Discover Your Soul's Path to GodEsimerkki

We worship and serve a supernatural God who manifests himself to us in supernatural ways. Enthusiasts by temperament are particularly fed by such experiences. They understand that there are certain things about God and Christianity that we simply can’t fully understand. Supernatural experiences can all too easily degenerate into chaos. This is precisely why the church must teach about legitimate and biblically ordained experiences of the supernatural.

When this understanding is rooted in humility, in the understanding that God is spirit and we are flesh, that God is in control and we are not, we will have a healthy response to and a fantastic relationship with him.

Many spiritual manifestations are expressly forbidden for the Christian (see Deuteronomy 18:10–12). God gave us sound minds and solid, biblical revelation to help us discern what is from himself. How do we balance mystery and reason? God, who gave us our minds, doesn’t despise us for using them, but he does get angry when we neglect them. God certainly doesn’t expect us to accept without question any compulsion that comes our way, especially if we have written revelation to the contrary.

One of the ways that God moves is through dreams. That God speaks through dreams is well established in Scripture and is consistent with the nature of God. All of this must be put in context. We should never accept a dream that clashes with the revelation of Scripture. Without the firm foundation of biblical truth for our absolute standard, the wisdom of Christian tradition and history for our general guidance, and the contemporary oversight of fellow believers for accountability, we can easily be led astray. 

An attitude of expectancy, what God is going to do, is essential to the faith of an enthusiast. Enthusiasts would do well to wake up and ask God to bring someone in their path to whom they can minister. This sense of watching energizes enthusiasts’ faith because they see God moving in visible ways. Spiritual risk-taking creates room in your life for God to move.

Is there anything more mysterious than prayer? Enthusiasts need to create pockets of prayer in their lives, learning to trust God to come through in unexpected ways. The mystery of faith calls us to love and serve a God whom we can’t always understand. Mystery has its exhilarating elements as well as its frustrating elements. We can’t expect one without the other.

In addition to mystery, the enthusiast is fed through celebration. Enthusiasts want to share in the joyful recognition that we serve an absolutely wonderful God and have so much about which to celebrate. Celebration can take the form of enthusiastic worship, creative endeavors, and getting together to pray and worship as a community.

Sometimes life can squeeze joy out of us. In a cynical and depressed world, enthusiasts point toward faith, mystery, and expectancy. Enthusiasts have a precious gift and a special calling, and I hope they will never stop celebrating and never stop believing, even in the darkest night.

Respond

In what ways can manifestations of God’s supernatural presence feed your faith?

Why is it important to combine mystery with reason when listening to God?

How does the enthusiast look at difficult situations? How does this compare to the way you rely on God?