In some Christian circles, the Good News of miracles and transformed lives does not bring excitement; it brings warning. God has been absent so long that when something powerful happens, they think it is the devil. Thus, any of us who see a miracle and declare the Good News to others often receive a pile of warnings in return about the possibility of false signs and wonders. That is a legitimate concern, as the Bible warns against them, too. But we need to remember that there has to be something real to counterfeit, as the devil is not a creator. He has no creative ability whatsoever. Instead, he is a distorter of what already exists. The very fact that the Bible warns against false signs and wonders and false prophets implies there are real ones to compare them to.
Much of the Church lives with little or no power. Believers sit comfortably with the notion that they are okay because they do not face spiritual opposition. But if I do not run into the devil now and then, I might be going the same direction.
It is true that a legally parked car breaks no laws. But this car was designed to go places and accomplish things. The fear of making mistakes and not doing a particular ministry well has paralyzed many believers, and this is a tragedy. They fail to see that perfectionism is religion (form without power). Excellence is Kingdom. Saying yes to the King is the first step in discipleship. And being driven by love makes it possible to remain stationary.
One of our greatest honors in life is to represent Jesus accurately. This is done through love, purity and power. Often what we value here on earth has little value in heaven. Believers, for example, often place their highest value on a church without mistakes (the legally parked car). Heaven values a church that has impact.
People in banking systems are trained to spot counterfeit money. Their training, however, has nothing to do with counterfeit money. They spend enormous amounts of time studying the real so that the fake become obvious. Counterfeit miracles become easier to spot when you live in the midst of the real. False prophets stand out in a crowd of real prophets.
Many think that a false prophet is uncovered when a prophetic word is inaccurate, but that is not necessarily true. Study the prophecies of Agabus in the book of Acts. He was a true prophet of God as acknowledged by the Holy Spirit, but not all the details of his word to Paul were accurate. For this reason, the believer is given the assignment to judge the word, not the prophet. The false prophet and false miracle worker are easy to spot among real because the "supernatural realm" they walk in directs the attention of the followers to themselves and not the Lord. They live to build their own kingdoms, have their own followers and entice people to live for them.
Prayer:-
Heavenly Father, help me to represent Jesus well today. I commit myself to His standard of love, purity and power. Let these realities be increasingly evident in and through my life, all for the glory of God.
Confession:-
I declare that I was born for this purpose, and that it has already been decided that I should carry Jesus' presence and purpose to the world around me. I will demonstrate His live daily, and given Him thanks in advance for what is about to take place! I do all of this for the glory of God.
