Signs are to help us identify where we are and which way we are to go.
Signs are to help us make Good choices.
Signs are to help us know what is happening next.
Signs are to validate what has been spoken.
Signs are only as good as the person seeing the Sign is aware of the Sign, acknowledges the Sign and allows the Sign to affect their behavior.
Those who Understand The Times are imminently aware of Signs which provide the basis for their Understanding.
We are constantly heading of automobile accidents where one driver fails to acknowledge and react to a Sign leading to accidents, destruction and death.
"I didn't see the Sign."
"I didn't see the other vehicle."
are two commonly offered excuses by the person who caused the accident.
The question becomes:
Why didn't you see the Sign?
Was the Sun in your eyes?
Were you distracted?
Rarely does a person admit to just plain ignoring the Sign.
Ignorance is one thing. Wilful disregard is another.
I recently commented to a FB post speaking about the number of accidents around Raleigh each morning and afternoon. My comment was to the effect that "there is severe lack of 'paying attention' skills in NC".
'Paying attention' is one of the basic skills that are necessary to move from a place of Ignorance, Carelessness and Failure to a place of Understanding, Responsibility and Success.
People who do not pay attention to Signs will always be Losers.
People who recognise and react to Signs will always be Winners.
Ignoring traffic Signs, Economic Signs and Spiritual Signs are a way of life in America today.
You can't run stop Signs regularly without eventually causing an accident.
You can't buy high and sell low without eventually going bankrupt.
You can't "walk by Sight" and not miss out on Abundant Life.
"They've got their head in the sand." Ostriches doe this when they are threatened. Their thinking must be: "If I can's see them then they can't see me."
Pretending an alternate reality in the face of Signs is generally foolish. The only time that an "alternate reality" makes sense is in the Faith Realm when a person is seeing and speaking that which is not as if it were.
Such Faith based Reality must be Heart Faith in order for the "alternate reality" to manifest.
As we hear more and more about the need for Signs and Wonders in the Faith community, I am reminded of what Jesus said:
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. - Mat 12:39,40
The greatest Sign of all time is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!
And again we hear from Jesus:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; - Mar 16:17
Jesus said Signs would 'follow' them that Believe. So the Believing comes first. Whenever there are no Signs, there is no Believing.
Then we see the observations of the Disciples:
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. - Mar 16:20
"Confirming the Word"...
So, we see that the Signs Jesus had spoken of were manifested by Believers who preached the Word.
What Word?
1. Repent - you are wrong and need to change - Lost and need to be Found
2. Jesus - Faith in the Son of God, crucified, buried and raised from the dead
3. Holy Spirit - Power to perform Signs comes by the Holy Spirit
3. Displeship - follow Jesus by absorbing His Word, allowing it to transform your Mind, speaking His Word and becoming a Witness.