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How To Receive A Miracle, Part Three | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast
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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message. Welcome to Jesus the Healer. We're so glad you're with us today. And today we're going to continue a teaching that we started in our last episode. We were teaching on how to receive miracles. What is our role in receiving a miracle? So we want you to get hold of your Bible, get a notepad, get a pen or pencil, and follow along with us. But most importantly, believe with your heart. Engage your heart, release your faith, and don't just sit and listen to the teaching and not apply it to your own life. Become a doer, become a student of what is taught today. It will change your life. So I want you to turn with us, if you would, to John, chapter two, and we're going to start reading in verse one. We need to know how to cooperate with God regarding miracles, because someday you're going to need one. Someday you may need many. And whether you're saved or unsaved, everyone's going to need a miracle at some point in their life. And so if we will understand what the Word teaches about miracles, we understand then that we can cooperate with God on purpose for a miracle. We don't have to wait and hope that one will come. There are very definite steps that we can take that God has a miracle. His power will work for us, but it's looking for our cooperation. So we go to the Word to find out what is our part in the miracle. You know, so much of the time, people just think a miracle is totally on God's part. It's all on God's end. If he'll send a miracle, that's great, and if he doesn't, we have no control. That's not the Word. That's not what the Word teaches. And so that's what religion may teach, but it's not what Bible teaches. And so we want to see what does the Word say about it, Because God wants our needs met. He's not playing with us. And he wants us to have our needs met. So he gives us His Word to show us how do we cooperate with Him. You can't just approach God based on what you think. You have to approach God based on what His Word says. And His Word's a legal document. He will meet His Word every single time. So John, chapter two, verse one. And we're going to look at the first miracle that happened under Jesus earthly ministry. Verse 1 says, and the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, they have no wine. And Jesus said unto her, woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. So we see this when he answered her and basically said, this isn't part of what. This doesn't apply to me. And so when he answered her that way, she was done talking to him, she turned to his servants and she said to the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. So she knew something about Jesus, that he lived his life only doing what, only saying what he heard His Father say. And so she was safe in telling the servants, whatsoever he says to you, do it. Well, what did he tell them to do? He said, go fill these water pots up with water. And when they drew out of that water and and gave it to the governor of the feast, it had turned from water into wine. So we see, number one, that miracles. He bypassed all natural processes. No grapevine was planted, no grapevine was tended to, no grapevine was harvested, no grapes were fermented to make wine. Miracles bypass natural laws. Miracles are a divine acceleration because they accelerate past all the natural processes. And so this is what we see. Another thing that we see. And Mary understood this. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. So to receive a miracle, Jesus always involved a man. It wasn't just God working independent of man. God gives us something to obey. When you need a miracle, ask God, what do I need to do? What is my part? Well, His Word shows us his part. So first of all, do His Word. And if nothing is changing, then go to him and say, what am I missing? What more may I need to be doing? What am I not seeing? Because so many times people who need a miracle sit back and just wait for God to intervene. And they. They overlook that they have a role. No one who received a healing under Jesus earthly ministry received a healing without them obeying something he told them to do, every single one of them. He'd say, take up your bed and walk, or stretch forth your hand, or go wash in the pool of Siloam. He always gave them to obey. Why is it that Jesus gives us something to obey? Because when we obey, it opens the door for his power. If we don't obey, the door is closed to his power. Why do we need to open the door to his power? Because God will not work in our lives without our permission. I love the way my spiritual father would say, it he said, God is a perfect gentleman. He will not work uninvited. The devil will. The devil will force, he will make, he will drive. But not God. God works by invitation. And our faith is us inviting Him. Our obedience to do what he says to do is us inviting him to work in our situation. So this is a huge key for people to understand. When you need a miracle, start doing something. What do you start doing? Look to your spirit. What is God leading you to do? What is God dealing with you about doing? You can't just do what another man did to get their miracle because God may lead you differently. So just know this, you have a part to play. Now religion doesn't always like that because religion wants to put it all off on God. Well, if God wants you to have a miracle, then he'll do something. But there's nothing scriptural based on that train of thought. Every miracle that God did, a man was involved in some way. So when you did a miracle, you're going to be involved. And if you're praying for someone who needs a miracle, God may involve you. And your prayers are one involvement, one way of involvement, aren't they? Another thing we need to see is that miracles are not always instantaneous. Sometimes they are. It's a process, sometimes step by step. Now at the case when we look when Jesus came walking on the water to his disciples, you'll remember there was a storm. The disciples were in the boat and Jesus came walking on the water. And that water was stormy when he was walking on it. He didn't wait for things to be calm before he moved ahead. Don't wait for thing all. Don't wait for everything to be in place before you do what God says to do. And so Jesus walked on that water and it was a storm that he stepped out on that water, right? In those kinds of conditions, when he approached the boat, of course it frightened the men in the boat. And if you'd have been there, you'd have been frightened too. They had never seen that the natural man, that something new. And so Peter said, jesus, if it's you, bid me come. Now notice this. There is nothing in the scripture that promises us that every one of God's people will walk on water at some time. There's nothing that promises that. It does show in this instance what Peter did. But there was no scripture that in that authorized him to do that. So without scripture, he had to have a word. Jesus had to speak to him. Come. So if God wants you to do something and there's no specific instruction that applies to your situation. You have to know. You have to wait and say, what does Jesus say? What's his instruction to me? And how is he going to instruct you? Through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will speak to you. Now, this is huge for every Christian to understand. The Bible is God's general instruction to all of his children. But there are specifics we're going to need in our life that the Bible does not tell us. Now, the Bible tells us that God will supply all of our needs. But the Bible doesn't tell you which house to buy. It doesn't tell you which spouse to marry. It doesn't tell you which job to take. So there are specifics of your life that the Word does not spell out. And that's why you need to learn to follow the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit will personalize every everything of God's will into your life. You have to know that. You have to get the details and the specifics for your life through the Holy Spirit. Now, this is really what Peter was doing that day. He did not have any scripture that authorized him to walk on the water. So he said, jesus, if that's you, bid me come. That was smart. He didn't try to walk on it without a word. Don't move ahead without the word. Never. Never make big decisions in life and even smaller decisions, don't make them in life without the Word. You have to know what the Word says. And so this is what Peter asked for. He said, if that you bid me come. And Jesus just said one word. That one word authorized him to walk on water. So when Peter crawled out of the boat, climbed out of the boat and set his feet on the water, he was walking. Why? Because he was coming. He was doing what Jesus said. Make movement come this direction. And as long as he was coming, he was walking on the water. But when he stopped coming and started looking at all the conditions of the sea, the high waves, the wind, then he saw the conditions. When he stopped coming, he started sinking. So notice this. He received a miracle. But he lost a miracle. That miracle did not automatically appear. He did not just automatically get translated from being in the boat to being right where Jesus was. It was a process for him to walk. Miracles are played out many times in a process. And just because it's not instantaneous doesn't mean it's not a miracle. Don't limit with your own thinking. Well, if it's not instantaneous, I didn't receive a miracle. That's not true. The devil will use that strategy and that train of thought to talk you out of your miracle. Not only that, once you. Once a miracle begins being worked, when you say, what do you mean, Pastor Nancy, by being worked? What about your body already getting better? What about that condition getting better when the doctor said it couldn't get better? What about the pain subsiding when it should not be subsiding? What about the money coming? You haven't received the whole amount, but the money's coming. That's the beginning of a miracle. Stay with it. What's that mean? Keep obeying. Keep obeying. Don't stop obeying. Don't stop believing. Because a miracle can be received, but a miracle can be lost if we quit doing the right thing. So Peter, as long as he did what Jesus said, which was come, that power sustained him. But when he stopped coming, the power had nothing to sustain because he quit obeying. So then he started sinking. So many have received a miracle and they've lost a miracle because they thought if it wasn't instantaneous, it wasn't God. So don't limit God to the instantaneous. And then quit believing. And you might, you might have said, because there are times in my life that I didn't keep my faith on something or there. You might look at your life and say, you know, there are times I started believing, but I backed up. You can pick that back up. Pick it back up. Pick it back up with your faith. Because in the spirit realm, thinking things don't rot, things don't get ruined. In the spirit realm, that power is still available and you can still pick that thing back up. Amen. Now, that means keep moving in line with anything God has told you to do. Don't stop just because time passed. Don't let the passage of time change your obedience or diminish the importance of your. Of your part, the importance of your own obedience. Now, anything that the word says belong to us, part of our inheritance. Jesus paid for us to have and walk in everything he enjoys. Health, victory, abundance, every need met, every supply met. Wisdom, clarity, all these things are part of our inheritance package. As children, they belong to us, but we have to lay hold of them by faith. Now, when it comes to something specific, as I said, you're going to need the leading of the Spirit. You can believe God. Father, I need a home. Now. Follow the Spirit on which home? Father, I need a job. Follow the Spirit on which job to take. Now get out there quickly. Go, go. Go see employers. Go put in your resumes. Do take action. Don't just sit at home and say, I'm believing. Faith is an act. Faith obeys something. Faith makes movement. To have a miracle, it has to meet movement. It has to meet your movement. You can't just sit at home doing nothing and think that miracles are going to show up. I love something that Dr. Lester Sumrall, who was our pastor for years, he said, when I need something, I start doing something. That's that mentality of knowing that I have a role to play. It's not just all on God's side. He recognized that when he needed something, he had to start making an act. Why? Because then God could direct those actions. People want to be directed and led by God, but they're not doing anything. God can't steer a parked car. You can't steer a parked car. You got to be moving. And for that car to be steered and directed down a certain lane, that car has to be moving. It's the same thing with you. God can't steer. People who are parked and not making movement make movement. At least get up and start making some kind of movement in some kind of direction. Amen. Now remember at the wedding here in Cana, Jesus told the servants to fill up the pots with water. What good does it do to fill up pots with water? That's a lot of work, Jesus. That's a lot of inconvenience, Jesus. We've got other duties, Jesus, to do. What good does it do to fill a pot up with water when they need wine? Just do what he says. Don't try to figure out whatsoever he says to you. Do it whether it makes sense or not. He will tell you to do things that won't make sense because he's bypassing natural processes. And your sense can only calculate natural processes, processes. And he's setting aside those natural processes. Amen. So do whatever he tells you. Don't do what you calculated. Don't do what you figured out. Don't do what you could measure. Don't do what you could just budget. Amen. Because things he will tell you to do will not make sense to your mind. That's why Mary said whatsoever he says to you, not whatever you like, whatever you would do, whatsoever. So this word whatsoever involves any instruction he may give. Now think of this. The Word tells us God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. So God's way of thinking and God's way of doing is different than man. That's why whatsoever he tells you to do, you would have never thought of because his ways are higher. Well, it doesn't look like it's higher to take a pot, fill it with water, and when you want wine out of that, that doesn't look higher. Yeah, it is higher because it's going to bypass some natural processes. Amen. So notice this. God's thoughts aren't your thoughts. Don't hold God back and limit him to your thinking. Let his mind work in your behalf. Don't. Don't limit him to working based on what your mind can come up with. Amen. So we see this in this word. Whatsoever he tells you to do, do it. He's not interested in whatsoever is convenient for you to do, do it. He's not interested in our convenience because it was not convenient to fill up the pots with water. I mean, it's like, well, Jesus, why don't we just get to dip this cup into water, you turn it into wine first, and then if that works, then we'll fill up the pots. No, he wanted the whole thing filled up. That you don't do a test run on him. You don't do a we'll see if this works mentality on him, and then if it works, then we'll fully obey. No, we're not doing a test run. Amen. Hallelujah. He will ask us to do things that are not convenient. But if we're interested in getting a miracle, then we need to obey another thing. Now think about it in First Kings, chapter 15, and I'll just kind of give you an overview of that passage. There was a drought on. There was a widow woman that was starving. And God sent Elisha the prophet, to go to her. And he said, I have commanded this widow woman to sustain you. So the prophet had been by the brook, cherith. The ravens were bringing bread and meat to him twice a day. God was sustaining him very supernaturally. But God was using birds to sustain the man of God. When this woman had a need, she needed a miracle. There was a famine on she had a son that was starving. She was a widow, she was starving. She had no resources in her house. And God sent the prophet of God to this woman. Why is that? The prophet was being taken care of fine by the birds, but God's not looking to bless birds. He's looking to bless people. So when he could find someone to obey him. So the prophet goes to town, he sees this widow woman. She's gathering of sticks at the city gate. And he said to her, woman, he says, bring me water. Well, then she goes to get water. Why because that's a public resource. There's not much of it, evidently, but she knows there's a well somewhere where there's water. So she goes, and while she's going to do that, because she's obeying that, and then in the process of her going to get water, then he gives her a second command. So see, God won't sometimes just give one command. Sometimes there's additional commands that come, why he's getting you closer to your miracle. So then after she does what the prophet says and she leaves where he's at, she's going to get water. He calls after her and says, by the way, make me a little cake or make me a little piece of bread and bring it to me to eat. Then she stops. Wait a minute, why? Because now this is not a public resource, this is a private resource. Now he's getting into her kitchen. She knows I only have enough for one. I just have enough portion left for one. It doesn't make sense to the natural mind when you have enough for one to give it to somebody. You don't know when you've got a hungry baby and you yourself are starving. This is all we've got left. It does not make sense to give it away. But if you'll do what God says, whatsoever he says to you, whatsoever he says to you, whatsoever he says to you, even though it doesn't make sense, even though it might not be convenient, just do whatsoever he says. So ultimately, she ended up obeying the prophet of God. And you know what happened is that the meal and the oil never ran out through that entire famine. That pot just kept pouring forth all the supply they needed. She had no idea that she would have a bottomless supply. But she still just did what the prophet said, even though it wasn't convenient. It wasn't convenient for these servants to fill up those water pots with water because God is trying to get a miracle to you. Don't think in natural human terms of is it convenient for me. Let me tell you what's not. Let me tell you what's not convenient. Not getting your miracle. That's not convenient. Amen. So whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And I would dare to say people who need something, that there are people who say, well, I haven't heard him tell me anything to do. I guarantee you, if you need a miracle, the Holy Spirit is already dealing with you and showing you your next step. I guarantee you, no, you might not hear a voice, no, you might not have some spectacular dealing, but on the inside, of you, just in your spirit. You have a sense, I think I should do this. And you don't even know why. You know how you know that? You just have a sense. Just follow what's in your spirit. Because it won't always be loud. It won't always be like a flashing neon sign of instruction. There's just a leading. It seems like this seems right. That is the leading of the Holy Spirit. When you, when you have peace in your spirit about it, sometimes you can have peace in your spirit about doing something, but not peace in your head. Ignore the head. Ignore the head. Because those servants, while they were filling up those water pots, they were ignoring their head, why are we filling this up? Just keep doing it. Just keep doing it. It's the same thing with you, that sometimes, you know, I would dare to say every Christian already knows when they need a miracle, what to do on the next step. What, what, what to do? Because God's not leaving you in the dark. He's guiding you by the spirit. Sometimes people just don't like what they know. They don't like the instruction. They don't want to follow through with what their spirit is leading them to do. So they, If I could say this, turn a deaf ear to it and act like they don't know what to do. But I would dare to say, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And then this next word that we have that Mary said to these servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Look at the next word. Whatsoever he saith, not what others say, not what your finances say, not what the economy of your region says to do, not what your salary says to do, not what your relatives say to do. Because relatives can be very bold in their thoughts of what you should do. Not even what your mind says, not even what your own natural calculations say. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Why is that? Because success lies with what he says. Success does not live with what other people say. Success lives with what he says. Now, sometimes he will put your answer in someone else's mouth, right? There may be someone near to you. I mean, if you have, if you have a pastor, God is putting the answers for your life in your pastor's mouth every service. So God will speak to you through others. God will speak to you through a pastor. But know this, you need to recognize what's coming from God and what's just coming from someone else. Don't jump out ahead of God and try to make something happen. Don't add something onto it. Don't subtract something from what God said. And this is where we miss it sometimes is we add to what he said or we take away from what God said. Just do it exactly the way he says it. How will he speak to you? Through His Word and through His Spirit. Amen. So God gives His general instructions to all of his children through the Word. But the specific instructions about your life are going to come to you through the Holy Spirit. So you need to first do the Word and if more instructions are needed, then the Holy Ghost will tell you. Amen. Do all that the Word tells you to do. And then if there's something further that you need to do, then the Holy Spirit will lead you in that. And we're going to be talking the next episode about recognizing the Holy Spirit's leading. So you don't want to miss it. Amen. We're so glad we got to join with you. I tell you what, these are thrilling things to learn. Become skillful in the Word. It'll bless your life. God bless you. We trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us@DefrainMinistries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings. Share your testimony, become a partner or visit our online store. This program has been made possible by the friends and partners of Dufresne Ministries.