A Simple Approach to Prophetic Ministry - Brian Fenimore

Brian Fenimore teaches a simple and powerful approach to prophetic ministry.

 

Out of Your Mind and Into His: The Power of a Free Imagination

My guest blogger today is my friend Joel Adifon. This is an extraordinary message on supernatural ministry. It is long, but well worth digesting and seeking greater revelation on. The original message (with comments) can be found here. 

While learning to play with a supernatural God in the midst of super normal, everyday life, Holy Spirit has been showing me something.

The imagination has become the most atrophied muscle in the Church’s body.

We’ve traded fresh bread from Heaven and the meat of personal encounter for stale routine and milky, chewed up revelation.

The fact of the matter is: we were never meant to live off another person’s relationship with God or expression of faith.

When we become overly dependent on institutional structure for sustenance, we risk modeling ourselves after those who seem to have ‘gotten it’.

We risk taking our eyes off Christ-in-us, the unique way that Jesus wants to express the creativity of Heaven through you and me.

Oftentimes, if the way someone’s expressing Jesus looks different from how we’ve done it or outside our comfort zone, we tend to be quick to label it ‘worldly’ or ‘carnal’.

I remember seeing a video on facebook a while ago where an amazing singer was performing at a church and he took some love songs by Alicia Keys, R-Kelly, and other famous ‘secular’ artists and sang them to Jesus.

I thought it was amazing and a great way to really challenge the sacred/secular divide (the concept that God can alone be encountered in overtly ‘sacred’ spaces or experiences and the ‘secular’ is devoid of His presence) that so many of us believers have in our minds.

Of course, not everybody saw it this way. A lady commented on it and said that, because the author had uses ‘secular’ songs, his worship to Jesus was ‘carnal’.

- _______________ -

I cringed in disgust at her comment, reminded of the fact that I, myself, once thought that way.

Blake Healy, author of The Veil (an awesome book which I suggest you get) says,

“Unfortunately, it is our tendency as Christians to see everything that is in the world as being of the world. The truth is that people are complicated. They are not simply bad or simply good. Art carries the same spiritual complexity as its creators. I believe it is spiritually immature to say any creative work that doesn’t perfectly comply with our belief system is to be rejected and avoided. It would be equally immature to ignore our own personal convictions and just absorb everything… …The problem comes when we only look skin deep, both spiritually and physically. When it comes to the things that enter through our eyes and ears, I believe that real maturity happens when we can learn to eat the meat and spit out the bones, or to put it in biblical terms, separate the tares from the wheat. In this way we will not make the mistake of the Pharisees and be offended by Jesus when he comes in an unexpected way.”

Just because a product of someone’s imagination has been abused or has been associated with negativity does not mean that the Father can’t express Himself through it.

“The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, slavery, and the subjugation of women are just a few of thehorrible things that have been done in the name of the Bible. Should you throw away your Bible? No. The point is that you need the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life for everything, without it anything can be twisted, but with it anything can be redeemed.” – Blake Healy, The Veil

What if we’ve been wrong to ban people from reading ‘Harry Potter’?

What if the way we disempower the lies of the fallen angel is not by fleeing from secular culture or trying to make Christian copies of its products, but by embracing it with the full brunt of the Father’s love?

So where am I going with all this?

Well, week and a half ago, I was talking to my friend ‘Omar’ (if you don’t know already, Omar is a spiritual big brother of mine who sees Jesus face to face on an almost daily basis, yet has a really good grasp on being normal at the same time) and, as usual, he shared his heart and many of my religious boxes were getting broken.

During the conversation, Omar shared with me that the word ‘cherubim’ is actually symbolic of imagination.

As is customary whenever Holy Spirit is trying to teach me a new idea, I was instantly bombarded with verses on God and cherubim and found myself getting hammered on His presence.

I decided to check out what Omar had told me.

According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word cherubim comes from the Hebrew keruwb, and means "a cherub or imaginary figure." The Hebrew Lexicon repeats this and adds the following: "A figure compounded of that of a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle (three animals which come together with man, symbolized power and wisdom. See Ezekiel 1 and 10)." 

Once I read that Dad began to bring some verses to remembrance.

“O Lord of All, the God of Israel, Who sits on the throne above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the nations of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” - Isaiah 37:16 

“He mounted the cherubim and flew;he soared on the wings of the wind.” - Psalm 18:10

“Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” - Psalm 22:3

Okay, so you’re probably thinking: these verses are nice, but what does God riding on a cherubim or being enthroned on the praises of Israel have to do with anything?

Hee-hee! Fasten your seat belts! Holy Spirit is about to do His thangy thang!!!

Check this out.

We’ve already determined that the word ‘cherubim’ is symbolic for the imagination.

Isaiah 37:16 talks about the Lord being enthroned on the Cherubim.

Psalm 22:3 talks about God being enthroned on the praises of His people.

Okay, so let’s take this a little further.

If Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 are right, if our mouths really speak out of the overflow of our hearts, then our praises reveal what we believe about God.

In other words, our praises reveal the picture of God our imaginations are connecting to in that moment.

Woah.

God is seated on the praises of His people.

God is seated above the realm of our imaginations.

You following me? This thing gets so much better.

Ephesians 2:6 says we’ve been seated in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20 says God “can do exceedingly above whatever we ask, think or imagine.”

Here’s something to think about.

God is seated above what we can ask, think, or imagine Him to be.

He’s seated far above how good we think He is, how compassionate He is,  how loving He is, how merciful He is, how gracious He is, and how powerful and willing to move He is!

Guess what, we’re seated in that place right there with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:17 says that, “whoever is joined with the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

According to Jesus, in John 17:22, we have inherited the glory the Father gave Him before the foundation of the world.

Think about it.

If God is exceedingly above whatever we can ask think or imagine, than we are too.

Our potential in Christ as offspring of God is exceedingly above whatever we can ask, think, or imagine.

Say wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut?

Let’s keep going!

Psalm 18:10 says God “mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.”

So check this out.

Cherubim = symbolic for imagination.

God is seated above the imagination.

He is seated far above whatever we could ask, think, or imagine about Him.

We are seated with Him.

God is flying on the cherubim.
 
So if God is soaring on our imagination, if He is moving, then His power for, with, and through us, is moving exceedingly above whatever we could ask, think, or imagine.

We literally have access to a limitless, matchless supply of power.

So, if this is true, why is the average believer not seeing creative miracles pop like it’s nobody’s business?

Why are not we experiencing the completely victorious, uninhibited, and free lives Jesus paid for us to have?

I remember hearing Bill Johnson say one time, “The only closed Heaven is between our ears”.

Our minds, our imaginations, have been completely freed through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, but after being under the dominion of the inhibiting reign of sin, they need to be programmed to think with their full God-like capacity.

In Romans 12:2, Paul calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. 

In this case, since we’re focusing specifically on our imaginations, we need to allow our imaginations to be free to stretch and move in the way that God designed them.

How do our imaginations get set free?

By experiencing Truth.

Look at it this way: having access to an unlimited supply of powerful rockets does nothing for you if you don’t have the launch codes.

I remember one time, Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Truth alone doesn’t change you. Knowing the Truth does. You have the fullness of God, yes? Well, My son, you are transformed by what you experience.” 

When we begin to experience the Truth that we have the Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), then our imagination is freed to move accordingly and become a unique expression of God’s creativity.

For instance, at the end of the phone convo I had with Omar a week and a half ago, Holy Spirit told Omar, "Your prayers become your reality."

When our minds are inhibited by an orphan spirit, or the belief that we are not Sons and Daughters of a God whose good pleasure it is to give us the Kingdom (Luke 12:32), but rather beggars who need to strive for His Love, then what we pray will be a reflection of that.

Our imagination will not be free to ask God for things that actually reflect our belief that He can do exceedingly above whatever we ask or think.

If we’re not praying this way, then we definitely won’t be living this way.

We will not be taking risks in the Kingdom or setting out to do things that will require the power of God to accomplish. We will ‘be safe’ in an effort to protect ourselves from disappointment. 

Our imagination cannot flourish in this environment.

So, this brings us back to a point I raised earlier.

The imagination has become the most atrophied muscle in the Church’s body.

Assuming this is true, who or what is responsible for this?

Let’s take a look.

Ephesians 6:11 says, 

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” 

The word 'wiles' in the Greek is methodeia which means "cunning arts, deceit, craft, or trickery", basically all perversions of the imaginations for evil. 

Ah, spiritual warfare.

A lot of sermons and sermons in the Charismatic church focus heavily on this very topic.

Binding Principalites. Toppling Territorial spirits. Breaking Strongholds.

Sound familiar?

As a kid growing up with an African Charismatic extended family, I remember hearing about the various and elaborate ways people used to try to combat principalities and demonic powers.

Since those days, Dad has really been teaching me about the simplicity of the Gospel and, as a result, my whole approach to spiritual warfare has shifted.

If we want to see ‘revival’ break out (whatever that means), then we have to begin to dream with the full creativity of God. 

Keep in mind that we’re seated with Jesus in heavenly places in Christ, in a realm that’s above whatever we can ask think or imagine.

We have the upperhand here. But, if we don’t realize that we’ll tie ourselves up and burn ourselves in dead works, things that are unnecessary when we realize who we are.

Let’s take a look at a passage that a lot of spiritual warfare is based off of: Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 says, 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Now, before you pop a hernia getting out your sword and your salt and start chopping down these spiritual entities, I’ve got a  better idea.

Let’s take a look at 2 Corinthians 10:5,

“casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”

Woah.

“Wait a minute?”

“So, Joel, are you telling me that most of what spiritual warfare is, is freeing our imagination from outside imaginations that try to hijack it?”

Yep.

Whenever the fallen angel tries to plant thoughts in your head and get you to start dwelling on them, he’s trying to project the fruit of his wiles or perverted and twisted imagination onto you.

We have the mind of Christ, so as we begin to take every thought captive by submitting to this reality from a place of rest, our ability to imagine and dream with the creativity of God increases.

In my opinion, the spirit of religion is the most dangerous principality or twisted imagination that tries to rise up against the knowledge of God.

Why?

Because it inhibits our mind’s ability to conceive God (and as a result, ourselves) as being exceedingly above whatever we can ask think or imagine.

Religion is a box that says ‘God can’t be better or crazier than what He’s already shown me to be’ or ‘I’ve arrived, there’s no way God’s much more than who He’s already revealed Himself to be.’

The spirit of religion leads to unbelief.

Dad has been showing me that unbelief has to do with the mind, faith is in the heart.

Unbelief happens when the imagination is so constricted by the mind’s perception of the current natural circumstances that it can’t access the power of a God who is exceedingly above whatever we can ask, think, or imagine.

Romans 8:7 says, “the carnal mind is at war with God.”

Now, a lot of people have come to associate carnality with sin because Paul often uses that word in that context, but the real definition of being ‘carnal’ lies in being dominated by your five senses.
We see this play out in Matthew 17:14-20 when nine of the disciples try to cast a demon out of an epileptic boy and were not successful. 

“And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,¹⁵ “Lord,have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the demon,and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. ¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;^[b] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

There are some things I want to highlight here really quickly.

The disciples had seen countless miracles before this point, so them praying for the boy and having nothing seem to change, probably came as a shock to them.

When they prayed for the boy and his ordeal wasn’t improving, their imagination became perverted (hence Jesus’ ‘perverse generation’ comment) into only focusing on a reality in which  the boy’s seizures were stronger than a God who could work exceedingly above whatever they could ask, think, or imagine.

Because the gate of their imaginations was not completely open, they were not able to access the full power of the God whose fullness of power dwelled in the realm above their imagination.

There are two key things to remember here.

1. The disciples had enough faith. Jesus said faith the size of a mustard seed would have gotten the job done.
2. The discples' faith wasn’t the problem. Their unbelief was.

Unbelief has to do with being carnally minded or having an imagination that has been twisted into focusing on how a negative situation appears to the five senses.

An imagination in this state cannot access the power the One who dwells in the realm above its conception of His ability.

Faith calls one to look higher at the One who can do exceedingly above whatever we can ask, think, or imagine and see ourselves seated in this realm with Him.

But, when the imagination is boxed in by unbelief, it is easy to be overwhelmed by situations that require the creativity of God.

So how can unbelief produced by the spirit of religion dwell in a place that belongs to the Spirit of the One who produces faith in workings above what we can ask think or imagine?

“Principalities can only stay where they have a place to land. While casting down a principality will remove it from its place, it is much more profitable and powerful to change the spiritual ecosystem that attracted it in the first place. If there is a spirit of poverty over your city, be generous. If there is a spirit of anger, release peace… …If there is a spirit of fear, release love. It is possible to cast down a principality through prayer, but it is impossible for a principality to remain in a culture that has made no room for it.” – Blake Healy, The Veil

Okay, so let’s recap.

1. We’ve talked about the current situation that has occurred as a result of the imagination’s inhibition.
2. We’ve gone over the imagination’s potential to unlock a realm above what we can ask, think, or imagine when partnered with God.
3. We’ve looked at how the advances of hostile imaginations or demonic oppression can present a hindrance to our ability to dream and imagine freely.

Now that we’ve talked about all that, let me share about a tool God gave us to free our imaginations.

Worship.

At the beginning of John 4:19-24, Jesus has an encounter with a Samaritan woman where He shows her unconditional love in spite of her many mistakes and faults.

While the discourse between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is awesome, as a whole, I want to focus in on one part of the conversation.

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Okay, so it’d probably be a good idea to pause this thing real quick and tell you that this passage is, in my opinion, one of the most quoted passages when it comes to the concept of worship.

I have heard my fair share of worship leaders and bands talk about their own personal revelations on this passage, things that Dad has shown them in their personal histories with Him.

I guess you could I say Dad started opening up my mind to see this scripture in a new way.

A lot of times, people making worshipping in ‘spirit and truth’ a method.

It’s not.

This sort of worship represents the intersection of two different realms. 

In the same way that we discovered the imagination is an actual realm that exists in the Heavenlies between what is seen as ‘natural’ existence and the infinite ‘supernatural’ (I like to call it supernormal) Presence of God, worshipping God in spirit and truth means dwelling in a place where Heaven and Earth have literally kissed as seamlessly joined lovers.
 
The Realm of the Spirit has to do with the heart.

In this place, the inexpressible depths of my heart reach out to God and touch the inexpressible depths of His heart.

Check out these verses.

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and breakers have swept over me.”  - Psalm 42:7

“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” - 1 Corinthians 2:10-11

“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” - Romans 8:26-27

Now, that you’ve seen what the Realm of the Spirit looks like, let’s talk about the Realm of Truth.

The Realm of Truth has to do with a renewed mind.

When the Spirit is set free to move through a liberated imagination, the fullness of worship, a life fully manifesting the glory of God is displayed.

Spirit has to do with transcendence, the inexpressible. 

When God wants to speak, He often touches our hearts with revelation that usually can't be expressed. But, we don't just live in the Spirit in heavenly places, we live on earth.

Because of this reality, there is a desire in every person to express the inexpressible into tangible language.

So check this out.

The realm of the Spirit is an invisible reality (Heavenly places).

The realm of Truth is a visible and perceived reality (Earth-Realm).

When the Realm of the Spirit (Heaven) meets the Realm of Truth (Earth), the result is manifestation.

The part of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:10 that says, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.’  Is a calling for a tangible manifestation of the invisible realm into the visible.

His power (in the invisible) wants to be revealed (shown in the visible).

Our imaginations are the gateways that allow Him to do this. 

God modeled us after Himself. He had a vision and a purpose for how He wanted the world to look in His mind, He saw it and then moved to create by speaking it forth (tangibly agreeing with what He had seen).

We have been given this same potential.

Unfortunately, so many of us have been told ‘no’ and ‘be careful’ too often, frequently reprimanded for thinking outside the box, that our imaginations are afraid to stretch and go places beyond the confines of religion.

I have so many stories of people I know who were having genuine experiences with God, only to have people tell them it was ‘all in their head’, ‘from the devil’, or the product of an ‘overactive imagination.’

I recently remembered a scene (shout out to my big sis Emma Wallace ;D ) from Harry Potter (GASP! He’s talking about Harry Potter in this note?!? Relax guys, didn’t you read what came before this?) where Harry Potter dies after facing Voldemort, ends up in a limbo-like state in between life and death, and sees his old headmaster Dumbledore.

He was so happy to see his former mentor and protector, but asks Dumbledore if what he is experiencing is actually real.

Dumbledore snappily replies, “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Regardless of how you feel about Harry Potter, these words are so appropriate for our journey as super normal people learning to play with a Supernatural God in everyday life.

Who cares if you’re the only one seeing what God is showing you or you’re seeing it in your ‘mind’s eye’ and not with your natural eyes?

It doesn’t make it any less real.

My friend Matt Nali said something really profound the other day, “Everything that is, once only existed in the realm of imagination!”

Every invention. Every painting. Every song.

All of these things once only existed in someone’s head.

Think about it.

What would it be like to live like God’s power really was exceedingly above whatever you could ask, think, or imagine?

What would you do if you were completely free from the limitations of religion?

What would you create?

What if you came up with new ways of setting people free or seeing someone healed?

What if you tossed a basketball for someone to catch and they got out of a wheelchair?

What if you made some banging food, prayed over it, gave it to someone to eat, and they were healed of cancer?

What if you rapped and someone got set free of years of demonic torment.

The truth is, the possibilities are endless.

There’s only rule: there ARE NONE if you’re being moved by love and relationship.

I want to leave you with a story from my dude Matt Nali about a breakthrough he had this past weekend with seeing in the Spirit.

Take it away, Matt!

I remember having really vivid dreams as a kid.  I remember waking up from a hellish nightmare, only to see the same kind of thing in my bedroom. I remember seeing good as well. I remember not understanding what I was seeing.

But, what I remember most clearly is that it all stopped.

For the majority of my life, I've been the kid with the overactive imagination. I've been the kid lost in a world of dinosaurs and power rangers as real to me as my own family. Creating a world around me, and interacting with that world was (and still is) as easy for me as putting on a jacket when it's cold out. However, I didn't realize until recent years how important it is to imagine.

This idea that you can see into the spirit realm with your natural eyes was what drove me. I remember starting to pursue it when I was twelve, (having forgotten entirely about the dreams and sights I saw when I was young). For the next six years, anybody I mentioned this idea to either shot it down as not possible, something that God didn't allow anymore, or (in the more charismatic circles) a gift you could have, but only in your mind's eye.

Then I met Omar.

Obviously, for the sake of his privacy and consistency with Joel's other notes ,"Omar"is an alias. There is a really real person behind the name though, someone who is worth knowing just for who he is. Enough said.

When I met Omar he talked about seeing in the spirit, I immediately prepared myself for disappointment when I asked him my question, "do you mean with your eyes, or just in your mind’s eye?" He gave me a look and basically told me he sees angels just like he sees me.

This little spark of hope caused me to go after this again with renewed energy (and probably caused me to be more than a little annoying to Omar). However I didn't see things in the natural like Omar, not for a couple of years.

Good news! That was all backstory!

Recently Dad has been talking about imagination.

One thing that I've always remembered from my studies is that, in some cultures, the word for perception didn't differentiate between seeing with your natural eyes and your mind’s eye. 

Basically that what you imagine and what you see are each as valid as the other.

I can see all sorts of things for people in my imagination, but I could only count a few times where I had an "open" vision.

I only recently began experiencing this truth about perception though, when one day Holy Spirit said to me about seeing in the spirit "see in your imagination, then let that seep into your natural vision until it overtakes it." 

I had been invited to minister at a prophetic conference with some friends so I decided to do that, instead of just practicing prophecy.

At first I saw things in my imagination, but the more I stayed in that I began to see in the natural as well until, it didn’t matter to me whether I was seeing in the natural or with my imagination, it all just blended together.

I started seeing people's first and middle names, business strategies and finances next to people, angels, family members etc.

It was the next morning when I was processing through it with Holy Spirit that I realized that it took just as much faith for me NOT to see in that realm, as it took for me TO see in that realm. It wasn't a matter of unbelief, but even though I was unaware, I was by faith keeping myself from seeing.

Just like a light switch, your faith keeps (this realm) on, and also keeps it off.

This is your inheritance.

Nothing's holding you back.

GO!

Baptism, Deliverance and Visions of Two Children - Jesse Snow

My guest blogger today is Jesse Snow. This was posted on his Facebook page.

I was recently babysitting my friends' two daughters and as I was praying in tongues one of them asked me how I learned to speak in tongues. I said I didn't learn because it's not a skill it's a gift that anyone can receive for free. She asked me why I do it and I told her about how incredible it is. She asked me how she could do it to and I said "if you want it we can pray and Jesus will give it to you." 

Her little sister said she wanted in as well, so after going through some scriptures on the subject I prayed with them and they started speaking in tongues. When they did the older girl said she thought she was just producing the language with her mind, so I wrote some math problems down as well as the instructions "draw a picture of a butterfly" on a piece of paper. I had her start speaking in tongues and then handed her the paper to fill out. She spoke fluently in tongues while completing all of it. Then to confirm it even more I had her put headphones on and listen to music so that she couldn't hear herself, but she was still speaking fluently without hearing herself or producing it with her mind.

While she was listening to music I led the younger sister in this prayer: "Jesus, reveal yourself to me." Then I prayed in tongues over her for a couple minutes and asked her if she saw anything. She excitedly began describing a detailed vision where she was in a garden with Jesus. He put his hand on her head, hugged her and kissed her.

Then we prayed for her older sister the same way. She had a vision where there was a bright light outside her window. She went out her window to the light and saw a king with brown hair, a beard, and a white robe (aka Jesus). He hugged her and kissed her then took her hand and they started flying. He took her up to heaven where she saw lots of kids playing in a park and having lots of fun. She also said she picked an apple off a tree and it was the most delicious apple she had ever tasted. She then saw lots of seats and older people sitting on the seats, including her grandma and grandpa (who died before she was born).

She looked into Jesus' eyes and then went into them and was walking with Jesus next to an ocean that was really big, blue, beautiful, totally clear and smooth. I told her that what she saw was the sea of glass and that John wrote about in the Revelation (Rev.4:6, 15:2). She has since been to heaven a few more times, hugged her grandparents, and met angels.

By this time the girls were eager to pray and experience more of Jesus. I would lay hands on them and pray for them in tongues (anybody can do this by the way, its really easy w/ kids because they have much stronger vision in the spirit world than we do) and they would close their eyes and relax while Jesus took them into a vision. He never ran out of things to show them.

The problem was that each time the younger girl had a vision, it would start off well but then end badly. She would come out of the vision with a fright saying "Ah! That was scary!" The first time I thought she just misinterpreted the vision, but the next time it happened and she described what she was seeing I realized it was not something that Jesus would have shown her. She became afraid of praying anymore. So I said "We're going to pray and get rid of these bad guys that are trying to scare you okay?"

Now, I don't normally go around commanding demons to surface in 6-year-olds, but I realized that something was there abusing my little sister so I wanted to get rid of it. I commanded any poopheads (didn't use the words demons much, wanted to keep it playful and un-intimidating for the girls) present to manifest and she started hearing their voices loud and clear in her head.

Their were 11 demons in her. How does a 6-year-old manage to have 11 demons you ask? Its because the idea that only drug users, witches, and ppl involved in terrible sins can have demons is a myth. When you start doing deliverance you see how the enemy really works. I've cast demons out of people that were assigned to them at birth. Demons can often see the call of God on someone's life and attack them simply because they want to prevent you from fulfilling your destiny, even though you may be completely innocent and have done none of the things people think you have to do to get a demon. If you aren't spiritually equipped (and children usually aren't, but are very vulnerable) it will enter in and that's how people end up having demons their whole lives without even realizing it. Back to what happened..

The demon in charge started speaking up and the girl was speaking in a hissing voice to describe what she was hearing (it wasn't speaking through her directly, although that happens at times). It called itself morte ("death"). It said a lot of horrible things to the girl like, "We're going to kill you and celebrate your death," "no one's going to come to your funeral because nobody cares about you," "you're going to die because your parents don't love you," and "we are going to take Jesus off his throne and kill him." They even gave her a vision of putting fire on Jesus' butt and him running around frantically trying to put it out. They mocked, threatened, lied, and said all the typical stuff that poopheads usually say. Nothing that an innocent young child would come up with on their own. They also said, "Tell him to quit calling us poopheads!" and "He's stupid, quit listening to him".

The older sister (who is 11 yrs old) told her younger sister, "Just lift your hand up to them and use Jesus' magic and go (insert power-blasting noise here)." The only way they know how to call the power of God is "Jesus' magic" but hey, they already know how to use it better than most people with the right terminology.

So the younger girl went into her imagination (By the way grown ups, that means she began to engage the spirit world) and did in a vision what her sister told her to do. Then a big smile came on her face as she opened her eyes and said "They all went out of my head! They're gone!" and she actually saw Jesus show up in the room and start dancing and singing about how she was delivered. She said "He's right behind you dancing and singing" and she stood up and showed us how Jesus was dancing and sang the song he was singing.

After her little sister's deliverance, the older sister said, "You know, the only thing I'm afraid of is mirrors." "Why?" I asked. She then told me about nightmares she had for a while during which she came to sleep in her parents room because she was afraid (by the way-  parents, don't just brush off these things with your children. If you try to tell them the "monsters" aren't real it won't help them because that doesn't get rid of the attacks and the kids won't believe you anyway. Real or not, they scare the heck out of children, so you need to pray with kids and teach them how to use the power and authority of Jesus over the enemy).

In her nightmares there was a mirror with a woman in it who wanted to kill her. The woman had long black hair, pale white skin, black lips and black blood running out of her mouth.

So we prayed. During deliverances the person will always feel, hear, or see demonic manifestations (or a combination of the 3). So far every time I've done a deliverance with a child they have had visions (as well as other manifestations). This girl saw a big demon holding a mirror in front of it with the same lady as in her nightmares. Behind the big demon were countless smaller demons. When the demon showed up I told the girl to do the same thing she told her little sister to do (use "Jesus' magic to kill it"). She had her eyes closed and her facial expression got very tense, after less than 10 seconds her face relaxed again and she opened her eyes, saying "I did it! I killed him!"

Kids are really good at thrashing devils. "Great! Now what about the woman in the mirror?" I asked. She said the woman was still there but wasn't in the mirror anymore (the demon shattered the mirror for some reason). I said "Okay now do the same thing." She closed her eyes again and her face got tense, but then she said "Its hard, can you help me?" so I said sure.

I asked the little sister to come help, so she laid hands on her big sis and prayed in tongues. I did the same thing. The older sister saw her sister and I appear next to her in her vision and she felt stronger, then she killed the evil lady and all the other smaller demons ran away. Deliverance! Even more fun with kids :)

A few minutes after this the little sister said "Ah! They all came back into my head again!" She got really upset and started crying. I said "Its okay, you're okay, we'll just do the same thing again and this time we're not going to let anything come back." I prayed for her and the demons manifested.. They told her, "The others were going to kill you, but they left so now we are going to kill you." More empty words, as usual. Her older sister instructed her again, "Just close the door and put up the sign, and do this (she crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave a defiant sigh *Humph!"). Her little sister came out of her vision, very happy and excited again, and said she did what her sister advised and they all ran away!

I taught them more about how to resist demons and not let them come back when they try to, then taught them to start seeing angels. By "taught" I mean I just prayed "Father open their eyes to see angels" (see 2 Kings 6:17) and told them "Close your eyes and look for the angels that are in this room." (They had already seen demonic spirits, so might as well see God's ministering spirits too!)

The older sister saw several angels including our personal guardian angels that looked like us (see Acts 12:15). One of the angels was brushing its teeth and I thought "That's kinda strange," but then Holy Spirit let me know it was a sign to the girls to speak life and not to speak evil, so I taught them for a bit about the power of their words.

Rob's Story

I was working when my sister called. She left a message. "Call mom as soon as you can. We have bad news about Rob." The bad news; my younger brother Rob had just been diagnosed with cancer. But it was worse - the cancer had already spread past the point of being treatable. The doctors felt chemotherapy at this stage would be no use. Their prognosis was that he would die quickly.

I broke the news to my wife. She cried herself to sleep that night. I've already lost my father and one brother to cancer. She's afraid it will eventually come after me. While working the following day we made plans to fly to North Carolina. Our main objective - to heal my brother.

A couple of friends dropped by before we left. Todd reminded me not to pick a fight with the enemy. David reminded me that I was on business for the kingdom. They prayed over me and left for their own assignment. On the flight to Charlotte, Todd showed up in a vision. He taught me how to wage war. He spoke to the disease like he would anyone else. He wasn't angry. He didn't make accusations. Emotionally, he was unmoved.

In the vision Todd taught me patience in dealing with disease. I sensed no fear in him. Fear is one of the enemy's greatest weapons. As I watched him talk with the disease, I learned that confidence in who I represent is a key to victory.

After picking up the rental and checking in, we met my family at their house. They had a plan. I have a large family. One of us would stay in Rob's hospital room each night to help with his care. Since I was only staying 2 days, tomorrow would be my turn. We got caught up on what they knew about his condition, then turned in for the night.


I spent most of the next 24 hours at the hospital, the majority of it with Rob. I read his chart. His symptoms began 5 months earlier but he didn't seek medical treatment until it was too late. He had small - cell carcinoma of the prostate with metastasis to the liver and possibly the pancreas and bladder. He also had DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy) which causes both excessive bleeding and abnormal clotting. Rob was in a lot of pain, which they managed well.

I prayed as led by the Spirit for most of the morning and afternoon. I usually close my eyes and God shows me the problems then I pray accordingly. I saw tumors, blood clots, cellular structures, demonic beings, damaged organs and many other things that needed repair. Finally I saw a bright, golden ball of light traveling through his body from his head to his feet. I believe it was the glory of God.

In the evening I prayed against depression, pain and despair. It seemed as if Rob's emotions were under attack. I prayed as led by the Spirit. He woke up once every hour. I asked if he was in pain. He always said 'yes', so the nurse gave him morphine.

When Rob was admitted, one of his doctors asked if he was a Christian. Rob replied that he was an agnostic. During the times he woke up he was too sedated for a real conversation. But he did understand simple commands. I told him I had an important thing for him to do. I said, "Jesus is looking for you. I need you to find him." He said, "OK, I'll look for him."

At 2 in the morning I felt like the warfare was done. Each time I went back to Rob's bedside to pray, I saw nothing to pray into. I began worshiping God and rested in His presence. At 4 am Rob awoke. I asked if he was in pain. He said, 'no'. I asked again and got the same answer. To make sure he understood the question, I asked if he wanted morphine, he said, 'no'. He refused morphine the rest of the day. Somehow his pain was gone

Rob's wife came to see him around 9am. When I told her Rob didn't want morphine, she didn't believe me. Everyone who asked that morning got the same answer. He wasn't in pain. Brothers and sisters came and went. I got lost in the blur of activity. I sensed my mission was done, so I went to the house to meet my wife and the rest of my family.

I gave them a report on what happened overnight (without the details of my prayer time). I was full of faith and confident Rob would be healed. We left for the airport and arrived early. I was exhausted, so I dozed in the terminal, but I slept better on the airplane. During the flight I had another vision.

I saw Rob lying quietly with his eyes closed. As I watched, he slipped into a dark body of water. Then he was gone. My heart sank. I knew what it meant.

The next morning, while at work, I received the phone call I feared. It was my mother. "Rob died a few minutes ago. Ellie is a wreck. Keep her in your prayers."

The Rest of The Story

While discussing Rob's condition with my older brother Richard, I learned something. Rob had already accepted his death long before I got there. "Rob already said his goodbye's. He's OK with dying now. He's ready for whatever comes next."

When the doctors told him there was no treatment and he would die shortly, Rob accepted death without a battle. Most of us have heard stories about soldiers who sustained injuries that were survivable, yet they died because they believed their wounds to be fatal. We also know of soldiers who have been ripped in half and shouldn't have survived, yet they did. Our will to survive is critical in the realm of both medicine and divine healing. It's almost impossible to keep a person alive, once they've decided it's their time to die.

The same day Rob died, (November 9th, 2010) we posted the testimony of a man who was miraculously healed of liver and bladder cancer. That story was set up to post two weeks in advance. When his doctor told him he had an aggressive form of cancer this was his response: "I have a relationship with the greatest healer in the world. He name is Jesus Christ and he will heal me." This man pursued his healing and was miraculously healed a short time later.

Surprise Healing

While talking with my brother Richard, I also talked with his wife Karen. I heard she'd been hospitalized with blood clots in her leg and asked her to explain it. She's had vascular disease in her lower leg for a long time. "My foot has been ice cold for as long as I can remember. There's almost no circulation. The doctor's aren't sure what to do about it."

I asked if she wanted to be healed. Her eyes lit up. "Yes!" I commanded the blood vessels to be healed and the spirit of sickness to leave. I spent about 10 minutes in all praying over her leg and foot. She didn't feel any immediate evidence of healing, but the next morning her foot was warm. Later in the day she told me her foot was cold again. I explained the nature of the spiritual battle and how the enemy tries to convince us we aren't healed. She smiled with understanding. I put my hands on her leg and commanded it to leave again and told her to do the same thing if it came back in the future. Two weeks after I prayed over her foot, she posted a message on my Facebook page telling me her foot still "feels wonderful".

While I was praying for my brother, my wife had another assignment. She had a friend who was in the other hospital in the same town we were in. Her friend had been hospitalized with problems related to anorexia, something she's battled for 30 years. My wife just happened to arrive at the other hospital at exactly the right time for visitation. She needed a password to be admitted to the mental health ward but didn't have it. One of the employees had mercy on her and allowed her in.

As they talked, my wife asked if she could pray with her friend for healing. As soon as she said this, her right hand began to vibrate with power. She placed her hand on the friend's abdomen. They both felt power going into her body. We've been in touch with her friend several times since then. She seems to have made a lot of progress and has a more confident attitude. She now believes she can win the battle.

Observations

I learned a few things from this experience. One is that healing is indeed warfare, whether we see it that way or not. It's warfare on a level most of us can't fathom yet.

On the same day that my brother died of cancer, a different man's healing testimony for the same disease was published. I can't help but think that our response to disease has a major impact on our survival. The Israelites heard two reports about their odds of beating the Caananites. The majority report saw what was possible with man. The minority report saw what was possible with God. Those who believed the bad report paid for it with their lives.

God's plans are not always clearly mapped out. But his promises are availablel to those who will receive them. Someone you expect to be healed may die. Someone you don't expect may be healed. Ask around. You never know who is waiting for the Master's touch.

Finally, I'd like to share my views on the diagnosis and prognosis:

I don't have a problem with doctors giving a patient a diagnosis. That's their job. But it's not their job to predict the future and that's what a prognosis really is. We turn ourselves into prophets; forecasting a patient's demise in a certain time frame. Patients see us as experts. They take our prognosis seriously. When a patient is told there is no hope, that often excludes the miraculous as a possibility. But the miraculous is always possibile. Perhaps the prognosis of "no hope'" ought to be changed to something like, "There is no medical treatment that will cure you, but a miraculous healing is always possible."

We owe it to our patients, friends and family to speak hope, however small it is, into their lives.

A Vacation With God The Healer

We were on the plane from Philadelphia to Seattle returning home from vacation as I reflected on the divine appointments God arranged over the last week. My wife has family and friends who are struggling a lot. Some of the relationships we had with them were broken. Most of her friends and family had little interest in God. We were visiting for a week and anxiously hoped God would show up and change the atmosphere. We prayed for softened hearts and open doors for months before the trip. My wife had a couple of dreams the week before the trip that seemed to indicate the doors were open.

I learned something the first day we were there. If you plan to work with God while on vacation, go to a prayer meeting first. We both had shoulder and neck pain we were hoping to get healed. We went to a prayer meeting at a small town fire station our first night in town. I didn’t know the words to most of the songs, so I closed my eyes during worship. God showed me images of the speaker, a man named George. First he was in a school desk that grew bigger and bigger. There were more images of him, then an image of Dutch Sheets, then Bob Jones, then the word ‘Apostolic’. I really wasn’t expecting this. It took a long time for me to get up the courage to get up. I approached George and told him I thought God had a message for him. We led the group in prayer for him as God moved him to a new level of ministry.

Later, I asked George if he would impart to me a spiritual gift. (Romans 1:11) He replied ‘sure.’ He said, “you argue with God.” I tried to convince him I only did what everyone else did. I said, yeah, don’t we all? He said, “You question what God tells you and then dismiss it.” I confessed my guilt. He prayed for me and said, “Let the first impression you receive be the one you accept. It is from the Lord. Do not question it.” I knew this was a problem I had to overcome. Other prophets had told me the same thing. Later George asked if anyone had back pain they wanted prayer for. My wife and I had him pray for us. I wasn’t really having back pain – it was a shoulder injury that had been tormenting me for months. Nothing happened immediately, but 24 hours later the pain was completely gone.

I’ve been having pregnancy dreams for almost a year. I’m usually transporting pregnant women. My daughter and wife have been having a lot of them too. Something has been growing inside all of us. It isn’t babies. God keeps telling me over and over He will heal people if I continue praying for them. I have His promise of a healing ministry. It’s been incubating for about 11 months. I know there’s another part to it and that would be evangelism. God loves people and wants them physically healed. But healing from God involves the soul and spirit, too. Deliverance, repentance, salvation and discipleship are also part of the healing process. The second night of our vacation I had 2 dreams. In the first I watched a baby being born. In the second, I picked up a newborn baby and took it to my ambulance to transport it to a larger hospital. I’ve been waiting for this dream for a long time. I know what it means. It’s the birth of a new ministry. The wait is finally over.

We went to the New Jersey shore on the hottest day of the trip. We spent time relaxing on the beach and walking in the waves. We saw dolphins a little ways off shore. It was nice to be away with my sweetie. We enjoyed out time together. But I couldn’t stop thinking about praying for people. We spent the afternoon cruising up and down the boardwalk. We shopped and ate and talked about our vision for the future. And we prayed for just about everyone we saw with a physical affliction. I saw a woman about 70 years old. She had obvious right side paralysis, probably from a stroke. I asked if I could pray for her, and she was delighted.

We were sitting on a bench when I saw a woman about 30 years old pushing a stroller. She was walking with tremendous difficulty. My heart was breaking for her. As I watched her walk away I leaned forward, closed my eyes and said, “come on Lord, let’s do this!” I saw an image of an album cover from the band “Styx”, then the words “Classic Rock”. I saw the woman park her stroller by the bathrooms and go in. I got up and walked over to the bathroom area and began to wait and pray, and then I saw a man in a wheelchair with a leg immobilizer. I asked him what happened. He told me about a car accident and how his broken arm and leg were held together with metal rods and screws. He was glad to let me pray for him. I turned around when I was done and she was right behind me. I gave her a smile and asked how she was doing. She said fine. I asked if she liked the band Styx and she said yes. I asked if she liked classic rock and she said yeah, how did you know? I said that God told me and He wanted me to pray for her to be healed. She said it wouldn’t be the first time. We prayed. I made some declarations for her financial prosperity and some other things God showed me. I felt His presence grow stronger while we prayed. I went away marveling at His mercy and compassion. We prayed for about a dozen people that day. God gave encouraging words to a few more. Some were surprised, but everyone received it well. I didn’t see any miracles but healing can be progressive. Even if nobody was healed, we got to sow a lot of seeds.

The couple who led my wife's old bible study group hosted a get together for us. The pool party got out of hand quickly. An F-1 tornado touched down a few miles away. Two of the dads and myself got trapped with the kids under the balcony as 60 mph winds, heavy rain and hail pelted us for 15 minutes. Lightning struck all around us. It was kinda crazy. As quickly as it came - it left. The sun came out and we went back to grilling and hanging out with friends. The host, Bill has a torn ligament in his knee. He's going in for surgery soon. Everyone gathered around him to pray for healing at the end of the night.

We were hoping to give prophetic words to my wife's family while we were there. We had an afternoon of explaining prophecy and revealing God’s plan to a few of her relatives. We also gave words of encouragement to others. Ministering to unbelieving family members is very hard. I’d say it’s impossible without God’s direction. We were amazed at how receptive they were. God must have been plowing the ground for some time before we arrived.

We drove to the airport for the flight home and arrived early. The last time I flew out of Philly, I missed my flight because of car accidents on the freeway. It was close to rush hour, but we zipped along without a single slow down. God needed me to be on this flight. I was standing in line at a coffee stand when the Holy Spirit showed up. I felt His presence and knew He wanted to tell me something. I closed my eyes and saw the word “migraines” and saw an image of a slightly overweight woman about 50 with short brownish blonde hair. Then I saw an image of Kathleen, a receptionist I know from a local hospital. I looked around wondering who to pray for and didn’t see anyone like the person in the image. I did see a short woman in front of me and asked her if she had migraines, but she said no.

I went to the gate and waited to board the plane.

I continued looking around and still didn’t see her. On the flight to Seattle, I read the book Power Healing by John Wimber. After about an hour in the air I noticed a woman like the one in the vision standing in line at the bathroom. I got up and asked if she had migraines and she said, yes. I asked her name and she said Kathleen. I told her about the vision at the coffee shop and said I believed God wanted to heal her. She sat in my seat as we prayed for her. She told her husband what had happened. I got a word for him, too. I asked him if he had prostate cancer. He said no. I felt certain it was an accurate word and thought maybe it was for the future. I wrote a note to his wife telling her that if he developed prostate cancer in the future they should pray for healing. I rested the remainder of the trip. God showed me many visions every time I closed my eyes. I love Him so much.

I’m writing about these things to encourage you to look for similar opportunities in the everyday things you do. Everywhere we go God is waiting with mercy and grace, healing and encouragement for many who don’t know it yet. We can all prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:31) We can all be used to heal others. (Matthew 10:8 ) It does take time to develop compassion for others, to hear what God is saying and to grow in spiritual gifts. But we seem to be in a season where God is bringing acceleration in gifting. Working with God isn’t a chore; it’s really a lot of fun.

If you'd like to read another story about an adventure in praying for people on a plane, read this story:
http://beritacalvary.blogspot.com/2009/06/healing-at-35000-feet.html

Apostles, Prophets and Quadriplegics

We got the dispatch information and drove toward his home. It would be a while before we got there so I closed my eyes and asked God to show me something about the patient we were going to pick up. I was excited wondering, did God want to heal him? The first thing I saw was the clear, unmistakable face of James Goll, with a big smile on his face. The image remained for a while and I asked God what it meant – then the image faded and I saw a pair of glasses on a white background. I thought perhaps this man had a call to be a seer prophet or an apostle. (See 1 Samuel 9:9) An image of Bob Jones appeared and he was also smiling. Then it faded and I briefly saw Stacy Campbell. The images turned into beautifully colored sunsets and sunrises and visions of the northern lights. Then I saw theses 2 words revealed. They were beautifully written in the handwriting of heaven: “Apostolic” and “Prophetic”. (See Ephesians 4:11)

I had wondered what I would do, and how would I know if God placed me alongside someone He had called to such a position. Today I found out. We drove to his home. He lives in a nice house on the water; I assume it might be his parent’s home. He’s been a quadriplegic for many years and doesn’t have a job. We put him on our gurney and loaded him for the long ride to the hospital. I was glad we were taking his ventilator. Many of my patients don’t like mine. Frank (not his real name) is dependant on a ventilator to breathe for him. He can be off it for a short period of time, but doesn’t have enough use of his respiratory muscles to breathe on his own for more than a half hour.

We settled in for the trip. I told Frank I that God showed me some things about him and asked if he wanted to know what they were. He said, “yeah”. I told him about the visions of James Goll and Bob Jones and explained who these men were and what their spiritual gifts and calling were about. I told him I saw the words ‘apostolic’ and ‘prophetic’ and that I believed God was calling him to these two positions in the church. I told him it was a high calling and a great honor and that God want to use him to shape and influence the culture around him for the kingdom of heaven. He took the news with amazement. He asked what church I went to. I told him about my church and what I liked about it.

We talked for a while and he told me about a near-death experience he had almost 24 years ago. It happened after he became a quadriplegic. He was in a hospital and during treatment he developed a collapsed lung and died. He went into heaven. I asked if he saw angels. He said, “Yes, I did. They told me God wasn’t through with me yet, and I had more things I needed to do first. Then I came back into my body”. He said he always wondered what it was he was supposed to be doing, but never really knew for sure. I told him I believed it was revealed to him today what his destiny was.

We left him in the hands of the folks at the hospital and I said goodbye to him. He thanked me for taking care of him. I can’t help but wonder what will come of it. I really like this guy. Even though he has a big disability, he has a great attitude and he’s a pleasure to be with. I don’t know if he’ll ever walk in the gifting God has called him to. Saul had a similar calling and threw it away. (See 1 Samuel 15:23) David had the same calling and made the most of it. (See 1 Chronicles 29:28) Only time will tell what Frank will choose to do. I leaned a great lesson; if I had not been curious enough to inquire from God about this man – would he ever have known what his calling was? God is calling many people in this hour to come up to a higher level. It’s people like you and me who can be the messenger to those who don’t know it yet. You might meet them in the most unlikely place. Are you curious about what God is up to? Spend time asking and He will amaze you with His plans for the people around you. The video below speaks to the matter of discovering who God says we are. Think about the meaning of the word apostle which means "one who is sent" as you listen to the song in the video.

The Power of Dreams

I was walking through St Joseph’s hospital in Tacoma. It was packed with patients today. It was standing room only. Something strange was going on. None of the people I saw were being treated for medical problems. As I walked the hallways I kept seeing more patients everywhere I looked. I saw people I hadn’t seen in years. They were sitting in hallways and lobbies socializing. Some were in wheelchairs, some sat on the floor and others were standing as they talked in small groups. The noise of people talking and laughing created an atmosphere that was more like a wedding reception. I could tell they were all excited about the same thing. There was a joy I’d never seen in a hospital before. These patients weren’t here to be treated. They were here for check ups. Somehow they all knew that miraculous healings were about to take place. They wanted to have their conditions documented by their doctors before they were healed so there would be no question about how it happened. That’s when I woke up.

I was one of the coolest dreams I’ve ever had. I was excited for weeks afterward and I was willing to pray for anyone who was sick. I believe this dream was more than just wishful thinking. I can’t recall having any dreams in the last 25 years. I’m having them regularly now and many of them are like this one. If you stick around, I’ll explain why I believe it was a taste of things to come. I’d like to take you on an exploration of dreams; why we have them, where they come from, what they mean and how they shape our future.

World-Views
I took psychology classes in college because the human mind fascinates me. I learned a lot but I was a little disappointed. I learned about the different theories proposed by Freud, Jung, Skinner and others. But one thing bothered me; the different theories of psychology don’t form a cohesive, unified explanation of how the mind works. Instead, every theory proposed disagreed with the others. We were asked to review all the different theoretical models then pick the one we liked. There wasn’t much scientific research supporting any of them. Some experts have theories for dream interpretation. I didn't find any compelling methods among the ones I studied.

Another thing was missing from the field of psychology; they claimed to know nothing of the spiritual dimension. Some disciplines like behaviorism deny the possibility of the spirit. Even as an atheist, (during the 1980's) this bothered me. They relegate spiritual matters to experts in religion, or deny it altogether. We fall short in our attempt to study human behavior if we fail to account for all the components of our existence. If the spirit-world is real and dreams are connected to it, we should investigate that possibility.

I heard Chuck Missler report on an interesting discovery. Experts found that in attempting to divide particles of matter into smaller and smaller parts, at a point in the process the particles lose their location. You cannot infinitely divide the matter of our world.

What relevance does this have?

This forced experts to conclude that our universe is not analog, but digital. That has startling implications. It means that we live in a universe that's similar to a computer game. Our universe is really a replication or simulation created by another universe. The parent universe is analog and its a lot more real than ours.

We live in a world like the one portrayed in the movie “The Matrix”, that eerie world in which everything that seems real is only a cleverly devised simulation. There’s an invisible world we can’t see with our natural eyes it’s the real deal in every way that matters. Most of us are oblivious to it our entire lives, unless someone tells us about it. That eternal world is accessible every night when you go to bed as the physical world is put on hold and your spirit takes over. Just close your eyes and enter the eternal universe.

While you’re here you should take notes, your physical body doesn’t understand or want to participate in the spiritual universe. As soon as you wake up, the body will try to force the spirit back in its box and your memories of the eternal dimension will vanish. This is why we seldom remember dreams in detail. The apostle Paul said, “The spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit because these two are contrary to one another.” (Gal 5:17) When he taught on the reality of the invisible universe he said, “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2:Cor 4:18) And how do we see the unseen? With the eyes of our spirit, which Paul mentioned in his prayer for his friends in Ephesus, “that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened.” (Eph 1:18)

The Foundation For Dreams
I’d like to establish a biblical foundation on which to build an understanding of dreams. Some scholars believe the book of Job to be the oldest book of the Old Testament. Although the events of Genesis pre-date Job, it is believed that Job lived before Moses. Some experts believe it's one of the oldest texts in the world. Even a few thousand years ago, men had a keen understanding of how God worked. Job’s friend Elihu reminds him of the diverse ways in which God speaks to us. Because we often fail to perceive God’s voice, He reveals secrets to us while we sleep:

For God may speak in one way, or in another,Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.I n order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. (Job 33:14-18)


Types of Dreams


Warning / Correction
In Genesis 31, Jacob had a dream in which an angel told him that God knew how his father-in-law, Laban had cheated him over the years. The angel told him to leave Laban’s land secretly. Laban was also warned by God in a dream not to speak harshly to Jacob about it.

Abimelech was warned in a dream not to sleep with the wife of Abraham or he would die. (Gen 20:3).

Joseph’s cell mates had divine dreams, one was promised freedom; the other was warned of his impending death. (Gen. 40:5).

Pharaoh was warned in a dream about a coming famine lasting 7 years. (Gen. 41)

When Joseph learned that his wife Mary was pregnant, he considered leaving her, but an angel came to him in a dream and revealed that her pregnancy was a divine miracle and that he was to fulfill his marriage commitment. He was also warned in a dream of Herod’s plan to kill Jesus and to flee to Egypt. The accounts are from Matthew chapters 1 & 2.


Divine Provision and Protection
In Genesis 28, Jacob falls asleep by a river. God comes to him in a dream and gives him several covenant promises; to bless him all of his days, to make a great family for him, to give him the land promised to Isaac and Abraham, and a promise that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him. It is interesting to note that Jacob did not have a dream about God, but that God manifested his actual presence to Jacob while his body slept.

Calling/Gifting
God also manifested His presence to Solomon while he slept. Solomon had a conversation with God in a dream. God told him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom to rule over God’s people. In the dream God gave him wisdom greater than anyone who ever lived. He also received great honor, riches and a promise of long life if he would be obedient, because he didn’t ask for any of these things. Then Solomon woke up and realized all these things happened while he was sleeping. (1 Kings 3:5-15)

Strategies for Victory
Gideon was told to spy on his enemies. As he listened in he learned that one of them had been given a dream of a loaf of bread rolling down a hill and smashing their tents. The enemies interpreted it as a sure sign of defeat. Gideon went back to his camp and confidently led his troops to victory. (Judges 7:13-15)

Encouragement
King Nebuchadnezzar was given a dream concerning his own kingdom and all the world kingdoms to follow. It was revealed that his kingdom was the greatest of the kingdoms of man. He was greatly encouraged by this dream. (Dan. 2:36-45)

Direction in Ministry
Both the apostles Peter and Paul were given assignments from God in visions. (Dreams and visions are very similar. The main difference being that visions occur while we are a wake) In his vision, Paul saw a man from Macedonia praying. God told Paul and his friends to go there. Peter had a series of visions in which God showed him (symbolically) that the ‘unclean’ Gentiles he disliked were the ones God wanted him to reach next. (Acts 10:9-15 and 16:10)

The Prophet
God spoke to Aaron and Miriam about the way in which he would communicate to His prophets. “If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream, not so, with my servant Moses, who is faithful in all my house, with him I speak face to face, even plainly, not in dark sayings.” (Num. 12:6-8)

When the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel, he knew in advance all the details of the encounter. He knew where Saul would go after he left and all the people he'd meet. It's likely that God revealed some this information to Samuel through dreams or visions. (see 1 Sam. 9-10)

Both Daniel and the apostle John saw events that would take place thousands of years in the future; much of it was revealed in dreams and visions. God is able to transport us in the spirit to the future and show us things to come.

I've heard some wonderful testimonies about healing that people have received while they slept. Particularly in the area of inner healing for emotional trauma during childhood. Is it strange to believe that God is able to heal us regardless of whether we're awake or sleeping?

There are many other purposes for dreams that I haven't mentioned. Here are few examples of what God has done through dreams and visions in modern times:

Charles Spurgeon, the famous 19th century preacher was given an entire sermon in a dream. His wife wrote it down and he preached it to the congregation the following Sunday.

The city of Spokane, Washington was once called the healthiest city in the world, due to the healing ministry of John G. Lake. He was a millionaire who held an influential seat on the Chicago Board of Trade. While in prayer one night he had a vision from God that lasted 4 hours. In the vision he was given all the details of the next season of his life. Later he moved to Indianapolis, then to South Africa, where he had an incredible ministry in healing and church- planting. Later he moved to Spokane and started the healing rooms there. Records show that over 100,000 people were healed there in a span of 5 years. All of these things were revealed to him in the vision.

Dream Basics
Most of us spend a third of our life asleep. While our physical bodies require rest, our spirit doesn’t need it. It's always able to interact with the realm of the spirit. It’s when the body is asleep and there are fewer distractions that God can speak to us and perhaps get through. Even so, there’s a rebellious soul to deal with, and that’s why dreams are often symbolic. As much as we think we’d obey God if he just told us things plainly, the truth is our soul is rather stubborn and independent. God uses symbolic language to get our soul to cooperate. If we become curious about the messages in a dream, the soul will engage in a journey of discovery. Peter had to be shown his vision 3 times and argued with God about it repeatedly. I’ve done the same thing myself on more than one occasion.

I’ve learned that the major obstacle (for me) in hearing God’s voice is getting rid of all the distractions. Once my soul is quiet, I see and hear God much more clearly. But when our physical body is completely at rest, there are almost no distractions and revelation flows more freely. God is a Father who wants to share His secrets with us. That requires us taking time to listen without distractions.

Dreams come from different sources; from our own soul, from God or from his enemies. I’ve had all 3 kinds. Dreams from the enemy are often dark, with sickly colors. There are feelings usually associated with these dreams like fear, guilt, shame, or unhappiness. The subject matter often involves something evil. I’ve heard creepy, demonic voices in this kind of dream. At times it may be hard to discern the origin of a dream. I've had some that I wasn't certain about. God will tell you what you need to know, so ask.

Dreams from the soul are those odd dreams that often seem pointless. There may not be a particular “feel” to some of them. They aren’t very symbolic or inspiring. But some dreams from God can be dismissed as ones from our soul. I've mistakenly thought some of my dreams weren't from God, but after asking the Holy Spirit, about them a profound truth came forth. Always ask God about your dreams.

Divine dreams are usually different from soul dreams. I can sometimes feel the presence of God in them. The feelings we have in a dream may contradict the feelings we would normally have about what's happening. How you feel in a dream is one key to it's interpretation.

I had a dream in which I killed an older man who lived down the street from me. (Hang on- let me explain!) In the dream we were friends and we did a lot of things together. I never met him in real life (in the natural) but in the dream I knew he had to die so I poisoned him and left him to die. I had a slight sadness about it, which turned into a sense of peace. The emotions I felt were nothing like I would have felt in reality. As God gave me the interpretation, I understood the lack of remorse I felt. In describing our call to walk in a new type of conduct, Paul says we should get rid of the old man in our life and consider him to be dead. The ‘old man’ represents our former way of living. Killing the ‘old man’ was symbolic of getting rid my old ways and submitting to God’s plan. That’s why I wasn’t full of guilt or remorse. (See Rom 6:6, Eph.4:22, Col.3:9)

Divine dreams can also follow you around through the day in your thoughts. This is especially true if you write them down. It transfers them from the spirit world to the natural making them permanent. As they come to mind, and as you meditate on them you’ll gain insight into their meaning. You’ll also notice more divine appointments. You’ll have a dream about someone you haven’t talked to in a long time, then a day or so later you''ll ‘mysteriously’ run into them. Your dream may describe something that happened to them. I had a dream with 2 scenes in which I was in a shop helping a friend fix a car. We were removing the drive shaft which is necessary before you work on the transmission. In the second scene, I was helping him put a roof on one of his buildings. I saw him 3 days later and told him about the dreams. He said that 3 days ago he was in his shop putting a transmission in his son’s car and told me the roof collapsed on his shop earlier that day.

When God begins to speak to us in dreams, He establishes a set of issues relevant to us, and a common language. If you’re struggling with some form of rebellion against God, it’ll show up in dreams, often in repeated themes with different settings and people. When you deal with that issue and put it behind you the subject of your dreams will change. God is always trying to get us into the best relationship possible. As He shows us one problem, we begin fixing our end of the relationship.

We each have a unique dream language. It’s an environment and set of symbols that represent a world familiar to us. I have a lot of dreams that take place in hospitals and ambulances. My daughter is a swimmer. Most of her divine dreams have a pool as the backdrop. My wife is a graphic designer. Her dreams often involve computers. Your dream setting and language will be familiar to you. I can’t possibly do justice to the intricate work of interpreting dreams in this message. But I’ll pass along some things I’ve learned and mistakes I've made. Hopefully you'll find a few pearls of wisdom:

* If you aren’t having dreams from God – Ask! He is always speaking to us. He never quits. David said in the 40th psalm that God’s thoughts toward you are as numerous as the sands of the seashore. Wouldn’t you like at least a handful or two of that sand? Aren’t you curious to know his plans for you? Ask and you will receive.

A few dreams are easy to interpret and can be taken literally. But most are not. I’ve had a number of “message’ dreams in which I’ve heard an audible voice speaking to me. These dreams are rare and need no interpretation. I’ve had dreams in which I see myself praying for someone to be healed or something similar. These dreams also don’t require a lot of interpretation.

Most, but not all divine dreams are symbolic in some way. Some have symbolism that is easy to unravel; some have complexity that is impossible to figure out without God’s help. There are some books on dream interpretation and symbols. The book of Daniel is probably the best book to start with. The book of Revelation is helpful with symbols. As you plow through the bible trying to decode your dreams, you’ll find God saying even more. For other books, stick with an author who is prophetically gifted. They tend to be a lot more insightful. James Goll is my favorite.

Joseph and Daniel both had skill in dream interpretation. Because of it they were promoted to the position of highest power under the rulers in their respective lands. They both said dream interpretations came from God. If it worked for them it should work for us. (see Gen 40:8 and Dan 2:28) In every case where the meaning of a dream is not absolutely plain, ask God.

Names are significant. Look up the origin and meaning of the names of people in a dream. Sometimes the name is the key to the interpretation. Sometimes it's the ministry they are in that God is speaking about. if you have a prophetic calling you can expect to have dreams in which prophets are present. The same goes for evangelism and other callings.

Symbolic dreams are like a puzzle. Work on one piece at a time. Decode each person’s name or place or color and think of each as a separate idea. Then bring the ideas together to make a complete picture.

I had a dream in which I was on a computer registering for a prophetic conference in Corpus Christi, Texas….yup, I spent the next week looking online for the conference and didn’t find one. Then one day I asked God what the dream was about. And He told me. ‘Corpus Christi’ is Latin for the body of Christ. I wasn’t supposed to go to Texas. God was informing me I had a prophetic gift to be used for the body of Christ.

The bible says “It’s the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search a matter out.” (Prov. 25:2) God conceals his plans in symbolic language to draw you into a closer relationship with Him so you come to him daily and ask, Hey – what are we doing today?

Always look up names, colors, places, objects, directions, numbers etc, in the bible – most things have a symbolic meaning and it’s the best place to start. I use a computer program with a Strong’s concordance number linked to each word and a searchable text. It makes the job a lot easier.

If you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, especially at the same time each night, look at your clock (I prefer digital). Everyone I know who takes dreams seriously gets bible verses from their clock. The numbers usually represent the chapter and verse, you just need to ask God which book.

My wife received a prophetic word that she was in a season of rest. She was having a hard time believing it. She'd been dealing with health problems in this so-called season of rest. She was waking up at 4:10 every morning for no reason. She finally asked God what He was trying to tell her. He told her to look in the book of Hebrews. Wanna guess what Hebrews 4:10 says? "For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His."

ALWAYS write down your dreams as soon as you wake from them. Middle of the night dreams are usually forgotten. Some people use a voice recorder or a word processing program on a laptop by the bed. I have note cards and a small flashlight on the nightstand. I copy the note cards to a daily spiritual journal. If you don’t write down your dreams, most of what God is trying to tell you will vanish with the dawn, as for me I want everything He can give me in those 8 hours while I’m sleeping. I hate it when I have a great dream and tell myself I'll remember it or I'll write it down later, then wake in the morning and it's gone forever. God rewards faithfulness. If we faithfully steward the things He has given us, we will receive more.

Record the interpretations as you get them. Some will come immediately, some in a week or two and some in 20 years. Extremely symbolic dreams are sometimes ‘locked’ with a time key. God doesn’t intend for you to solve the riddle until the exact time approaches. Work on these dreams over time and little by little the interpretation will start to appear.

Revelation from God is like a river – its going some place and hopefully taking you with it. Review your flow of revelation regularly. Find out where it’s going. I review my dreams about every 3 months. I’m surprised how many dreams I forget. When I take a look at the big picture, I always see a pattern developing that I wasn’t aware of.

Dreams will warn you of things to come and changes in the seasons of your life. Financial blessings or hardship, relationship problems, travel problems, and hassles at work are all fair game. God cares about every part of your life. You don’t have to be taken by life’s little surprises if you pay close attention to your dreams.

You may have ‘visions’ as well as dreams. There isn’t much difference between them. I classify something as a vision if I’m awake and a dream if I’m sleeping. I have a surprising number of visions. They're a lot like daydreams except for the content which usually involves your calling by God. Rules for visions are the same as dreams. And yes, all these things are valid for the times we live in. On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered those present, Peter recognized it as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” (Act 2:17) I heard a report that thousands of Muslims are becoming Christians in the Middle East during this season. Most of them aren’t in contact with anyone who is a Christian. They’re having encounters with Jesus through dreams.

Most of the dreams you have pertain to you, not others. Seeing and interacting with people in your dreams doesn’t always require you to knock on their door the next day or fly to New York to see them. Relax…most interaction with people in dreams is symbolic, not literal.

I had a dream in which Luis Palau was present. I spent a few weeks trying to find out when he was coming to my area so I could see him. Eventually, God showed me it just represented an evangelistic calling on my life. If God wants you to travel or meet with someone, He’ll tell you – just ask.

Most people have a lot of dreams involving vehicles. Bicycles, cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, and spaceships you name it. They’re modes of transportation and they represent your spiritual mode of travel at the present. They can also represent your ministry. Anything powered by your own strength is symbolic of working in the power of the flesh. God wants us to work in the power of the spirit. Vehicles with more power indicate greater spiritual power.

Buildings represent our life, typically seen as a house. The kind of house and its environment describe the present or future conditions of your life from God’s perspective. I had a friend who told me of a dream in which he was shown a glass house that was beautifully decorated. The usual piano was prominently on display (he’s a piano player). We concluded that the glass house represented transparency before God and man. God was calling him to a life where he didn’t feel the need to hide anything.

Angels - At the risk of sounding weird, I should mention the subject of angels. The Greek word most commonly used in scripture angelos can be defined as 'messenger'. The bible is full references to them and they are usually seen delivering a message to someone who's scared half to death at their appearance. They often deliver messages in dreams as noted above. I've had a lot of dreams in which I hear an audible voice speaking a simple message. My wife also has them. On a couple of occasions we received almost identical messages a few days apart from an audible voice. We haven't seen the messengers, but the bible would support the idea that we've had a lot of angels hanging out at our place speaking to us at night. My theory is that these messages are important enough to God's strategy that He doesn't want to risk an incorrect interpretation. To make sure we get the right message, God sends an angel to deliver the exact words.

God’s revelation to us involves a series of dreams in which He reveals both a big picture and smaller details. We may have dreams in which we interact with an evangelist we know, a pastor, or a worship leader. These people represent our calling in the ministry they operate in. We may not function at the same level of authority or in the same amount of gifting, but we are given the same type of calling. God will likely reveal your spiritual gifts and your particular calling, how you will operate in that gift, the geographic location in which you'll operate, your level of authority, sphere of influence, measure of gifting, the impact your service will have, people who’ll support you, opposition you’ll encounter, your eventual successes, and the rewards waiting for you. Some people get a 'big picture' dream or vision in a single encounter. Mine came over a span of about 3 months. My entire scope of ministry, people I'd work with, places I'd travel to, problems I'd encounter and many other details were all revealed in my dreams. God wants us to know the plan in advance. We need to receive it and walk it out.

For some reason the church is rather ignorant of the way God speaks to us in dreams. We worry a lot about what will happen if we step out in faith and try to impact the world for God. We doubt our abilities and fear failure. We imagine terrible opposition or a lack of resources. The enemy kicks all our hopes and dreams to pieces before we ever get started. God can settle all these issues with us before we step out the bedroom door for our coffee in the morning. I’ve listened to literally thousands of sermons in my life. I’ve never heard one message in which the speaker discussed dreams as his main subject. I can’t recall a message in which dreams were even discussed briefly.

I have a theory about why this problem exists. There are 5 leadership ministry positions given to the church as described in Ephesians 4:11. How many prophets and apostles are on staff at your local church?

Not many?

Church leadership is comprised mostly of pastors and teachers. Prophets are the leaders who are the most gifted in supernatural revelation, and their 'office' in the church was taken away long ago. It's returning (slowly) and with lots of opposition. The majority of our leaders aren't into visions and dreams. They're good at teaching. So they tell us to read the bible, and if we really want to know the secrets of God we can learn Greek or Hebrew. The typical advice is to pray and listen for the "still, small voice".

I suppose It's not their fault. They're gifted in teaching and that's what they know best. When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. We need to support the development of prophetic ministry a little more. Yes, prophets have done some disservice in the past. They've also done a lot of good. We don't terminate the office of the pastor or teacher because people abuse those offices. We train them to mature in the gift. The people of God would benefit greatly if we'd wake up and start dreaming again. If God reveals His will to us through dreams and visions we need to change the way we think about it.

My Dreams
Joseph suffered a lot of hatred and envy from his brothers when He told them about his dreams. Please consider this as a word of encouragement for you. I’m not trying to boast about the things God has shown me. I’m nobody special, just another dreamer like you. I'll describe some good things God has shown me. He's also shown me my faults.

When I began having dreams, I was confronted with something I’d never read about or heard a lecture on, let alone imagined in my wildest dreams (which I wasn’t having yet). God was talking to me. And he had a lot to say.

The first dream in which God confronted me was sort of meeting in which He said, ‘I’ll show you some things, and you tell me what you see’. It reminded me of the call of Jeremiah (see Jer.1:11-13) I was able to interact as I wanted in the dream. I saw a series of images that were different organs of the body, like illustrations from an anatomy textbook. There were 2 of each organ, one healthy and one diseased. God happened to give me a test I had studied for. He picked diseases I could identify by sight. I saw cirrhosis of the liver, a brain tumor, esophageal varicies etc. I told Him what I saw each time. When the test was over He said, “I’m going to show you the medical conditions of some of your patients and if you pray for them, I will heal them.”

I can’t tell you how many dreams I’ve had since then in which I was in a hospital or my ambulance praying for people to be healed; not just patients either. I’ve had dreams in which I’m praying for co-workers, hospital staff, church members, family members and total strangers. In some dreams I’m reading books about people who had healing ministries years ago. In others I’m alone trying to hear the voice of God and discern what he wants to do. The ‘flow’ of my river is in the direction of prayer, healing and prophetic ministry. These dreams represent my sphere of influence and my calling. As I've been obedient to the revelation God gave me, I've seen an explosion of healing miracles over the last two years. You should expect a similar pattern of dreams to develop, in the area you are called to.

I have a lot of Facebook dreams. Some are words of knowledge for healing. Some are God's confirmation of whom He wants me to build relationships with. Some contain revelation about the Kingdom, which I turn into notes or post on blogs. I also receive burdens to pray for government leaders or groups of people through dreams. Many people learn about healing through books or videos. Most of what I know about healing has been taught to me through dreams.

Today I’m doing the things I saw in the dreams I had a few months ago. God is making my dreams come true. Through them I finally found out what my calling is and discovered my purpose for being on the planet. God has brought me through every experience of my life so that He could use me to heal people and demonstrate His love for them. I can’t tell you how comforting it is to finally know that. I’m waiting patiently for the day to come when I walk into the hospital and everyone there expects to be healed by God. Here’s the cool thing; I’m not a special case. God is willing to tell anyone their calling and purpose and show them their future just like He did me. And that means He’ll give you all the tools and information you need to do the things He’s planned for you long before you were born. Are you ready to have God make your dreams come true?