Signs and wonders will follow those who believe. It's more than a promise. It's a statement of fact in red letters.

This reality is one of the reasons I love being a believer of Christ living in the New Testament era. Not only do we have direct access to God and the ability to show the love of God to the world the same way that Jesus was able to, but we also carry the power of God. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have God's authorization and ability to heal, restore, renew and perform miracles. We have the same power to perform signs and wonders as Christ had while on earth. How cool, right?

For most of us, these signs and wonders don't come automatically when we choose to believe in Him for the first time, nor do they often happen automatically as we walk out our faith. So how do we learn to do the things that Christ did?

Signs and wonders start in the heart. The heart is the bridge between the seen and the unseen world. The seen world is what you see with your eyes. The unseen world is what you see with your eyes closed, by faith. When your eyes are wide open, it's easy to see the hurt, the pain, hunger, the broken hearts and the lostness of people without God. These things can blind us to the wonders of life and the solutions to these issues, allowing us to become mired in doubt and unbelief. In order to perceive and receive signs and wonders, it's absolutely necessary to walk by faith, with our spiritual heart, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

This doesn't mean God is asking us to check our minds in at the door when we choose to believe in Him. He is the God of both Spirit and truth, and He commands us to set a "guard [over both] your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7, NIV). However, the mind has limitations the heart doesn't have. That's why Scripture also tells us the heart is greater than the mind. When we exalt our own reasoning and observations over the truth of God, we make it harder to experience the signs and wonders that come from rooted and grounded faith. On the other hand, when we cultivate a heart-attitude that is passionately seeking relationship with God, it awakens our awareness of the potential for miracles all around us, and our belief grows.

It pleases God when we believe. Pastor Michael Todd calls this "faith that follows." When we follow Christ by faith, we hear His Word. The more we hear His Word, the more we trust His Word and obey Him. This trust, coupled with obedience, is the perfect heart-environment for signs and wonders. When we cultivate this level of intimacy with Christ, Jesus says, "Anything is possible" (Mark 9:23, NLT).

Today I want you to look inward at your spiritual heart. Do you find belief there, or is the door open for doubt? Ask yourself, Am I relying on my spiritual eyes more than mind, or is it the other way around? Any imbalance in these areas—belief versus doubt, spiritual perception versus physical sight—can give unbelief a foothold. Give it a foothold, and it will cloud all your senses, making it hard to see, hear, and even "taste" the goodness of the Lord (Ps. 34:8). Furthermore, doubt and unbelief in what God's Word declares introduce the lie of lack into our lives. They always introduce questions and never bring solutions, robbing us of the manifest wonder of God's abundance, love and care for every detail in our lives. They shut down any potential for signs and wonders around us.

Have the courage today to leave behind all doubt and unbelief from your life and instead look at the world through the eyes of God in His Word. Ask His forgiveness for your doubt and unbelief, and do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed with grief for any past doubts you have faced, because you are an overcomer. You are a child of God created in His image. You are blood bought and blood washed. Lift your hands and bless Him for that! From now on, look at the world through your heart rather than your mind. Give worship with anticipation instead of reservation. And get ready for God to bring miracles into your life.

You are beautiful. I see Jesus in you.

Have an awesome week!

Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with the Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide soul-winning celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor's conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia's 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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