Super Natural Living
 
Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy. (Ephesians 4:23 & 24 CEV)
 
I have to give credit for today's message to Dr. Bill Bright who was the founder and director of Campus Crusade for Christ. I was in a grocery store this past week and happened to come across his book entitles "Supernatural Thinking." I only had enough time to just glance through it but, do you know how sometimes you just know that something was suppose to be there? It was one of those times when the Spirit speaks to you and tells you that this is from him.
 
Now the premisea of the book is an extension of Dr. Norman Vincent Peal's work on the Power of Positive thinking and Dr. Schuyler work on the Power of Possibility thinking. Bill Bright tapped into the Super natural mind of Christ and taught us that not only can we have positive thoughts and make the impossible possible but through the Power of the Holy Spirit Super Natural living can be a reality.....
 
Now I have to quickly put on the brakes here before we get carried away into some crazy New Age ballyhoo thinking that we can be like God. That is not what God had in mind when He said "Let us make man in our image and likeness."  TOo many wackos want to believe that they are gods themselves. The creation is trying to take over the position of creator. It is like the monkeys runny the zoo. What God meant by you being like Him was that you would have His character. That was what the ten commandments were all about. They were more of a picture of who God is then what we should and shouldn't do.
 
"Thou shalt not kill!" defines the character of God's love. God gives all of us life and we are all His children. Life is a gift and we should cherish it. In fact we should learn how to live it to it's fullest. "Thou Shalt not steal" Shows us the character of God's faithfulness and his integrity. "Thou shall have no other God's" Shows God's uniqueness and holiness. There is none other. If we were to just take those three characters we would be men and woman of integrity and have a great love for our fellow man and a deep respect for our own individual uniqueness as well as the uniqueness of others.
 
So What is super natural living if it is not being able to materialize things and changing matter and performing miracle? First of all just looking at the word we can see that we are talking about something that is beyond normal. I mean. Super Man was a man sure but he was really more then a man.... he was Super Man!
 
So if we are talking about super natural we are talking about living beyond the natural. Now if we get right down to it what is the natural? What is the norm? SUper natural living is living beyond the norm. It is living above the mundane. Jesus came so that we could not just exist but so that we could live. And living does not mean mealy existing.
 
I sometimes feel as if I talk too much about the abundant life. I do not want you to get board with the idea. When I first met my wife we were traveling around the country working in Renaissance Festivals. I had just recently gotten out of the Army and not yet clean and sober. One thing I remember talking about was how life needed to be a great adventure or nothing at all. After getting off the road and somewhat settling down I found myself giving up that great adventure ideal.
 
I believe too many of s have given up on the great adventure. Too often we give up our zeal for life and our dream of glory for a roof over our heads and food on the table and hopefully get the bill paid... going from one circumstance to another... from one of our children in the hospital to our parents getting sick, to the air conditioner going out to the car breaking down to the boss on your back to the price of gas..... OH it is easy to see how we can quickly loose that great adventure dream and wake up to the reality of the nasty here and now natural.
 
But I am here to tell you that with God all things are possible. I am here to encourage you to get out of that rut and live a super natural life. And you can do it by beginning to believe what you believe. Did you hear me. You have got to really believe what you believe. Let's turn real quick to this passage in Philippians. Paul tells us that we need to press on, we need to forget about the past and look towards the future. Forget the way things use to be and look at the way things can be. forget the old you and put on the new regenerated you. Behold all things are new. do you believe it? Do you really Believe it? then press on to the high calling of the super natural life in Christ that is yours.
 
(Philippians 3:12-14 BBE) Not as if I had even now got the reward or been made complete: but I go on in the hope that I may come to the knowledge of that for which I was made the servant of Christ Jesus. Brothers, it is clear to me that I have not come to that knowledge; but one thing I do, letting go those things which are past, and stretching out to the things which are before, I go forward to the mark, even the reward of the high purpose of God in Christ Jesus.
 
Let me now get back to Bill Bright. I know that most of you do not know who he was and what he accomplished. Bill Bright built the largest Christian origination in the world. Campus Crusades for Christ started when he began preaching at UCLA. He wrote the booklet The Four Laws and envisioned the great commission being fulfilled in our generation. He has put the Jesus film in over 100 countries and has over 553,000 trained volunteers. What started as one man talking to some college students in 1951 has become a world wide ministry. That is the power of super natural living.
 
Natural living is what you have been doing. Super natural living is what you can do when you catch the vision of what God has planned for you. Natural living is you going thought the day in and day out. Super Natural living is you living life to it's fullest day in and day out.
 
The difference is you complaining about doing the dishes and your praising God that you have dishes to clean. THe difference is you complaining about the heat and you telling satan that a little broken air conditioner is not going to stop you from praising the LORD. the difference is you waking up in the morning and saying good lord it's morning and you waking up in the morning and saying Good Morning LORD!!!!!
 
Am I painting un unrealistic picture. No I am not. We all have our down times. we all have our moments of trial. We all have situations that seem impossible. The difference is not the situation but what you do in the situation. It is not whether you get down or not it is if you get back up. Will there be moments of heaviness. Yes but put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Sit up the gift with in you. fan the flames. get on fire. Get fired up. get excited.
 
Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gift within him. Another translations says to fan into flame the gift that is already within you.
 
(2Timothy 1:6 LITV)  For which cause I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
 
It is time to get a clear vision of who you are in Christ Jesus. It is time for you to really believe what you believe. If you believe God can do great things through you He will. You need to come to God expecting great things form Him.
 
Remember the founder of modern evangelism William Cary who said:
 
Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God!!!!
 
Look at the great cloud of witnesses and have faith. dig in deep and diligently seek God and know that he is a rewarder of those who seek him diligently. Go after God with everything you have got and watch the greatness of God turn your natural life into a supernatural life....
 
(Romans 12:2 KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
(Romans 12:2 CEV) Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
 
It starts right now with your decision to trust in the truth of God's love for you. It begins with you deciding to not be like the world, but to be holy, separate, be not conformed to this world but let the Power of Gods' Holy Spirit transform your life into a super natural life. It starts with you saying yes to To God. IT starts with you saying yes to Jesus. You know that it has been your rebellion and sin that has kept you from doing and being all that God has called you to be. Let God wash away all your sin You don't have to say I have always been this way. all things can become new starting right now.
 
So I am begging you.... start right now with this simple prayer and never, ever, turn back. Never be the same again. from this moment forward let's start living a super natural life in Christ. Amen? Amen! Let's pray;
 
JESUS; Save me! Change my heart, change my mind, change my life. I accept you as the messiah and my personal savior. Come Holy Spirit and fill me with he mind of Christ. I surrender my life making myself a living sacrifice to your glory. Be one in me as I am in you. From this moment on I am yours. With that I know that all things are working together for my good that you would receive all the glory in everything I say and do. Make my life a supernatural testimony of your saving grace. In Jesus name I pray; Amen!!!!!!!!!