Prophetic-School: Regarding Visions
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Originally from: <owner-prophetic-school@xc.org>
Originally dated: Thu, 14 May 1998 09:02:52 (PDT)
Originally from: "ROBERT FREEMAN"
rob@cyberback.com
Originally dated: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 23:07:13
I've been wondering lately if there is a connection between having a vision and
seeing a lamb (the lamb of God) and then later being called a prophet. I've
read some about that and personally I have had a vision like that during
communion. Some weeks following I had another vision where I saw the Lord
approach me and address me as a prophet evangelist. I was pondering about this
and thought I'd write to see if any one knew anything.
While it is true that many prophets see visions, the inverse is not
automatically true. A person is not a prophet simply because God gives them a
vision.
Personally, I have had several visions in the course of my life. The first came
in 1974, about 3 years after I was saved... I had a pressing end-time theology
question that I wanted to ask the Lord, but when I actually got in His presence
(it was a vision of meeting Jesus face-to- face and was like living it rather
than like watching it on a movie screen) I was so overwhelmed with His Holiness
and my own sin that I became totally non-functional. When He asked me what my
question was, I could not even ask Him.. all I could do was pray for the blood
of Jesus to cover my sins... I never had a clue what the Holiness of God was
until I actually encountered Him. At that time, Jesus told me that my questions
weren't really important but that God had a plan and a purpose and a call on my
life and that He was going to use me to further His kingdom. It was an
absolutely terrifying experience, but also wonderful at the same time. I had
never been taught about the Holiness of God before I had this vision. But after
I recovered from it I searched the Bible and found that it had a lot to say
about God's holiness.
I wish I could say that this vision instantly changed the course of my life,
but it did not. No one had taught me that it was even possible to make Jesus
Lord of my life.. I only knew Him as "savior" and I tried to live the
Christian life in my own strength and failed miserably. About 12 years later, I
backslid for a few years, during which time I married a non-believer. The words
Christ spoke over me in that vision seemed to go totally unfulfilled. My life
was going totally the wrong direction. Eventually I began to turn back ot the
Lord. This time I knew that if I was to come back to God, it must be on His
terms and I asked Him to show me what His terms were. He began to teach me to
know His voice and He began to teach me what it meant to let Him be Lord (boss)
of my life. What a difference.. this time I had His power and His victory in my
life.
Well, I had another commissioning vision a few years after I came back to
Christ. This one was totally revolutionary and life-changing. In this vision, I
was standing before God's throne along with a multitude of others. For some
reason I was angry and holding a huge stick... I got so frustrated I threw the
stick... I was not throwing it at anyone in particular, just throwing it in my
frustration. I watched in horror as the stick went straight towards Christ's
throne, hit His foot and dented the gold step to the throne where His foot was
resting. Immediately two angels that were standing near me grabbed me. Christ
told them to release me and then told me to go get the stick and bring it to
Him. I wanted to run away and I was terrified, but I obeyed Him. I picked up
the stick and brought it to Him. I handed it to Christ. He told me to hold out
my hands... I kinda expected Him to hit me with the stick, as the old-fashioned
school teachers used to hit kids hands with a ruler to discipline them.. I knew
I deserved it. I put out my hands and closed my eyes, waiting for that blow to
come. But it never came. Instead I felt a light pressure on my hand and
realized He was kissing it. I was so astonished I opened my eyes and looked
right into His eyes. They were full of love and forgiveness. At that instant I
actually understood what God's forgiveness was all about. I "melted"
and something inside of me changed.. and I have been His committed servant ever
since. I won't share all of the details, but the vision continued with an
anointing and a commissioning. I accepted His commissioning and I have seen Him
do incredible things in my life and open incredible opportunities to me.
Almost immediately I was a different person.. operating in a higher level of
supernatural gifting and entering into new depths of intimacy with God and
being able to hear His voice much more clearly.
The two visions I shared were somewhat similar. I know that one had almost no
impact on my life and the other was totally lifechanging.. I literally became a
different person as a result of this encounter with God. I am not sure why one
effected me so strongly and the other did not.
I share this story to show how we can have visions (or other supernatural
encounters with God) and they may have little or no impact on us.. or they may
be life-changing (as Paul's conversion on the way to Damascus). I think that we
need to examine our hearts and invite Him to transform us and change us to
respond to Him in a manner that pleases Him when He reaches out to us with
divine encounters.
Lord, give us hearts after Your heart! Change our desires and passions to line
up with Yours. Make us more like Jesus that we might go about doing what the
Father is doing and that we might be more effective for Your kingdom. Amen.
blessings.
- teresa
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Teresa Seputis (TeresaS@xc.org)
GodSpeak International;
PO Box 423435;
San Francisco CA 94142-3435
WWW site: http://www.godspeak.org/godspeak
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