Today I would like to share 4 simple principles from Scripture that each of us can apply in our own lives to help us walk in victory and get our own personal miracle.  These aren’t profound concepts, but rather simple biblical truths that will help us understand who God is, what we are entitled to, and how to go about getting it.

The most important decision we can make is to make Jesus Lord of our lives. John 1:12 tells us that, “to all who received Him, to those who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”   Once we are adopted as His child we are entitled to things that the world isn’t entitled to.  The problem lies in the fact that there are a lot of people out there praying for miracles who aren’t children of God.  They haven’t given Him their heart, therefore they wonder why their prayers aren’t being answered.   If a person hasn’t accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, he or she doesn’t have rights as His children.

Recently, I had my windows open while preparing dinner and heard some children in our neighborhood playing outside. I love that sound and thought how special each of them were. However, as I prepared the meal, I thought of my own children and how they were about to enjoy what I prepared for them. Those other children were not going to partake of the meal from my table. It was uniquely reserved for those who were members of our household. It is the same way in God’s household. Only His children, who have given their lives to Him, are entitled to partake from the meal of provision from His table. Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  The day we make a choice for Jesus we are given the same rights as sons and daughters of God.  Romans 8 tells us we are co-heirs with Christ.  Seems pretty amazing, but it’s a profound truth.  Read it for yourself in verse 17, “If we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”  Do we really understand what we are entitled to as the children of God?

We underestimate how important our own faith is regarding miracles, signs and wonders.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us that, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Verse 6 goes on to say that, “without faith it is impossible to please God because those who come to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

We serve a God who isn’t moved by need or desire, but instead is moved by an attitude of faith and trust in His promises.  Now, I didn’t say that He doesn’t care about our needs or desires; what I am saying is that He isn’t moved into action just because of our needs.  For example, faith is like the money or payment system that gets the things we need or desire here on earth. It takes money to pay for things you want in this natural life. Faith, in essence, works like spiritual “money” that purchases your provisions with God and those blessings manifest to meet your needs both physically and spiritually. Mark 11:22-24 says, “have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain ‘Go throw yourself into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” Notice it requires faith for that miracle to happen.

In Mark 6:5-6, when Jesus went to minister in His own hometown of Nazareth, we are told that He could not do any miracles there because of their lack of faith. Our faith, or lack thereof, can determine whether or not the miracle will happen.  Throughout Scripture, Jesus consistently met people at their own point of faith!  He doesn’t change…He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrew 13:8).  It works the same for us today.   Let’s look at a few examples from Scripture of people using their faith to get a miracle.

Jesus’ first miracle, recorded in John 2, took place at the wedding of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there and it was her faith that moved Jesus to turn the water into wine.  Jesus wasn’t going to do it when first asked and in fact told His mother that His time had not yet come.  Interestingly, His statement didn’t diminish Mary’s faith as she told the servants to do “whatever he tells you” (vs. 5).  The faith of His mother literally changed His heart to do something He wasn’t intending to do.

In Luke 8, we learn of a woman who was subject to bleeding for 12 years.  She had faith that if she could just touch the edge of Jesus’ garment she would be healed.  Jesus specifically stated in Luke 8:48 that it was her faith that made her whole. The centurion in Luke 7 took his faith a step further.  He believed that Jesus didn’t even have to touch his servant, but simply say the word and his servant would be healed.  What happened to his servant? He was made whole!  In the book of Acts, with faith, people took their faith to another level.  They didn’t need a touch or a word they simply laid sick people out on the streets in the market place so that Peter’s shadow would fall on them as he walked by expecting they would be healed.  What happened? THEY WERE ALL HEALED! (Acts 5:15)

If we want to experience miracles, it isn’t enough to wish, hope and desire; we have to believe (have faith) that God will do what we ask.  Hebrews chapter 11 is often referred to as the “hall of faith.”  Read it and you will learn how the saints of old had faith through great trials and adversity.  Each of them walked though things when the outcome didn’t look promising, but they believed God would do what He promised He would do.

1 Peter 1:16 says, “be holy, as I am holy.”  It is a nice thought to be holy as God is holy, but what does it actually mean?  We know that God is holy but how can ever hope to attain to His holiness?  Well, we can’t attain to His holiness without the blood of Jesus, but we do need to strive to live a holy lifestyle. Holiness simply means to be separated. When we live holy, to God we are essentially separated from the world. It means we are living lives that look different from the world’s standard.  The world tells us to look out for number one, but God says to consider others better than ourselves.  The world tells us to grab all we can in this life, but God says to store up treasures in heaven.  The world tells us to fight for our rights, but God tells us to turn the other cheek.  Often what God says is the complete opposite of what the world says.  We must set ourselves apart as holy if we want to connect to God and experience His miracles, signs and wonders.

Purposeful sin will separate us from God rather than connect us to Him. If we aren’t connected to God through holiness, we cannot expect to receive or be used in the miraculous. Purposeful sin means we are choosing to cherish sin in our hearts and not attempting to resist sinful behavior.  An example is someone who loves to gossip.  This person knows it is wrong but has just resigned to continue gossiping because they enjoy it and have convinced themselves that is who they are or that is the person God made them to be.  This is a classic, but often ignored example of defiant sin.  Did you know that Psalm 66:18, says that “if we cherish sin in our hearts God doesn’t listen to our prayers?”  That means that we cannot expect God to answer our prayer needs in a miraculous way.  When it comes to the sins that we don’t want to deal with in our lives, we can’t use the excuse “that is just the way God made me.”

In 1 Corinthians 6:9 Paul said that, “neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  He goes on to say, “and that is what some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”  We aren’t the same as we were before because Christ has changed us.  If we want to see miracles we need to walk away from the things that dishonor God and clothe ourselves in holiness and righteousness.

Another part of being set apart as holy is using our time, talents and treasures to serve Him.  Luke 6:38 says, “Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  If we are stingy, our measure will be stingy, but if we are generous then that opens the flood gates for God to bless us.  We all have time to give and talents to use.  How are we using the gifts we are given?  Is it to serve God or to serve our own desires?  We should also serve Him with the treasures He has given us.  The Lord says that we cheat and rob Him when we withhold our tithes and offerings.  Can we truly expect to receive miracles when we are robbing the giver of miracles?  In fact, Malachi 3:10 tells us to “try Him” in giving tithes and offerings. It is saying we are to put our faithful God to the test and see that He will do what He promised! It says, He will “open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”  That is the kind of miracle blessing I am talking about. It comes because we are separated to Him in holiness!

One other key to holiness is having an attitude of worship, prayer and thanksgiving.  If you have trouble with that, start by just meditating on the Psalms.  Read through them as a prayer to the Lord.  Find your favorite one and memorize it.  Give thanks for what you do have rather than focusing on what you need.  God is in the miracle business.  His desire is to bless, but sometimes He wants us to understand and be thankful for what we have right now.  Psalm 100:4-5 tells us to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the Lord is good and His love endures forever.”  Is this how you are approaching the King of Glory?  Or are you taking your list of complaints and the things you feel He needs to fix and focusing on that instead?  Try approaching God in a different way.  When you do worship and give thanks, remember who it is you are meeting with.  The King of the Universe and author of our faith wants our worship and thanksgiving. That attitude will set you apart in holiness!

Proverbs 18:17 puts it simply enough when it says, “the tongue contains the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit.”  We can’t expect miracles, signs and wonders if we don’t speak like we expect them.  Many of us want God to do something great, but the words that come out of our mouths say something different all together.  Watch what comes out of your mouth because what you say is what you will get.  “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”  (Luke 11:45)  If you ever want to know the state of your relationship with the Lord listen to the words you speak.  If you are speaking forth blessings then you will receive blessings.  If you are speaking forth curses you will receive curses.  Listen to what you talk about in your daily conversations.  If you talk to someone for more than a few minutes they should know you are a Christian.

If we have a situation in our life that needs a miracle, we need to speak to that situation.  Our God gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17).  We need to speak to illness and call it health.  We need to call out to turmoil and call it peace.  We need to speak blessings over every situation in our lives.  Isn’t that what Jesus did at the house of Jairus? When it was obvious to everyone around that Jairus’s daughter was dead, Jesus resisted that circumstance by saying, “the child is not dead but asleep.” Jesus didn’t come into agreement with the present circumstance. How many times do we receive a blow from the enemy and focus on the negative instead of focusing on God?  Whatever your situation, there is a verse from Scripture for it.  Learn that verse and speak it out loud until the situation falls in line with what God’s Word says.  Make your situation obey what God’s Word says about it.

As I conclude this teaching, I pray that you are encouraged and equipped to receive the miracle you need.  For me personally, the Lord has shown that His miracle for our own son’s healing is done.  It was done at the cross 2,000 years ago.  We never doubt that for even a second.  Why?  Because we know what His Word says and we believe it.  Whatever your need is, you have a Father in Heaven who wants to meet it.  Whether the miracle you need is physical, emotional, financial, relational or just seems otherwise impossible, remember how our God spoke the world into existence.  He spoke to nothing and made it something!  He knows why He created you and He knows the plans He has for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  He sent His Son into the world to suffer and die so that you can live a full and victorious life.  You are God’s child, you are His workmanship and He loves you.

I am praying for your miracle today!