His Mouth

I believe the gifts of the Spirit continue to manifest in Christ’s Body today and that every believer can become more sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. I believe that He often gives us visions, dreams, and soft, gentle thoughts that come from seemingly nowhere as present-day revelations both of what He is doing as well as what He is about to do.

I believe that many times, His people receive “revelation”, but they never take the time to press in for the FULL revelation. So when I receive a revelation, I believe He wants me to ask Him about it’s meaning. We also make the mistake of assuming the “interpretation” without spending time with Him to let Him interpret the FULL meaning. And often we assume the “application” of the revelation.

So there are three points of failure in prophetic ministry: revelation, interpretation, and application. In fact, there are 4 points of failure if you add “timidity” as a factor. I was praying for someone at a men’s retreat when the Lord gave me a word for a man that the Lord was about to grant him the desire of his heart, something he thought was impossible. My unspoken sense was that the Lord would grant this man and his wife a child; I didn’t want to speak such a thing for fear of being wrong and falsely raising this man’s hopes. So I played it safe and allowed the man to interpret my words however he felt inclined. He later came up to me, told me that he refused to accept the word I’d given him and that he discussed my false message with his wife. He interpreted my word to mean that he would somehow get back together with the girl he had dated before marrying his wife… OUCH!

I truly wish I hadn’t played it safe that day, and I wish I could do it all over. But God is faithful and continues to fill in our gaps, bringing restoration to every willful and unconscious shortcoming we bring to the table. This man and his wife now have children, have a wonderful marriage, and continue to be brilliant testimonies of Christ.

A few years ago, the Lord gave me a word: “Those who hear His Voice are called to be His mouth.” So when I receive a revelation that’s intended for a group of people, I press in for a full understanding and ask the Lord how I should respond. I recognize that sometimes the Lord speaks and does not give the full revelation, interpretation or application to a single person at a given time. He wants us to draw close to Him and listen; He wants us to gather together and discuss what might be going on. So I encourage anyone reading this to pray and send me feedback.

This past week the Lord gave me two visions. The first vision was for America and it was very disturbing. It was also very real, as if I slipped into a dream while praying, or was somehow part of a movie, coming immediately back to full consciousness when the experience was over. This first vision was of a large city, like New York or Chicago, and I saw average people living out their daily lives. I recall a mother on a cell phone and a child on a swing, and when I looked at them, I didn’t see a stranger. Even though I have never seen these people in the physical, when I gazed upon them, I knew them as family. And although I was not physically visible to these people in the vision, I watched them live out their day. As I silently watched, there was a sudden flash of light that dissolved the flesh on the bones of these people. I saw a televised party like New Year’s Eve at Times Square except the weather was warm. Suddenly, the television went blank. Later, a distraught correspondent appeared, reporting onsite at the location where the party had been televised. The dead bodies of people who had been at the party were lying everywhere. Later, I saw the image of one body naked and white; the face showed obvious fear. It was like the plaster cast of a body I had seen when I visited Pompeii some years ago.

The Second vision was far from disturbing although less “real” than the first. I saw two flowering trees, one with white blossoms and the other with pink blossoms. As I’ve since prayed about these trees, I understand they represent churches and the flowers are a promise that they will bear fruit; they are awaking from a dormant period. I’ve since had another vision where I am walking through a grove of barren trees. As I breathe on the individual trees, blossoms appear, covering the branches. My interpretation is that the church needs to be reminded of Who the Bride of Christ is called to be, that the Church needs to again receive the Holy Spirit, and it will awaken to bear fruit. Then it will be pure and beautiful as symbolized by the white and pink blossoms.

The surrealistic nature of the second vision compared to the first vision causes me to believe the first one is a snapshot of what will actually happen. The Lord has given me some visions like this in the past, and they have sometimes taken years to be seen in the physical. I believe that I “knew” the people in the vision because they were believers, part of the Body. From that, I believe that the judgment coming on America will fall upon both believers and non-believers. I believe that our society will shift from a hedonistic party atmosphere to utter despair in a flash. And the Body is called to pick up the pieces without ever uttering the words: “I told you so”; we are called to empathize and will share in the sorrow.

I’ve prayed further about the application of these visions. If you’ve read this far and if these words have resonated in your spirit, then I can tell you with certainty this applies to you: Draw close to the Lord. Do not live in the party atmosphere of the culture… the eat, drink and be merry mentality. Draw close to the Lord with greater and increasing intentionality. Do not party your life away, but draw close to God and He will show you each next step that leads to life… for both you and your family. Draw close to God on a daily basis, inviting Him to breakfast, lunch and dinner. What God desires most is a relationship with you, the object of His love. The Bridegroom is calling for His Bride, and as King, He will surely get Her attention.