Humility a Prerequisite
Hi Friends,
I hope you are all well. God is faithful. He has once again, given me a vision in three parts that shows us the importance of humility. God is good and he wants us to know him intimately. Humility is necessary for us to know him: “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
The first vision I received this past Friday, then two days later, Sunday morning, I received the last two visions. But I believe that they are meant to be seen together.
I must tell you before I begin, that when I write on these topics, they are just as much for me as anyone. I get “poked in the eye” every time I write something that convicts my heart. So please don’t think that I am pointing fingers at anyone, for I can see that I fail God too. I hope you will understand that God speaks to encourage us, to keep going, to not give up, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
The Visions
The Army
First I saw an army in dress uniform. They were marching in formation as in a military display of power. I saw a close up of a highly decorated leader wearing his many badges, ribbons, a gold cord on his shoulder and a tan colored beret. The leader stopped and turned to his left and stood still.
As I was praying just yesterday about the vision of the army, I asked the Lord to reveal something in the Bible that would shed light on its meaning. I opened the Bible to the passage where David, with great excitement and celebration, was bringing the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.
“When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
“As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.
“Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
“When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, ‘How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’
“David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel-- I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’” 2 Samuel 6:12-22
Now about the meaning of the vision:
The army was orderly, marching in rows, going in one direction. This represents unity, and conformity. I believe that it also represents the world. “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13
An army in full dress uniform also represents pride, power and strength. It is the pride of a nation, the pride of a ruler or leader to show off his strength to the world.
We are instructed to not follow the ways of the world or to conform to its values. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15
We are not to take pride in our military strength, or trust in our own power or abilities as the world does. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7
The Leader
The highly decorated leader stopped while everyone else was marching. It was as if he heard something, or was in some way distracted. It reminded me of Moses, who was suddenly distracted by a burning bush and turned aside to see what was happening.
“So Moses thought, ‘ I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.’ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’” Exodus 3:3-4
I believe that the leader in the vision had stopped, because he had heard the calling of God. He had to stop and listen for the Lord’s voice. Suddenly, nothing else was important. The army could continue on its way, but he had to turn aside to hear what God might say to him.
This leader, even though he was in full dress uniform and part of a military display, he was not concerned with the present physical world, because his spirit had suddenly awakened.
This is what happens when we become born again and filled with the Spirit of God. We are suddenly no longer attached to the things of the world. They hold no power or command over us. Once our spirits have awakened, our lives are never the same. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
God gave me the passage of David dancing before the Lord, to compare him to the leader in the vision. So the leader is someone, who like David, will not compromise his loyalty to God.
We are to be like this leader, able to hear the voice of God calling.
The Lord himself said of David: “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” Acts 13:22
David’s heart was fully committed to God. He was truly excited about the ark coming into his city, to dwell in a tent that he had made for it. This tent where the ark would reside, would become a place where God would meet with man. His manifest presence was with the ark. In this tent, (the tabernacle of David), David and others had free access to the presence of God.
David gave no thought as to how others viewed him, how he looked, or how he danced, or how he shouted or how he offered sacrifices and offerings to God. His eyes were upon the Lord. He had no fear of man. His loyalty and devotion was undeniable and unshakable. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
He worshiped with all abandon, for the Lord was foremost in his heart. Michal, (David’s wife and Saul’s daughter), concerned herself with her position of royalty. For her, it was a disgrace to see her husband behaving as an ordinary man without his royal garments, dancing with zeal and passion. She believed that he lacked the dignity that his position demanded. She had no love or zeal for the Lord. She was living for herself, and valued only material possessions and her own worth.
David said to her, “I will become even more undignified than this. And I will be humiliated in my own eyes!”
He knew that she was all about pride and status in the eyes of others. She had no concern for God, what he thought or valued. David by contrast, loved the Lord, and would not compromise his ardent passion to please someone else. He was willing to humiliate himself in the eyes of others so as to give glory to God. This same passion and loyalty is what God hopes to find in us.
For me, I am a worshiper like David - shouting, dancing, and singing in the Spirit. Sometimes I will grab people from their seats and get them to dance with me. Sometimes we dance all around the church and up and down the aisles. God loves our passion for him. He wants our entire being, body, soul and spirit engaged in worship to him. God inhabits the praises of his people. “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
I must say that for years, I would be thrilled to be in the Lord’s presence on Sunday and then feel the devils’ displeasure and ridicule on Monday. I would hear him say in my thoughts, “Who made you the cheerleader? Boy, did you look stupid!”
One pastor came up to me and said one day, “We are televising our service today. Would you just stay in your pew!”
The enemy would love to stop worship. The devil will use anyone, even a pastor, to throw cold water on worship unto the Lord. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!” 2 Corinthians 3:17
Every Monday when the attack of condemnation and humiliation began, I would feel just awful. I would start asking God to forgive me for making a scene. But after a while, with tears and shame, I would say to him, “I don’t care Jesus, I would rather be a fool for you than to worry about what others think or say about me.” The Lord is so loving, and kind. Each time he would send his comforter, the Holy Spirit and I would feel so greatly loved by him.
God wants us to not be concerned to please man for he said to me once: “As long as you are fearful of man, I cannot use you. For you are already being used.”
The Lord was saying to me that if I chose to “fear man,” and do everything to please men, living up to their expectations, then I would be betraying him. I would be used by people and manipulated by the devil to do his bidding. That is why it is written: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10
To fear God is wisdom; to fear man is to give greater honor to man than to God. I never want to live like this or make decisions just to “keep the peace.” God must come first.
In the vision, the leader saw or heard something causing him to stop. When God speaks to us, we need to stop, and listen. The leader could have ignored the Lord’s voice and refused his invitation to draw close. He could have chosen to keep decorum, to keep his dignity in the eyes of his superiors, his peers, and of his subordinates. Yet, if he were to choose to conform, to please others rather than honoring the Lord, then he would have chosen the way of rebellion.
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9
The message of this vision is clear: to honor the Lord, to be intimate with him and to hear his voice, we must humble ourselves before him.
The White Door
I saw a six paneled door painted white with a gold handle. Just below the handle was a small hole, about 2.5” H by 1.5” W. There was light coming from inside the hole.
The white door, I believe, represents purity. I believe that it is a portal to the spiritual realm of heaven, for a door represents an entrance as well as an opportunity. However the door in the vision was not open—it was shut. The door separates us from the spiritual realm, so that on this earth we are living primarily in the natural physical world. If the door was shut, then how can it be opened? How can we have access?
“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:3-4
Could it be that what is needed to gain access to God is what the scripture declares above: to have cleans hands and a pure heart?
The gold handle on the door can also represent purity, for gold must be refined in the fire for it to become pure. Could it be that in order to gain access that we must undergo a purification by fire? We will all be tested. And everything that we do here on this earth will also be tested.
“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-14
But what about the hole in the door, just below the handle? Doesn’t this also provide access? But in a less profound way? Doesn’t this give us an opportunity to take a “sneak peek” into what mysteries heaven holds for us?
Yes, I believe that the Lord is showing us that in order to know more about heaven, and to gain understanding and revelation, there is something else needed. In order to see beyond the door, we must first come close. We cannot expect to gain understanding without drawing close to God.
The hole in the door was below the handle, so we need to lower our eyes, as well as our bodies, to look through the opening in the door. The lowering of posture, both with the eyes and with the body, depicts an act of humility. To gain understanding and revelation from God, we must come humbly before him. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
I do want to acknowledge that the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all unrighteousness, and puts us in right standing with him. We also know that when Jesus died upon the cross, that the curtain of the temple which concealed the Most Holy Place, was torn in two. That was symbolic of tearing down the barrier that stood between God and man. So we can enter into the presence of God, and speak with him directly because he has made a way. Thank you Jesus.
But this vision concerns something special. It concerns intimacy. We all may pray and seek God’s face. But in order to hear his voice, to receive revelation, and to understand his heart, we must know him. Not to merely know of him. For the Lord wants us to draw close to him, so that he can share his heart and his thoughts with us.
This vision shows us that to have a special relationship with him we need to have a humble and sincere heart. We cannot honor God and at the same time believe that we are God’s gift to the world. Jesus is the one who holds that place alone. If we think that we are really cool, or something special ourselves, then we might as well forget having a close walk with God. We must see ourselves as we truly are. We are sinners that have been redeemed. There is no good in us, except that which the Lord gives us—his Holy Spirit.
If we can truly acknowledge our sin, our pride, and our willfulness, and repent each and every time they show up—then with the Lord’s help we can lead a life devoted to him. We will never be perfect, even though Jesus tells us to do so: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
But just as the first vision showed the importance of being humble before God, this vision echoes the same. We must also obey the Lord as our Commander in Chief—for we do not call the shots, he does. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The fact that we were bought and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, causes us to humble ourselves before him and give him all our worship. We love you Jesus!
The T-Shirt
I saw a conveyor belt that had a rectangular box that was open on one end. The box was rigid. It was either made of, or covered in, a plain white T-shirt. There were no folds, and no seams apparent. The walls of the box-shirt were about ⅛ thick. The neckline was at one end of the box and the opposite end was entirely open. Somehow I knew that there was something inside the box even though I could not see inside.
This vision concerns our walk with God. The conveyor belt I believe represents life, from beginning to end. Life keeps moving, even when we may stop, or pause an activity or make a change in our vocation or avocation. Life continues to roll on.
The t-shirt is like a container or box, with the neck at one end and open at the other. The t-shirt is white representing godliness. Jesus said that his bride would be without spot or wrinkle. The box-shirt had no seams or folds. It was perfectly smooth. I believe that this represents the time of the Lord’s second coming when the Lord returns for his bride. “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 15:53
But remember, there was something inside the shirt, yet I could not see it. What did it represent? What is inside a person? “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defiles him.” Mark 7:15
“He continued: ‘What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of a man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.” Mark 7:20-22
I believe that the T-shirt can also represent something that may look holy and pure but is not. This may represent those who are in the Church who are “acting” the part of being holy, but are only putting on a show for men. These are hypocrites.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.” Matthew 23:27
Again this concerns humility, for the Pharisees were arrogant, boastful and proud. They were the antithesis of humility. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.” Matthew 23:5-7
We must be continually aware of our fleshly desire to be noticed, to be important, to be praised by others. This is our flesh that wants to exalt itself. We must put it down. We must kill it. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want.“ Galatians 5:17
If we allow our flesh to have its way, our spirit and our life with the Lord will suffer. We must remain humble before others and especially before God.
When we are able to submit to the Spirit of God within us, he will give us the strength to put to death our flesh and our pride. Hallelujah! ”Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
Thank you for reading. I hope you will share this post with others. God bless you in your walk with him!
