I’m not the only one on this journey. We are learning together as a church community that the life Jesus modelled can be the normal Christian life for every believer. Just this week we baptised someone who came back to God because of a prophetic word they received in our town centre.
At a time when society is telling us that the church is in decline, our experience is that the Kingdom of God is always advancing.
We still have so much to learn, but here are five ways to kick-start or grow in your own naturally supernatural journey:
1. Get to know God’s heart
God is much more passionate about his Kingdom coming than we will ever be. He is eager to reveal his love to people, and to heal the sick and broken. The more we get to know God’s heart, the more we’ll instinctively know what to do to reveal Him to the people we meet.
Some friends of mine had the privilege of revealing Jesus to a homeless guy on the streets. They listened to him, bought him shoes, gave him food and drink, and found him overnight accommodation. My friends instinctively knew that God wanted to abundantly bless this man who society had shunned. How could they be so sure? They knew God’s heart.
Living a naturally supernatural life is birthed out of and sustained through intimacy with the Father. Get to know God’s heart for the people around you.
2. Understand that God’s Kingdom is multifaceted
I used to have such a narrow understanding of what God’s Kingdom looked like. I thought it was mainly to do with praying for the sick and hearing God’s voice. Of course these are two key ways the Kingdom advances, but over the years I have learnt that God’s Kingdom is much more rich and multifaceted.
When God’s Kingdom comes people get healed and saved and set free; they also experience God’s peace and comfort and joy and justice. All of these things are supernatural. God’s Kingdom is vast and varied, and knowing this truth has helped me to regularly spot opportunities for breakthrough as I go about my everyday life (Sadly I don’t yet take every opportunity I see! I am very grateful for God’s grace, which always gives me another go).
3. Be motivated by love
I once had the opportunity to interpret the dream of a toilet cleaner in the town centre. A friend and I went to thank him for doing such a great job. He told us he had been cleaning the same toilets for 20 years! Our simple encouragement led to him telling us a dream he’d had, which I was able to interpret. We also got to pray for him a few times as he opened up about his life. Our desire to love this man resulted in God’s Kingdom coming outside a toilet block.
Living a naturally supernatural life is simply about receiving God’s love and then giving it away to everyone we meet. When people meet us, we want them to meet the Father. The amazing thing is that often when we love people with no hidden agenda, God rushes in and opens up opportunities for supernatural breakthrough as well.
4. Be courageous
Courage is not the absence of fear; courage feels the fear but decides to act anyway. I still feel lots of fear when I am speaking to people on the streets, even after years of ‘doing the stuff’.
It is really difficult to live a naturally supernatural life without taking risks. You can’t know if someone will get healed when you pray, unless you pray; you can’t know if a word of knowledge is right, unless you share it. I’m sure God designed it that way; He loves it when we are completely dependent on Him.
The main thing that has helped me to keep taking risks, even when it has all gone wrong, is remembering God’s measure of success. God’s measure of success is obedience, not outcome. He celebrates our courage!
5. Remember to have fun
God promises to be with us wherever we go. He is the only one who can heal and save and transform lives. There is no pressure on us to have to try and make something happen. When you understand this truth, living a naturally supernatural life can be lots of fun!
