Wary of the Supernatural

I grew up Anglican (Episcopalian in the US) but was acutely aware of the fact that I wasn't feeling the church thing. At first I thought it was because services were boring but it turned out to be more than that. The word and God were just not coming alive for me. I couldn't understand what all the Jesus hype was about. It was sooooooo boring. Amidst the boredom, God still used an Anglican boy at my elementary school when I was in Class 7 to lead me to Christ. However, nothing changed even after this. God was still distant, in outer space somewhere.

When I went to High School (Go Pango!!!), I rededicated my life to Christ just before I turned 15 and then God gave me the best Birthday present ever. Two weeks to my 15th birthday, I was filled with the Holy Ghost with the outer sign of speaking in tongues. Talk about drama!! My life changed! The word came alive, praise and worship ceased to be just singing time, my prayer life deepened and I began to understand what the excitement about Jesus was.

The bible says that once Christ comes into your heart you are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come, which is completely true in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

However, in the flesh, I needed to be renewed in my mind to live like the new person I had become in Christ.

Rom 12:2a Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

When I went home for the Christmas Holidays shortly thereafter, I wanted to continue my life as I had lived it at school, so I would lock myself in my room to pray and this time I was praying in tongues as well. That evening, I got the tongue lashing of my life from both my Mom and Dad. Dad was not into any of the God stuff so I could understand him, but mom was saved. What in the world? Turns out her fear was that the devil would deceive me and a spirit other than the Holy Spirit would possess me causing me to speak in tongues. I came to realise thereafter, that there are very many people wary of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost and supernatural manifestations of God for fear of deception from the enemy.

Christians have more faith in the devils ability to deceive them, than in God's ability to preserve them. Yet even at that young age I knew it was the Lord for the Bible says:

Luke 11:13
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

I studied the word, I studied the Holy Spirit and I studied the gifts of the Holy Spirit and concluded that this was of God and I was going to stick with it. I have been speaking in tongues ever since. Shortly thereafter, since renewing the mind is a process, I found that I was constantly arguing and fighting with my siblings like we had always done. One day my sister threw this one out at me "I thought you got saved" That threw me for a loop. My heart was broken because clearly I was not representing Jesus, and try as much as I did, it didn't look like I was going to make it in salvation.

My dad was in the middle of constructing a rental unit right next to our house, and I loved to go sit on the window sill of one of the bedroom windows and just enjoy the view. That day I went up to my favorite spot a mess, crying my eyes out for the sinner I was and the failure I must have been to Christ. I couldn't even pray. All of a sudden I looked up and here comes Jesus through the door frame into the room where I'm at. The strange thing is, I couldn't see his features so I can't describe his eyes or anything, but I knew it was Jesus and I could see his silhouette, the robe and the shoulder length hair. He came right up to where I was and sat next to me and he asked "Why are you crying?" Isn't that such a God question? Right there with "Adam, where are you" and "Cain where is your brother?" he knows the answer but wants to here it coming from your own mouth.

So I told him all about it. He seemed to draw it out of me. I told him how much I wanted to be the Christian he called me to be, and how sad and disappointed I was in myself for not being that person. And I just cried and cried. And Jesus just sat there and comforted me with an arm around my shoulders and let me know I was on the right track and I shouldn't disqualify myself but keep getting up and walking the walk. Then after I was sufficiently comforted and joy had returned to me, he got up and I watched him walk away. As soon as he went out the door frame, I came out of the trance with a feeling of awe.

I hadn't dreamt it. It was about 3pm, the sun was shining bright. My heart was full to overflowing with joy and awe and I knew that I had been with Jesus. He had come to me.

Bear in mind now, that I am bearly 15 years old and have just been filled with the Holy Spirit and talking in tongues against my parents wishes. I was not trying to go to them and say "Hey, Jesus came to visit me this afternoon and we had a chat" So I kept it all in my heart and cherished these things like Mary must have cherished things about the boy Jesus in her heart.

Over the years, there are many times when I have not behaved like the Christian I ought to be. There are times when I have clearly gone astray. There are times when my heart has broken over my sins and bondage from the enemy, but God has never let me go. There are times when I too have been wary of the supernatural, not trusting God to draw me into his world, and yet God still beckons me. My parents fear of supernatural things led me not to seek them out. But as Todd Bentley puts it God used to visit Adam every day in the garden, since we were redeemed back to Eden we too should receive visitations from God. He visited Abraham all the time and Is 51:1-2 says to look to Abraham, the rock from which we were hewn.

But the Bible clearly states we need to ask to recieve. I believe even supernatural visitations are included. How come others saw angels, and we have not. Some have gone to see heaven and we have not. I know, it sounds totally against everything you have been taught, but could it be that God desires us really truly have access to him even in the supernatural sense. On Monday I will tell you about another supernatural encounter I had that happened in the year 2004. For now ponder on what I have written. Why are we wary of the supernatural? Do you believe that God would like for you to have supernatural encounters with him? And if so, why would he do that?