I have often heard men (and women) from the pulpit talk about how they observe miracles happening in third-world countries, but there seems to be none happening in America. Then they usually make conclusions based on that observation by saying, "it must be that the third-world demands the miraculous while Americans have other avenues such as doctors, medicine, counseling, education, etc.) Though this answer may be one part in searching out reasons why Believers are not experiencing supernatural signs, wonders, and miracles everyday, I do not believe it is the very reason. In fact, contrary to what many say, American believers ARE experiencing the supernatural daily, but you will need to just search a little harder on where these men and women are, and what communities are embracing this aspect of supernatural life. I think the difference lies in what we believe.
For someone who first goes to his doctor for medicine to heal his sickness before trusting and seeking God, this ultimately is rooted in what the man believes about God and about himself. It doesn't make it wrong. It just means we can figure out what we believe but how we respond and live life. There are indirect beliefs we have that we don't even know we have, but our actions can clearly show us what is in our heart. From my own experience of being a part of global missions around the world, several different believing communities, and hearing many many teachers in the Body of Christ teach, how we live our life is a direct result of what we believe. Almost every community that embraces the grace message of the mystic union we have we Jesus (John 17), usually walks in some aspect of the supernatural. In fact, its then the supernatural becomes our natural, and the abnormal our normal, the radical our life. It is then it becomes the way of life.
The Greek word for spiritual gift is charisma, which is derived from the Greek word charis, which means grace. It could be better translated that we have been given spiritual graces, rather than spiritual gifts. Gifts imply a sense of personal entitlement, while grace implies the concept of love and mercy given to us by nothing of our own effort. Why do we care? While many people forbid the demonstration of the "gifts" of the Spirit, it is my conviction that to deny the gifts of the Spirit is to deny the same source of Grace (as a person) that is responsible for reconciling humanity. If you cannot find spiritual relevance for daily demonstrating the graces of the Spirit, which Jesus defined would heal the sick, raise the dead, and deliver the oppressed of demons, I would question the premise of what you might understand the fullness of the grace of God to be.
For many of us we looked at grace as being the unmerited favor that allowed us to follow the law (Old Covenant). We rarely see grace as the person the Christ, we usually see it as the outcome of Christ's death and resurrection. But through the Grace of God, which is Jesus Himself, we have been crucified of the flesh so that HE MAY LIVE! Grace allow us to enter into a new, and better covenant than before (Hebrews 8:6). "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) For many of us as believers we choose to not walk in the supernatural because of fear (fear of failure, fear of the outcome, fear of people, fear of rejection or even fear of self- insecurity). And fear is the result of living under an Old Covenant mentality. Sometimes we don't even realize what we believe until we are confronted with it in our own actions. Under grace and love, there is no fear anymore. Jesus died, so that we may live, more importantly, He may live through us. When we walk in the reality that Christ is breathing, actively participating living life through us, we no longer fear the supernatural. The supernatural was never based (same as grace) on what we do. Its the outcome of walking in who we are! When we walk in our truest nature (which was His intent from the beginning) as the fullness of God living in us, we can not help but walk in the supernatural. It will be the inevitable.
If your desiring to be naturally supernatural, begin to evaluate what you really believe. How do you view yourself? How do you view God? Do you see the nature of Jesus and the nature of God different from one another? If you do this could reveal a dual belief system. For years, we take what has been passed down and taught to us as truth without challenging it. But we see, even around the world, when a new believer comes to the Lord without any aid but the Spirit of God and their Bible, they have a greater truth of the grace of God than any "churched" person I've met. We must be willing to be challenged in this area, especially for the American Christian Church. The face of Western Christianity is changing. And as believers we have to make choices to be ok with learning that maybe we don't know everything. Maybe there is something about my life that could be more. Why settle? Why be mediocre? Why be a nominal Christian when you can walk in so much more!?
