Vision

Related to a previous entry about ‘strands of light’, I’ve had visions recently showing me how the Spirit tends to work in people’s lives – in flashes. I agree with my previous entry, that God works through believers to reach unbelievers. Believers help the person open their heart to the work of the Spirit. The Spirit then grants them a flash of insight – a glimpse of God – and the person is affected. It is then up to that person to decide what to do with that glimpse.
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Lesson from God in Tithing

In prayer today (after reading Chapter 2 of Hearing God), I had a vision that I believe came from the Holy Spirit.  I was a little boy, and I was with a man (who I understood to be the Father), and we were basically in a blank space (nothing around us but empty space, but not dark).  I asked for a large sum of money (which I recently did do in prayer, for which I believed the response was affirmative).  When the Father figure gave it to me, I saw myself (as a little boy) run around and then throw a huge pile of the money.  I took this to mean that I would just ‘throw the money away’.  After denial and then reflection, I responded that "yes, I would just throw it away, but I am dependent upon you, Lord.  Your will be done through me."

Then the scene seemed to ‘reset’ and this time, the Father gave me small pieces of money at a time.  I thought about how I have been tithing with the money that has seemed to me to be above and beyond my salary (bonus and website development).  Then as He was giving me more money, I was distributing that money like cards on a card table, small stacks spread out.  I took this to mean that I am to distribute my money to various causes and ministries in small increments.  Then I saw one of the piles ‘light up’ (so to speak), or somehow became more noticeable.  I then put more money in that pile.  I took this to mean that as I see how each cause or ministry uses the money toward God’s kingdom on earth, I am to increase my investment / gift accordingly.

That was the end.  I then had a repeated feeling to write the experience down.  I tried to fight it off for a while, but it was very persistent, so here I am.

I love you Lord and I trust you.  Thank you for molding me into the man you want me to be.  I live to grow in my relationship with you and bring others into, and strengthen their, relationship with you.

Vision – Strands to God

Today, while being led in prayer in preparation for baptism, I had a vision of how we are each connected with God.  I envisioned what could be described as beams or strands of light reach from the heavens down to earth – from God to individuals.  It’s a crude vision, since God is everywhere, but what was interesting was that the beam was not extending to everyone.  The notion was that the strands only extended to the saved.  The unsaved were oblivious to the light from above.  The only way that the unsaved could perceive the strands was with the assistance of the saved.

Basically it was like a web of very weak strands that wove together through humanity (we all influence each other).  Then, when a believer comes in contact with an unbeliever and shares the love of God (allows God’s love to flow through them to the unsaved), the unsaved get to perceive the light (strand) directly to God.  Through repentance and faith, the strength of the strand to God grows.  Through fear and distraction, the strand to God weakens / diminishes.  Repentance can be seen as turning your back on those things that would distract you from God and the strengthening of your connection / relationship with Him.

I took this to mean that it is my responsibility to allow God to work through me to help people perceive / experience God.  That can be done either by reaching the unsaved – giving them that "spark" – or by turbo-charging the experience of the saved with God.  The goal is to strengthen the ‘strands’ of light with God throughout the world.

I also envisioned that when the light was great enough between heaven and earth, that was the trigger and the mechanism for the saved being ‘snatched away’.

Spiritual Gifts Revealed

After praying in thankfulness this afternoon and asking for health for [my wife] and the baby, revelation regarding my project (including conveying that I am completely accepting of whatever purpose the Lord has in the work that’s been done so far, whether that means it will come to pass or whether He intends for me to abandon it at some point and that it had some other purpose), and other requests, I purposefully opened myself up to hear from Him in whatever way He wanted to speak to me.

An image came to mind of being hugged from behind in the chair that I sat.  I got the impression that Jesus was hugging me.  Then I saw the image of standing face to face with Him, in what seemed to be completely empty space (nothing around us) and He began to respond.

The response was unexpected and was centered upon the revelation of my spiritual gifts.  First of all, the topic was totally unexpected, which in relation to my talking with my mom and [my sister] last night, I realized that that can be a sign that the message is from God rather than my own thoughts.  Second, the nature of the message was also unexpected.  I expected a spiritual gift, and I felt that God impressed upon me that my gift “is threefold”.  Also, I expected that the gift was going to sound mystical (healing, tongues, etc), but they aren’t.  However, they are extremely powerful.

They are:

1. I make those around me stronger;
2. I see things that others don’t see;
3. I am not afraid to do what’s right.

It was interesting too because throughout the prayer, I kept getting the feeling that my mind was starting to take over (becoming proactive), rather than staying receptive.  When that happened, I knew it was happening and the feeling of hearing from God become absent.  The feeling was really a matter of something being revealed that I did not expect to come to mind, rather than a logical progression of thought.

Also, as the gifts were being revealed, I knew there were going to be three, because the “threefold” revelation preceded the explanation of the gifts.  So then, I knew more was coming after the first two.  When I asked for the third, I felt that God said that it will be revealed in time.  I immediately thanked Him for the first two and expressed faith (“as you wish, Lord”).  Then the third gift came to mind – the timing was unexpected again because I thought it would be revealed another time rather than immediately.

Upon completion of understanding the third gift, it was as if someone lifted my head from being bowed and opened my eyes for me.  I was very ‘awake’ or ‘aware’, and got the impression that I was now to “do what is right”.