Hi Friends,

There is so much going on in the world today, we need to pray more.  And we need to pray for ourselves that we would be attuned to God, to hear his voice and to respond to what he shows us.  We are without a doubt living in the last days, for wickedness is all around us, and there is much uncertainty.

I received two visions that I want to share with you.

The Tags in the Toilet

First, I saw a hand reach into the tank of a toilet and withdraw an assortment of tags for merchandise.  There was one very large tag that was multi-colored: red, white, black and blue.  The others were somewhat hidden behind this one.  These tags went to various consumer products.  

As I thought about the tags, I wondered why they were found in the tank of a toilet.  The tank was empty; there was no water in it.   And the interior mechanism that would fill and flush the tank was missing.  It could be that the tags were for a new toilet, but there were too many tags of different sizes, for that to be true.  

You or I might save tags from our purchases for a day or two.  Then once we know that we will be keeping the merchandise,  we toss the tags.  But we need to keep the tags and the receipts in order to return items.

The toilet is an unlikely place to store tags.  Perhaps they were hidden there because the toilet was not being used.  There is no doubt that the tags would be discovered by anyone who would want to use the toilet.  Most people would look into the tank to find out why the toilet had no water, or would not flush.  So it is not a good hiding place.

But the idea that I believe that the Lord is conveying, is that the purchases were a “waste” of money.  That it is like “flushing” money down the drain.  So the person who takes the tags and receipts out of the toilet, is intending to return the items.  He wants to get the money that was spent on items that were not needed.

This vision is about being frugal.  We are to be good stewards of everything that the Lord gives us.  If we spend money foolishly, we will not have money to give to someone in need.  The Lord may want us to give a special offering at times, or to fund a ministry.  Perhaps the Lord would have us buy Bibles or Christian books for someone else.

If we purchase things impulsively, because they are attractive, fun, tasty, a good deal, or just really cool.  We need to stop and look at our motives.  Do we shop to feel good?  Do we buy to impress others with our purchase?  Do we want something because of some unwholesome desire or covetousness?  Or do we just love to get something on sale, just to save money?  That last thought - “spending to save” - is an enigma.

God takes stewardship seriously.  In the parable of talents, there are three servants entrusted with the master’s money.  Two of them invested their money wisely.  Their investments yielded a 100% gain.  Where there were ten talents, the master received ten additional talents.  With the servant who was entrusted with two talents, his investment produced an additional two.  But the servant who was entrusted with a single talent, buried his talent in the ground.  When the master returned, the servant was not able to give the master anything but the very same talent he was given.  To the first two servants, the master gave them his approval, and additional responsibilities for they had proven their trustworthiness.  The other servant who did nothing with his talent, was given a strong rebuke and a terrible punishment:  “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 25:30

The servant in the parable hid the talent (money) in the ground.  Upon the master’s return, the servant went to retrieve it. He was planning to simply return the talent to the master.  In the vision, the tags and receipts were hidden in the toilet tank.  The person in the vision went to the tank to retrieve the tags in order to return the items to the store.  As the servant wasted the opportunity to invest his talent and receive an increase, the person in the vision wasted money, time and energy purchasing things that he did not need.  

Some purchases cannot be returned, because of a stale date.  Some purchases may no longer be in good condition and so cannot be returned.  They may be missing the original packaging or have become dirty or damaged while in possession.  Buying a useless item should be considered as money lost. And an example of poor stewardship.

I believe that God wants us to know that we will be held accountable for our actions, our words, our motives and our stewardship.  “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.”  Proverbs 9:10

A Chrome Pull

After this vision, a few minutes later, I saw a ring pull embedded in a 2” x 2” square flat, chrome plate.  This plate was then mounted or attached to the base of a man’s skull.  The ring pull is typically mounted to a drawer or cabinet door.  But why would this ring pull be mounted directly to a man’s head, right at the base of his skull?

This vision I believe shows that there is some entity that had access to the man’s head.  There must be an outside person or power that is attempting to influence or manipulate this man’s  thoughts and actions.   

This pull attached to the man’s head makes entry into his mind easy.  We call the areas of our lives that are open to temptation or vulnerable to demonic attack, “open doors.”  These open doors are created by sin in our lives, or by the sin of a family member, or a person with whom we have a close relationship. An open door caused by sin in our family ancestry, is called generational sin, and it comes with a curse.  

“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.  The sins of the father will be passed down to the third or fourth generation.”  Exodus 20:4

When someone and/or his parent commits a sin, if he or she does not repent of that sin, the unrepentant sin opens a door to the enemy.  Unforgiveness over an offense is a common sin that causes open doors, as does all the more gross sins:  adultery, stealing, lying, coveting, idolatry and murder.  Any sin committed by the individual, or by a member of the household, can open doors.  

When we open a door, we give the devil access to our thoughts, our dreams and our physical bodies.  He plants lies, doubts and fears into our minds.  These can lead to confusion, anger, resentment, and poor judgment.  A person under demonic influence is no longer able to see things as they really are.  There is a distortion of the truth.  They cannot accept the truth for their eyes are blinded.  Their ears become deaf to reason.  Their spirits become dead to the things of God.  Anxiety, confusion, rage, depression, mental disorders and health problems arise as the thoughts are no longer under the control of the individual.  He becomes bombarded with wicked, fearful, or anxious thoughts.  He becomes spiritually  bound, no longer recognizing truth and reality.  

Sin is the key that opens the door to the devil and to demonic influence.  We know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23  

But the way to stay free of demonic influence and bondage is to confess the sin, and to repent. To repent means “to go the other way.”  We have to confess sincere regret or remorse over committing sins, or failing to do something that we know that we should have done.  Sin involves our will, our thoughts and our actions.  Some sins are obvious, and others are less so.  But no matter, when anything is contrary to the word of God either by action, word, or thought the door remains open, until we repent of that sin.

When we see these two visions together, we see that foolish purchases and poor stewardship of funds brings the Lord’s displeasure.  The human traits and the consequential  sin that caused the Lord’s displeasure are:  laziness, no fear of God, disobedience, and having no self-control.  When we make unnecessary purchases that show a lack of stewardship, and a careless attitude towards money, this is sin.  Sin opens doors, and leads to problems and bondage.  

Unnecessary purchases can be motivated by pride.  If we are trying to impress someone, we may think that we “need” an expensive car, or “need” a new outfit or “need” to buy expensive gifts.  

The pride of life is the boasting of what one does for a living, and boasting about the things that one owns as a result of the money he has or makes.  It is about the pride one feels knowing that others admire his talents and skills that are superior to those of others.   The pride of life comes with the  desire to make a name for oneself.  It is the power to influence and to be admired by others.   

“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6

The sin of covetousness is related to the pride of life.  It comes from this same desire to impress others, to be respected by them.  To covet is to strongly desire what someone else has or owns. It is related to the sins of greed, envy and jealousy.  

“For everything in the world-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father, but from the world.”  1 John 2:16

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

In Summary

The Lord selected the ring pull to represent bondage and demonic access.  It is such a strong visual image, seeing it mounted to the base of a man’s skull.  The Lord uses these strong pictures to show the gravity of the effects of sin.  Sin leads to confusion, bondage, and spiritual blindness.  It leads to spiritual death and hell.  We must get rid of sin in our lives to be truly free.   We need to repent.

“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

The toilet tank is also a very strong picture, reminding us of something very unclean, human waste.  God hates sin, and so he shows us, his intense feelings using a toilet. The sins of laziness, disobedience, and having no fear of God are addressed in the parable. The Lord’s words, written in red, were these: “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 25:30

Jesus is serious.  These visions are not to be taken lightly.  We the church, and all those outside the church must acknowledge sin and repent.  That is it - the bottom line. 

Jesus is going to return for his bride; we must be ready.  Just like the master in the parable who took a trip and left his servants in charge, the Lord went into heaven, but left his Holy Spirit with us.  We are to be good stewards of all that he gives us to manage.  We want to hear him say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”  Matthew 25:23 

Thanks for reading.  Please share this with your friends and those you know who will benefit.  God is good.   He is faithful.   And he is coming back!   Maranatha!  Come Lord Jesus!