they truly need God to make Himself known, to validate the message of those who are bringing the Gospel to them. But to us to have the full revelation of God, 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.â€
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Just a comment on my 3rd point, that’s by no means to say that God DOESN’T work miracles today, but that some certain kinds of miracles on occasion may not occur because God has already answered the specific need in His Word, and by not answering that request is drawing the one in need to look there for the answer He has for them. Anyway…just my thoughts…
p.s. – Fred, I also started a ‘Worship Blog’:
http://4whatitsworth.wordpress.com/
blessings, bro!
shannon
I’m such a spammer – I also want to add:
GREAT blog, Fred – thank you so much for sharing this. It was very challenging for me.
We are just finishing up a series in 1 Thessalonians and during one of the first weeks one of our staff preached on the verse that commends the Thessalonian church for having “faith that works.” His main point was that this verse can be read two ways – we should be known for our works of faith but we should also be known for the fact that our faith works, that there are times and situations where becaue we have faith in God and in who He is that the outcome of that situation is a logical outworking of our faith.
Threw me for a bit of a loop – but I was reminded of that sermon when I read your post. There are certainly times in my life where I believe not because Christ is Truth but simply because He is true and there is no other logical option at that point.
And yes, I’m a skeptic. I’m Canadian – we’re bred to be skeptics
Chris -
Hey … is this your first comment? didn’t recognize your name, but always happy to hear from readers and make the new relationships. thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it! Look forward to hearing more from you.
God bless the USA and Canada! (and everyone else!)
Fred
great word fred.
I think a lot of why we dont see miricales like when in other countries is because we have so much …and we focus on it
An excellent post Shannon. Thank you Fred for your observations [The Polar Express get's me too] and your quandry…it just goes to show that you [like most of us] are still hungry for God. We have head knowledge and a woshipper’s heart feel for the things of God and feel we have experienced the PRESENCE but with all the bells and whisles going off around us tehnologically we wonder if we have missed the boat when it comes to truly Experiencing God. The only way to get the answer is to ASK. So take your questions to the one who will give you the truth. Spend some alone time with God in all of that awesome nature up there in SSI and see what He lays on your heart. You’ll be a changed person beacause if it…
DIscoverd an awesome quote by Leonard Ravenhill the other day ,,,
“We’ve said that prayer changes things. No! Prayer doesn’t change things. Prayer changes people and they change things. We all want Gabriel to do the job. God says do it yourself – with My sufficiency and My strength.”
An that one led me to this one later…“If we are able to greet each passing moment as the manifestation of the will of God, if we’re able to discern God’s will every single moment, we will find in it all our heart can desire. What could be more reasonable, more perfect, and more divine than the will of God? Could any change of time, place or circumstance alter or increase its value? What could possibly be worth more in life than knowing what God wants you to do?â€
“If you possess the secret of discovering God’s will at every moment and in everything, then you possess all that is most precious and worthy to be desired.â€
The Joy of Full Surrender, by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Until we ABSOLUTELY surrender our will to His, we will always be behind the curve; running to try to catch-up to Him…
Great post…moment-by-moment seeking only HIM
Great post, Fred and thanks for spreadin’ the prayer love for Stef. Rather than retyping the post, I invite you to check out
the original post on my blog. It was one those times where I am absolutely convinced God was in touch with me in a very “real” way.
Fred – Thanks for supporting AC180 as well as posting this important request for Stef. Believe…such a simple and easy word to say. Yet the application is what gets me every time. This week was a revelation to me. It took a trip to Baltimore, but I got it. Amazing how God will move us to where we can hear (or see) him. Thanks again!
Fred,
I am humbled and overwhelmed at the support I am getting. I am so appreciative that you took time to post my request. We are fully relying on God to do whatever His will is. Until He reveals that, we are facing this journey head on!
Thank you, Brother!!
Stef
Well-said, Freddo. I find myself in the same boat you do with the whole skepticism thing. I really do want to believe, and in some instances, I do, but I have trouble with the fact that my first instinct is to be skeptical. It makes me wish I could turn off my brain sometimes, especially when it involves things like clouds shaped like crosses (why not?) or gold dust (again…why not?).
And yet, I find myself making fun of these things with an air of superiority. I wonder how many miraculous things I’ve been “too intelligent” to recieve joy and edification from?
I’m with you on that one Fred…
Thank you for bringing up something important. We have witnessed the miraculous; I have also been personally healed, so I know the truth in what you are saying. Even still I find myself skeptical at times when I hear of things like gems falling form heaven and gold dust…
May the Lord grant us discernment to tell the true from the false, yet increase our faith so we won’t miss out on the blessing of His mighty power working throughout the earth.
One conclusion we’ve come to from ministering abroad is that in very poor countries where people aren’t well educated and have no resources to fall back on; they have greater faith. If you tell them Jesus heals they simply believe it and He does!
The blessings of living in an affluent society are actually a hindrance to our faith.
Lord Jesus, help us to Believe!
Bless you,
Susan
Susan,
Thanks for the comment …yes, I often think we’re so “over-educated” and “taken care of” that we are deceived into thinking we are “self-sufficient” … it’s a shame!
Fred
Could it be that we are so numbed by the influence of our own self-gratifying, thrill seeking and special effects culture that we miss Jesus and His supernatural presence? I have often prayed Mark 9:24 for my own unbelief. I hate my own skepticism; I want to believe like a child would! I want to see God for who He is, without cynicism! Sometimes, I think that my brain cripples me in many ways.
Thanks for this post, I echo your prayer!
~Heather
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I too believe in the supernatural. We see so much of the devil’s intervening into human lives nowadays. Why can’t we accept that God and good can also intervene? I’m a Christian and a Bible believer. I totally believe that a) we are the temple of God and that God lives in me and when I speak his word with authority it is the same as Him speaking the words. Christ in me…the hope of glory. We should only believe. Which is hard in a world where we are taught to unbelieve. We were made for belief. But it’s hard working our way back to that childlike faith. Plus we often don’t do what Jesus has told us to do. “Believe that we HAVE received”? That’s hard when we are taught that only what we see, feel, hear is true. “Command the mountain to move?” Equally hard because we are taught to believe that only God can command, or that actions are more powerful than words.
Great post. You showed that we christians are all battling…Lord, I believe. Help our unbelief. -C
I have read your posting and the postings that follow. How said it is to see that Christ’s Bride does not believe. I too am included in that bride. We are currently in the process of a teaching on His Glory and how it resides within in us. If we have Christ within us we have all his glory….his word says that we will do more than he did when he was here on earth. If we can only get the reality of his power through us…I say through us because we as humans sometimes think the power is from us, we are only the vessels….but if we can’t get a revelation of His Glory in us, we can’t release His power to heal. It is always His will to heal us, but will we let him? We really have to get our minds out of gear and allow Him to speak to our spirit and do what He tells us to do. I believe that we have doctor’s only because we don’t have the faith to really believe that God will do it….it depends on our faith level. God will deal with us at our faith level, but one has to be honest about where our level of faith is. If you believe that the doctors can help, then that is your faith level and God will meet you there. We really need to build a trust level with God beyond what we see, hear and especially think. His ways are so above our ways, we can’t even begin to imagine what He has in store for us…I will continue to pray for total healing and a release of His Glory for Stef and that his testimony will encourage others to step out in faith and JUST BELIEVE. Thank you for this article…I am going to get to the place where the supernatural is more real than this world. Amen
You have set a real interesting concept before us. I’ve read all the responses, and have found them to be quite interesting. Time and space limit what I’d like to say, but will attempt to summarize the understanding I have received on the subject. First, I absolutely do believe in the supernatural! If we as Christians believe we have been “born again” and made a “new creation” in Christ, then that should be the beginning of the supernatural lifestyle. While contemplating recently on a strategic approach to a certain situation I was considering that dealt with the church I pastor, the Holy Spirit asked me a question: “Why do you do what you do?” Now I knew instantly the Holy Spirit didn’t need to know the answer to that question, but was rather seeking to show me something, I gave some thought to the answer before saying, “Because of the calling.” Instantly I knew that was the wrong answer. Then He showed me that unless all I do in and for the kingdom comes from a heart motivated by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14), it is all a dead work. Consequently, I remembered that the love of God has (past tense) been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit, and for the supernatural to flow through me, I must tap into this love for people in a far greater measure than I had been previously tapping into it. As a result, I have witnessed the supernatural many times since this revelation. This love is a tangible thing that I sense flowing out of me, and those on the receiving end also sense it flowing to them. Often it’s like I can see myself from a third party viewpoint as I minister His love. People absolutely respond (one way or another), and usually the supernatural results are observed. It’s awesome!!!! Finally, I am fully confident that more of the supernatural works of God will be seen in the not-to-distant future as more of His sons manifest His love to others. We are not waiting on Him, for this is His desire. I believe He is waiting on us. So……, for what it’s worth…..!
This was an awesome blog!!! and was great to read peoples responses. I hate my own skeptiicism at times, but have chosen to not put God in a box. For me, whether he heals or doesn’t heal, will not take away the fact that He is still God. I tend to believe that if God never did another thing for me, He has done enough, but still chooses to work today and give today in amazing ways. I know his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts higher than my thoughts. I just want to be a part of what He is doing. I believe, Help my unbelief!! (Mark 9:24)