Why? Because it is the Devil's business to defeat you. When you let God work His works through you, you are on the front line of battle against evil, sickness, disease, need, poverty and want.
A true story
Let me share with you a true story. A renowned evangelist was invited to hold a crusade in an overseas country. He sent his representatives to prepare the particulars.
What the men found when they arrived in that country was very discouraging to them. The Churches were all fighting among themselves. They did not want to cooperate with one another. There was great dissension among the brethren.
The report the evangelist got was very negative. He was advised to cancel the crusade completely. Going by the natural senses, this would have seemed the wise thing to do. But, as children of God, we do not go by our natural senses, we go by that God-given sixth sense - faith.
Paul said: "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, NKJV).
Paul also said: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
It was not that the evangelist did not trust the brethren who brought him the report. It was just that he positively knew what God had told him to do. He did not feel the release in his spirit from conducting the crusade in that country. Also he knew God's Word of direction carried with it the authority for following His directions.
So, he said to one of his trusted brothers, "We won't take that an answer. Go back. Pursue the route I tell you. God will work this thing out."
He returned to the field and what happened made spiritual history. The Christian brethren still were not able to get together, but God opened another door to the evangelist's ministry in that country through the government of that country.
They were invited by high government officials not only to come for a crusade, but to come as their guests. They had free use of the stadium of the meetings. Every member of the evangelist's team was the guest of the government in the government hotel during their entire stay.
When the Pastors of the Churches heard how the government officials were going to welcome them, they realized that God was in the crusade. They "jumped on the bandwagon" and began to cooperate in a marvelous way. Thousands of people saved and healed. Many of those souls would have missed heaven if they had listened to the negatives with which the enemy tried to deceive them and to contend them.
God forbid that we should let ourselves be hindered by negatives! We must be positive and trust God as we work the works of God!
Jesus Himself suffered adverse reaction
It was a great miracle when Jesus healed the madman of Gadarenes (Mark 5:1 - 20).
Here was a man who had been of tremendous trouble to the authorities. Ranting and raving among the tombs of the dead, he could not be restrained by chains or fetters. He cried through the mountains night and day, cutting himself with stones.
This man was so possessed by demons that the unclean sprits told Jesus that their name is Legion - "for we are many" (Mark 5:9).
Jesus spoke the Word which delivered this man completely. At His word, the legion of demons left the man and entered a herd of about 2000 swine, causing the pigs to race down hill into the Sea of Galilee where they drowned. This demonstation of power so unnerved the swine herders that they ran through the countryside and into the city spreading the word. A crowd gathered to see what it was all about. And they were afraid (Mark 5:15).
Jesus had done that countryside a great favor. You would think that such a manifestation of miraculous power would cause those who saw the results to go home and bring their sick and afflicted loved ones for Jesus to heal. You would think He would be besieged by people acclainming Him and marveling over this great deliverance.
But you would be wrong. Thanking Jesus was the furthest thing from their minds. They wanted Him out of there. They wanted to get rid of Him. They did not want Him around at all.
"They began to plead with Him to depart from their region" (Mark 5:17).
Not many people welcome Jesus' miraculous ministry. Similarly not many people will welcome your miraculous ministry!
Ministry of the supernatural
The ministry of the supernatural requires you to deal with the negative forces of unbelief. If you know how to deal with the negative forces, one will put a thousand to flight, two will put ten thousand to flight, you will not even get a scratch.
"How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight ..." (Deu. 32:30).
"A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you" (Psalm 91:7).
There are many voices, including those of the clergy of all denominations, that are raised against the ministry of supernatural victories.
I tell you honestly that I have never personally seen a miracle. But I believe miracles. There is enough power in the written Word of God that I should believe.
Jesus gave Philip a profound answer
One day Philip asked Jesus a searching question and he got a very profound answer.
"Philip said to Him, 'Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves'" (John 14:8 - 11).
What Jesus was saying was this, "Philip, if you cannot believe this theological discourse, if you cannot understand the revelation of the Word, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me, if that is too deep for you, Philip, if you cannot understand it, believe Me for the very works' sake."
In other words, He is saying, "Believe Me for the things that you have seen. If you cannot believe Me because of the theology, because of the doctrine or because of the Word, Philip, believe Me because of what you see done. What you have seen with your own eyes is proof that I am in God and that God is in Me."
Jesus then went a powerful step further to promise us that we could prove His power in our lives and through our ministries:
Jesus said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask on My nace, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:12 - 14).
God out of Himself
Here is reaffirmation of the delegated authority of God, God acting in us and through us - out of Himself and in us!
"And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another'" (Matt 11:2, 3).
Strangely, Jesus Christ never did answer John's question. Instead He said: "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Matt. 11:4, 5).
I believe that when John received that testimony back, he knew in his heart that everything was all right, that everything was settled, that this Man was the Son of God, the Messiah. he believed the works Jesus did.
John no longer needed to worry about anything; he could die in peace. His work was finished: The Prophet of God had come into the world.
The miracle ministry of Jesus Christ had a very definite place in producing the proof that Jesus was Who He said He was. It also has a very definite place in the ministry needs of the world today. We must produce the proof; we must produce the power!
Negative forces of unbelief
The negative forces of unbelief may resist arguments or logic. They may remain adamant and unchanged in the face of our most educated words or most learned dicourse. But they must flee before the positive performance of miracle ministries which show forth the resurrection power of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
The only effective way of combating the negative forces of unbelief is with the positive forces of performance - producing the proof that reduces all arguments and gainsaying to useless ashes.
John 9 records the action of Jesus in healing a man blind since birth. His disciples who did not believe the miracles of healing assumed that the blindness of the man was due to his own sin or the sin of his parents.
But Jesus said: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no none can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:3 - 5).
The word "day" means while Jesus was still physically alive. The word "night" represents death which means Jesus was no longer walking with His disciples. Jesus was sent by the Father to work the works of God.
After Jesus came under intense interrogation from those who knew the blind man, He healed him. Negative forces of unbelief began to fly.
The healed man soon discovered that arguments availed nothing. In answer to the repeated question, he finally declared:
"I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples" (John 9:27)?
This is real truth that people often do not hear what they do not want to believe. They reviled the man and cast him out. But he had one irrefutable, unarguable point:
"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see"
This is what I mean by producing the proof. Producing the proof won the battle. Negative forces have to go!
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