Transformation and Revival

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are well.  I am sharing two visions with you today.  I hope you will read these for the Lord gives us visions so that we can understand his heart and pray according to his will.

The visions are about sin, and the transformation of individuals and communities. God wants to bring a revival to our nation. It begins with prayer. 

The Visions

Liquor and a Chandelier

In this vision I looked up and saw a chandelier that was circular in shape and made of polished brass.  Resting upon the circular frame and between the lights was a rectangular clear glass container or decanter of liquor, whisky or brandy.  There was a gold and black label on the front of the decanter. The top of the bottle had a decorative molded glass stopper. 

Upon seeing the vision, I questioned,  “Why was the decanter placed up so high where it was not accessible?”  Also, “Couldn’t this fall off and hurt someone, or make quite a mess?”  

I believe that this vision came in answer to many prayers. Several of my prayer partners and I have been praying for friends, family members and others to be free of alcohol.  My husband has a close relative who is serving time for vehicular manslaughter, which was due to driving while intoxicated.  

Unfortunately, the modern culture, advertising, and the field of entertainment tends to promote drinking rather than point out its dangers. Drugs, vaping, and alcohol are addictive behaviors that are detrimental to one's health, and can lead to untold harm in families and marriages. There are no benefits to any substance abuse.  It only makes the seller rich and the procurer addicted physically, confused mentally and shackled spiritually. “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”  Proverbs 20:1  

However there are those who would disagree with me speaking of the Lord’s first miracle, turning water into wine.  “If Jesus created wine for the wedding, then it must be okay!” We know that Jesus was not giving his approval to the drinking of wine and other intoxicating drinks.  He was fulfilling the fifth of the ten commandments: “Honor your father and your mother,”  Exodus 20:12   For it was Mary who asked the Lord to provide the wine for the guests.   Drinking can wreak havoc in households, in marriages, and in families.  Whether it is men or women who drink, the results are apparent. Some become belligerent when they drink.  Some become flirtatious, and boastful. Some become silly and embarrassing, some get “good ideas,” and find themselves in trouble with the law.   And some just watch TV and go to sleep. Unfortunately, drinking can lead to hell.  

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor DRUNKARDS nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 6:9-10

In the vision, the decanter was up high in the chandelier.  When people talk about someone who is “high,” they may describe them as “higher than a kite,”  or “swinging from the chandelier.”  

But I believe the Lord is showing us that he is putting the bottle out of reach.  With all my heart, I am hoping that this vision is letting us know that our prayers are being heard.  God may be taking away the desire to drink, from those for whom we have been praying.

When we become born again, the Lord gives us his Spirit, “But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”  John 13:16  The Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit, that our bodies do not belong to us.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, for he abides in us. We have a desire to live for God, and to be set apart for him.  When people choose to repent, to become born again and filled with the Holy Spirit often they are set free of drugs, alcohol and other addictions. 

I believe that this vision has come to reveal the Lord’s plan to remove addictions, to bring deliverance from bondage.  I believe that we will soon see marriages and lives restored. We will see others set free of alcoholism and all the other forms of substance abuse and oppression. What great news!  Hallelujah! God is good!  

Years ago, I saw a video in Spanish about a transformation that took place in a small country village in Guatemala. This is a recent video in English about this same little town who experienced a mighty revival: Transformations - Almolonga Guatemala - Revival produces Gigantic Vegetables! In this video, we see that the town was struggling economically. They were mostly farmers barely making a living. The yield in crops was low and many turned to drinking at the local bars.  It was a common sight to see drunks sleeping on the open ground.

A pastor and his small church knew that the people of their community were suffering with extreme poverty, alcoholism and crime. These people ran evangelists and missionaries out of town. They were engaged in witchcraft and the worship of the spirit of death and an idol they had made to represent a patron saint.

The pastor and his church began by praying everyday and fasting three days a week for the people in their town.   Suddenly the fruit of their labors manifested in a revival for the town. The ground started to yield three harvest seasons per year. Trucks, and more trucks came everyday to pick up produce. I saw carrots as big as a man’s forearm!  The ground was going crazy with growth.  

People started opening up to the gospel, and became born again. The three jails that were previously not large enough to hold all the people committing crimes were now closed. Nearly everyone was saved and born again. No one was breaking the law!

The bars closed their doors, because the drunkards stopped drinking. The town was entirely transformed. And all this came about because people joined together to pray for their community. The stronghold over their town was broken.

Our nation needs such a transformation. And the promise of God’s love, healing and restoration for nations is so clearly given in this scripture: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and  will forgive their sin and heal their land.”   2 Chronicles 7:14

So God is showing us by the vision of the decanter on the chandelier, that he will put alcohol out of reach, by taking away their desire. The transformation that came to this community was real. It is the way the Lord works in the lives and hearts of people. So the people for whom we are interceding, can change too. With the Lord, they can be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and will no longer want to be bound up with addictive substances. They will seek the Lord and he will give them freedom. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John10:10

Can you imagine if our communities experienced revival, and the bars closed because there were no patrons! Can you imagine that if the police found someone breaking the law, they would bring them to church in stead of to jail? Well that actually happened In Brownsville, Florida where there was a revival (late 1990’s). The police did just that!

The church is meant to be a hospital for the sick, and place of deliverance for the oppressed.

So as the scripture above reads, we must first humble ourselves and pray and seek the Lord’s face —and turn from our wicked ways. It is us. We are the ones that must first turn from our wicked ways, and then we seek the face of God on behalf of our communities. For the Lord hears the prayers of the humble, the contrite, and those who are fully submitted to him.

This is the cost for revival in our land. This is the cost to see our loved ones, friends, family and those around us saved, healed, and set free of addictions.

The Lord wants us to pray continually, trusting in his mercy, his goodwill towards us , and his great love. So we must pray and keep praying-- we will see a breakthrough and a transformation.  We will see a revival, if we do not give up!

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  James 5:16  

The Sewing Machine

In this second vision, I am looking at a sewing machine which is threaded improperly.  After the thread passes through the take up lever, it gets hung-up on the face cover, on its way to the needle.  This is a very simple thing to fix: One merely picks up the thread and slides it to the right to drop the thread into the slot which leads to the needle.  

This is such an easy fix, that it doesn’t make sense not to fix it. The needle does not have to be rethreaded.  The thread just needs to follow the right track. But just so you know, that if you ignore this easy fix, your machine will create all kinds of gnarly stitches.  You might have to take off the throat plate and cut away all the knots created. It would be quite a mess!

I believe that God is showing us in this vision, that as there is a proper way to thread a machine and there are consequences for not following that order, we need to follow the order that God has created for us.  Through his word, and his commands, and through the Lords teachings, we have a path to follow. However, when we fail to follow God’s direction through his word or his Holy Spirit’s guidance, and go our own way, we can create a gnarly mess in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

There is a reason that the Lord took three years to teach his disciples how we are to live.  There is a reason that the Old Testament reveals the heart of God, and the lessons we might learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before us.  As the Lord’s children, we are to be obedient, and as his disciples, we are to follow his lead. If we choose to do things according to God’s word and in step with him, he promises to bless us.  Isaiah chapter 58 is filled with promises if we put him first.  

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice

 and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

What an awesome passage of scripture.  You can just hear the love the Father has for us in these words.  Of course the ultimate means of showing his love for us is in the cross.  Jesus died for us, so that we can be reconciled to the Father, and have lasting fellowship with him right now while on this earth, and then to be with him forever in heaven.  What a true blessing!

So out of our devotion to him springs love, obedience and trust.  If we truly love him, we will trust him with everything in our lives that we consider important: our loved ones, our income, our health, our possessions and our very lives.  When we love the Lord , show that love in gratitude and in obedience to his word and his ways. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15

We of course realize at the same time, that no one is perfect, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23

“But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.”  1 John 2:1-3

The Lord loves us as we are, and he continually works in us and through us to shape us into his image.  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

So when we come to a situation where God is showing us that a correction needs to be made, we should take care of it immediately. But it is always a matter of the heart. Will we respond to the Lord’s correction in obedience? Are we willing to change? Are we willing to apologize or make restitution for our mistakes?  Are we willing to humble ourselves before God and do what is uncomfortable or embarrassing to fix the problem? It is not always easy, because our flesh gets in the way. We may procrastinate, or lay the blame on someone else. Pride can get in the way.  

But ultimately, it is whether we value our relationship with the Lord.  Do we love him more than our fears, or our pride? If we humble ourselves before God, he will give us the grace we need to do what is right.

This is a Biblical of David when he sinned by counting the number of men in his army.  By counting the number of fighting men, he was taking pride in the strength of his army rather than trusting God who is the one who brings victory in spite of physical numbers or strength. 

If you remember that years before, David had such great trust in God that he, a mere boy, knew that he could defeat Goliath, the Philistines champion because he was merely an instrument in the Lord’s hand. David’s faith in God alone, convinced King Saul to allow him to fight on behalf of the entire Israelite army. When God delivered Goliath into David hand, fear came over the Philistines and they turned and ran. The Israelite army pursued them, and were victorious.  

But now in the following story, David sinned. God showed his mercy to him by giving him three choices as to how he would receive his just punishment.  

“The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, ‘Go and tell David, “This is what the Lord says:  I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

“So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Take your choice: three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord -- days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaginging every part of Israel” Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.’”

“David said to Gad, ‘I am in deep distress.  Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.’  So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.”

“And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem.  But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough!  Withdraw your hand.’ The Angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem.  Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell face down.”

“David said to God, ‘Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted?  I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done?  Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.’” 

“Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.”

“While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves.  Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.  David said to him, ‘Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.’”

“Araunah said to David, ‘Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.’”

“But King David replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.’

So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.”

“Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.” 1 Chronicles 21:9-27

Now we know that David loved God, and respected his decision. David knew that God’s judgment against him was entirely just. He understood what it meant to have the fear of God.

But today, when we sin, it is Jesus who has already taken our punishment upon himself.  His death on the cross paid for our sins and for the sins of every person who repents. So when we repent, we turn away from sin, having remorse for any actions and words which go against the Lord.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   1 John 1:9

I must mention something that concerns me.  David had the fear of God because he knew that he would have to be punished for his sin, and then to receive forgiveness and reconciliation, he would have to offer a sacrifice. There is an immediate cause and effect. And the Lord’s punishment is a strong deterrent against sin.

But because we live under the Lord’s provision of grace, and the immediacy of punishment is not clearly seen, many believers do not have the fear of God. Somehow they have rationalized and created their own belief system, so that they can do whatever they want, and believe that they will automatically be forgiven. This belief that is not supported by scripture.

It is so important to know that sins are not automatically forgiven.  It is sin that is confessed, that is forgiven. It is sin that has moved a person to experience godly sorrow, and a repentant heart that is forgiven.  

Too many people have no fear of God.  They feel no shame.  “This is the way of an adulterous woman:  She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’” Proverbs 30:20 

Now, going back to the vision of the sewing machine , the thread being out of place, is not a difficult thing to change.  Sometimes when we get off track, distracted with commitments and activities, we can lose sight of God. We can become so involved with other things that we stop spending time with him in prayer, or worship.  If the distraction continues unchecked, we may stop reading the Bible, going to church or participating in ministry. Soon we can find ourselves in a bad place spiritually. This leads to bad decision making, and bad relationships. Soon we start to blame others for why our lives don’t work.  

If something that you are doing needs correction, it is best to do it right away.  Don’t put off what the Lord has shown you. If what needs correction is a stumbling block or a besetting sin, or anything that takes you away from fellowship with God, you need to address it now.

“Do not put off until tomorrow what could be done today.”

“A stitch in time saves nine.”  That is true for sewing and it has application here too.

Thanks for reading this message.  I would like to ask you to please consider re-posting this or sharing this with a friend?  I am writing, but I know that the Lord wants the message to go out. The Lord asked my years ago t o pray for revival. Please at the very least, share the video of the transformed town, because someone may get excited and begin to pray and fast for a transformation and revival in our nation and in our communities!

God bless you! And keep seeking God with all your heart!

May God bless you and your family and friends!