Show Me a Sign!

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

A good friend of mine, Tracey Jenks, has been able to secure appointments with publishers to pitch her idea of her book at a Women’s Leadership Conference she is attending, She Speaks. Tracey has tried her hardest to get out of writing this book that God has called her to write. And one night after hearing the testimony of a new Christian talk about 2 shooting stars she had seen in the same night sky…she wanted God to give her some type of sign like that. She admits this was sorta like “hanging out the fleece” from the Old Testament.

I have to admit also that I’ve asked God if something was really from Him, to just ‘show me a sign’. In Isaiah 7:14 the prophecy of Christ Jesus’ birth is spoken about, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Jesus’ own people, the Jews, the majority of them still do not believe Jesus was and is their Messiah. My stepfather is Jewish by blood and as a kid growing up I remember him asking me lots of questions about why I thought Jesus was the Savior of the World. Now my stepfather is what they call a Messianic Jew, meaning he now believes that Jesus is the Messiah of the World and He came to deliver all people including gentiles from eternity in hell. Isn’t that cool?

So signs. Do I believe in signs? I believe God sends them to us in many different ways but I try not to fixate my faith on a sign. Years ago I was wrapped up in horoscopes and astrology. I have to be very careful not to wrap myself back up into such foolishness and I learned in the year 2000 if I need any type of sign from God, He will reveal it in His Word. That was the year I broke free from that occult practice altogether. It was scary to see how influential that lifestyle was on my life, my family’s life, and ultimately my witness for God. Thank God I broke away from such nonsense. The group, 700 Club helped me to see the error of my sin and they prayed with me to help me restore my relationship with God. The counselor on the phone that night had told me that we are born under certain astrological signs and take on characteristics associated with that birth sign, b/c God made the celestials and everything in the sky. It is also under His control but we have to be very careful not to allow our enemy control of our minds. So I generally do not look for ‘signs’ from God b/c of my past experience with the occult. Once you break free from such demonic forces, you never want to tarry there again! Thank You Jesus for helping me to break away from such awful practices. I’ve been forgiven even though I was ignorant to what I was doing for a long time.

It is stated in Mark 16:17 that Jesus said to His disciplines, “And these signs will accompany those who believe; In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;” I’m reading a book my mother gave me titled,Where God Was Born by Bruce Feiler. And in the introduction we are introduced to an Israeli General Yoram Yair who is known by his nickname, Yaya. He is “one of the most decorated generals in the history of Israel, a man who had been the first Israeli to penetrate the Sinai during the Six-Day War, the last to hold the Golan Heights during an amphibious landing closest to Beirut during the Lebanon War“. In the book’s introduction, “Be Strong and Very Courageous” Feiler quotes Yaya and the reason why he liked the Bible very much -”the story, the heritage, the connection to the land”. Yaya said this about his military missions, “I always asked one of the soldiers to prepare something about the place. Every Israeli commander will tell you that part of our mission is education. Not just about weapons systems but about values and ethics.
And I’ll tell you,” he continued. “The best thing about the Bible is what it teaches about community. Take Moses: When he leads the Israelites out of Egypt, he does what all good leaders should do, first he sets a goal. Then he builds tactics. But before they leave, he asks his people to do a difficult thing: to put blood on the doorposts. Is this for God? Nonsense. God doesn’t need signs. Moses does this because he wants the people to develop a strong identity.”

I know what you might be thinking…of course the Israelites put blood on the doorposts b/c of the death angel passing over, so they it would not take their first born. Think about what I just quoted though…”God doesn’t need signs. Moses did this because he wants the people to develop a strong identity.” Isn’t that what God wants for us as individuals? To know who we are in Jesus Christ, aside from signs and wonders. We will do those in abundance Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18. “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” See God created us as a miraculous sign to the world. What more do you need? I love looking up at the night sky but to ask God to give me a sign? No, I only need to look in the mirror to see the greatest sign of all, He has given to the world about me. Jesus lives in my heart and soul, I proclaim to the world that I am one of His great miracles and I am a wonder wall. I was created in love and out of love I came. And in Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Now let’s see you tell the world that you are a great sign in this universe!