If you hang around God very much, it won’t be long before you’ll start wanting to do things the world considers supernatural. You’ll start wanting to lay hands on the sick and have them recover. You’ll start wanting to cast out demons. You’ll start wanting to cast mountainous problems into the sea.

What’s more, you can do it if you want to!

How? Not by jumping out and “trying” to do supernatural things, but by obeying God one step at a time. By doing the things He’s already given you power to do.

That’s how it happened with Moses. He didn’t have the power to divide the Red Sea. But he did have the power to stretch his rod out over it. And when he did that in obedience to the Lord’s command, the Holy Spirit did the rest.

It will be the same way with you. When you start doing your part, the Holy Spirit will do His and supernatural things will start happening around you.

What is your part? Feeding on the Word. Praying in the spirit. Listening to what the Spirit of God says to you. As you do those things, as you begin to move as God impresses you to move and take your direction from Him, you’ll flow in the supernatural as naturally as a bird flies in the air.

You won’t struggle and strain and try to “part the sea.” You’ll just trust the Lord and stretch out your rod...and watch the miracles roll.

Scripture Reading:
Exodus 14

What do you do when you’re in a really perilous situation?

If you’re like I used to be, you cry out to God in desperation. One afternoon when I was squalling to God about something, He interrupted me and said, Kenneth, did you know I don’t hear the cry of My children when they cry out in desperation?

“What?” I said. “I thought You did.”

He said, No, I hear the desperation cry of a sinner because that’s all he can cry about. But once you get born again, son, you ought to be crying out of faith. I hear the faith cry.

What is a faith cry? It’s calling things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). It’s what the Bible means when it says, “…Let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel 3:10).

The Apostle Paul knew how to use the faith cry. That’s why, in Acts 27, he exhorted the men on that battered, sinking ship to “be of good cheer.” He was telling them to start acting by faith. Can’t you imagine what those sailors thought when he said that? Listen to that stupid preacher. We’re sinking and he says be of good cheer. We’ve thrown everything we have overboard and he says be of good cheer.

You may feel just like those sailors did, right now. You may feel like your ship’s going down. You may feel like crying out in desperation. But don’t do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer!

Cry out to God in faith and say, “Lord, I’m not going to panic. I’m not going to despair. I’m going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You’ll deliver me from this situation” (Psalm 34:19).

Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you’ve ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He’ll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.

Instead of crying out in desperation, take a faith stand. Sing and rejoice and praise God for your deliverance. Be of good cheer and you can be sure God will bring you through the storm just fine!

Scripture Reading:
Philippians 4:4-9

For the first time, Jesus addressed His Father as “God.” The Father had forsaken the Son. As Judge of the universe, God had to turn His back on His Son, who was carrying the filth of the world’s sins, for His eyes are too pure to behold evil (see Habakkuk 1:13).

If the Father had not turned His back on His Son, He would have to turn His back on you today when you call out to Him in your hour of need. But because Jesus has taken your place, today, you take His place, and you have God’s face smiling on you always!

Right now, God’s face is smiling on you. His countenance is shining on you. I can stand before you and declare, “The Lord make His face shine upon you” (Numbers 6:25–26). And it is all because Jesus has paid the price for God to never leave you nor forsake you (see Hebrews 13:5).

As Judge, God turned His back on His Son. But as Father, He cried. His heart was broken because Christ was never more pleasing to Him than when He was on the cross. Christ’s suffering was a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father (see Ephesians 5:2).

Do you remember what Jesus said? “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again” (John 10:17). If you are a parent, you love each one of your children equally. But when one of them does something special for you out of love, it touches your heart, and you just want to run to him and hug him.

That was what happened at the cross, except that the Father could not embrace His Son. Instead, He had to turn His back on His Son because our sins had to be punished in His Son’s body.

Beloved, when you cry out to the Father for help today, know that He hears you and will surely help you. Because of Jesus, He will never turn His back on you!

Have you ever wanted to get God’s attention? You can, you know. There’s a certain kind of boldness, a certain kind of faith in giving that will get His attention every time. You can see that in Mark 12.

Read that chapter and just imagine the situation it describes. Jesus was sitting by the treasury watching as people put in their offerings. Don’t you know there were some sanctimonious displays going on with Him there watching? There was bound to be plenty of pharisaical robe swishing as those wealthy leaders walked up to put in their gifts that day.

Right in the middle of it all, this poor widow walked up and threw in her offering. I can just see her in my mind’s eye. I can hear her say to herself, “By the eternal Almighty God that liveth, I’ve had enough of this poverty. I’m fed up with having nothing but want. I may just be a poor widow now, but I’m not going to be a poor widow anymore. I’m going to be a broke widow if God doesn’t do something here because I’m giving Him everything I’ve got!”

Then, wham! She threw that last little dab of money she had into the offering.

Do you know what? That got Jesus’ attention. He said, “Listen, everyone. I want to talk to you about this woman,” and He started to preach.

What moved Jesus wasn’t just the fact that she gave. It was how she gave. She gave in faith—not in fear. She didn’t stop and calculate what she didn’t have and say, “Boy, if I do this, tomorrow I won’t eat.” She just boldly threw in all she had, expecting God to take care of her in return.

You and I need to catch hold of that same attitude. We need to start holding our offerings up to the Lord in confidence, throwing them boldly into His service, expecting His blessings in return.

If you have a need right now, get God’s attention by giving with boldness like that widow woman did. Throw open the door of your household by throwing everything you have at Jesus. Let God know that He is your source. Before long, the abundance of God will come pouring in!

Scripture Reading:
Mark 12:28-44