Set Your Mind on God
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all well. Today I am writing about several visions that the Lord has given me. He is so faithful. For many years, before I began writing my blog, I would get visions that I would share with fellow intercessors. Sometimes they would be received and we would pray into them, and other times I would share a vision and it seemed that there was no appreciation, or understanding with regard to it.
But late in 2016, the Lord asked me to write and share them. I have had many visions of our nation, judgment, and the end times. There were many visions about the church and the Lord’s desire to prepare her for his return. So that is why I spend a lot of time writing and praying. I hope you will take these messages to heart, for I believe that anything that comes from the Lord is important. If he takes the time to speak to us, or if he is trying to get our attention, then it would behoove us to listen.
And at the same time, it is important to test the spirits, for not everything comes from the Lord. If I write something that doesn’t ring true for you, please take it to prayer and get understanding for yourself. We only know in part, and we are warned often, in both the Old and New Testaments, that we can be deceived by our own thoughts and concerns, or we might speak from our own imaginations. So testing the message with Biblical scripture and seeking the Lord’s will and his wisdom and discernment are very important.
And if you are blessed by these messages, will you please share them with those who will benefit and be encouraged. Thanks.
The Visions
I received these first two visions when I was in prayer, seeking understanding and interpretation regarding the other visions. But, this is very often what the Lord does to help me understand. I guess in a way it seems like a puzzle at times, with the Lord giving me clues. When I don’t “get it,” sometimes he will just flat out say something. I remember a time when he clearly said, “That is not what it means!” Oops!
Now about these recent visions, I was sitting on the floor, praying and seeking the Lord when I found myself standing in front of a door. I took hold of the handle and opened the door. I was surprised to find the room completely saturated with steam. It was impossible to see anything at all.
Then just a minute or two went by and I had another vision. I saw Jesus standing with a little girl, who had placed her small feet on top of his. He held her hands as if he was teaching her to dance.
This vision caused me to remember that years ago, the Lord had shown me a vision of a man and a woman dancing together. Perhaps it was a waltz. He was leading her in circles all over the dance floor. Then I heard the Lord say to me, “Would you let me lead?”
Another oops! Thank goodness that the Lord is gentle in his rebukes. Thank you Jesus! I guess that I was getting ahead of him. If we are not sensitive to his leading, we can disrupt his plans. Without realizing it, we can set him back years, in bringing about a loved one’s salvation!
Many years ago, I wanted to tell a family member that what they were doing was considered an abomination to the Lord. But the Lord stopped me with a vision and his voice saying, “Do not go where I have not sent you. Give her the same chance I gave you.” Wow! I was just about to set the Lord back perhaps several years with my desire to “tell it like it is.” The Lord seeks reconciliation with the lost. I could have caused her to be resentful, and thus created an obstacle for her to come to the Lord. My actions, if not authorized by the Lord could have easily undermined what he was in the process of doing in her life.
In the Bible we find an example having a motive that undermines God’s plan. It was the story of Peter wanting to keep Jesus safe by avoiding his trip to Jerusalem. The Lord responded with a rebuke: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:23
In that instance, Satan was using Peter to tempt the Lord to take a detour in his destiny. If Jesus had avoided Jerusalem, the cross and the fulfillment of his purpose in coming to earth, would have been thwarted. His death on a cross and his resurrection was to redeem all people who would believe in him and with repentant hearts surrender their wills to God.
The Room Filled with Steam
This first vision of the room filled with steam, reminded me of the passage of scripture that spoke of the inner court, that was filled with the glory of God. “...the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Ezekiel 43:5
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.’” Leviticus 15:8
To the Israelites in the wilderness, the Lord appeared as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In the holy place, behind a veil, the Lord appeared as a cloud over the mercy seat. Later a temple for the Lord was built in Jerusalem. No one but the High Priest could enter into the Most Holy Place, to meet with the Lord. On one day per year, the High Priest would bring the blood of a sacrificed animal to sprinkle on the Mercy Seat, to atone for the sins of the priest and for the sins of the people.
But after the Lord’s death, the veil that separated the Most Holy Place (The Holy of Holies), from the Holy Place was torn in two. It was split by God himself, at the moment of the Lord’s death. His perfect blood was shed in atonement for the sins of all mankind. He died once and for all. “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” Matthew 27:50-51
The significance of the curtain or veil being torn, was that God had now given to all mankind, access to the presence of God. No longer would we need a high priest to offer the blood of animals year after year to atone for our sins! Hallelujah! Now we all can approach the Lord’s throne and enter into his presence! No longer does he confine himself to a physical place. The Lord is omnipresent and available to all who will call upon his name.
In my vision, the room filled with steam, I believe suggests the idea of getting alone with God, and seeking him for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He makes himself available, and he earnestly desires our fellowship and devotion to him. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know!” Jeremiah 33:3
The Little Girl and Jesus
The message of the second vision, the little girl standing on Jesus’ feet, is about learning to follow him. In dance, we have to be sensitive to the leading of our partner. It takes a total letting go of our own thoughts regarding movement. We allow someone else to control where, when, how and in which direction we move. In ballroom dancing the woman surrenders her will to her partner. He decides what to do and where to go.
In the Bible, the Lord tells Peter about the fate that is his. ”Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" John 21:18-19
No matter what our future holds, no matter how scary or challenging it may be, when we sign up to follow the Lord, we give him control over our lives. As his followers, we declare, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Those were the Lord’s words. He chose to submit himself to the Father, on the night in the Garden of Gethsemane. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42
As the Lord Jesus surrendered to the Father, we surrender our wills to his: “Not my will, but yours be done.” By submitting to him, we place our lives in his care, and allow him to lead us. In this way, we turn over the ownership of everything. Our very lives no longer belong to us. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
When we have always lived for ourselves and have embraced the world’s values, it is hard to comprehend the significance of such a commitment. It goes against everything that we have believed. It is not natural—it is a supernatural commitment that requires us to be born of the Spirit. That is why Jesus said that we must be born again to enter into the kingdom of God.
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
“Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8
Our bodies and our natural inclinations resist the will of God. But once we commit our lives to The Lord, asking him to forgive our sins and restore us to himself, he gives us his Holy Spirit to dwell within our very bodies. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome our weaknesses and walk in peace with God.
The Next Visions
In the first vision I saw a woman with a small animal, like a squirrel, wrapped in a soft white blanket. She held the animal upright and brought the animal next to her cheek, as if to snuggle with it. The entire animal including its head was covered in the blanket. Even though I didn’t see the animal I knew that it was there.
Next I saw a foot wearing a white sock with a grey toe and heel. My view was from below, so that I could see the bottom of the foot. The foot raised up onto the ball of the foot, and pivoted the heel towards the left as if turning the right leg open. On the underside of the heel there was a deep hole that went through the sock and up into the foot. As I looked at the foot in the vision, I was reminded of a locking mechanism on my storage cabinet that inserts a rod into a hole through the door and into the frame of the cabinet, to keep the door shut.
After this, I saw a thumb with a drop of a dark brown liquid sitting in the lower right hand corner of the nail bed. Somehow I thought the liquid might be coffee or perhaps a dark, dirty motor oil.
What I believe the visions mean:
The Animal in a Blanket
Under the right conditions, animals, even wild dangerous animals, can consider a human or an animal from an entirely different species a friend, a mother, or a sibling.
They have emotions as we have, and they can think and express concern and love for another. I believe that this was God’s intention for all his creation. He even promises that someday, the creation may be restored: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Isaiah 11:6
This passage of Isaiah concerns the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. He was “the shoot coming from the stump of Jesse,” who was king David’s father. Written 700 years before Jesus came to earth in the flesh, to bring salvation to the world, this passage focuses upon his second coming when he will bring justice, restoration, and will establish his reign on the earth. It is a beautiful passage:
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy, on my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:1-9
In the vision, the white blanket covers the animal. It offers protection from the teeth and claws of the small animal. If the animal had already been tame, no blanket would have been necessary.
The blanket was white representing holiness, and purity. It is what separates the animal from the person. “Do not call unclean what God has made clean.” Acts 11:9
Rodents (mice, rats, squirrels..) are generally regarded as dirty animals, but rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils are “cute,” and are common pets.
The person in the vision was showing a love for the animal even though the animal might have been prone to bite or scratch. I believe that God’s love is the same. People will curse God, use his name in vain, disregard or diminish the works of God in their lives, and push him away, because they do not want to be confronted with their sin. Yet God loves them and continues to woo them to himself. He is forever faithful.
When we pray for those we love, and even those who in the natural, would be our enemies, we know that God will meet them in their circumstances and overcome their objections to surrendering their lives to him.
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’” Isaiah 65:1
God expects us to pray for the lost souls, and those who have gone astray. When we pray, the Lord makes a way to reach them. The Lord is expected soon, so let’s share the gospel, and pray on behalf of those who need a savior!
The Foot
In the next vision, I saw a foot in a white sock with a grey toe and heel lift up onto the ball of the foot and pivot, revealing a hole that went through the sock and up deep into the heel itself. I saw this movement as the heel disengaging from whatever it had been attached. The rod or peg that had been inserted into the foot, was no longer there. I believe that this vision speaks of separating from the things that hold us back: sin, a sinful lifestyle, or friends, or partners whose influence is harmful.
“A companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 This bit of Biblical wisdom calls for us to leave our business associates, our close relationships and partnerships if they keep or hinder us from following the Lord.
“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17
The Lord gave me an important vision not long ago, which I wrote about in a post entitled, “Two Donkeys.” I hope you will read it, for it concerns the importance of separation from close relationships and negative influences that are harmful to one's walk with God.
The Lord wants you to be with him for all eternity. He does not want you to go to hell and be lost forever. Anyone who will not follow the Lord, or is opposed to you living for him, will cause you to compromise your values and sabotage your relationship with God. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or What fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14
The foot in the vision was once locked into place, but it freed itself by lift up, and turning away from the rod or peg that was inserted. The Lord I believe is showing us to break free and to no longer be in bondage to sin. God is love, and his desire is for us to be with him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that all who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Please pray for all who are not saved, that they will be set free of sin and lead a life of freedom in obedience to the Lord!
The Drop of Dark Liquid
In the vision I saw a small drop of dark liquid on the thumb nail, in the lower right hand corner of the nail bed. What was the liquid? It could have been anything—coffee, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, or something non-edible: sludge, dirty oil, a splatter from scrubbing a dirty grill? Who knows?
When we get a small dirty spot on us what do we usually do? Wipe it on our pants? Lick it off, if we are cooking? Dry it off with a hand towel?
What does the liquid represent? Something that we do not need nor want? Something that is considered dirty, or something that makes us feel dirty? It is certainly something that doesn’t belong where it is. We want to get rid of it.
Where is the spot? It is on the strongest finger, the thumb, and on the strongest hand, the right hand. I believe that this tiny drop is to represent something that is meant to be a blotch on one’s good character, or something that opposes what is good, and weakens what is strong.
Could it be like “the small foxes that spoil the vineyard?” Could it be a besetting sin? Could it be something that defiles us or renders us useless or helpless.
The Biblical story that comes to mind is Samson and Delilah. Samson was a Nazarite from birth. He was to be devoted to God for his life. He was not to drink or eat anything coming from “the fruit of the vine” nor was he to cut his hair for it was a symbol of his dedicated life to God. And he was not to defile himself by touching a dead body. Samson, up until the time he became a man, was devoted to God. He was to be a judge set over Israel. But he didn’t follow the Lord with his whole heart. He gave into his sinful desires time and time again. He joined himself with a woman who was not his wife, and she became a snare to him. While he slept one day, Delilah cut off his hair, which had been the “secret” to his great strength. The Philistines, of which Delilah was one, had entered into an agreement to find out what would undo his strength and make him an ordinary man. After cutting his hair—
“Then she called out, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’ When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.” Judges 16:20-21
Samson was not wise, but cocky, thinking that he could do anything and that the Lord would always be with him. But the Lord puts up with our sinful ways and our arrogance and defiance for only so long. He is merciful, and he is more than willing to give us second chances. But sin has its consequences. Hence, Samson lost his eyes, and his strength. He became shackled, imprisoned, and forced to labor at the Philistines bidding.
After sometime in prison, his hair began to grow, and his attitude toward God had changed. He was ready to fulfill the mission of bringing judgment to Israel’s enemies.
“Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.” Judges 16:28-30
The Lord wants us to live for him. If we allow our faith to be compromised, and disregard our commitment to the Lord, there will be ramifications. We cannot live with split loyalties, desiring what is in the world, while giving little thought to God. This is hypocrisy, it is a sin the Lord detests. “For it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:24
We cannot afford to allow anything to come between ourselves and God. Even something that we may consider “innocent,” or insignificant, may become a snare to us if our hearts become captivated by something other than God.
I believe that we are in the last days, and we all will be tested. Will our faith stand in spite of adversity? Will we be found faithful, eagerly expecting his return. Are we careful to not allow anything or anyone to take precedence over the Lord? He is seeking those who have a devoted and undivided heart towards him.
God bless you! And please share this message with those who will receive it and be blessed by it. May God be with you and your loved ones!
