Signs & Wonders Blog

Many Christians struggle with knowing God’s will for their lives even though Jesus said His sheep know His voice (John 10:4). One way to increase spiritual sensitivity is to be a soul winner. Sharing your faith on a regular basis will help you recognize the leading of the Lord. He’ll show you who to talk to, who not to talk to, and what to say to the people you do talk to. Still, there are believers who seek divine direction through natural means. Recently, I talked with one who sought confirmation regarding a purchase he made by “putting out a fleece.” That concept originates from a passage in Judges 6: 36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung...

Sometimes I’ve ministered to homeless people who told they were forced onto the streets because of moving to take on a job that didn’t work out. In response, I testify about the time I got stranded in Pittsburgh and spent the night in a homeless shelter. The next morning, a man I met in a church offered to let me stay with him for a few days. Two days later, a friend offered to wire me money to buy a bus ticket. That allowed me to travel to a friend's place in Minneapolis. Had I insisted on staying in Pittsburgh, I might have found myself back on the streets. I share that story for three reasons. First, I know what it’s like to suddenly not have a roof over my head, but God’s been faithful to provide. What He’s done for me, He can do for them. “...God is no respecter of persons.” (Acts 10:34 KJV) Second, God often uses other Christians to bless His people. Where will you find believers gathered together? In the house of the Lord. I encourage the homeless to get plugged into a c...

How many times have you heard the cliché “God is in control”? Songs have been written about it including the like-titled Christian hit by Twila Paris that won a 1995 Dove Award. Another one called “You Are in Control” I heard many times at the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida.  Some Christians believe the Lord orchestrates every detail of a person’s life. Calvinists like to quote Romans 8:29-30, which talk about people being “predestined.” It would behoove Calvinists to read the previous verse. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Notice this promise doesn’t apply to everyone but to those who love God . Man has free will and can choose to follow his own devices (Jeremiah 18:12). Therefore, he is responsible for his actions and cannot use the old Flip Wilson excuse “the devil made me do it.” Numerous Scriptures talk about self-control. Galatians 5:23 lists tha...

As a young Christian, I read many books by Kenneth E. Hagin and his son Kenneth Hagin, Jr. One of the latter was titled “It’s Your Move”, which compares our walk with the Lord to a chess game. When we make a move, then He makes a move. Dad Hagin often said, “It is easier to steer a car when it is moving than when it is parked.” I’ve seen this truth manifest many times during my missionary travels. Back in 2003, I flew to Berlin, Germany. After staying in a prayer house for nearly three weeks, two women invited the caretaker and me to go on a road trip with them to Nuremberg. I was reluctant to step out until one of the women said she knew a hotel owner that would provide a room for two nights. Upon our arrival in Nuremberg, we attended a church service. The first worship song I heard was based on Romans 8:1-2. I had read those same verses out loud in the car moments before. I also heard a minister say, “God moves with those who move.” That assured me I did the right thing. The next ni...

A game you might have played as a child was “connect the dots.” Like the picture shown in this article, you drew lines to various dots in numerical order. Often you didn’t know what the picture looked like until almost all the dots were connected. Our Christian walk can be like playing connect the dots. The Lord leads us to do things that we sometimes don’t understand why. Often His purpose is revealed while He’s “connecting the dots.” Many times it takes a step of faith to get the process started. In his book “It’s Your Move”, Kenneth W. Hagin compares divine guidance to a chess game. When we make a move, then God makes a move. We continue taking turns until the big picture comes together.  There are many stories I could share illustrating this truth but will focus on one that happened during the summer of 2002. While staying at a missionary house in Tampa, Florida, I perceived the Lord wanted me to travel to San Antonio, Texas. At the time, I didn't know anybody there....

Every believer should be involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. However, only a small percentage of Christians are called to an office of the fivefold ministry (one pastor I know believes it’s about 3%). God also needs people in the marketplace to be a witness and help fund the end-time harvest. Evangelist Stephen Hill often said, “You know you are called to full-time ministry when secular employment is undesirable.” If you perceive God is calling you, then there will likely come a time when He instructs you to step out in faith and leave your job or business. That thought may sound a little scary at first. But if it’s God’s timing, He will make sure your needs are met as long as you follow His instructions. Isaiah 1:19 says, “ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”  The transition into ministry and the preparation time involved varies with each individual. Sometimes God calls His people to step out quickly and completely. In Matthew ...

Like many people, I was surprised to hear of Robin Williams committing suicide last Monday. Minus the profanity, I enjoyed Robin’s comic talents especially in the movie “Good Morning, Vietnam” and the parody of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in his first album “Reality...What a Concept.” It’s sad this actor/comedian who made millions laugh gave up his battle with depression by taking his own life. This past Thursday I read a WorldNetDaily article about Robin Williams accepting Jesus Christ while in rehab . One man responded to the article with this comment: “God chooses who is to be saved and then opens their hearts to receive the message.” I attempted to correct this man of his belief in predestination, a doctrine popularized by 16th century theologian John Calvin. One dictionary defines predestination as “the act of God foreordaining every event from eternity.”  A passage often cited by Calvinists can be found in Romans 8:29-30: " For whom He foreknew, He also predesti...

A few days ago I talked with two ministers going through marital issues. One of them had been married for almost twenty years. His wife (a worship leader) recently divorced him because she felt he wasn’t providing for her. Although I respect this minister accepting responsibility for the marital failure, I thought he was being too hard on himself. For one thing, there was infidelity on his wife’s part. Nevertheless, this man had taken on a secular job but knows he is supposed to be in full-time ministry. I reminded him of Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I went through a similar situation fourteen years ago. One morning after we had been married for only a couple of weeks, my then-wife insisted on us finding “stupid jobs” because we ran out of money. I reminded her we agreed to work for God and trust Him to meet our needs. Later that day I was offered a job at the Christian campground we were staying at. Unfortunately my wife stirred up addit...

A doctrine taught by some ministers is that believers don’t have free will. Recently a friend wrote on her Facebook wall, “When love invades your heart, where is the choice, the so-called free will? You turn into LOVE!” I wrote in response, “If Christians no longer have free will, then how come God doesn’t make every one of them take part in free-will offerings?”   That reminds me of one preacher who had someone tell him, “God makes people do whatever He wants them to do.” This preacher replied, “If that’s true, then how come He won’t make you pay your tithes?” Hebrews 10:25 commands us not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together.”  Yet when I’m out evangelizing, I regularly meet Christians who don’t go to church for a variety of reasons. A believer who truly loves the Lord will want to obey Him in all things including giving, attending church and witnessing. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”  But until we die or are ra...

Occasionally when I get together with other Christians for a prayer meeting, the leader will lift up “unspoken requests.”  While this may sound holy and religious, it is unscriptural.  Philippians 4:6 commands us to “let your requests be made known to God.” It’s true that our Heavenly Father “knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8)  Sometimes we might get blessed with things we didn’t specifically pray for simply because He loves us.  But notice what Jesus said in Matthew 7:11; “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him !”   If you were in line at a McDonald’s drive thru, would you expect to receive an item on the menu that you didn’t order?  Of course, you wouldn’t.  Likewise, we need to be specific in what we want something from God.   Look at what happened in Mark 10:51 after blind...

Occasionally when I ask people if they think they are going to heaven, they respond with something like, “That’s for Him to decide.” What they don’t realize is that man has been given the freedom to choose his destiny.  Adam and Eve could have chosen to follow God’s instructions not to eat the forbidden fruit but did so anyway. Cain could have chosen not to become bitter about his rejected offering but later murdered his brother Abel. We can choose not to sin instead of using that old Flip Wilson alibi, “The devil made me do it.” Hebrews 11:24-25 says that Moses “ …refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” Some choices may seem insignificant such as what clothes to wear or where to eat dinner. Then again, our choices can greatly affect the lives of others. Just last night, a pastor I was riding with drove us to Papa John’s where he planned to buy us pizza. Five...