God may be calling you to do something that is impossible. The wonderful thing is that our God specializes in doing just that.
When the word was out that Jesus performed miracles, multitudes brought their sick to Jesus to be healed. He taught them that all things were possible to them that believed.
They learned that Jesus was the door for the miraculous power of God to flow to them and through them to others. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father” (John 14:12 KJV).
It is clear from this scripture Jesus did not expect the miraculous to come to a stand still when He left the earth. He gave His disciples power and expected them to use it to bless others. He told the disciples:
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.
(Mark 16:15-20 KJV)
In order for this promise to come to pass in their lives, the disciples had to do something. They had to Go ye! If they just sat at home on the couch waiting for the signs and wonders, nothing would have happened. But when they went forth in obedience to His Word, the Lord was able to work “…with them, and confirmed the word with signs following.”
The same principle applies to us today. If we want God to move miraculously through us, three key elements must be at work in our lives. We must believe, obey, and expect the miraculous. When you believe God, obey His Words and expect the miraculous, an atmosphere is created for God to move in the earth.
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chr. 16:9 KJV).
Believe on Jesus
The Bible tells us that some people followed Jesus because of the miracle of the loaves. They wanted free food. They asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” They wanted miracles without the Miracle-worker and salvation without the Savior.
Jesus, as always, centered in on the real issue, which was their unbelief. “Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:28-29).
There always seems to be people that miss the big picture. They focus on what God can do for them and miss out on God! Jesus came to the earth that we might know the Father, the Creator of all things. You must seek to know God for who He is, not just what He can do for you. Once you do, it won’t be long before the miraculous will be at work in your life.
Well, if believing on Jesus opens the door to the miraculous, then we know that unbelief slams it shut. That’s what happened in Jesus’ hometown. Matthew 13:54-58 says:
And coming to His hometown He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, and in his own household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
(Matt. 13:54-58 NAS)
His wisdom and miraculous power astonished Jesus’ neighbors, but they took offense at Him. They dishonored the Anointed One of God and almost everyone in the town stayed sick because of it. Never let it be said of you that God could do no mighty work here because of unbelief.
Obey The Word
When we answered God’s call to the evangelistic ministry over 22 years ago, Jesse and I sought direction so we would know exactly where God wanted us to go. We were totally committed to the cause of Christ and bursting with desire to spread the Gospel that transformed our lives.
We wanted only to be in His perfect will and would have gone anywhere He commanded. We knew that to be in His will was a place of peace, protection, provision and power. “He who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
We asked, “Lord, where do you want us to go?” He answered, “Go ye.” We both remembered the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Excitedly we said, “Yes, Lord, but where?” His answer was always the same, “Go ye!” So, that’s where we began.
I have to smile to myself when I think about our search for a place called “Ye.” Congregations of all sizes and types filled with every creature imaginable. Most were friendly. When we went to Hawaii to preach, we wanted to rename it Ye.
We thought, “This could be the place called Ye! Lord, please let this be Ye!” We wouldn’t mind staying to reach the lost. (Someone had to do it!)
Although Ye was not a physical place that you could point to on a map, Jesse and I knew when we found it. It’s a place that reminds us that our life is not our own, we were bought with a price. A place of total rest and assurance that God is leading us by His Spirit, even though He may choose to reveal it only a step at a time.
It stands a continual reminder that this earth is not our home, Heaven is! Like Abraham, we seek that city whose foundation and maker is God.
Anyone that has ever been used by God in the miraculous has had to be obedient to His voice. Mary said, “Be it unto me according to thy word…” and opened the door for the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus in the earth. And at Gesthemane Jesus kneeled down and prayed “…nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,” and opened the door for all mankind to know the miracle of the new birth.
When Paul was knocked off his donkey, he said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” and opened the door to the miraculous to flow through his life. He never forgot that moment on the Damascus Road when he first heard the voice of God. In an instant, Paul was changed from a persecutor of the Church into a persecutor of Satan.
He told King Agrippa about his heavenly vision and call to preach the Gospel. He said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision: but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).
Your success in serving God and fulfilling His vision for your life depends upon your obedience to His Word, boldness to relate the message, and perseverance to complete the vision. Paul persevered to finish the race that was set before him. At the end of his life of service to God, he could confidently say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
Expect The Miraculous
A miracle has been defined as a historic event or natural phenomena that violates natural laws and reveals God at the same time. From the creation of the world to the resurrection of Jesus, the Word reveals a God that is not limited to natural ways of doing things. He moves in a much higher realm and can use whosoever He chooses to accomplish His will in the earth. Paul considered himself a chief of sinners before he met Jesus.
He could have shrunk back from the call of God on his life. But he didn’t. He believed on Jesus, obeyed the Word and expected the miraculous power of God to flow through him. The Bible says, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11-12 KJV).
God may be calling you to do something that is impossible. The wonderful thing is that our God specializes in doing the impossible and looks for opportunities to show Himself strong in the earth. All He needs is someone who will believe, obey, and expect miracles today!
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Reverend Cathy Duplantis is an anointed teacher of the Gospel dedicated to living by faith and inspiring others to do the same. Cathy is the wife of Evangelist Jesse Duplantis. She has worked continually with her husband in ministry since it began in 1978, serving as Administrator, Editor in Chief of Voice of the Covenant magazine, and television co-host.
Cathy uses her life experiences and divine revelations to encourage and inspire her audience and is a favorite guest speaker for women's conferences and church meetings. She also continues to preach the Gospel with Jesse in meetings throughout the USA.
Along with her husband, Cathy is the co-founder of Covenant Church, a local outreach of JDM in the greater New Orleans area. It was her vision to build a church where people would be encouraged to realize their potential in Christ Jesus, to be able to overcome life's circumstances and to experience success spiritually, emotionally, and physically. In the summer of 2017, Cathy obeyed God and stepped into the Senior Pastor position of Covenant Church. Now, not only is she sharing the Gospel through her local church, but she is continuing to spread the love of Jesus around the world. Cathy desires to show believers everywhere how they can be transformed into powerful and joyful people of faith by applying the teachings found in God's Word.