David Diga Hernandez - God WANTS to Give You a Sign

Hello, this is David Diga Hernandez, and you’re watching Spirit Church here on the Encounter TV Network. Is it wrong to ask God for signs? Does believing in a miracle make you a shallow or immature Christian? Some say it does, but what does the Bible actually teach? I want to begin this message by talking to you about the role of experience. We understand that God is alive and well, and because God is alive and well, He’s interacting with His children. When God interacts with His children, His children experience divine encounters. There is nothing wrong with a believer having divine experiences. Experience results from understanding revelation; experience results from worship; experience results from obedient living. The Holy Spirit will guide you into heavenly experiences. While experience has a place, it is not a priority. Experience has a place, but it’s not a priority.

There are two extremes to these viewpoints. On one side, you have those who say the Word of God is all you’ll ever need, and that’s true. But their conclusion is wrong. They will say, «Therefore, any experiences you have with God are totally unnecessary.» Then there are those who don’t have the foundation of the Word and rely entirely upon experience. Think about the fact that in knowing the Word of God and understanding the truths revealed in it, I am positioned for experience. One time, someone asked me while talking about miracles, signs, wonders, and experiences in the presence of the Holy Spirit, «Is the Word of God not sufficient? Does the Word of God not accomplish what it needs to accomplish?» I would argue that it is because the Word of God is sufficient that I have experiences with God. The Word of God puts me in connection with God. The Word of God is the foundation upon which I build my relationship with God, and in relating with God, I’m bound to have experiences with Him.

There are those who will condemn others for wanting an experience or a sign from God, and that’s a religious way of thinking—it’s a dead, dry, powerless way of thinking, and it’s not biblical at all. Just because you appreciate a holy experience, just because you appreciate encounters with God, doesn’t mean that that’s your focus. People have criticized me before, saying, «Well, you teach miracles, and that’s all you teach,» and because you talk about miracles, that shows that your focus is miracles. Well, no, my focus is Jesus. My focus is the preaching of the Gospel, telling people they need to repent of their sins, turn toward Christ, be saved, and believe in the Lord Jesus. But miracles accompany that message. So just because you appreciate miracles, encounters, and experiences does not mean that signs, encounters, or experiences are your sole focus.

Some believers will scold you, saying to stop seeking signs; we should focus on the Word. While it is true that signs should not become our priority, this does not mean that signs do not have a place. It is not sinful, wrong, shallow, materialistic, doubtful, unspiritual, or immature to ask God for signs. I’m going to show you from Scripture that, in fact, it is biblical to ask the Lord for signs, wonders, and miracles. Let’s start with 1 Corinthians 2:4: «And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.» Our preaching is accompanied by demonstration. Our relationship with God is accompanied by experiences. How can you come to know God and not have an encounter with Him? How can you walk in a relationship with God and not experience that divine connection?

There are three simple, biblically based rules that I want to give you for experiences, and here’s how you can filter your experiences through a biblical lens. Number one: Experience is valid when it’s consistent with God’s Word. Yes, experience has a place, and especially if it aligns with God’s Word, it can be a healthy benefit to your spiritual growth. Not all experiences are bad or distractions from the Word of God. In fact, if they are in harmony with the Word of God, those experiences can be healthy for your spiritual growth.

So that’s number one: Experience is valid—key point here—when it’s consistent with God’s Word. Number two: Interpret your experience through God’s Word, not God’s Word through your experience. If what my experience tells me contradicts the Word or nature of God, then I’m either misreading my experience or the experience is suspect. There are some believers who will base everything on a dream they had. They’ll base everything about their lives on a prophetic word they were given. They’ll base all of their theology on some emotional response they had in one instance, and they build everything they are—everything they have—down to experience, and that’s dangerous. We must learn to interpret our experiences through God’s Word rather than God’s Word through our experiences. If my experience is telling me something or I believe something as a result of my experience that contradicts the Word of God, then either I’m misreading my experience, or my experience itself is suspect.

Number three: Experience is a result of seeking God, but not the purpose of seeking God. We don’t seek God to have an experience; we seek Him to have Him. When we have Him, experiences will often result. Some are all flustered and stressed because they don’t feel God. The point is not to feel God; the point is to be in right relationship with God, and in walking with God, yes, you will sometimes have experiences.