Silent Truths

Are You Ready?

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:4)

I’ve been wrestling with this for a while—this whole issue of signs and wonders, faith, and the sin that so easily besets us. For a long time, I thought sin was simply the things we do wrong—the moral failings, the mistakes, the moments of weakness that we wish we could undo. But the more I’ve been reflecting on Hebrews 12:1, the more I realize that it isn’t just about actions.

The sin that so easily entangles us isn’t always some outward, obvious thing. It’s deeper than that. It’s fear. It’s hesitation. It’s not trusting fully in what God has spoken.

And I’m beginning to see something even more unsettling—sometimes the greatest obstacle to faith isn’t unbelief but what we choose to believe in. Because I’m starting to realize that some of us have placed our faith in signs rather than in Christ Himself. And that’s a dangerous thing.

Why We Crave Signs?

I can’t deny it. There’s something in me that wants to see God move in undeniable ways. I want to see the sick healed. I want to see prayers answered in dramatic, visible, supernatural ways. I want to have moments where I can say without a shadow of a doubt: Yes. That was God.

And I don’t think that’s necessarily wrong. Even Jesus acknowledged that some people needed signs to believe:

“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4-5)

The miracles Jesus performed were not just about power—they were about confirming His mission. They pointed people to the truth, helping them recognize who He was.

But then I remember the Pharisees—those who kept demanding more proof, more evidence, more miracles. They saw Jesus heal, they saw Him cast out demons, they saw Him feed the thousands, and still, they said: Show us a sign.

They weren’t looking for faith. They were looking for control.

And that’s when it hit me: Sometimes the desire for signs and wonders isn’t about faith at all—it’s about fear.

Fear in Disguise

When I read Hebrews 12:1, I see it in a new light now:

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

What if the sin that entangles us isn’t just moral failure, but misplaced faith? What if it’s our constant need for reassurance, our unwillingness to walk forward without seeing the proof first?

The Israelites in the wilderness fell into this trap. God split the Red Sea for them, yet when they came to the Promised Land, they were too afraid to enter. Why? Because they were waiting for another sign. The giants looked bigger than God’s promise, so they hesitated—and that hesitation cost them forty years in the wilderness.

Fear disguised as faith is still fear.

• Fear makes us demand proof before obedience.
• Fear makes us chase after signs rather than chase after God’s mission.
• Fear makes us vulnerable to deception—because when you’re desperate for miracles, you’ll accept them from anyone.

Deception of Signs

This is where things get real. Because not all signs come from God.

Jesus gave a chilling warning:

“For false messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

That verse shakes me. Even the elect? How? How could people who love God and seek Him be deceived?

And then I realized—it happens when people put their faith in miracles rather than the mission of Christ.

False prophets don’t need sound doctrine—they just need enough power to impress. And people will follow them because they mistake miracles for truth. They don’t test the spirit behind the sign; they just assume that if it’s supernatural, it must be from God.

But Jesus never said to judge people by their signs and wonders. He said to judge them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16).

A true prophet isn’t just someone who can call down fire from heaven—it’s someone who walks in the mission of Luke 4:18-19:

• Preaching good news to the poor.
• Healing the brokenhearted.
• Proclaiming freedom to the captives.
• Bringing sight to the blind.
• Lifting up the oppressed.

If someone’s “ministry” is filled with miracles but empty of mission, then it isn’t from God.

Power Without Deception

I don’t want to live in fear. I don’t want to be so afraid of being deceived that I reject all supernatural power. But I also don’t want to be so obsessed with seeing God “prove Himself” that I fall into the trap of chasing signs instead of chasing Jesus.

So here’s where I land:

• Miracles are real. God does amazing, supernatural things to confirm His word.
• But miracles are not the goal. The goal is faithfulness to Christ’s mission.
• Signs should follow us—we should not follow signs. Jesus said: “These signs will follow those who believe…” (Mark 16:17). We don’t need to chase them—they follow as a natural outflow of faith.
• We must test every spirit. If someone is doing miracles but not walking in the mission of Christ, then something is off.

What Do I Do?

I don’t have all the answers, but I know this much: I need to lay aside every weight—the fear, the hesitation, the need for proof before obedience—and run the race set before me.

I need to trust that God is bigger than my doubts. That I don’t need to see a miracle to know He’s working. That I don’t need to chase signs to prove my faith is real.

If miracles come, praise God. If they don’t, praise God anyway. Because I’m done with chasing proof. I’m running the race of faith.

And I trust that, whether or not I see signs along the way, He is with me.

Changes My Perspective

This struggle—this wrestling with signs, wonders, and faith—has led me to a few conclusions:

1. God is not obligated to prove Himself to me. Faith means trusting Him even when I don’t see.
2. Miracles are not the foundation of faith. Christ is.
3. The greatest sign of all was already given: the resurrection. I don’t need to see more proof—He’s already shown the greatest miracle of all.
4. Not all supernatural power is from God. If it doesn’t align with the mission of Luke 4, it’s deception.
5. Fear disguised as faith is still fear. I must lay aside the weight of hesitation and step forward in trust.

I don’t know what God will do next. But I don’t need a sign to know that He’s leading me. And that’s enough.

And, it’s the Truth that sets us free.

Source Appendix

Scriptural References

Matthew 16:4
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it except the sign of Jonah.”

Hebrews 12:1
“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Matthew 11:4-5
“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

Matthew 24:24
“For false messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Matthew 7:16
“You will know them by their fruits.”

Luke 4:18-19
Preaching good news to the poor.
Healing the brokenhearted.
Proclaiming freedom to the captives.
Bringing sight to the blind.
Lifting up the oppressed.

Mark 16:17
“These signs will follow those who believe…”