Following the Holy Spirit often requires that we flow in the opposite of what we would naturally do…
If someone slapped me, my natural tendency would be to either slap them back harder, or to knock them out – If someone would try to grab my wallet, my natural tendency would be to hold on and fight to get it back, yet Jesus is saying the opposite! He said to do good to those who use you and take advantage of you, to love your enemies and to bless those who persecute you.
Jesus said, if someone asks you to go one mile with them, go two – Roman soldiers would often approach a Jewish person and tell them to carry their heavy shield and spear for them for as much as a mile – it was very humiliating, you had to drop everything and immediately go carry your oppressor’s stuff. Jesus said if that happens, do not only carry it for one mile… carry it for two miles.
When Jehoshaphat and Judah were being attacked by three strong armies, Jehoshaphat did the opposite of what he would naturally do… instead of fleeing the scene, not only did he face his enemy, he put his worship team in the front lines!
Often times when we have really needed a financial miracle, the Lord has told us to give away what we have – it does not make sense at all! None of the things that I have said so far makes any sense at all! Common sense often contradicts God’s ways – after all, how do you defeat one of the strongest, most fortified cities in the world at the time by walking around the city and then shouting and blowing trumpets?
When you flow in the opposite according to the leading of the Spirit, it catapults you into hyper faith… your dependence on the Lord takes a quantum leap and your reliance on His strength, His power and His ability goes to another level. When you are fighting a thirteen-foot giant with nothing more than a slingshot and a few stones, your prayer life skyrockets. God loves that kind of crazy faith!
Moving in the opposite according to the leading of the Spirit speeds up your miracle! Many people miss the leading of the Spirit because many times His leading is so opposite to prevailing wisdom. People immediately dismiss the promptings of the Spirit because they do not make sense – why would I give away all that I have in my time of need? Yet everytime we have done that we have experienced miracle provision. Even the devil will tell you, “that’s too crazy, whatever you do, do not do that!” that is because he knows that when you move in the opposite according to the leading of the Spirit that you are stepping into miracle territory!
I am writing this under the prompting of the Holy Spirit – I believe that the Lord has a miracle for many of you, but it is going to take you being open to being led by the Spirit to do something that goes against common sense. It will require TOTAL trust in the Lord!
I remember when we were getting ready to move from South Africa to the US… We had inherited some money and had bought a home - when the Lord told us to move to the US, we obviously needed all the money we could get, so we prayed about selling our home. The Lord led us to give away our fully furnished home and our car instead of selling it – we gave the house and the car away and ended up coming to America with our two children with nothing but suitcases and a credit card with a five thousand dollar limit. That is the exact opposite of the logical thing to do. Our crazy faith mixed with God’s faithfulness catapulted us into the greatest adventure of our lives!
Flowing in the opposite is living a ‘let go’ life! You listen to the Lord, you follow the Holy Spirit, no matter how crazy His plan sounds, and then you step out and trust Him! It is not for the fainthearted, but it launches you into an adventurous life of miracles and living in the supernatural!
Make this confession of faith - say this out loud with me…
“John 17:17 says that I am sanctified and set apart by Your truth - Your Word is truth - Your Word absolute truth – the Word is for me to walk in, to accept as final truth and for me to stand on, to declare by faith and for me to do – I am who the Word says that I am - I can do what the Word says I can do - I can be who the Word says I can be - Christ in me can do all things – I can do all things through Christ - I have absolute POWER over ALL the Work of the enemy – nothing shall by any means harm me – I have power to raise the dead – I have power to heal the sick – I have power to do the works of Jesus – I have total authority over all of the works of His hands in Jesus Name! – the power and the authority of the creator of all things is on the inside of me – when I speak by faith, I ALWAYS have what I say – As I speak the Word, the Father ALWAYS watches over it to perform it – The Father loves it when I expect Him to ALWAYS perform His EVERY Word! – I always expect the Father to bring to pass every word that I speak according to His Word – God is not a man that He should lie – His Word is literal, His Word is truth and His Word is final!”
