Confinement

Hi Friends.

I hope all is well, God has given me a six part vision all about physical, emotional and spiritual confinement.  We are shaped by our thoughts, our traditions and the burdens we carry. We can experience both freedom in some areas of our lives and slavery in other areas.  

The vision

First I saw marine plants under the water, giving off oxygen, in streams of bubbles.  The sunlight was bright making the view clear. There was a current to the water because the bubbles and the movement of the plants was upwards and to the left.

Next I saw a two dimensional depiction of a male adult gorilla.  He was in a walking pose with his knuckles to the ground in front of him.

The next day I received the remaining four parts to the vision:

First I saw several cut flowers with gold petals.  Three of which were placed in a modeled glass vase.  The vase was rectangular about 6” H 5” W 1.5” D. The cut flowers in the vase were barely long enough to just peek their petals over the edge of the vase.  Then I saw someone push the three flowers over to make room for one more. This of course was not an attractive arrangement. The heads of the flowers merely capped the opening of the vase.

Next I saw a baby playpen.  It was placed just a few inches away from the wall.  As I looked at the playpen, I asked myself, “Is it possible for the baby to climb out and get trapped between the wall and the side of the playpen?”

Then I saw three brown potatoes.  One was about 3” in length and ordinary in its appearance.  The other two were over sized for potatoes, looking more like small loaves of bread, quite smooth and rectangular.  One was about 7” and the other about 9” in length.

The last piece of the vision is of Woody Woodpecker breaking through the “screen” with a big happy smile.

This is what I believe the vision means:

The Marine Plants Giving Off Oxygen

All plants need sunlight to thrive.  The green marine plants just like land plants engage in photosynthesis to make their food.  In photosynthesis, plants take in CO2 and water and give off oxygen. This is a wonderful symbiotic relationship to us as people, for we take in oxygen (among other gases) burn carbohydrates for energy and give off CO2 and water as waste products.  In the vision, there was an abundance of oxygen given off. The bright scene with the constant flow of bubbles and movement of the leaves and stems, seemed bursting with energy, and vitality.  It was a scene of pristine, and vibrant life.  It was joyful and exuberant.

I am reminded of the scripture: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  John 10:10

The Lord wants us to live in the fullness of his Spirit:  “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

Is this abundant and fullness of life available now?  Today, even when things seem to go wrong and nothing makes sense?  Yes, of course!  I believe that the more we know the Lord, the more time we spend with him, and the more we learn to trust him, the more we are able to enter his rest and find our joy in him.  

“The peace that passes all understanding,” comes when we are able to give the Lord our problems, and not hold onto them.  It is truly a matter of trusting him and letting go - choosing to trust and choosing not to worry. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the flowers of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire will he not clothe you -- you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:27-34

If given the choice to hold onto our problems, or receive the peace that the Lord offers us - why would we not want to give our troubles to him?   

The Two Dimensional Male Gorilla

If the first vision was indicative of life and exuberance, the gorilla represents the opposite.  The gorilla is a flat, lifeless, image trapped on a piece of paper. The image never moves, never changes.  Life is shown by movement and change. The gorilla, the king of beasts, is most often a gentle beast, living in the forest among his band.  His aggressive behavior only comes out when his position of leadership is threatened by another male, or the band is threatened by a predator. This is mostly  a defensive posture, defending his right to the females and defending the family group from harm.

But in the vision, the gorilla is static, immovable, unable to respond.  This can be true of people. Sometimes because of an emotional trauma, or years of abuse, people can become numb to their surroundings.  They are unable to defend themselves, and are not able to have normal healthy relationships. They can be dead inside. They have given up hope of any possible change, so they merely exist.  They feel trapped, confined, with no where to go for comfort or safety.

God wants to free them from these chains that have been formed by verbal, physical and emotional abuse.  God wants them to live. They are like the dry bones in Ezekiel: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  They say, ‘Our hope is gone; we are cut off.’  Therefore prophesy and say to them:  ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says; O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:11-14

Today, when we give ourselves to the Lord he places his Spirit in us, the Spirit of truth.  The Bible tells us that "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth."  John 16:13

The way of truth is the way to freedom.  It is the lies that we believe, that hold us in bondage. That is why Jesus said, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”   John 8:32  Let us renounce the lies we have believed to be true.  Lies about who we think we are, and lies and labels given to us.  Let us come into the light, so that these lies or chains formed in darkness will be exposed and will no longer have power over us.  

Let us forgive those who have harmed us, who have maligned our names, who have accused us falsely, or have harmed any of our loved ones.  Forgiving those who have hurt us, is the first step towards healing. Those who choose not to forgive, will not receive healing.  A bitter root will grow within their heart, and they will never know real freedom.  But a person who can forgive, just as Jesus did to those who crucified him,  will receive forgiveness from the Father, and in him a new life will begin.

The Cut Flowers and the Vase

These flowers represent people who were healthy.  And like flowers removed from their garden, and cut off from their roots, these people have been taken from their homes, cut off from their families and loved ones.  The vase by itself was attractive, but by cutting the flowers so short, the vase became more of a holding tank for the flowers, not something that displayed the flowers’ natural beauty.  This vase is a prison, where the gold petals just barely peek over the top edge. The vase is over crowded.  Three flowers were pushed aside to make room for another. The vision describes young girls captured by wicked men, and sold into slavery.  The vase represents a brothel, a place of misery.

Why does God show us these things?  It is because he wants us to pray for them.  We pray that the victims will be found and given their freedom, and restored to their families.  We pray that the captors’ hearts change and that their eyes are open to see the truth. We pray, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”  Luke 23:34

God wants our heart to break as his heart breaks when he sees sin, pain, and sorrow.  When we understand and feel God’s heart, he can use us to make a change. Prayer changes things; it moves mountains.  When we pray in the Spirit, we pray the perfect will of the Father. He wants none to be lost, and all to come to repentance.  

The Baby Playpen

The playpen was ordinary, collapsible with mesh sides.  It is appropriate for use by a very young child, but not usable once the child can climb out.  My concern was for the child, that he was not capable of climbing out.  The playpen is really designed to keep the baby from harming himself, while the mother is doing something she considers important.  This is a form of positive confinement.

God may choose to confine us for our own safety or benefit.  He may move upon a father’s heart to shield a son or daughter from negative influences, like bad company, or dangerous activities.   He may keep us from making commitments or agreements that would harm us.  Sometimes these boundaries or limits may even appear extreme, as in the case of the apostle Paul.  

Paul at one time, was under house arrest.  He was confined and kept under guard, in a house in Rome.  He was allowed to have visitors, so he could teach and preach from his home.  Many of his letters to the churches were written during this two year period.  In AD 63 he was released and continued his missionary work. Then, as I understand it, in AD 67 he was arrested and spent his last days in a Roman prison. This was not a time of personal protection, but it was a time when more of his letters were written.  God was able to use Paul's confinement to advance the gospel. The letters he wrote while in prison form a good part of the New Testament. These letters were intended to instruct believers in sound doctrine and in how the church was to operate. It was valid then and continues to be valid today.  So God's confinement of Paul was beneficial for the church.

Three Potatoes

One of the potatoes is normal in size, shape and color.  The other two are not sized or shaped naturally. Somehow they have been modified.  They must have been given more fertilizer or genetically modified to be able to grow so large.  The shape that they took on was very unnatural. They appeared to be rectangular, as if they were formed in a loaf pan, or mold.  I can imagine that in order to get a potato to grow in this shape, there must have been a mold or container placed around the tuber as it grew.  This is similar to a bonsai tree, in that the shape it takes on is based on limiting or restricting it's growth.

This part of the vision shows another side of confinement.  Through restrictions, and confinement, we can take on a form that is not natural.  We can restrict ourselves, through our thoughts, our fears and our beliefs.  We can also be restricted by what our parents or our culture believe to be true.  These beliefs, whether true or false, can train us to take on the shape, or fit the cultural mold that is put upon us.  There can be beneficial restrictions, as in this Biblical example:  “We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is to be spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build on her a turret of silver.  If she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.” Song of Solomon 8:8-9  

The confinement of boards of cedar, are for her protection.  And this is good.  However, there are times when the confinement is unnecessary and potentially harmful.  I know of two teens whose parents have overly protected their children, and have caused them harm.  In one case the parents are overly concerned for their son’s safety, so that they have trapped him in their home. Day in and day out, even in the summer, this boy is restricted to the home.  He has very limited social interaction with friends. Out of fear, they have imprisoned their son, keeping him from having normal healthy relationships, life experiences, and opportunities to make his own decisions, and learn from his own mistakes.

The other teen, a girl, is confined to wearing traditional clothing of her culture, which keeps her from making friends at school.  She has been rejected by her peers, and now suffers with depression.

This form of confinement is really oppression.  God wants each of us to live a full, healthy, and abundant life, but because of circumstances, it may not seem possible.  But we serve an awesome God. There is nothing too great or too small for him.   With God all things are possible.  He calls to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary, and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28-30   

These teens need friends, they need healing.  They need someone to understand their feelings and they need to be able to understand and forgive their parents.  Even if we believe we are doing the right thing by our kids, if they resent the limitations, or suffer for our decisions,  we need to offer them either an apology or an understanding ear.

Having a bitter heart, resentment, depression, or a desire to harm oneself are not healthy states of being.  The feelings and thoughts these emotional states create are harmful to the mind, the spirit and the body. We are taught to take these thoughts captive. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  2 Corinthians 10:5-6

These kids need someone in their corner.  Someone to pray for them, speak with them and encourage them in the Lord.  "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."  Deuteronomy 31:8

Woody Woodpecker

Woody Woodpecker was a cartoon character who was spunky, mischievous and always happy.  No matter what sort of trouble he was in, he knew how to turn it around.  As Woody Woodpecker would end his cartoon show, he would  break through what appeared to be a paper screen and say, “That’s all folks!” Then he had a laugh that was very unique to him, sounding like - well like a woodpecker! 

I think that the Lord chose the ending of this cartoon to say, that no matter who or what shaped us as we are today, we don’t have to remain this way.  Just as Woody burst through the screen with a big smile, we can burst through the molds that have confined us. We can declare, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”  Philippians 4:13

“No weapon form against you shall prosper!”   Isaiah 54:17

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” Psalm 139:14

“If God be for us, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:31

Healing, joy, and abundant life is found in Jesus.  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and wonderful things you do not know!”  Jeremiah 33:3

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

"You will seek me you will find me, when you seek me with all your heart!"  Jeremiah 29:13

Jesus wants everyone to live an abundant life.  Do you remember the story of Lazarus?  Lazarus was Martha and Mary's brother, a man Jesus raised from the dead.  At the site of the tomb, Jesus asked them to roll the stone away, then,  "He cried out in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'"  John 11:43-44 

This is a wonderful story of the power of God, the power to raise to life someone who had been dead four days.  The Lord wants us to move in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that when we see people in "grave clothes," or in a state of depression, or suffering from an illness, we can choose to believe the Lord for a miracle.  Let's believe and pray that as children of God, we carry the authority to say "______, come forth!   And "Loose him, and let him go!"

Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."  John 14:12

Pray with me that power will return to the Church.  Pray that faith will rise in the believers' hearts and that we will see signs, wonders and miracles!