WHAT A PRIVILEGE to offer thanks to God Who takes us from faith to faith. He has granted countless miracles in His name. Often we find that we can but stand in awestruck wonder as we witness His amazing handiwork.
Not long ago an individual asked me,
"How can we have more miracles in our ministry?"
Being a simplistic man, my answer was, of course, simple. "Think like Christ." That may sound a bit too easy or perhaps impossible, but it is true none the less. Paul said it like this (I Cor.2:16) "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ"; also (Phil.2:5) "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus". When we look at a person with our carnal mind or just plain-ole human mentatility, we automatically measure him up, so to speak. In other words we make a judgment about the person based on what our natural eyes and ears perceive. On the other hand when we have the mind of Christ, our initial thought or perception is cued upon their constant sickness that has stripped them of hope, their sad past that brought them to degradation, their sincere yet staunch stance they've taken in the false doctrine that blinds them and finally the loss, heartache, even foolishness that drove them to an addiction that they have no idea of how to be freed from. Jesus always looks past the exterior. To Him the measure of a man is the whole man, not just what we see and hear today, but the lifetime opportunity or lack thereof that molded him to manifest such need. Only through a daily dying out of ourselves and daily taking on of Christ are we able to manifest His mind in our ministry. When we comprehend the measure of love and compassion of our Lord, then our minds are filtered through the same, as we deal with the souls of humanity on a higher level. The miracle comes from our merciful and all powerful God, yet He has chosen to channel that power through us. We cringe at the implied self-importance of "I prayed for that cripple man and he walked out of there". But folks, that's how God works. Sure, He could have chosen to deal with humanity one on one, excluding the middle-man (or woman). Yet, He chose to use you and me as conduits to channel His delivering, healing and salvation power through to the needs of souls around us. This article began with a question asked of me. Now let me end it with a question directed to you. "Is your conduit clear of the obstructions and debris of judgment and preconceived ideologies, or is it free flowing, allowing the Father to course through your faith-filled prayer into that one he SEES as most precious in His sight?"
Be blessed today is our prayer for you,
Rev. Gary Ashcraft
Ashcraft Ministries