Ready or Not!
Wednesday morning this week, I received a vision in five parts. It speaks of the here and now as well as the end-times. But I must admit that the last part of the vision was a rebuke to me. It is important to include this part, because you may also benefit. It is only human nature to want to win the respect of others. But we cannot live in fear of what others may think of us. When we are willing to expose ourselves to the light - even the things that show our weaknesses or frailties, God has a chance to mold us into the people he wants us to be.
The vision:
1. I see a policeman in uniform standing next to a busy commercial road. It is a bright sunny day. Suddenly the policeman turns into a paper doll and is picked up by the breeze and carried away. When the policeman is changed and lifted up, another man who was hidden behind the policeman becomes visible. He is dressed in ordinary, casual clothes.
2. Next I see a simple white tennis shoe. It is upside down with an orange inset sewn into the back of the shoe.
3. Then I see a white ball being thrown my direction. It lands onto stone "steps" which are naturally carved into the side of a rocky hill. The ball lands firmly on a step, without rolling, just in front of me.
4. Then I see a large, deep drawer in a lower cabinet. The drawer was fully extended and I am looking inside. Then the drawer is pushed back in, to reveal dirt and gravel on the floor. I wipe the dirt away with my foot, as an automatic response, without thinking.
5. Then I am outside of a building whose lower level faces a hill or slope, The wall to my left is entirely glass, and the wall in front of me is concrete, the grassy slope is to my right. I see two canisters or garbage cans in front of me. I have a desire to place two large metal drums in front of these garbage cans to conceal them from my view.
This is what I believe the visions means:
I. The Policeman
The policeman represents law and order. He represents authority and serves as a peacekeeper and a restrainer of lawlessness. The Bible says much about the roles a policeman plays.
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." Romans 13:1
"For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Romans 13:4
God wants us to be keepers of the peace: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
The primary restrainer of lawlessness is really the Holy Spirit living within the believer: "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8
It is possible, that the policeman in the vision, represents the Holy Spirit within the believer. When the church is raptured as the scriptures I have quoted suggest, then the Holy Spirit, the restrainer will be taken out of the way. The policeman changed from flesh and blood to become a paper doll that was then carried away by the wind. The man in ordinary clothes, was left behind. he represents people, who have not acknowledged the Lord Jesus as their personal savior and lord over their lives.
The scripture describes this as the rapture: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
This is the promise of God, for those who are left (at the end of the age). This promise is for those who have lived their lives to please the Lord, who have been filled with the Holy Spirit, and born again. They will be forever changed, in a twinkling of an eye. They will be clothed with immortality and be with the Lord forever. Awesome! What a promise!
God holds this promise out to us. He wants us to remember and keep foremost in our thoughts, that he could return at any moment. We need to be ready.
I can't believe it! Just as I finished typing the last sentence I was thinking to myself, "We need to get ready, whether we are ready or not." I stood up and turned to go into the bathroom, when my eye caught this:
The Lord confirms his message in such remarkable ways! Isn't God great?!!
But how should we live, knowing that the Lord could return at any moment? "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now that when we first believed. the night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies, and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and to not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13:11-14
The remainder of the vision points out the areas of my life, (and yours if you relate), that need to be corrected.
II. The Upside Down White Shoe
The white shoe represents a holy walk with the Lord. The orange design sewn into the shoe, represents the fire of the Holy Spirit, and/or harvest. The Lord wants us to walk in his authority, and to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that gives us the boldness to witness for him. It is what the fire represents.
John the Baptist said of Jesus, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11-12
The orange inset was also shaped like a fan. Paul told Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us, does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." The next few lines truly show the intent of the gift of the Holy Spirit. "So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." 2 Timothy 1:6-8
In the vision, there was only one shoe. We are to have our "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." Ephesians 6:15
The missing shoe, is an indication, that we (the Church, me and you) are not ready. We are not doing what God has asked us to do: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20
Because the other shoe was missing, and we are not ready, something must be done. What do we need to be ready? Notice that the orange inset was part of the design. The orange not only represents the fire of God, that gives us the power and passion to witness for him, but it symbolizes the harvest as well. The Lord sent his disciples out: "He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." Matthew 10:1
The shoe was also upside down. This refers to our priorities. The things that God wants to be placed first, seem to be on the bottom of our priorities: "I'll get around to it if I have a chance." The things that God finds of little value, we can make so important that they squeeze out what is best. For example, Martha was concerned with guests, food, accommodations and preparations for Jesus. Mary's desire was to listen to what Jesus had to say. Jesus told Martha, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42
We need to change our priorities to align with God's. And we need to find that other shoe!
III. The White Ball
The white ball was thrown my direction, yet it fell in front of me. Why was I not able to catch it? First of all, I didn't know it was coming. And if I were standing on a higher "step," I would have been closer to the ball. What does the ball represent? God's will, his command, and his direction. We need to be in a right relationship to God to receive a word from him. It also requires obedience. Each step that was carved out of the rock takes us higher, and closer to the will of God and to fellowship with him. Each step represents the laying aside of the things that hinder us: "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
IV. The Large Deep Drawer
The large deep drawer was filled to the brim with things - stuff. These are the things that we own, or are responsible for. These are things that trouble us, and things we carry around with us, our concerns, and our worries. What does Jesus say about the cares of the world? In the parable of the sower, Jesus explains, "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." Matthew 13:22 We become useless to the Lord when we allow the worries of this life to consume our time and energy. We become unavailable; we are simply too busy.
When the drawer filled with all the items was pushed in, it revealed the dirt and gravel that had accumulated under the drawer. The dirt and gravel are sins, irritations and annoyances. Things that weigh us down, can cause fatigue and resentfulness. These burdens, the stuff in our lives, eventually wear us down, causing us to be irritable and unpleasant. The dirt and the gravel are the feelings that result, when our concerns get the better of us. We can then, take out our negative feelings on other people. Conflict in relationships is inevitable.
In the vision, I saw the dirt and gravel, and simply pushed it all aside with my foot. Did this take care of the mess? No, not really, it's still there. We need to confront these problems. We need to go through our "stuff, " and clean up our thoughts, change our priorities, remove the obstacles, and give to the Lord the burdens we were never meant to carry.
Sometimes we have trouble getting free of harmful behaviors, habits, or vices that trap us. In these cases, we need to seek help. It says in the Bible, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." James 5:16 When things remain hidden, they reside in the devil's domain. These need to be brought out into the open and swept out completely. When we confess our sins to another person, we expose the darkness. This removes the item from the enemy's arsenal of guilt, and places it in the light where we can ask for forgiveness and receive healing and restoration. We have a new day and a fresh start with God. Forgiveness brings healing.
V. The Garbage Cans
The last part of the vision was of two canisters or garbage cans. The message here is about how to deal with garbage, (sin, filth, etc.). In the vision. I was not choosing to "take out the trash," because it didn't belong to me. But I was willing to hide the cans by placing two metal drums in front of them. This is not the way to deal with trash. By hiding the trash behind two drums, I would only be making it more difficult for someone else to empty it.
From my vantage point I would not have to look at the trash cans, but for the people inside the building, looking through their large window, I just crowded their view of the grassy slope with two garbage cans and two metal drums. What a nice view!
We have to be careful not to be like the Pharisees, with whom Jesus took issue. "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." Luke 11:46
I believe that this is the rebuke that came with the message. God was pointing out to me that in my zealousness for holiness, prayer and to see changed lives, I may have placed heavy burdens upon you , the reader. I am truly sorry. God is a God of mercy. He brings hardship and strong words because he loves everyone and wants them to want him. He wants us to acknowledge that what he did on the cross restores us to himself. I hope I have not caused you fear or anxiety because of anything I have written.
I want to encourage you in the Lord. He has love, compassion, and the willingness to forgive, and to restore anyone who turns to him and repents. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Another example of the Lord's ability to forgive and restore is in the story of the woman who was accused of adultery, he said to the accusers: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Where are they? Has no one condemned you?'"
"'No one, sir,' she said."
"'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'" John 8:7-11
VI. Summary
Hallelujah! God is good. This vision covered a lot of ground. But in summary, God wants us to appreciate the fact that he is coming back for his church, so we need to live holy lives. No one is perfect, as the scripture tells us: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
He wants us to be filled with his Spirit, so that we can draw close to him for direction in our lives. He wants us to be his witnesses, to be concerned for the people who do not yet know him. He wants us to rid ourselves of unnecessary burdens, anxieties, and worries that tend to overwhelm us and consume our time and energy. He wants us to live free unshackled lives, to serve him freely.
Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Thank you Jesus!
