Tag: miracles

We are Fellow Workers and Co-Healers with God, Part 2

Our union with God, by His Spirit, gives us direct access to God. The individual is connected to God by God’s Spirit. “He that is joined (kollao – to join oneself to, to glue together, etc.,) unto the Lord is one spirit with Him,” (1 Corinthians 6:17). He communicates to the individual through His Spirit. We relate to God and worship Him by the Spirit, (John 4:24; Philippians 3:3). And God gives us dominion (radah, to rule – to dominate) over His creation (Genesis 1:26).

This is not so in other religions. In Christ Jesus, we have a better and direct way to God. The Old Testament covenant contained faults (Hebrews 8:6-9). So, the new was given which made the old obsolete, (Hebrews 8:13).

The Bible advises us to acquaint ourselves with God (Job 22:21). Therefore, cultivate the habit of reading and learning the truth to empower yourself. People who study accumulate knowledge and become enlightened.

The Holy Spirit should have free access to the spirit of the believer. As mentioned earlier, (in Part 1), the human being is a spirit living in the body of flesh. And so, God, in pouring His Spirit upon an individual, is pouring His Spirit upon (into) that individual’s spirit. The human body is, therefore, the temple for both the human spirit and God’s Spirit.

But the person must be open to receiving the Holy Spirit into his or her spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will not force His operation on an individual. The Holy Spirit will work in the person’s spirit if the individual opens and receives the Spirit of God.

Belief (faith) enables us to accept or receive God’s Spirit into our spirit. The 120 disciples first believed, accepted the Holy Spirit, and then prepared themselves as they waited for the actuation of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. The Spirit actuated the Power of God and enabled them to speak in tongues, (Acts 2:1-4).

The Holy Spirit Himself actuates His power in our spirits. But we must first prepare ourselves and allow for the actuation.

Miracles are manifestations of the Power of the Holy Spirit (God). God’s Spirit, working together with your spirit, (1 Corinthians 6:17) makes them happen. God’s Spirit makes them possible because of your faith in Him. As illustrated earlier, the milk transforms the water. The water does not transform itself. The transforming power, in our case, is the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, Paul asserts categorically that if you connect your spirit to God’s Spirit, you become one spirit with God. God, by His Spirit, indwells you, and your spirit and God’s Spirit become one, (1 Corinthians 6:17).

As stated earlier, this is a hard saying. But delving deeper into the Bible enables us to understand this mystery and truth. Remember that even many of the disciples of Jesus could not accept some of His statements.

When we pray, God’s Spirit synchronizes events and our declarations to make realities occur, (Job 22:28). Your desires become realities (Mark 11:24) because God’s Spirit turns them into realities, (John 14:10).

Being co-workers with God, (and his Spirit indwelling us), we must also live holy lives.

The Transformation

We are transformed by the Holy Spirit working in our spirits, as I illustrated earlier using water and milk. Transformation does not automatically happen just because an individual believes. You must first initiate the process by renewing your mind, changing your mental attitude, and allowing your thoughts and actions to align with God’s will, (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22). Discard your former behavior or conduct and be not conformed to the world. If you do not yield your body as an instrument of unrighteousness, (Romans 6:13), the Spirit will work with you to reshape your thoughts and perspectives to align with God’s ways.

The desire and the plan start with you, and God directs your steps, (Proverbs 16:9). So, God helps you to complete what you started, if it agrees with God’s will.

If we believe, but do not allow the actuation of the Spirit, the Holy spirit will not actively be involved in our lives or in our spirits in what we do. We will be acting in the flesh and not in the spirit. Though we may not lose our salvation yet. Even though we are God’s spiritual children, if we do not allow for the actuation of the power of the Spirit in our lives, we will be powerless Christians. We may still be God’s children but spiritually powerless. However, we may drift away from God and eventually may lose our salvation. (Detailed discussion on this in Part 3).

We read in Job 22:21-23 that we will know God, and know how we relate to Him, if we acquaint ourselves with Him. For those who know their God are strong and they accomplish great things, (Daniel 11:32).

The Christian is a member of a holy priesthood offering acceptable spiritual sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 2:5). The Christian is an instrument or a channel God uses to perform miracles or answer prayers.

God Works Miracles Through Us.

A church in Accra invited me to hold a spiritual revival for them. Three days into the five-day revival service, the leaders of the church told me about a woman who used to be one of their staunch members but backslid because of an unfortunate occurrence.

Her son was critically ill and at the point of death. She ran to her pastor who lived about five kilometers away only to learn that the pastor had traveled to the northern part of the country.

So, she took her dying child to a prophetess who lived close by her pastor’s home. As the prophetess held the boy praying, the child died.

The woman was angry that God had failed her despite her faith in God and all that she had done for God. She did not understand why God would forsake her and let her son die. She vowed not to go to church again. He faith in Jesus and Christianity died.

I explained to her how God had given her the power in the name of Jesus. I made her understand that while she was running and seeking for someone to pray for her son, she could also have used the name of Jesus to pray and Jesus would have saved her son from dying.

I took her through the pages of the Bible and made her know why and how God had not failed her. The Pastor feeds the congregation the Word and prays for them. The individual must take in the Word and digest it to actualize his or her miracles.

Your faith remains dormant or dead if you do not activate it. When a mother feeds her child, and the child eats and digests what the mother feeds him or her, the child will live and grow. If the child does not eat what the mother feeds him or her, the child will not grow well and may even die.

To help actuate the faith of the individual, Jesus would ask, “You believe that I am able to do this?” And they answered, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it unto you,” (Matthew 9:28). In Mark 9:23-28, Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.” The father of the child cried, and said with tears, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” Jesus rebuked the foul spirit and cast it out of the child.

I taught her to actuate faith and actualize miracles. The woman’s faith was restored, and she became a strong believer in Christ again.

While we seek the help of people who are spiritually elevated, we should also know that God is with us and will hear us when we cry to Him, (Jeremiah 33:3). God has made it possible for the Christian to call upon Him any time in the name of Jesus Christ, (John 14:13-14).

At the time I was visiting her, she had another son, who was about six years old, also sick. I told her that, though she could seek help from me and others, if she also prayed and exercised her faith, God would answer. I taught her to exercise her faith and pray. Miracles started happening in her life. She became more committed to Jesus and resumed her good works for the church.

One day, her other son went into a crisis and collapsed. The boy collapsed in the same manner as the other one had years earlier. But this time, she determined she was not going to let that son go. She remembered that I said God has given us power in the name of Jesus Christ to help us in times of need. She put her hand on the boy and prayed. Afterwards she rushed the boy to the Hospital.

They took the boy to the emergency ward. The doctor and nurses worked to revive him. But the boy was not responding. Then the doctor and the nurses had to rush to a new emergency.

The woman refused to yield. She went to a corner in the ward, kneeled and prayed to God to let her son live. She told God that she was not ready to let that son go.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned and saw a nurse telling her the doctor had returned to her son. They were hoping the boy would now respond. She stood up and walked with the nurse to the bed, still praying and asking God for the life of her son.

A while later, the boy responded and moved a little. Eventually, he regained full consciousness and opened his eyes. Some hours later the boy was strong and told the mother he wanted to go home. But the doctor said they had to monitor him for at least a day. The following day the boy was discharged from the hospital and his mother took him home.

The woman, like Jabez, (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) realized that she could change the situation by calling upon God to save her son. She prayed like King Hezekiah prayed and asked God to heal him and reverse the death that God had pronounced upon him. God heard him and granted him fifteen years more to live, (2 Kings 20:1-7). The boy grew up and became a young man.

God has given us the power, in the name of Jesus Christ, to change our situations.

Do not say your church is not spiritual. You are a living stone, adding to other living stones building up into God’s spiritual house. Collectively the members are a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God, through Jesus Christ. If your Church is not spiritual it is because you are not spiritual.

To be continued…

Success and Transformation Require Mindset Change

Transformation and success will not happen without the change of mindset. Fear, hate, anger, and violence will continue to be the bane of your existence until you renew your mental attitude.

Without the change of mindset, we will continue to do what we do and will continue to get the same results. And we will continue to wallow in poverty and ignorance. We will continue to live in mediocrity, believing and wallowing in inferiority and thinking we cannot achieve great heights.

The belief that an individual can overcome challenges and do the impossible led to the invention of the airplane.

Belief makes all things possible (Mark 9:23). Belief enabled man to fly to the moon. Unless you renew your mindset, your miracles will not happen.

Do you not notice the harm, the unrest, the chaos that anger and violence are causing?

The imaginations of the thoughts of the hearts of people are evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Perversity has taken control of people’s hearts, and few people can be truthful, tolerant, and forgiving. The situation will change only when there is a change of mindset.

People are becoming more skeptical each day. Even religious people, including Christians, are becoming agnostics on matters of faith and God.

Anger has become the bane of our social lives. The political landscape is violent and full of untruths. Propaganda holds sway in most political discourses. And negative attitudes are destroying the fabric of our societies. Unforgiveness is destroying the conscience of many people. Even some Christians are caught in the web, and most are reluctant to forgive wrongs.

Mindset is the power of self-realization and self-esteem. Our mental attitudes decide how we perceive things, how we believe in ourselves, and how we respond to challenges.

The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive, can challenge his or her crippled legs to climb the ladder of success and achieve results. The physically challenged person whose mindset is positive can challenge himself or herself to learn to paint with his or her mouth, despite having no hands. The visually impaired who has a strong and healthy mindset will not throw his or her hands up in despair but will forge ahead in the quest to become successful despite physical challenges. There will be no limitations. Our mental attitude towards life can make us do things that people will marvel. Either positively or negatively.

Jessica Cox was born with no arms, but she trained to become the world’s first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless back-belt in the American Taekwondo Association. She graduated in psychology and a minor in communications, drives a car without modifications, and has a scuba certification. According to Wikipedia, she has not used prosthetic arms since she turned 14.

She was in Ghana for a four-day motivational seminar in October 2011. The theme of her motivational seminar was “Just As You Are, Arise and Do Something.” Note that she was born without arms. Yet she is successful in many aspects of life while many people who have arms are languishing in poverty and begging for aid.

Neuroscience buttresses the statements in Ephesians 4:22-32 and Romans 12:2 that we can renew the spirit of our mind and transform ourselves to reach the best in life. We can learn to control our minds or develop our minds and achieve higher aspirations. Therefore, Ephesians 4:23-24 encourages us to change our mindset by renewing the spirit of our mind and become a new, or a transformed, personality.

You don’t have to remain mediocre in life. The Bible explains that God’s Spirit helps to transform our spirits and enables us to live in newness of life (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2).

Per neuroscience our behaviors are developed through repeated actions. Repeating an action will ingrain it in the brain to become a habit, or a characteristic. Furthermore, we deal with anger by controlling it. And we learn to control our anger by delaying action. Therefore, by repeating the action, we form the habit of controlling the anger.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32; NKJV)

Some people have the innate desire for evil. And when they are in positions of authority, they misuse their power and brutalize suspects in their custody. Some police and military personnel use torture to make suspects confess to crimes. That is not right. For even if suspects are guilty, the use of torture can erode the credibility of the confession.

Personally, I find it hard to believe confessions that are obtained through torture. Because people may confess when they can’t endure the pain.

The Bible exhorts us to be renewed in the spirit of the mind and learn to do what is right.

Don’t be upset when you fail in a venture or enterprise. Try again and you will succeed. Put your faith into action, and you will reach the height you envisage. It might take you longer to reach success because of the lack of financial resources. But remember that though the snail crawls slowly it gets to its destination.

Though money makes success easy, yet without money, you can still achieve success. If you have faith, time, good health, and determination you can also reach the top of the mountain. Others may have the means to fly easily and quickly to the top of the mountain, while you may not have the means to fly. However, you have faith, time, health, determination, and vision. Let your vision light your path to success.

No matter how big the project is, or how far out of sight it might appear, if you work step by step, you will reach your goal – your success. You may not have enough funds for the project, but you can still achieve your aim by working and saving a little at a time. Though it may take longer for you to reach the pinnacle of success, you will eventually get there.

Julia Carney wrote in her poem, Little Things, or Little Drops of Water, about how each effort matters, however little. Every little thing can change the situation, or even change the world.

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land. And the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. So, our little errors Lead the Soul away, From the paths of virtue, Far in sin to stray. Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above.” (Julia A.F. Carney’s Poem, Little Drops of Water).

I like the proverb that says, “You can eat a whole elephant if you take a bite at a time.” A daunting task can be done by taking a little at a time. You can eventually raise the money for your investment when you save a little at a time. So, eat that elephant by taking a bite at a time.

Have a change of mindset and press on toward the prize – your success – your goal. You will reach the goal if you persevere (Philippians 3:13-15).

Years that pass may redefine your vision into a new or different one. But your vision to be successful should not die.

Your spouse might have forsaken you, and friends may not believe that you can make it. Your resources may not be adequate. But you still have time, hands, legs, determination, and health. Your hard work, perseverance and hope will take you to your goal. Have a strong mental attitude and you will get there.

Life will not smile at you when you are striving to reach the top of the ladder. But don’t be angry when things do not go the way you want. Anger will not solve your problems.

You may be physically challenged, or you may lack resources. These can slow you down, but they should not stop you from reaching your goal. Do what is right, leave the rest to God, and all will be well.

It may take years to reach your goal, and the going will be tough and unpleasant. But God will see you through. Have the mindset to believe that no matter how poor you are, how young or old you are, whether you are male or female, God destined you to be a success in life. You can eat that elephant (poverty, illness, or whatever the challenge is). Just take a bite at a time. It might take a long time to finish eating it, but you will finish eating it if you don’t lose hope and if you don’t give up.

God was with the Children of Israel in the wilderness journey. Yet that did not stop enemies and the Devil from attacking them. They faced many challenges. There were times they did not get water to drink, or the water was bitter. But amid the challenges, God performed miracles.

The night may be very long and lonely. But if you live an honest life before God, Jesus will always be by your side and guide you. God searches our hearts and gives us what we deserve (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:6).

Don’t lose hope when help is delayed. It may take some time before your desire materializes. But “if you can believe, all things are possible…” (Mark 9:23). Be patient when learning perseverance. You won’t achieve success at a go. You must practice and repeat the actions till your mind and your body accept the new information you are feeding your mind.

Remember that you must take a step at a time. Repeat the actions until your mind accepts them. Whatever you are doing will need time. Initial stages are not pleasant. You might not see success at once. But if you practice your beliefs, your mind and body will gradually learn to adapt, and the rest of the journey, including the spiritual, will become easy.

It becomes easier as you continue working or practicing. The easier it becomes, the more flexible it becomes for the body to get used to.

Your brain adapts or changes in response to what you feed it. It reorganizes its structure or functions, as new information is fed into it. Therefore, Ephesians 4:22-24 instructs us to shed off our former conduct or way of behavior, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, by feeding the mind with new information on action or behaviors. In Ephesians 4:25-32, we are told to discard the negative behaviors and replace them with positive ones.

Practice, they say, makes perfect. Just as constant practice gives you dexterity in playing a sport, or in what you do, so also deliberate repetitions and practices are needed for new habits to become habitual and automatic. Therefore, Ephesians 4:28-32 tells us to feed the brain or the mind with positive thoughts of actions. The positive thoughts will stimulate positive actions. What we feed the mind is what will be acted on.

And so, as most people continue to feed on evil thoughts, so evil acts continue to engulf the world (Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 6:14; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-22).

No matter your age, you can change or learn a new attitude or habit. In Romans 12:2 we are encouraged to be transformed by the renewing of our minds to know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God so that we can practice and become new or transformed persons. Discard the old conduct and put on the new nature (Colossians 3:5-10).

You can achieve the height you aspire. Age is not a barrier. Joseph was 17 when he had the vision to become great. His family considered him too young (Genesis 37). But God proved Joseph right. He took Joseph out of prison, promoted him to be second to Pharaoh in Egypt, and used him to save the world from famine.

David was also considered by his family as fit only to tend sheep, but God anointed him to be King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:11-13). Moses was 80 years old when God commissioned him to lead the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. And he led them 40 years.

It is not only in the Bible that age does not pose a barrier. George Mueller, at 70, and resigning from the orphanage, embarked on a worldwide missionary tour. For 17 years he visited 42 countries until he was 87. He died at age 92. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She started painting seriously at the age of 78 when arthritis made her unable to embroider. She was a self-taught artist. Some of her works have sold as much as $1,360,000.

Neuroscience tells us that the brain can rewire itself and enable us to reframe our mindset. The ideas (or thoughts) we feed our brain change our mindset. If you feed your brain with thoughts of patience, endurance, perseverance, love, and goodness, your mindset will change and adapt to those behavioral thoughts. You will be renewing your mental attitude, or the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:22), to be conformed to the will of God (Romans 12:2).

What your mind accepts will become beliefs. If beliefs grow, faith increases. The mind adapts to the new thought patterns or behaviors you feed your brain. Your behavior changes or reshapes to the new patterns as you act on your beliefs.

God’s spirit activates his power in your spirit (Acts 1:8), enabling you to achieve your aims (Acts 2:4; Mark 16:17; Acts 19:6). And your actions lead to achievements.

God’s Spirit becomes your teacher and leads you into the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:12). God, who knows the mind of his Spirit, knows what you want because of God’s indwelling Spirit. Moreover, the Spirit makes intercession according to God’s will (Romans 8:27).

God who gives you the vision of what you can and should be, knows and understands your vision, even when other people do not understand. It is your vision. No one can understand it as you do, and no one else can have the passion for your vision more than you.

Alas, many will  read or hear this message but only a few will practice it. Many Christians believe and wish, but only a few actualize the power of the Holy Spirit. It is time to arise and actuate the power given to us by Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

God believes in you. Press on to success.

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