In a recent vision one morning, I saw the Lord Jesus with His right hand extended out towards His people. He was pleading with His bride "Come to Me". Jesus was looking for a deeper intimacy with His people. He wanted to spend time with them, but they were too busy. Busy with life's demands, agenda's and distractions. I then heard the Lord say "Come to Me all who are weary, and I will give you strength". He was pleading with them to take notice of Him, but the people would just walk right past Jesus while His hand was extended out to them. We see this in the following verse from Isaiah: "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it" Isaiah 30:15
It was troubling for me to see how many of His people were too busy to answer His petition for more intimacy. Jesus wants to spend time with them, but they were distracted with life. I was reminded of the sobering verse in the new testament: "At the time of the banquet He sent His servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come" Luke 14:17-20.
It was sad to see how many people seemed distracted with life to recognize Jesus. Because of this, they could not perceive that He was standing directly in front of them. In this vision, I was standing to the right of Jesus. After seeing several people walk right past Him because they were too busy, I decided I was going to get their attention, so I started walking towards them. The Lord noticed my intention and stopped me. He instructs me to "pray the Word over them" - and then Jesus handed me a sword that had fire on it. Immediately, I started praying for these people while holding this fiery sword. I soon realized that I could fling little fireballs from my fiery sword. These little fireballs would surely wake them up 'I thought'...
So I started flinging the sword their direction and little fireballs would launch their direction and would hit them. This was not in any way to harm or judge them, but simply to help wake them up . The light sting from the fire would startle them enough to where they stopped what they were doing and they would turn around and come back towards Jesus. They would stand before Him a little perplexed...like a deer in headlights. I could see when the fire hit them, it got their attention; however, they did not know what to do next. The Lord then takes my fiery sword and breathed on it. He hands it back to me. When I grabbed the sword the fire was gone and I could now see my own reflection in the blade. And then Jesus spoke ..."They must see themselves in My Word. Pray for them to see themselves in My Word".
So I started flinging the sword their direction and little fireballs would launch their direction and would hit them. This was not in any way to harm or judge them, but simply to help wake them up . The light sting from the fire would startle them enough to where they stopped what they were doing and they would turn around and come back towards Jesus. They would stand before Him a little perplexed...like a deer in headlights. I could see when the fire hit them, it got their attention; however, they did not know what to do next. The Lord then takes my fiery sword and breathed on it. He hands it back to me. When I grabbed the sword the fire was gone and I could now see my own reflection in the blade. And then Jesus spoke ..."They must see themselves in My Word. Pray for them to see themselves in My Word".
Immediately, I starting praying that they would see themselves in the Word. That they would know their purpose in the Word. Did you know that our identity is revealed in the Word of God? When the word of God becomes personal to us, we will spend more time meditating on it and practicing it. We need to see also that our destiny lies in the Word of God not in this world. When we do what the Word say's, we are going to be blessed in all that we do. However, all of this comes through our intimacy with Jesus. Then the verse came to me: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word, but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do" James 1:22-25
An Idol can be any person, place or thing that distracts us from God and our purpose in this life. The late evangelist Smith Wigglesworth said it well: "An Idol is anything that cools our affections towards God". We have to be careful especially in our generation of constant busyness and idleness and entertainment. Careful that we don't fall prey to this age old sin of idolatry. The Bible actually has more to say about idols than any other sin. Why? Because God knows that they can lead us away from intimacy with Him even if they do not cause us to walk away from Him. Idols have a voice and they can speak to us. They speak to our identity and desires. They will demand our time, attention and focus. It actually say's in Zechariah 10:2 "The idols speak deceitfully....". Idols are like mini gods and they demand worship (our affection). And through worship their goal is to consume us or change us into their image. Only the Word of God (and intimacy with Jesus) can tell us what we truly look like and keep us from this deceit. There are so many things competing for the attention that should only belong to God. Fom Genesis to Revelation we are reminded that we were created by Him and for Him:
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" Genesis 1:27
"...You don't love Me or each other as you did at first..." Revelation 2:4
"...You don't love Me or each other as you did at first..." Revelation 2:4
The Lord loves us! And we are created in His image to Love Him back. The He wants us to spend quality time with Him. He will never turn away those who come to Him. He has chosen us from the beginning of time. The scriptures say: "But you are a CHOSEN PEOPLE, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light" 1 Peter 2:9. We have such a mighty calling in Him. Being renewed in Him is daily habit and aspiration. This process is really only accomplished through an intentional and intimate relationship with Jesus. We should see ourselves and our purpose in life in the Word of God. And when we see ourselves in Jesus (He is word of God that became flesh); He will give us a new flesh that is birthed from intimacy with Him and the Word of God. He calls us a Chosen People and a Royal Priesthood - Its an incredible calling and purpose! Can you receive it? :)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, please hear my heart on this. This vision was not for those who don't know Jesus yet. This vision, I witnessed, was a petition to the Body of Christ! Jesus is calling all of us into a deeper intimacy with Him. May we set our hearts and minds in seeking Him daily and pursue the only true lover of our souls - Jesus Christ. He is waiting for us......Won't You Come?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mathew 11: 28-30
Update to this Vision
A week after this vision I was reading Ephesians. For some reason I was stopped at the first part of Chapter 1 and could not read forward. Then the Lord instructed me to write my name into the chapter starting with the introduction. As I wrote the first sentence and inserted my name where it mentioned Paul the apostle, the Lord spoke: "this is what it's like to see yourself in my word". As I continued the Lord further instructed me to insert my name everywhere it would say the following: "we", "you", "us" or "our". When I did this, I felt a powerful "Wow" in my Spirit. Jesus wanted me to make His word very personal to Me. He wants us all to know that His word is the answer to any life issues we may encounter. His word is our guide and then we can learn to trust His words as they are our "lamp unto our feet".
Jesus is one with the Word of God. We cannot separate Jesus from His words. Our Lord submitted Himself to the word of God even though it meant death on the cross. He wants us to submit to His word just the same. His words are both "Life and Spirit". Therefore, He encourages us today to not only submit ourselves to His word, but to also see ourselves in His word. This is where we can have the right identity in Him and have victory over sin, flesh and the devil.
Finally, to encourage your faith so that you can also see yourself in His word; I took the liberty below and underlined the section where you can insert your name to make it personal to you. Read this often and start making your declarations today. Most importantly, believe and know that this belongs to you. You are his Child and you also have been predestined to be Holy and Blameless before Him. Read the word and see yourself in it. God bless you all!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" Ephesians 1:3-14
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us THROW OFF everything that hinders and the SIN that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us". Hebrews 12:1