What is Naturally Supernatural?
To be naturally supernatural simply means to partner with God’s empowering Spirit in the everyday things of life.
Heaven is Open for Business
God loves to bring solutions to people’s problems, wisdom to their questions, and healing to their troubles. He does this by releasing the resources of heaven here on earth.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
To do this, Jesus personally made the supernatural a natural and regular experience through His ministry. As theologian Jürgen Moltmann put it, “Jesus’ healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only natural thing in a world that is unnatural, demonized and wounded.”
Luke summarizes the ministry of Jesus with a simple observation:
“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and… he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)
But the naturally supernatural adventure didn’t end at the cross.
After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower anyone who is a disciple of His to carry on this same work.
Jesus sends us to perform activities tapping into the eternal resources of the Kingdom. For instance, none of us can heal the sick in our own strength, but through God’s empowering presence we can see amazing miracles take place.
Kingdom life expresses itself in the everyday moments of living. Thus,
Before entering a difficult meeting, ask God for the wisdom required to unlock the situation.
When a neighbor mentions an illness, offer to pray for healing immediately.
Listen to the stressed-out mom whose child wakes with nightmares, suggest you pop round to pray for spiritual cleansing in their home.
No hype, no shiny suits, no shouting, no weirdness. Just naturally supernatural power and authority exercised in Jesus’ name and for His fame.
A naturally supernatural life allows the Holy Spirit to empower service to anyone the Lord brings across the path. Don’t restrict options to the limits of the material world. Instead, recognize the access provided to the bounty of heaven. Humbly look to the Heavenly Father for the supply needed in the moment.
The Lord manages the outcomes. Our job is posture. Choose faith in God’s goodness and love for the person standing in front of you.
Operating 24/7 in a naturally supernatural manner is the most fulfilling and fun way to live!
“Jesus modeled a naturally supernatural lifestyle, as He released words, works, and wonders that came from the Father’s heart.”
'“Developing a naturally supernatural ministry requires a deepening relationship with God and a willingness to be led by the Holy Spirit.”
5 Steps to Test This Out
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Letting Jesus have His way in us is the first step in developing a naturally supernatural ministry. This means letting go of our own desires and allowing God to work through us - including when we’re fearful, inexperienced, or beyond our human understanding.
As we surrender to God, and focus on Jesus and His goodness, we position ourselves to be far more useful to Him. This will always be the foundation for any lasting naturally supernatural activity.
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Being filled with the Holy Spirit is essential to any naturally supernatural ministry. We must regularly ask God to fill us afresh with His Spirit.
The filling of the Spirit is not a ‘one and done’ experience. That’s because we leak! Whether from giving as we minister in God’s power and authority, or self-sabotaging through sin, we need to obey Ephesians 5:18 and “keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit.”
As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we become aware of His presence, sensitive to His leading, and empowered for ministry.
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Trusting that God can intervene today is key to developing a naturally supernatural ministry.
Whether we’re looking for a miracles, healing, deliverance, or prophetic insight, it is as we exercise faith in His loving kindness that we see miraculous moments crop up with greater regularity.
The world around us is tired, cynical, and worn down by false promises. Simultaneously it is hungry for authentic love and a deeper reality.
There is no better place to which we can point our friends and neighbors than the eternity-fueled peace, presence, and power of Jesus.
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Who locally is further along than you are in operating in the Spirit’s empowering? They don’t need to be famous, but they do need to be faithful!
Bear in mind that God looks at the heart rather than a title, status, or big mouth, so the one you need to learn from might be quietly sitting in His presence in the prayer room, be young and full of passionate energy to extend God’s Kingdom, or have a 40 year track record of obediently ministering God’s love to the least, the last, and the lost in your community.
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When you learn any new skill, you have to get the reps in.
You just need to make the time and commit to seizing any and every opportunity to pray for lots of people, to minister to as many sick people as possible, to pause to listen to Jesus’ voice before you pray with anyone.
You will never leave this stage, because there is always more to learn and grow in. I’ve played soccer (or football, as Jesus calls it) for about 50 years, and I’ve noticed how many players plateau and don’t try new things. For the past few years I’ve been playing twice a week with an almost entirely Latino group, which has changed how I play since their possession-based approach is very different to the one I learned on muddy English playing fields! In turn, this has encouraged me to try new skills, and not to give up when I mess up.
Likewise, to keep in spiritual shape we must always keep on practicing a naturally supernatural lifestyle. We practice in the context of Christian community, so that we never plateau and become predictable. As we couple this with a Spirit-infused faith, we will become more confident in our ability to hear from God and to minister in His name and empowering.
