Wonder of God (Awe & Wonder) – Part 1

I love the story of Elijah at the fire pits (a.k.a. the altars of sacrifice) in 1 Kings 18:37-39 where God’s power, as consuming fire, came down and set water ablaze to make Himself known as authentic in the face of unbelief.

To make Himself known above every false god.

Through this phenomenon, this wonder, God fulfilled His purpose: to reveal Himself with power and authority and to turn hearts back to Him, hearing every tongue confess His Lordship and seeing every knee bow (Philippians 2:8-11).

Face to the ground.

Finally, void of doubt. 

This is the supernatural power and purpose of wonders performed only by God. 

And He is about to increase them in the earth. 

God promises us He will restore hearts and relationships by the same wonder-working, dunamis power of Holy Spirit that worked through Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6 and through John the Baptist in Luke 1:17.

Our wonder-working God is reconnecting people to His righteousness by restoring our reverential fear of Him (Ex 15:11, Is 29:14).

Through wonders that cannot be humanly explained.

Wholeness is key. 

God tells us in Joel 2:12 that as we turn to Him with a whole heart, “every hindrance is removed and broken fellowship is restored.”

God abounds in lovingkindness and revokes evil when we obey Him. He blesses us so we have “the means with which to serve Him” (Jo 2:13-14 AMPC).

In other words, He causes us to be blessed to be a blessing, which expands His Kingdom on earth.

And wonders are His efficient tools to impact many, even simultaneously, in accelerated times.

In short, wonders are God’s powerful causes and effects of miracles only He can perform. 

They are life-changing for those who witness them and are experiential for the soul, affecting the body as well, with lasting impact.  

Wonders are undeniable.

And awe opens the door to wonders, which produces even more awe (Ac 2:43 TPT).

Like for Elijah, the wonders we experience can begin with signs of awesome revelation—the supernatural, insightful understanding of who God is and how He wills to work.  

Elijah knew to instruct people on how to set up the altars as a stage for God to reveal Himself in a mighty way to them. 

The people were instantly delivered from unbelief into God’s truth as they witnessed His astonishing wonders right before their eyes.

This brings us to an important point: Where we set our eyes is where we are positioned to go.

God uses wonders to propel us forward swiftly, which is why we are to look to Him alone (and not our circumstances) for advancement (Is 60:22 NIV).

Knowing this, are you positioned to experience God’s wonders?

What signs (revelation) has He given to you?

Those revelations (signs) contain the dunamis power to produce the fruit of astonishing wonders in and through your life (Ac 4:30). 

On New Year’s Eve, our Lord reminded me that He has pinnacle moments of accomplishment as markers of destiny right before us and that the way there is through His amazing miracle-working power as we willingly go forth with Him. 

As we extend child-like faith, He will bring us into places of achievement we could never do on our own.

Accomplishments where He alone gets the glory. 

A few days later, on January third, our Wonderful Counselor revealed to me that He is taking us back to the wonder and awe that we recognized at a young age to fulfill dreams He placed in our hearts. 

This time around, He is bringing us into His fulfillment with greater wisdom and a sure foundation, having been made stronger in Him to establish His Kingdom on earth.

These dreams and ambitions of our youth, seen from a learned perspective, will produce even greater joy, wonder and awe of knowing God and seeing Him move on our behalf. 

He will do it and, when He does, it will feel like it happened overnight.

He will transport us there.

During this shift, especially, we are to be careful to make decisions based on His high way of righteousness, not turning back to any counterfeits. 

We can know that our best days are before us with Him and that He will take us beyond them into exponential increase. 

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your miracle-working power that produces wonders in my life. I repent of all my sins and relinquish all bitterness to You. Deliver me from every hindrance and fill me with Your Spirit anew. I invite You to make my heart whole and restore me to youthful wonder. I invite Your signs of revelation. Enable me to receive all You have for me. I wait in wonder (Ps 96:9). Thank You, Lord, for helping me win bigger and better as You make me more like You. 

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

Friends, join me next week for Part 2 of Awe & Wonder

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

Revelation – Salvation: His Glory & Grace – Part 1

After a couple of days of studying for this video-devotion, my phone rang. 

It was a God thing… 

A divine appointment.

A dear friend had phoned to invite me to pray with her about her young-adult daughter. 

I listened to my friend’s story, and then we began to pray. 

Straight away, The Lord revealed that her daughter was heading away from Him. 

God showed me a vision of her walking far out into the otherwise barren night, toward a tiny guardhouse, that was set on the edge of a geographic border.

When the daughter arrived at the guardhouse, a guard walked out. He reviewed her I.D. and handed it back to her. He refused to allow her to cross the border. Then he walked back into the guardhouse. 

The daughter stood there alone. She didn’t push back. She didn’t even look upset. She simply stared down at her I.D., perplexed, facing her own void in a remote place, not knowing what to do next. 

This young-adult daughter had come to the end of the line God had set for her.

After a moment, she quietly turned back from where she came. She was oblivious to the night all around her, as though it were her normal.

Still looking down at her I.D., she stepped forward slowly, almost mindlessly.

As she did, light began to increase around her. Gradually.

The light grew brighter with each step.

At one point, she looked up, taking her eyes off herself. She became aware that her surroundings had changed.

They were lighter.

She felt lighter.

Realizing this, the daughter sped up her walk until, finally, the bright light of revelation came on in her conscience: Suddenly, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that she was headed toward Jesus.

When she received this revelation, she took off running a very short distance, right into His arms.

Luke 11:34 TPT tells us, “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. When your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place.”

This daughter ultimately returned (repented) to her loving Jesus, full of glorious light, love and victory.

Friend’s, this is where we are all called to live—close to Him.

Through this vision, The Lord reminded me that He can post His angelic guards at boundaries that prevent us from going too far from Him. God can post angels to help us and our loved ones return to Him. 

The one thing up ahead in our dark night, can prove to be the beginning of a mighty turning point toward God’s glory. 

I believe that daughter’s angel awaited her arrival, as Jesus’ eye was upon her the whole time. 

My friend and I now declare salvation over her, as we all await her return. 

Salvation means to defend, deliver, help, preserve, rescue, be safe and avenge. And, we know God’s Word will not return without accomplishing His will. 

The day after this vision came forth, Holy Spirit added to the message…

He further revealed that, while He would enlighten the conscience of my friend’s daughter, He would simultaneously boost my friend’s confidence to trust Him implicitly with her. While my friend awaits her daughter’s return, He will grow her trust in Him to do that which only He can do. Both mother and daughter will come to know Him in a new way.

God often works in parallels, and this was His plan! 

Holy Spirit highlighted Psalm 97:11 AMPC to me in regards to my friend’s daughter, which says, “Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].”

In regards to her mother, Holy Spirit highlighted Luke 1:17:

Luke 1:17 AMPC says, “And he will [himself] go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient and incredulous and unpersuadable to the wisdom of the upright [which is the knowledge and holy love of the will of God]–in order to make ready for the Lord a people [perfectly] prepared [in spirit, adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state]. [Isa. 40:3; Mal. 4:5, 6.]”

When I saw the Word “unpersuadable” in this verse, I realized God was about to give my dear friend a revelation of faith. He was about to reveal Himself as trustworthy and prove Himself as faithful. He was about to awaken her and her daughter and persuade them both.

Both will be made stronger in Him.

When the daughter returns, God will be at the center of their relationship, and they will see more of Jesus in each other’s hearts. They will be grateful, because they will know that He alone delivered them and set things right.

The Lord used this vision to highlight a particular precept to me for this hour:

We are beginning to see what His Word describes in Habakkuk 2:14 AMPC, which says, “But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. [Isa. 11:9.]”

God is unfurling His plans in our lives to establish us more deeply in Him with awesome wonder. 

Isaiah 11:9 TPT says, “On all my holy mountain of Zion, nothing evil or harmful will be found. For the earth will be filled with the intimate knowledge of the Lord Yahweh just as water swells the sea!”

This is a new beginning for all of us, as we continue to yield to God’s plan, and come increasingly into His marvelous light. 

Hebrews 8:11-12 TPT assure us by saying, “And the result of this will be that everyone will know me as Lord! There will be no need at all to teach their fellow-citizens or brothers by saying, ‘You should know the Lord Jehovah,’ since everyone will know me inwardly, from the most unlikely to the most distinguished. For I will demonstrate my mercy to them and will forgive their evil deeds, and never remember again their sins.”

Join me next week for part 2 of Revelation – Salvation: His Glory & Grace.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.