Q: Where did the phrase “Divine Invasions” come from, and what do you mean when you say God “invades” our lives?
A: As I began to study the topic of biblical miracles, I realized we use the term “miracle” all the time today. We have Miracle Whip, Miracle-Gro, Miracle Wipes, and so forth. Everything’s a miracle. So in this book, I use the phrase “divine invasions” to refer to those times when God intervenes in our lives with supernatural power or protection or provision or physical healing.
Divine invasions don’t happen every day, but they’re more common than you may realize. Think about it:
- Can you look back and see a supernatural answer to prayer in your life?
- Can you recall when somebody spoke exactly the word of encouragement you needed to hear at that time?
- Can you look back at something in your life that appeared to be a coincidence, but the more you thought about it, you realized it had to be the hand of God?
That’s what I’m referring to in the book when I talk about “divine invasions.”
Q. A lot of Christians privately wonder whether the age of miracles is over—that maybe God worked that way in biblical times, but things are different now. How do you respond to that doubt?
A: I understand why some Christians think the days of miracles are over. When I was in college and seminary, many of my professors taught that since we have the Bible now, God doesn’t do miracles anymore. But after decades of ministry as a pastor, I’ve seen enough real-life divine invasions to convince me beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still in the miracle-working business.
But I do believe there’s one thing about the way God does miracles that has changed since biblical times. As Dr. Criswell used to say, “I believe in faith healing; I just don’t believe in faith healers.” I think God no longer uses intermediaries to perform miracles. He’s eliminated the middleman, so to speak. Today, God works miracles directly in our lives according to His will.
Q: You organize the book around four categories of miracles: power, provision, protection, and healing. Can you walk us through what distinguishes each one, and maybe share a story that illustrates one of them?
A:
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Miracles of Power. Although every miracle involves God’s power, certain miracles display His supernatural power in a really dramatic way. In Scripture, we see five periods of time with God’s miracle-working power on full display. In the book I show you each of these five times—four are in the past, and the last one is yet to come.
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Miracles of Provision. Some miracles involve God’s supernatural provision for a specific need. These miracles not only meet our needs but also serve as reminders of God’s power that we can recall when we face future challenges.
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Miracles of Protection. Jesus was right when He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). But in the Bible, God repeatedly encourages us to pray for His protection against every kind of danger. When I was growing up, and as I raised my own children, we’d do this by asking God to put “a hedge of protection” over people.
- Miracles of Physical Healing. As I said, I’m skeptical of faith healers, but I firmly believe in faith healing—that God, according to His purposes, can heal us. I’ve experienced His divine invasion in my life with a miracle of physical healing.
Q: What do you say to the person who has prayed faithfully and is still waiting—or has stopped believing God will answer?
A: This is a tender subject, and I can’t possibly give a complete answer in the next few seconds to someone who is deeply hurting—so please, I encourage you to get the book and read the chapter where I go into detail about why sometimes the miracles we pray for don’t come and how we are to respond when that happens. But the main thing I would say right now to the person who is waiting for a miracle is this: Miracles delayed aren’t miracles denied.
One day when we are united with Jesus Christ in heaven, we will experience the fulfillment of every miracle we have ever longed for. Everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ will be ultimately healed when we are in the physical presence of the Lord, and then we’ll experience the ultimate divine invasion.
Q: You write that God can supernaturally give us peace even when He chooses not to change our circumstances. Can you unpack that idea?
A: God is able to work a miracle in your life, if He chooses to do so. But even if He chooses not to, God is still actively at work in your life through a different kind of divine invasion—He unleashes His supernatural power in giving you peace so that you can endure your circumstances. That’s not some kind of “pie-in-the-sky” thinking to make you feel better—that’s a rock-solid promise God gives us in His Word.
The Bible says that when Jesus was crucified, His suffering on the cross produced peace and healing for everyone who places their faith in Him. Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) puts it this way: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Because Jesus took the punishment of God’s discipline, which was ours to bear, you and I can experience the miracle of God’s supernatural peace no matter our circumstances.
Q: You have a chapter specifically warning readers about counterfeit miracles. Why was it important to you to include that, and what should believers be watching out for?
A: I think it’s important for believers to remember that we are part of a very real spiritual battle today. As Ephesians 6:12 says, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” where Satan rules. And in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Paul warns us to avoid falling for deceptive “signs and false wonders.” Just because something looks impressive and inexplicable doesn’t automatically mean it’s divine; it could be demonic.
How can we determine whether a miracle is divine or demonic? We have to examine the person performing the so-called miracle. Specifically, we look at two critical aspects about the miracle worker: their message and their motives. In the book, I show you how to do that.
Q: You’ve been a pastor for decades and have walked with thousands of people through crisis, grief, and desperate prayer. Has writing this book changed or deepened the way you personally think about miracles?
A: As I mentioned earlier and discuss more fully in the book, when I was in seminary, I was taught a view called cessationism, which basically says that since we have the whole Bible now, God no longer does miracles in our world as He did before the New Testament was finished. In fact, I even taught that view of miracles during my early years as a pastor.
Now, I want to be careful to say here that your personal belief about whether God does miracles today is not what we call an “essential” belief. Instead, this is one of the “non-essential” issues that Christians can disagree on, and that’s okay.
But as for me, I’ve seen many, many examples of God’s divine invasions in people’s lives. The process of writing this book strengthened and deepened my understanding of our miracle-working God, as I revisited His divine invasions in my own life as well as the countless miracles I’ve witnessed as a pastor. My prayer is that even for those Christians who already believe that God does miracles in the world today, this book will strengthen your faith and encourage you too.
Q: For a reader who is in a hard season right now—maybe facing a health crisis, a broken relationship, or a financial situation that feels impossible—what is the one thing you most want them to take away from this book?
A: I want them to come away knowing that God is still in the miracle-working business. Whatever problem you may be facing today, you can go to God and ask Him to divinely intervene in your situation. My hope is that every person who reads Divine Invasions will not only be encouraged by these stories of God’s miraculous work in today’s world, but that they will also begin asking God for a divine invasion in their own lives as well.
Q: The book closes with what you call a “divine invitation.” Without giving everything away, what are you inviting readers into?
A: For you to have a divine invasion in your life, you need to, first of all, accept God’s great invitation in your life. He promises in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” And God will begin working in your life in ways you cannot possibly imagine. This is the divine invitation we all need to accept to experience God’s divine invasions in our lives.
