One such passage is found in Matthew 14:14-34.
And when He came out, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.
This end-time walk in the Spirit will never become noted for its miracles; the miracles will simply be the by product.
In John 13:35 Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Compassion will be the motivation behind the miracles.
The Word tells us that these signs will follow them that believe ( Mark 16:17 ).
Because faith worketh by love ( Galatians 5:6 ), we could paraphrase that statement and say, "These signs will follow those who love."
The man who goes forward with love in his heart and with compassion for the multitudes will glance back once in awhile and find all manner of signs following him.
But the man who follows signs is sure to get in trouble.
He is without the true motivation, and therefore he will be without direction.
The Lord set the example.
First He had compassion and then the miracles began to take place.
When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”
They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
And He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets.
There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
Matthew 14:15-21.
Compassion is the motivation.
When miracles take place, it is not like pulling rabbits out of a hat or doing something equally spectacular.
They are not prompted by a motivation such as that with which Satan tempted Jesus when he said, "Cast yourself off the pinnacle; do something spectacular.
Turn these rocks into bread.
Pull off a miracle here, and then everybody will believe."
Even Jesus' brothers asked Him to show Himself to the world.
If He had something special, they thought He should exhibit it ( John 7:3,4 ).
The problem is that people are still saying in their hearts, "Show me something; then I will believe.
Prove it to me."
Every effort to do that in a walk with God will fail because the Holy Spirit does not anoint for that.
The people must be moved with love.
How we long for the day when the whole congregation will weep before the Lord for someone in their midst who is afflicted.
When the motivation is love, the miracles will come as they ought to come.
The healing revival that swept the country around seventy years ago did not inspire a great deal of faith or confidence because of the motivation of the leaders.
Their magazines featured pictures of needy orphans while the leaders drove expensive cars.
In Africa there are orphanages where anyone can pay $200.00 dollars and the orphanage will gather the children around you for a picture with the promise of candy afterwards.
Like Pavlov's dogs the kids get all excited and smiley at the prospect of candy and willingly gather around.
Then the picture is used advantageously to make it appear as if donations are going to support that orphanage.
They did not have the true motivation.
There were too many gimmicks connected to their work.
Unfortunately this is still going on to this day in some current ministries.
The real motivation, where there is compassion for the multitudes, will not be in the big organized meetings; it will take place once more in the streets, in the highways, and in the byways.
It will not be by force or advertising's, not by gimmicks or promotion.
It must be a compelling wave of compassion that sweeps away the refuge of lies and is stronger than all the forces of the establishment to persecute, to harass, and to bring down.
Again we will see a compassion that triggers off miracle after miracle.
Something has to come to the ministry in this age because the Master tells us to go out and compel them to come in.
When Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the multitudes, He was not conducting a nutrition class, nor was He promoting anything.
It was a necessity.
How were they going to feed this great multitude in that desolate place?
Five loaves and two fishes were all they had.
But that is enough, if the compassion of the Lord motivates you.
If we can finally get away from the promotional aspect of Christianity and Churchianity and return to the mainstream of the restored Church and the purity of compassion, we will not need a large amount of finances.
When we share all that we have, we can look for the Lord to perform a miracle with it.
When the Lord starts to move, as He is moving today, it is very difficult to understand His ways of working.
He gives an instruction that is impossible to fulfill.
When the Lord gives a prophecy or a word, telling a man to do something, it is like walking in a snowstorm.
The wind blows you back two feet for every one that you gain.
It is like wading into a rough surf; it keeps beating you back while you are trying to get into it.
Even with much struggle, you do not reach your original destination at all.
Verses 22-25 continue: And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening.
He was there alone.
But the boat was already made stadia ( A stadion was about the length of a city block- 600 feet ) away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.
Can you visualize the situation?
Remember that these disciples were fisherman, accustomed to storms on the sea of Galilee.
And in the fourth watch of the night ( The Jewish night is divided into four watches.
The fourth or final watch is that time just before dawn, in the darkest hours, between three and six o'clock in the morning ) He came to them, walking upon the sea.
Christ had told them to go over to the other side, but it was virtually impossible because the winds were so contrary.
It was very difficult to navigate the boat that last distance to shore.
Likewise, when you start to walk with God, His instructions seem very simple; however, the further you go, the more you realize that it is impossible to accomplish them by human wisdom and human energy.
When prophecies from the Lord are spoken over a person and he tries to walk in them and see them fulfilled, the battles increase as the enemy comes against him.
He is immediately ushered into the difficulties that seem to make the fulfillment of the word impossible.
Any unbelief or lack on his part will be revealed.
And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!"
And they cried out for fear. Verse 27.
They learned more from the storm than from the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
In spite of all of their faith to see the multitudes fed and other outstanding miracles performed, they did not recognize Jesus when He walked right into the middle of their troubles.
(John 14:9 (NIV) Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?")
When you are in the middle of problems, do you fail to see that the Lord is walking right on the very waves that you think are ready to drown you?
Take another look around.
He is walking right on top of them.
He is the master of them.
What a tragedy it is when you do not recognize the hand of the Lord in your life.
These men were fishermen.
They were not the most brilliant men in the world.
The Jews spoke of them as being "ignorant and unlearned men."
They said of Jesus Himself, "How did He become so learned, since He was never educated" ( John 7:15 ).
You can take the nets away from the fisherman, but how do you get the thinking of a fisherman out of him?
Even after the crucifixion, Peter said, I'm going fishing."
And the other disciples said, "We'll go with you" ( John 21:3 ).
How will God get the old responses and attitudes out of you?
It may be a long way from that kind of life you have been living to that of walking as a prophet.
It is difficult to get you from where you are as an individual to where God says you are going to be.
God is not much concerned with what you are going to do as with what you are going to be.
Therefore, He has to put you through experiences that appear as though the prophecies will never be fulfilled over you.
When a man decides to truly walk with God, he may experience the most turbulent days of his life under the dealings of the Lord.
Rivaling that may be the dealings of the Lord prior to that as He prepares him and brings him to the decision.
The Lord will buffet him as though He were his enemy.
As it was with Joseph, He gives him a word; and until the day that the word is fulfilled, He will try his soul with it.
Every word that God ever gives is a glorious promise that beckons you on, but it is always a cross upon which you must die.
You may be in a difficult place because the Lord has said, "Get in the boat and go across the sea."
Then God has you right where He wants you.
That is the place where faith comes forth.
Watching someone perform miracles does not prepare you to walk with God half as much as a bad storm does.
If someone had come to Peter in the storm and said, "Peter, you are going to be a mighty man of God," he probably would have said, "Who needs it?
I just want to get out of here."
A storm is a good place to lose your ambition.
The previous day when they seated the thousands in rows of fifty, the disciples thought the ministry would be simple enough.
If they could just learn that bread trick, they would have quite a ministry, and the crowds would come, instant, "Mega Church!"
Can you see the ambition?
You can imagine the scene as the crowd in the back row was talking about making Jesus their king.
They had a perfect campaign promise worked out: "Free bread and fish every Thursday."
The bread and the fish and the miracles are fine, but there is nothing like a good storm to really get the Job done- a storm where you have gone down for the third time and you pray, "Glug, glug, glug!"
That is a very effective prayer.
The disciples said, "It is a ghost!"
And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
And He said, "Come!"
And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But seeing the wind ( verse 24 said that the wind was contrary ), he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying "Lord, save me!" Verses 26-30.
Notice that he did not pray, "Oh, Thou omnipotent One, ruler of the heavens and the earth, full of grace and mercy, we come..."
His prayer was much more theological than that.
When you are put in the water, then you learn to pray.
You learn a lot.
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of Him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. Verses 31-34.
Do we really understand the Lord as well as we think we do? Why is it that we fast and pray, all the problems begin to surface?
Take another look.
We are not being haunted by ghosts; we are receiving a mighty visitation of the Lord.
The Kingdom of God is not coming with observation; it is coming within us ( Luke 17:20,21 ).
The beginning of awakenings in the Kingdom will come in this manner.
Millions of people will be saved and delivered.
In their troubles and all their deep problems, they will have to fave things that they are afraid of at first; but through it all the Lord will have a way of revealing Himself to them.
Is God opening up problems and needs in your life?
When you pray for love, are you placed into situations where you find that you have none?
Do you watch a miracle and then hear the Lord rebuke you and say, "Oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Do not be discouraged. God has a strange way of moving, but it is very efficient.
His dealings have produced some marvelous disciples, and now the whole Body of Christ is being tested.
Have faith for every man that God brings in as a part of His remnant.
Do not judge Peter.
He has been condemned all these years because he looked at the contrary waves and then he sank.
A good principle of the Kingdom is this: Never criticize a man until you have walked as far as he has.
Do not criticize Peter until you have walked on water as far as Peter walked before he sank.
Do not criticize anyone that God is raising up.
If you see a weakness in one of the leaders, start praying about it, but do not judge.
The Lord is the One who will judge and ask, "Peter, why did you doubt?"
People have to be brought to the end of their own limitations, and then they must be taught how to move into the boundless, unlimited nature of God.
It is hard to shift gears.
Be very sorry that you do not see the lord in your own life more clearly.
Repent of self pity.
Re-evaluate the whole circumstances of your life and begin to think the way the Lord thinks.
Ask the Holy Spirit to warn you the next time you start getting a little rebellious over the path that God has chosen for you.
Remember that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
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