What is a miracle? If you stop and think about it, miracles are usually manifest in the midst of dire circumstances. In fact, you would not ask God for a miracle unless you or a loved one is facing a life and death situation isn't that right? A miracle is perceived to be instantaneous. In the Gospels we see Jesus pronouncing a person to be made whole, and "poof" an instant miracle. If Jesus did it then, and you believe that He has been and is doing it for millions of others today, then you might be thinking: "why not me?"
Let's have a look at some Biblical miracles. The first one that comes to mind is how Moses, with his rod, performed the ten plagues. Yes, they were miracles. But with each one the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart more! Although the plagues were miraculous in nature, they were meant for a sign for Pharaoh and the Egyptians that the God of Israel was more powerful than their magicians. The real miracles were that while every person and beast in
God had His purpose for the Israelites. Why did there need to be ten plagues and why did Pharaoh have to be so hard-hearted? I can only surmise that it took the Israelites that long to get their faith level up high enough to believe that their God was about the deliver them. They had heard about how He had brought their forefathers to
Did they suddenly get transported out of their misery and into the Promised Land? More often than not miracles are the culmination of a long process. In the case of the Israelites, they had to walk a long way and were followed by the army until there was no way out! With the army on one side and the
Are you waiting for a miracle that does not seem to come? Could it be that, although you think you have faith, you're not really walking in faith? Are you sitting back and waiting for God to miraculously manifest Himself in your life? He could. However, no matter how bad the conditions surrounding you, He wants you to start walking! Walk in faith, expecting doors to open up before you, one at a time.
You won't know how close you are to a major miraculous intervention in your life if you miss the hand of God in the little breakthroughs. Take every step in faith and thank Him for all the joys and benefits along the way. Then you'll be well on the way to receiving your miracle. How do I know? I'm speaking from experience. He carried me, and helped me "mount up with wings as eagles (Isa. 40:31) through desperate situations. The more I learned to lean on Him with every trembling step, the greater my faith exploded inside me until suddenly trauma turned to triumph!
Yes, miracles really do happen. Expect them! Your purpose is to walk in faith with a heart full of joy and thanksgiving for all His wondrous works in your life. Miracles will be pursuing you! "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him; and honour him." (Ps. 91:15)
About the Author
Author of With Wings As Eagles, a testimony of living a life of abundance and miracles.
Her e-zine teaches how you can do the same: http://www.lifealteringwords.com
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At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus chose twelve disciples, who later served as His apostles. As history and tradition teaches us, likely all but one, John, died a violent death as martyrs for their faith. Theirs is the ultimate testimony. That is actually the origin of our word martyr; the Greek verb “martureo” means “to be a witness,” “to testify.”
Skeptics, however, will claim that people die daily for what they believe, either as innocent victims, as a result of persecutions or deliberately, like a fanatic Muslim homicide bomber. So dying for one’s faith does not prove anything about the truth of the resurrection.
Wait. Is that correct? What is the difference between an apostle of Christ who was martyred and a fanatic Muslim bomber of today? Yes, both died for their faith. One obvious difference is that Jesus’ apostle was killed by others, whereas the suicide bomber took his own life. Also, the apostle acted out of love, while the suicide bomber was motivated by hate. There is one other difference, and this is of huge importance. Both died for what they believed; however, the suicide bomber based his convictions on what others told him to be true, but the apostle based his faith on what he himself had experienced, the resurrection of Jesus! He did not only believe the resurrection was true, he knew it was true.
Remember what happened when Jesus was captured in the
When Jesus was captured, tried, and crucified, his followers were discouraged and depressed. They no longer were confident that Jesus had been sent by God (how could God allow his Son to be crucified?). They certainly did not anticipate a resurrection. So they hid and dispersed. Just as the Jews had planned, the original Jesus movement had died on the cross.
After only a short time a complete reversal of attitude occurred. Something remarkable transformed these cowards into bold and brave men. We see them abandoning their professions and re-grouping to commit themselves to spread a very specific message: Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah of God, who died on the cross, returned to life, and was seen by them. They invested the remainder of their lives proclaiming this, with no payoff from a human point of view. They faced a life of hardship; often being without food, they slept exposed to the elements, were ridiculed, and faced the constant threat of beatings and imprisonments. Finally, most of them died a hideous death as martyrs.
This change of behavior can only be explained by the fact that they were convinced – beyond any doubt –they had seen Jesus alive from the dead. There is no other adequate explanation.
They were the ones who met the living Jesus in person. They were unique. These men knew the resurrection as fact – and not merely believed it by faith. They were not convinced by someone’s testimony, but they had shared time with the resurrected Jesus. Knowing the truth, they were willing to die for it. If they knew it was not true, it is extremely unlikely that all would stick to this deception and would be willing to die for a lie. Would you die for a lie?
The evidence from the changed lives of the apostles after they claimed to have met the resurrected Jesus is a solid historical fact. Their testimony is so sound and convincing that even critical and non-believing scholars accept it: “The only thing we can certainly say to be historical is that there were resurrection appearances in Galilee (and in
About the Author
Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned Christian by studying the foundations for Christianity. More articles like this by Rob, as well as his book ‘Prepared to Answer’ and more evidences for Christianity are available at www.WindmillMinistries.org.
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