Salt of the Earth
Hi Friends, I am writing about an eight part vision that I received a week ago, Tuesday. Sometimes it takes several days of prayer, before I understand and can write about the vision. This was one of those times. The vision is as follows:
First I saw a potted plant tilting away from me so that I saw its base where the hole is to let out excess water. Then I saw the dirt at the base of the plant. There was perfectly clear water on top of the soil. I thought to myself, "Why is the plant tipping? Is it draining the excess water?"
Secondly, I saw a child’s sticker with two super heros on it. The superhero in the foreground was wearing all white and was flying through the air like superman, with one arm lifted and with his hand clenched in a fist. He appeared to be giving a shout or war cry, as if he were charging the enemy. The superhero behind him was dressed in blue, and was following the other’s lead.
Next, I saw a half sheet of white paper with black letters. It appeared to be a document. There was no signature or freehand writing. It was written in heavy, boldface, block letters. I believe the document represents instructions or rules.
Then I saw another half sheet of white paper, with typed words. As I looked at the paper, I heard the words, “Human trafficking.” I thought to myself, is this a contract? A bill of sale?
Next, I saw a large commercial wire rack on wheels, about 5’ high and 4’ wide, holding sheets or trays of baked pastries: Danish rolls, and other sweets.
Then I saw the head of a snake. It’s body was not there, only the head.
After this, I saw a salt shaker, with white salt being shaken out and onto something.
Lastly, I saw what appeared to be a case of bullying. I was in a car at the crest of a hill, where two roads met. I saw to my right a large yellow car trying to run a car off the road. The larger car was going away from me in his right lane, which was broad, enough for two cars. The smaller car was coming towards me, near the intersection. The larger car, even though he had a very wide lane, drove his car into the lane of the oncoming traffic. He was trying to force the smaller car off the road, and onto the shoulder.
As I saw this scene, I tried to back up, into the intersection, because the road in front of me was too steep for my car to climb. So in order for me to backup, the two cars, behind me in the middle of the intersection had to also back up.
After much prayer, I hope to be able to convey all that God wants us to see.
What I see in this vision is human nature, with all its sinful desires, and God’s holiness, and what he would like to see in us.
I. The Plant
The plant represents mankind. The water represents God’s presence. God promised in Joel, that he would pour out his spirit upon all flesh. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29
When revival comes, in the manifest presence of the Lord, no one can stand. When we experienced the Brownsville Revival in 1998, we all were slain in the spirit, over and over again. I remember not being able to walk, or drive. After a full night of worship, someone had to drive me home. I couldn’t walk, but I was able to crawl. I crawled all the way to my bed, and when I placed my head on the bed, my head lifted up and then dropped down on the bed, over and over. My head literally pounded the bed for over 20 minutes. The next day I shook for over 2 and a half hours. I couldn’t walk anywhere. I just sat and shook. The presence of God was powerful.
I believe that the plant in the vision was tipped over because the presence of the Lord (the water) was so pure, so weighty, that it could not stand.
II. The Superhero Sticker
The sticker of the two superheros shows power, and the action of attacking. I believe that these two superheros represent Judgement and Mercy. If you can stop, and read an earlier post, “Judgement, Mercy, Judgement, Mercy….”, then you will understand. God brings judgement to his people to discipline them. “As a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:5
It is not punishment, but discipline. God wants us to turn to him. "For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." Matthew 13:15
The Lord says if they would turn to him, He would heal them. God wants to show his mercy to his people, but he must capture their attention and their hearts. If there is no repentance, there can be no mercy. If there is no turning, there is no healing.
Judgement comes when we have walked away. We have let other things in our lives become more important than our relationship with God. Everything for us is at stake. Without a true relationship with the Lord, there can be no salvation. God will not “wink” at sin. His blood purchased men for God. But if there is no appreciation for what the Lord accomplished on the cross, then the salvation that person assumes is theirs, is not genuine. Their “faith” is not based on their love for the Lord, but merely, based on a set of rules created by themselves, for themselves. It is empty and worthless.
God brings judgement to capture their attention, so that they will cry out to him in their desperation and pain. God will hear their cries, and He will show his mercy to them. It is truly love expressed by a Father who wants his children to follow him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15
God is patient, wanting none to be lost. He endures much from us. I am thankful for his great patience, his love, his kindness, and mercy.
III. The Half-Sheet of Paper
The first half-sheet of paper, I believe represents God’s covenants. So often, God states his desires and expectations for us, things that he wants us to do, and the character he wants to see in us. He gives us promises based on his agreements with us. So often, he says, if you will do this, then I will do this.” He will also say that if you do not keep my commandments then, you can expect me to do this. The sheet is a half sheet of paper, because, He is looking for us to do the things he requires of us. The promises are there, and he is faithful, but he is looking for us to do our part first.
“Come near to God, and he will come near to you." James 4:8
“You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.” Matthew 25:23
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 5:33
“To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Revelations 2:7
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelations 3:20
The entire Bible is filled with these promises. These are conditional promises, “IF you do this, THEN I will do that.” In the vision, we only see one half of the sheet of paper. The second half I believes represents the provision that comes with each promise. We must do, and be, what God asks first, to fulfill the requirement, of the “IF” phrase. After the IF is fulfilled, we can expect our faithful and loving God to “THEN,” fulfill his promises.
IV. Another Half-Sheet of Paper
The second half-sheet of paper, is also a document. When I heard the words, “Human trafficking,” I thought the paper must represent a bill of sale, a receipt for the purchase of a person, bought by another. This is a horribly wicked thing, so vile, so full of human misery. We need to pray. We need to seek God on behalf of those innocent victims. We also must pray for the ungodly people who are captors, and patrons. Both are heading to Hell, unless we stand in the gap, and pray for their hearts to change.
The man who wrote, “Amazing Grace,” came to have a changed heart. He was a former slave trader, that could no longer stand to see the misery that slavery, or as we call it today: “Human Trafficking” causes.
"In 1787 Newton wrote Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade to help William Wilberforce's campaign to end the practice—"a business at which my heart now shudders," he wrote. Recollection of that chapter in his life never left him, and in his old age, when it was suggested that the increasingly feeble Newton retire, he replied, "I cannot stop. What? Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?" (Christianity Today, “John Newton, Reformed Slave Trader”)
God saved John Newton from a life that supported human misery, and changed his heart to make him one who championed the ending of slavery. Newton would have been destined to spend eternity in hell, but God’s love reached down and saved him.
The same was true for Saul. He carried documents that gave him the right to take captive new Christian believers and arrest them, to pull them out of their homes and drag them off to the religious authorities. But God showed mercy to Saul and his character changed. He became the apostle Paul. You know the rest of the story. How wonderful is the Lord our God, Jesus the Messiah, the Great I am!
So we pray for the victims, the patrons, the traders, and the slave owners. We pray that God's mercy would be shown to them all, that their hearts would change, and that they would be saved from eternal death.
V. The Cart of Pastries
The wheeled cart full of trays of pastries, represent the things that we think will satisfy. We are human, and we live in bodies, that crave food, pleasure, material possessions, power and the freedom to do what we want, and when we want. The life that is unsubmitted to God, lives to satisfy these cravings. Food, and particularly pleasant, delightful, sweet treats are hard to resist. When we are undisciplined, without self control, these can become to us a snare. It was something that looked attractive to the eye, that looked good to eat, that caused Eve to stop and consider the possibility that God was “holding out” on her. Obedience flew out the window, when she came to this temptation. She not only succumbed to the temptation to eat of the tree of knowledge, but she herself became a temptress, leading her husband astray.
This is a warning! Be filled with the Spirit, because "the flesh wars against the spirit.” - “So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” Galatians 5:16-17
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. When we live for God, abiding in him, it says in the word, that we will bear much fruit. We need to abide in the Lord Jesus, and we will have the self-control to resist the temptations that come our way. The list above, is not complete by any means, but it points to the gravity of the issue: “that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” We must live for the Lord, and he will raise us up!
VI. The Head of a Snake
The next part of the vision was the head of a snake. The Lord wants to remind us that our enemy is a defeated foe. His head was cut off! When David fought Goliath, the enemy did not flee, until they saw David take Goliath’s sword from its sheath, and cut off their champion’s head, holding it up for all to see. When the Philistines turned to run, the Israelites saw that they had the upper hand. They no longer feared Goliath, and his armies. They were embolden to pursue, knowing that the Lord would give them victory.
We need to see that God has already defeated the enemy. Like the Israelites, we can no longer fear, but we must move out, and take back the ground, that through sin and neglect, has been turned over to the wicked one. The land (our territory, our nation, our homes, our families, our minds, and our bodies) belong to the Lord. We are his treasured possession. When we submit to his authority, he gives us authority to trample upon snakes and scorpions!
Such a long vision - hang in there!
VII. The Salt in the Shaker
When I thought about this part of the vision, a few passages of scripture came to mind:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” Matthew 5:13
“For Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50
In the vision the salt was being shaken from the salt shaker. The word says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. This means testing. "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.'" Hebrew 12:25-27
Everything and everyone will be tested. In the scripture above it says “for everyone will be salted with fire.” Tests are fiery, not a walk in the park, but something that will shake you to the core. The tests are necessary as James describes: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
“If the salt loses its saltiness, it is good for nothing.“ We do not want to be considered worthless to God. Mark says, "Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another." We have to remain with him, in order to have salt within us.
The idea of remaining in him, parallels Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches. If we remain in him and his word remains in us, we will bear much fruit. To remain in the Lord, means to maintain our relationship and intimacy with him. If we walk away, or neglect our closeness to God, we will lose our saltiness, we will become good for nothing, and be tossed out. We will lose the protection of God and become trampled by men. Jesus uses his parables to drive home a point. He could not be more serious in warning us of the dangers of Hell.
VII. The Yellow Car
Finally, the last part of the vision concerns bullying. We see this in the vision by the car who already had more than enough room to drive on the road in the direction he was going. Yet, he was not satisfied with simply going his way. He wanted the road all for himself. The car represent a person who is totally void of love or respect for anyone. He is one who prefers to make other people’s lives difficult. He feels important, and receives pleasure in other's pain. This person is filled with his father, the devil.
There is no other way to put this. When there is a total lack of love, there is a total lack of God. The devil has full dominion - the person has no self-control. This is the ultimate condition of man when we walk away from God.
When we have the Lord, and go through difficult times, what is produced in us, is perseverance and character. However, when the presence of God and his Spirit is not in us, and we undergo those same difficulties, instead of producing perseverance and character, it creates anger, bitterness and hatred.
How do you create a vicious attack dog? You mistreat it. The dog learns to hate people, to distrust them, and to attack them, should they come too close. This is how you make a bully. You mistreat him. A bully has been repeatedly abused. He was defenseless before his abuser, and has now chosen to do the same to another defenseless person. He feels empowered, and in control when he can have the upper hand. Because he does not have the Lord, the pain he has suffered, has lead to a bitter root.
From where is his healing and deliverance to come? It comes from the grace of God. He has to be able to forgive the one or ones who have harmed him. Until he is able to forgive, he will remain embittered, and suffer the internal torment, and the dysfunctional lifestyle of a bully.
What should we do for a bully? Love him, pray for him, and help him to see that he needs to forgive.
”But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15
This has been a long vision, but I hope you will read each part again, because I believe that the Lord is reaching out to us. He loves us just as we are, but he wants to change us, to mold and shape us on his potter’s wheel, forming us in his very image. So we say to the Lord, “Keep going! Don’t stop until you make me more like you!”
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23
