Whenever I sit down to write a blog, my first thought is definitions. I need everything to make sense, even if it’s a word (or words) I am very familiar with. I need to ensure that I am working within the right context, so that is where we’ll start.

A sign is defined (by Google) as: an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. Wonder is defined (by Google) as: a strange or remarkable person, thing, or event; [something] having remarkable properties. Another definition is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. Christian Author Heidi Goehmann beautifully defines wonder as “seeing God more clearly in our humanness.”

Now hopefully we’re on the same page about signs and wonders? If we’re not, worry not – God will surprise you by giving you a deeper level of understanding as we go along. Signs are something that indicate the presence of something else. In one of our anchor scriptures Mark 16:20, signs are done after the preaching of the Word. The Bible tells us that the Lord confirms His Word with these signs following. The combination of these two revelations allows me to understand that the signs of the Lord are done with a 2-fold purpose: 1) to confirm His Word and 2) to indicate that the presence of the Lord is with His Word (or even those preaching the Word). And if I go further, I understand that I can even be bold and say that whenever the Word of the Lord is preached, signs should follow. Now I might be alone in this (though I highly doubt it), but when I understood this – I was like “then why don’t we see healing just take place when the Word is read? Why are people still in bondage by sin even after hearing that Jesus died and freed them from it?” Well then I remembered that this scripture has context that might answer the question, that maybe there is more than just preaching the Word. In Mark 16, verse 17 does exactly that – “And these signs shall follow them that believe…” The signs come with the Word, but they come on the wings of our belief. When we hear the Word, do we believe that we are healed? Do we believe that God has truly set us free from sin? Without our belief, the signs cannot follow. Our faith is based on the fact that we must believe in a God who we cannot see. We must believe that a God we cannot see loves us and made us for a purpose. We must believe that a God we have never met physically sacrificed His Only Son for us. We must believe that His Word is not just a story but a mirror into our souls and the living breathing Word of this invisible but very real God. To some we seem crazy, but that is the faith we MUST have. And sometimes, in the face of adversity all we can hold onto is our belief. This wasn’t part of the original plan for this blog but I just want you to take a moment right now to pray for God to help your unbelief (I’m doing it too.) Pray, like the man who brought his son to be healed (Mark 9:14 – 29), that your God will help you rid your life of any doubt in Him, His Promises, and His Word. Amen.

Our other anchor scripture, Acts 4:29-30 is a prayer. It comes after Peter and John were in prison (then released) for preaching about a healing miracle. The prayer is asking God to “… “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”” One thing I want us to understand is that the signs and wonders come from God. We speak His Word and He sends the confirming miracles. Wonder comes with the unexpected beauty of the things God is capable of doing. God is able to heal someone with just a touch of wind, He can deliver someone with just a verse from a song. These things which our mind cannot comprehend – are done so easily by our God. But like I said, this verse is a prayer, an ask. When you ask, you must believe in order to receive (Matthew 21:22). Once again, at the start of it all is our belief. Our belief that His Word truly does not return to Him void, but that it will accomplish what was set before it (Isaiah 55.11). God is not hindered by our unbelief, but our ability to see the manifestations of His Word and His Grace are. I sat behind my computer trying to avoid bringing up unbelief again, but that seems to be what God wants us to focus on. We cannot leave room for doubt to grow and fester. Our untreated doubt can lead to unchecked disobedience. Doubting God can give the enemy just enough space to plant even more seeds of evil and sin in our lives. God has so much more to show you, to show me, to show our entire generation – but we must believe His Word. We must value His Word. The Word must be precious to us, so much so that we truly desire to share it with others and allow them to encounter the signs we believe will follow it. As stated before, (signs and) wonders are a way to see God in the context of our lives as mortal beings. Wonders allow us to experience God in a personal and remarkable way because He will perform signs that confirm a Word you heard concerning your life. Wonder allows us to further appreciate the Word of God as a living, breathing entity that yields results. His miraculous works will confirm that not only have you prayed but that a God who answers has heard you. All these can be ours, if we believe.

I humbly ask that even as you have come to the end of this blog you resolve that in whatever aspect of your life you have doubted God, you will make the conscious decision to pray against that unbelief. May you seek God’s help and see His hand concerning any doubt you may have. May He show up in your situation in a way that will even strengthen your belief in His Power. May you believe in the Word and see the manifestation of signs and wonders in your life. Amen.

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