Signs & Wonders Blog

Years ago during a Sunday morning church service, a picture flashed through my mind of a Fisher-Price Corn Popper, a toy some of you might have played with as a child (I remember having one). The interpretation of this vision is that many Christians have colorful gifts that will remain dormant until they start moving. Then those gifts will “pop.” Look at 2 Timothy 1:6-7… “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Many believers quote verse 7 by itself. Truths in Scripture are often revealed when we read particular verses together. Chapter and verse numbers in the Bible were not part of the original Hebrew and Greek texts but were added by translators to help God’s people find specific passages. One reason many Christians are shy and fearful is that they are not using all the natural and spiritual gifts God has put into them.  Tw...

I believe one reason some people shy away from Christianity is seeing passive believers. The Lord doesn’t want us being idle wimps until He returns. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said, “Go ye,” not “Sit ye.” Many Christians need a greater revelation of their authority in Christ. As a young believer, I heard my then-pastor share a powerful truth regarding what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18,  “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”   Religious people misinterpret this verse to mean the church is to huddle together while withstanding demonic attacks. However, gates don’t attack anybody. They just stand there.  It’s the church that is to be on the attack. As Jesus said in Luke 19:13 (KJV),  “Occupy till I come.”  To take spiritual ground, we must put on equipment described in Ephesians 6… 13  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be a...

This past week at the church I’ve been working with, we had a visiting evangelist named Joe Jackson. That had me thinking of famous people with that name such as Michael Jackson’s father, a baseball player with the nickname “Shoeless,” and a British singer whose biggest U. S. hit was the Grammy-nominated “Steppin’ Out.” As I watched the music video of that song for the first time in years, I suddenly realized how Joe Jackson’s tune could be turned into an exhortation to obey the Great Commission. The hardest part about evangelism is simply getting started. Even after doing street ministry for over twenty years, there are times I don’t feel like talking to people. But once I get over myself and start sharing the gospel, the Holy Spirit flows through me and I feel much better afterwards. Back in the early 1990s when I was involved with network marketing, I heard a sales trainer point out if we only do things that are comfortable, we are “screwing up big time.” One way we matur...

Standing by a river in central Germany I was temporarily living in Toronto in 1996 when the Lord revealed He was calling me to go to Germany. Initially I wasn’t excited about the idea. But by the time I made my third Germany trip in 2003, I would have been content to spend the rest of my life there. Instead God directed me to visit other parts of Western Europe until I returned to America. Since then I’ve mostly spent seasons living on the East Coast and in the Upper Midwest.  One of the greatest frustrations a believer can experience is not knowing where God wants them to be. Many times we need to take action on what we know before He gives us additional direction. In Genesis 12, Abram was directed by the Lord to leave his home country but didn’t receive further instructions until he started moving. You cannot steer a parked car. Lack of provision can also be a sign we’re not where God has assigned us to be. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah was commanded to go to the brook Cheri...