DEFINITION

This morning I woke up with one of those thoughts that God gives when He begins to show us the contrast between where we are, what we believe, and what is actually true - I love it when He does that! :)

Here is the thought!

We are not created to live a life that is 'un' natural but one that is 'super' natural.  However, the word is the same "natural" but with different prefixes.

God created all of life, and us, to live our lives in the natural way of His creation.  He has also given the gifts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to enable us with heavenly power that functions over and above and around the natural life, enhancing and enabling it to be more effective.

Here is the question:

Do we need to be fully natural before we can be supernatural?  Should we be ask God to make us fully in the natural ALL that He created us to be.  Then, offering Him the fullness and completeness of what He created, let Him add what He has given to that fully natural life?

In this day and age, is Christianity by and large presenting an unnatural picture to the world, when in fact it should be showing a natural picture, a natural life, enhanced by all that God decides and desires to add to it?

Many of the people who are actually making a difference in this world live very naturally indeed, but the results of their living that way in its fullness show a supernatural picture.

Challenging thoughts.

Found a quote I love again today as well ... it kind of goes with all of this:

I find it most intriguing to contemplate the fact that while men are considering what place to give Jesus Christ in history, He has already decided what place to give them in eternity.

Leonard Ravenhill

Signposts

A few weeks ago (in mid May) we had an unusual weather event here in New Zealand. 

In a small portion of the Bay of Plenty (east coast of the North Island) there was a hail storm that went on for an unprecedented time.  The end result was that it looked like 10 centimetres of snow - even all over the sand dunes and the beach - people were snowboarding in the sand dunes at a surf beach!!  So great was the weight of this hail that a portion of roof collapsed in a local mall.

When I visited this area at the end of that week I asked the Lord what was going on as it was so unusual and this was the answer.

I saw a picture of a signpost like the one above, but it had yellow signs pointing up and down the coast, and then one other that pointed directly out to sea.

I believe the Lord was saying that this was the first of a number of signs that would come with unusual weather, and each place this happened He was setting up a signpost, and it would become a gathering place for His people.

He reminded me that the original settlers (both Maori and English) came to New Zealand across the sea.  He would now begin gathering people to send back across the sea to other nations. 

He called for New Zealanders to look at how they spoke of, and treated, the more recent immigrants from overseas.  These had also been brought here because He desired them to learn of Him and be prepared to be sent back into their own nations.

I was reminded of the very first time the Lord spoke to me about this nation in 1988 (almost exactly 21 years ago when such speaking was very new to me) and have posted that below - it speaks of unusual events in nature that He would use to get the attention of this nation.  (Directly after hearing this, there was an earthquake and small tidal wave in Fiordland.)

 

NEW ZEALAND – URGENT CALL

31 May 1988

I would speak to you this day my daughter of what is to befall this nation, and I would encourage you to have no fear for those I love and who serve Me and are in My care. But I warn those who have turned their backs on Me and have given themselves over to the evils of this world. I would shake them out of their complacence and into a place where they might be harvested like wheat. I would show them the shallowness of the gods they have chosen to believe in and worship, and the work of My hands will be before them and they will cry out to Me in their isolation and fear.

I made this country a pure gem of great beauty, and yet they have defiled it and try to turn from Me to worship the spirits of darkness. Be warned you who turn to the old Gods that you are breaking My commandments and that I am a jealous God.

I will send against this nation an onslaught of unnatural occurrences, and it will be seen that they are out of the normal sequence of nature and will turn men’s hearts as they look and wonder at what is happening. There will be suffering and cries of anguish as they seek for help, and as their cries fall on the emptiness of the worldly things they have worshipped they must turn to Me. I would have you pray that these ungodly people, yes even those in the Government of the land, will turn to Me, the Almighty God.

My people must unite in their love and praise, for as they worship Me so shall they break through the darkness that covers this land and let My light shine forth. The heaviness shall be lifted and the nation set free to stand before the world as an example of brotherly love in Me. They shall show forth beauty and freedom at its best when the darkness and sin are overcome.

I am calling you to prayer now for this nation – gather in twos and threes and let your voices be heard in the heavenly realms that you may save and free your land.

The scriptures given to read in relation to the above were as follows:

Revelation 12:4

Psalm 140:8

John 17:2