Thursday, February 20, 2014

God's Spirit Speaks and Gives Visions

God's Spirit  give dreams, vision and prophecy at times  too. (Joel 2:28, Acts 2)  Visions are through the Holy Spirit.  I love being with Jesus in vision.  It's with my eyes closed, when I'm in the Spirit that He has appeared to me.  It's  during prayer , and or worship when He has come to me.  Once in a dream, a vision of the night.  I love Jesus, I love being with Him. I fell in love with Him 20 years ago when He healed me of terminal breast cancer. Nothing I have ever done or ever could do deserved His miracle.  It's only His mercy.  Jesus has called to me in vision to sit with Him, and I did.  He has called me to Him to 'talk'  face to face.  Not with words, Spirit to spirit.  These occasions are too rare. I appreciate Him.  I thank Him.  I need Jesus more, with every passing day.  I long to be in our Lords Presence.  I desire to be with Jesus in vision even more.  TAKE DELIGHT IN THE LORD AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. (Psalm 37:4 NIV)  And He does.

 Jesus came to Paul in a vision during prayer:  "WHEN I RETURNED TO JERUSALEM AND WAS PRAYING AT THE TEMPLE, I FELL INTO A TRANCE AND SAW THE LORD SPEAKING TO ME", records Paul. (Acts 22:17,18a)  Jesus came to Ananias in vision too. (Acts 9:15)  Peter fell into a trance, a visionary state.  He saw a vision while he was in prayer. (Acts 10:10)  From this vision Jesus sent him to the gentiles.  Jesus came to Paul in a dream, a vision of the night.  ONE NIGHT THE LORD SPOKE TO PAUL IN A VISION: "DO NOT BE AFRAID; KEEP ON SPEAKING, DO NOT BE SILENT."  (Acts 18:9)  In each case Jesus talked to them.    Are we surprised when Jesus comes and talks to us too?  Would we expect anything less with God?  I have lived the Bible, the book of Acts from the moment of my salvation.  Jesus saved my soul when I was laying on my bed dying of cancer.  Jesus' mercy subsequently healed me. His grace and forgiveness have been with me ever since.

Daniel is a man famous for his 'visions of the night'.  God called Paul to preach the gospel to Macedonia (Greece) through a vision in the night.(Acts 16:9,19)   The most renown vision in the world is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.  John saw this vision when he was in the Spirit.  The Lord Jesus came to him  in His glorified body shining brighter than the sun.  (That's how Jesus first came to Saul of Tarsus.)  John was on the island of Patmos to  receive this vision, the Apocalypse. He recorded all that he saw and heard  for us. (Revelation 1)  John writes:  AFTER THIS I LOOKED AND BEFORE ME WAS A DOOR STANDING OPEN IN HEAVEN. AND THE VOICE (of Jesus) I HAD FIRST HEARD SPEAKING TO ME LIKE A TRUMPET SAID, "COME UP HERE, AND I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE AFTER THIS." AT ONCE I WAS IN THE SPIRIT, AND BEHOLD, A THRONE STOOD IN HEAVEN, WITH ONE SEATED ON THE THRONE.  (Rev. 4:1,2)  I was taken to that throne once in vision too.  Beholding the Glory of God was the highlight of my life.

 The first record of God coming to man in vision is with Abraham. AFTER THESE THINGS THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ABRAM IN A VISION, SAYING, "FEAR NOT, ABRAM: I AM THY SHIELD, AND THY EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD." (Gen. 15:1 KJV)   The earliest vision seen in the Bible is the second coming of the Messiah: ENOCH, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM, PROPHESIED..: "SEE, THE LORD IS COMING WITH THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF HIS HOLY ONES." (Jude 14a,c)

 God says;  CALL UPON ME AND I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS YOU KNOW NOT. (Jeremiah 3)  And I do call to Him, and He does show me wonderful things. I thank Him.  And, of course, reading the Oracles of God, our bibles provide an entrance into God's Spirit. Sometimes, during bible reading it is just like being there with Jesus, God talking to me personally. He will talk to you personally too.  His Spirit knows how to reach our inner depths.  He enables us to understand the Word of God.  Bible reading isn't just intellectual.   Scripture only comes alive and speaks to us through God's Spirit. ALL SCRIPTURE IS BREATHED OUT BY GOD.. (2 Tim. 3:16a ESV)   FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE.. IT PENETRATES EVEN TO DIVIDING SOUL AND SPIRIT.. (Heb. 4:a,c NIV)

    .. NO ONE CAN KNOW THE THOUGHTS OF GOD EXCEPT GOD'S SPIRIT. (1Cor. 2:11c ISV)   In a sense we depend on the Holy Spirit of God to enlighten us.   BUT GOD HAS REVEALED THOSE THINGS TO US BY HIS SPIRIT.  FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHES EVERYTHING, EVEN THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD. (1 Cor. 2:10 ISV)  O HOW DEEP ARE GOD'S RICHES, AND WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE!  HOW UNFATHOMABLE ARE HIS DECISIONS AND UNEXPLAINABLE HIS WAYS! (Rom. 11:33 ISV)

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