Signs

by Pastor Robert Miller

It’s proclaimed by television commercials and magazine ads everywhere. There is no doubt about it; a new season is about to begin. The signs all point to the transitions that are about to take place. Think about it for a minute. A new school year is here. A new anticipation is guiding parent’s expectations for their children. Fall ads remind us that it is getting colder and changes in apparel are required. Changes in weather remind us to prepare our furnaces and make sure they are working properly. We pull out the heavier clothing and get them ready to be worn. The signs we watch prepare us for the fullness of the season to come. A failure to observe the signs assures a future problem.

God used communion as a sign in my life last year. He drew my attention to communion and what it meant to me in terms of salvation. This sign occurred during our own communion service. The Holy Spirit kept reminding me of the significance of communion. As I meditated upon what He was revealing, He spoke and told me to take communion every morning. I recognized the sign and was obedient to what it meant for me. I began taking communion in the mornings to start my day and declare the benefits of salvation for my life especially healing and wholeness. This occurred months before the doctors diagnosed the stomach cancer. This was used by the Lord to prepare me for the battle I was to wage in this coming season. My obedience enabled me to fight the good fight of faith. The cancer was contained and did not spread. The second tumor that was discovered was not malignant. There are many other results that have occurred and next week after surgery I will be cancer free. The sign of communion prepared me for the battle long before I knew there was a battle. God will reveal signs in your life just like He did in mine. I was so blessed by how He knew what I was facing before I did and gave me what I needed for victory. This is the importance of recognizing signs in our life.

Signs are meant to give direction and prepare us to handle the new circumstances that a change in seasons will bring. Signs act as reference points that impart to us a vision of what is about to come. Ignoring the signs will result in a lack of preparedness. You will not be ready to handle the changes to come and you will definitely be shaken when the fullness of the new season arrives.

Signs impact your life and become the reference points that define your expectation and behavior. These reference points provide the boundaries for your life and give your life meaning and purpose. When signs become reference points for our lives, they promote confidence, purpose, direction, and endurance, all of which are essential for stability. Signs help us identify problems, define our expectation and provide a measure of safety so that we can take the risks involved as we respond to the coming changes. God gives revelation through signs. He reveals His purpose for you, His power and His destiny for your life.

There are three principles for living out what God’s signs reveal. The first is recognizing the principle of time. God gives you time for preparation. Time can be your friend if you utilize it properly. Recognizing signs early gives you time to prepare and grow. For example, Noah had time to prepare the Ark before the rains came. I was given a time of preparation before my battle with cancer. So you will have time to prepare your life for the coming changes. The second principle is to get rid of fear. Fear paralyzes you. God’s ability to prepare you is not removed because of earlier struggles with fear. Rebuke fear and allow His grace to replace that weakness. The third principle is the priority of responsiveness. Our preparation depends on our readiness to respond to God making it a process that involves a partnership with God. These three principles will prepare you to make the necessary changes in your life.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1 Paul declares that he will come to visions and revelations. The question is will you put yourself in the position that will yield the same results as Paul? The Lord wants to impart to you the ability to recognize the signs in your life. By observing some tried and true disciplines, the Lord will impart to you the meaning of the signs. First, this is not an intellectual pursuit but a spiritual pursuit that involves a rich prayer life. The prophet Habbakuk learned the meaning of his sign during a time of prayer. (Habbakuk 2:1) Prayer must be a discipline that you develop on a regular basis. Hearing from the Lord is the result of fellowship time with him. Another discipline to observe is your love walk. God commanded us to love so that we can deal with other people properly. How you manage your relationships in love is a very important key to knowing the meaning of these signs. Walking in love keeps you in a position to hear from God. Specifically, keep yourself out of strife and learn not to take offense otherwise you may not recognize God’s sign. Because love never fails, you will never fail when you make walking in love a priority. Another key discipline is to become faithful. You must make a commitment to the Lord and stick with His way of doing things. Hebrews 10:35 says, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence which has great reward.” Are you committed or are you just interested?

God works through signs in the earth. (Acts 2:19) He communicates through signs His will and plan. He wants His children to be prepared for what is coming in the earth and in their lives. Like the commercials on television He advertises His will for whosoever will listen and hear. The Lord expects us to discern the signs of the times. Are you able to discern the signs that God has placed in your life?