I sense something is happening, changing, and shifting in the Church. I sense that God is about to come through, and we need to take on the premise that God is about to move with miracles among his people. Those things that we have sought him for and prayed about that we read in His Word and believe that God did in the past, God is literally about to do again in the present, at this moment.
He's about to get up with miraculous power, just as we read about in the pages of scripture. For people in and out of the kingdom of God, miracles are a sign and wonder to draw them to Jesus Christ.
But God is on the move, and we need to operate under a new premise that something new is on the horizon. Some people say miracles have always taken place. I would agree. There have always been multiplied times of miracles throughout history. But I believe we are entering a season where miracles will be in abundance, and we need to seek the Lord for his miracle-working power and understand that God is still the God he always was.
The God of the Bible is still real, alive, and active, and what he did in the pages of scripture, he is still able to do in our life, that God wants to come through for you, that God desires to move for you, that God wants to perform works in your life. And I believe we're entering a season in the Church and on the earth when God's miraculous power and hand will again be seen among the body of Christ. It will be a sign, a wonder, and a testament to the glory of God and the power of God, and it will draw people to the kingdom of God as they see the Lord work and move with force.
So we've got to keep our hearts ready. We must keep our hearts and lives prepared to receive what Jesus Christ is about to perform among his people on earth. Come on, Church, it's time to keep our hearts prepared and ready so that the Lord can move among us in the way he desires.
The Lord asked me once, "What will you do with the first miracle I send?" In other words, the first notable miracle God sends. We've all experienced as believers those moments when the Lord would come through in a seemingly small way and answer that small prayer, and it's like, wow, I can't believe what just happened. That's amazing, but what will we do with the first notable miracle?
Listen, God is about to send notable miracles to the body of Christ, and he is sending them right now all over the earth.The Church is about to see it happen. This is one of the things that we, as the remnant church, are praying for and praying into. God will send signs, miracles, and wonders, and not just for the sake of signs, miracles, and wonders, no, but so that those miracles are something that God uses as a tool to draw people to himself and to produce mighty revival and outpouring among the midst of his people because that is what miracles should produce.
Miracles should produce repentance in our hearts. As we see God move in miraculous ways, touching people, healing people, moving for people, protecting people, and coming through for people, it should cause our hearts to melt with repentance that declares to the Lord, "If there's anything in me that's not right with you, Father, I lay it down now, I turn from it, and I change my mind, and I want to walk before your presence with holiness in the fear of the Lord. I repent of my ways because I want to press into the same miracle-working power and presence of God," so miracles should produce repentance.
Miracles should also produce awe and wonder that draws us into the presence of God. I've got to have that presence of God, that anointing of God in my life. I don't want to live a life that's free from miracles. I want to live a life free for miracles to work in and through me. I want to know the God of the Bible is who he declares himself to be.
The Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 NKJV, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
So, as we move into this season, we see that it does something to our hearts, and we've got to keep our hearts ready for the miracle that the Lord wants to send, those miracles that will produce revival in our lives.
The premise of this message that overarches everything that I've said so far is that you have to guard your heart in the miracle.
We have to guard our hearts.
Guard your heart in the miracle because as God moves in miraculous ways, and we see this even in the New Testament when Jesus lived, as God gives miracles and produces wonders among his people, it can cause our heart to go one direction or the other. It can cause our hearts to be inclined to the Lord, or it can cause our hearts to be pushed away from the Lord, so we've got to be ready to guard our hearts in the middle of the miracle.
The same miracle that saves a man whose heart is inclined to believe the Lord will kill a man whose heart has grown hard to God.
The same miracle produces life in one and death in another, depending on the state of the heart.
As we read the account of a notable miracle in Exodus, let us set a foundation and precedent because the Bible says the Lord went before them.
Exodus 13:21-22 NKJV
[21] And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. [22] He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
Okay, let's get some context. Moses had just led the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Egyptians had let them go; this was their first stage of walking out into the wilderness. And the Bible says, and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. ➡️ So, we must understand that before God did any other miracle for them, the first miracle he produced for them was a miracle of presence.
He sent his presence. He sent the fiery presence of God and the glory cloud among them. ➡️ God sent himself. He walked before them, and he wouldn't leave them. What a miracle, as they saw the spiral of fire of the presence of God rising before them, and they saw the spiral of the tornadic cloud of the glory of God sifting the desert sands in the presence of the Lord before the people of Israel. The children of Israel saw a miracle of presence. But here's what happened next. In Exodus chapter 14, you see Pharaoh begin to question himself, and even the servants of Pharaoh begin to ask themselves, "Why in the world did we let the children of Israel go? Why didn't we keep them serving us?"
The Egyptians had just lost the firstborn of all the people and all the animals in the land of Egypt when the death angel flew over, and the children of Israel celebrated the first Passover. The Israelites followed God's instructions and put a lamb's blood on the doorposts and the lentils of their doors. This symbolized what Jesus would do thousands of years later as the lamb of sacrifice. The people of Israel did not lose a person or an animal because of the blood! The Egyptians had seen their firstborn killed, and as a result, they sent the Israelites out of Egypt. But after the Israelites left, Pharaoh said, "What did we do?" God had already begun to harden Pharoah's heart. His heart was inclined to grow hard, so God came along and leaned into his inclination. Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he decided, "We're going to go get those people back. We're going to pursue them," so that's what happened.
Pharaoh and his army were pursuing the children of Israel.
Exodus 14:8 NKJV
[8] And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel, and the children of Israel went out with boldness.
Now, I thought it was notable that the Israelites went out with boldness in the power of God. God was leading the way with his presence, just as he is in our life.
Exodus 14:9-10 NKJV
[9] So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. [10] And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
Now, they're about to say some harsh things to Moses, and what gets to me about this is the presence of the Lord is still there. The fire and the cloud, the miracle is still right in front of them, and they're seeing this day by day. They cry out to the Lord.
Exodus 14:11-12 NKJV
[11] Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? [12] Is this not the Word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
Now, listen to what Moses says to the Israelites because he's setting them up.
Exodus 14:13-15 NKJV
[13] And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. [14] The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." [15] And the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
Exodus 14:16 NKJV
[16] But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Remember, they had already experienced the miracle of presence. The presence of God was with them. The presence of the Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, was with them. Their Redeemer, their Deliverer, their Provider, He was with them. He was not going to leave them in any way. They saw the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The miracle of presence was there. The miracle of presence began the same way in the New Testament.
John 1:1-5,14 NKJV
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Before Jesus did any other miracle, there was a miracle of presence in that He dwelt among us. He lived with us, and we beheld his glory.
In the same way, God chose to dwell with the children of Israel, but even in his presence, they still gave into fear. However, a notable miracle was about to take place.
First of all, the presence of God produces notable miracles. Why should we seek the presence of God? Because the presence of God produces notable miracles. When you need something from the Lord, you can't just use the Lord for what you require and exploit Him for what you want. You have to learn to live in His presence, and the presence of God in your life will produce notable miracles.
Exodus 14:17-20 NKJV
[17] And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. [18] Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen." [19] And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. [20] So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. ➡️ Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
➡️ I'll say again the same miracle that saves a man whose heart is inclined to believe the Lord will kill a man whose heart has grown hard to God. God is about to split the Red Sea, but take note first that what God was doing was darkness to one, but it was light to another.
Be careful how you view the miracle that God is sending. Be cautious about your perspective. Do not let your heart become hard when you see the miracle. You may ask, "How in the world could my heart become hard when I see the miraculous power of God?" All I can say is throughout the Old Testament, the children of Israel constantly had hard hearts even though they were being provided for day after day by food from heaven and water from a rock. Yet their hearts were hardened against God multiple times, even though there was a constant cloud by day of the presence of God and a fire by night that they could visibly see.
In this instance, it will be the Egyptians whose hearts harden.
Exodus 14:21-22 NKJV
[21] Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. [22] So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
What a fantastic sight as Moses stretches his rod over the sea and the children of Israel literally walk through the walls of water. They came out believing that there was a powerful God on their side. But Egyptians walked through the same walls of water and hardened their hearts.
The Israelites and the Egyptians both saw, experienced and walked through the same miracle. ➡️ The miracle that produced life and light in one produced darkness and death in the other, and it was all about the inclination of their heart.
The Egyptians had hard hearts before the Lord. They walked through the walls of water, and they died because of the miracle because their heart was hard. The Egyptians perceived the miracle from the wrong perspective.
🔴 Notice also that they were viewing someone else's miracle.
The miracle Pharoah's army was viewing and experiencing wasn't for them. It was for the children of Israel. God was performing the miracle for his people, and so as the Egyptian army perceived, saw, and experienced the Israelites' miracle, the Egyptians' hearts became hard.
Don't let your heart become hard when seeing what God miraculously does for someone else! Do you remember what happened to the man in the New Testament who lay by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years? Jesus came by, and it was the Sabbath, and he said, "Do you believe that I can do this?" So Jesus declares, "Pick up your mat and walk," and he picks up his mat and walks!
The man is restored, but what do the Pharisees do in perfect pharisaical fashion? They say, "Why did someone do this miracle on the Sabbath?" They could have cared less that a lame man who'd been lame for decades rose, walked, and carried away his mat.
All they cared about was their perception of the miracle.
Because even though they saw and experienced the miracle when they witnessed and experienced what God did for someone else because their heart was hard, it led them to a place of death.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You are a whitewashed tomb full of dead men's bones."
Jesus said it because their heart was hard. The same miracle that produces life and light in one person will create darkness and death in another if they do not guard their hearts and keep them inclined to be before the Lord.
➡️ We must guard our hearts in the miracle.
Exodus 14:23-25 NKJV
[23] And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. [24] Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. [25] And He took off their chariot wheels so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians."
God also wants to fight for you through miracle-working power! We are coming even more into a season of miracles!
Exodus 14:26-31 NKJV
[26] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." [27] And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. [28] Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. [29] But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. [30] So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. [31] Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
Israel saw a great work from the Lord, and what the great work produced in them was fear of God and faith. The great miracle they saw produced life because fear of God and faith always produce life.
We must be careful to guard how we see the miracles God performs because the miracle for one person will produce life, yet for another will produce death, based on how their heart perceives it.
What are you going to do when the Lord begins to send miracles among his people? What will you do with the miracle?
Again, we are entering a season and a time in the Church and on the earth when God is about to produce notable, amazing miracles. If you are tracking this like me, you are already beginning to hear the testimony of some of these miracles across the earth!
Praise God for the miracles, but be careful how you view the miracles God sends for another person.
Don't let your heart look at what God does for someone else and become hard because you feel like, "God, I need you to come through like you came through for them, but you haven't yet come through for me." Don't let your heart grow hard because what brings life and light to one will bring darkness and death to another, depending on the condition of their heart. Look at their miracle and thank God with them. Look at their miracle and praise God with them. Be grateful to God with them.
If for nothing else, be grateful that a miracle of presence is already happening. The Bible says that Jesus was and is Immanuel, God with us. In other words, he's always with you! There is already a miracle of presence on earth; when Jesus is present, it is the breeding ground for miracles.
So if you haven't experienced your miracle from God yet, or if you haven't experienced the answer to your prayer yet, or if you haven't experienced your healing yet… don't you dare give up!
You are a warrior! There's a miracle of presence right now in your house.
Jesus is there, and we lean into the timing of God because the Bible says the times and seasons are in the Father's hand; they're not in ours. We trust him and guard our hearts because when God sends a miracle, we want it to bring light and life into us, not darkness and death.
When we see other people have miracles from God, we want it to bring light and life, not darkness and death. When God sends a miracle in our life, we want it to convey humility and repentance and a heart inclined to draw near and seek the face of God, not pride or being puffed up. You can't be good enough, big enough, or holy enough to rate a miracle from God.
It has nothing to do with how good we are. It has to do with how good He is and with the mercy and grace of God, so we lean into these things and guard our hearts in the miracle.
