Some People are Afraid of Miracles – Five Minutes With Fran
This may seem hard to believe. You think, who wouldn’t want to see miracles? But it’s true. There are some people that will resist the work God is doing in their life or through you because of their own fear. This happened to Jesus. In the account of the man that was possessed with many devils whom Jesus delivered in Luke 8:26 we find one example.
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Gadarenes and came out of the boat they encountered this man that the scripture says had many devils for a long time. The man had become so out of his mind that he lived in the tombs, went about naked, and he would cut himself. It says he would be bound with chains but would break out of those chains, implying he had a super human strength and was aggressive, and it says that he would impede people from passing through the area where he stayed.
Clearly this man’s state was extremely dark and he was greatly tormented. When Jesus addressed the demons they begged to be sent into a herd of swine and when Jesus allowed it, the scriptures says in verse 33 the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were drowned. It notes the people who fed the swine who saw what happened went down into the city and told others what happened.
When the other people in the town approached, it says they then found the previously possessed man sitting at the feet of Jesus, now clothed, and in his right mind.
And then it says they were afraid. So much so that they actually begged Jesus to leave their area.
Now can you imagine that? This man was greatly tormented, it says he had all those demons for a long time and was completely out of his mind terrorizing himself and others, but instead of being excited about what God had done, they became overwhelmed with fear and wanted Jesus gone.
The Bible said they were afraid of miracles. If they ran the master miracle worker out of town, don’t be surprised if they do this to you too when you go preaching the whole gospel and start healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out devils like Jesus commanded you to. There may be different reasons a person is afraid of miracles…
- Maybe they deal with a religious spirit that says miracles aren’t done in the church anymore.
- Maybe they deal with a religious spirit that says you can’t walk in miracles the way Jesus did.
- Maybe they are afraid of how this challenges them spiritually.
- Maybe it is some other weakness of fear that the enemy has had instilled in them for a long time.
Either way, don’t be discouraged when there are those that try to run you out of town. “Running you out of town” could look like:
- A friend trying to push you out of your friend circle (or begins leaving you out).
- Someone (in leadership or otherwise) in your church trying to push you out because your beliefs conflict with their “religion”.
- Your ministry circle. Maybe others walking with you in ministry are challenged by your faith and not willing to go to the same places in the Spirit as you.
- Coworkers at your job. Maybe you are too “taboo” and represent a faith they have never been exposed to.
- Even people in your own family or other well meaning Christians may reject you over this. Those closest to you can be too familiar with you and reject God’s divinity working through you because they also see your humanity up close and personal.
Jesus didn’t argue with those people. He didn’t try to change their minds. When they rejected him and pushed him to leave, he got in the boat and left. And then he went on to heal the woman with the issue of blood and raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead.
Looking back, even though the whole town sought to get rid of Jesus, before he left the one man who was greatly tormented for a long time whom Jesus delivered asked Jesus if he could follow and go with him. This man didn’t want Jesus gone, this man wanted to follow him wherever he went! This man was glad he showed up. This man was thankful someone came preaching the whole gospel and operated in the workings of miracles.
So if you have the faith, don’t let other people’s fear and spiritual failure impact you, even if they try to run you out of town. Show up for that one man, deliver the power of God where you are received, and then go on to the “next town” expecting God to move.
