Hi Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the colors of Fall.  It is a beautiful day:  “Today is the day that the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  (Psalm 118:24) “His mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Every day is a day of victory in the Lord, for everything he does is perfect!  Today’s vision is about the Lord’s ways, and how we fit into them.

The Vision 

A Composite of Things

In this vision, the scene is fairly dark, yet there are three things in view:   there are tiny flakes of dust,  there are two coasters, and there is a sewing project under construction.

What do these things mean?

The Dust

The dust was granular, smaller than the head of a pin.  It reminded me of sewing certain types of fabrics that have coatings that will flake off and become like “specks of dust.”  At the same time it reminded me of the grit on a floor that is left when removing old carpet and its padding.  It is primarily made from the breakdown of the pad into its clay substrate. ( I was an interior designer so I know a few odd facts). The granular material was more like sand— black sand. There are black beaches around the world that were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions.

The Bible uses both sand and dust to depict numbers of things that are too great to count. The Lord promised Abraham that he was to be “The Father of Many Nations.”

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Genesis 13:16

I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.”   Genesis 22:17

Another scripture came to mind regarding the dust of the earth and man who was made from it.

“By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  Genesis 3:19

This was the curse that God spoke over Adam when he sinned against Him.  It was the curse of death that we as descendants of Adam are all under.

We are dust, and destined to die in our sins if we have not been born again.  To be born again is to be born of the Spirit of God, and made alive by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. When we repent of our sin, and acknowledge the Lord’s death as payment for that sin, we are brought into right standing with him.  Hallelujah! We do not have to suffer the second death which is the lake of fire. For Sheol, Death or Hades, has been destroyed by the cross, and we can experience eternal life with him, in heaven!  

The dust or sand in the vision was black, reminding us that death will come in God’s timing, but we do not have to be fearful, if we have given ourselves to Him.  

I want to share a beautiful testimony of a friend of mine witnessing her own father’s passing.  She told me that she and her mother were sitting in the living room, when her father came in and said, “I will be leaving soon.”  Then he turned around and went back into his bedroom.  She go up from her chair and followed him into the room and saw him sitting on the bed and looking out the window.  She said, “Dad, what are you looking at?”  He said to her, “Do you see him?”  She looked out the window and asked, “Who Dad?  Who do you see?”  He replied, “It’s Jesus, he is coming to take me home.”

Wow!  I think that is so sweet, so precious, that he could see his savior, Jesus, coming for him, to take him home.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.”  John 14:1-3 

The Lord was keeping his promise to her dad.  He said, “I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.”

Do you remember the promise that Jesus made to the thief on the cross that was crucified along with Him?

One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!”

But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment?  We are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  Luke 23:39-43

The one man mocked him as all the others did in Jerusalem, but the man with the repentant heart acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Messiah as he truly was.  He made his confession of sin, that the punishment that he was given, he deserved. He knew that Jesus’ kingdom was a heavenly kingdom and that everlasting life was available to those who would believe in his name.  Even though he sinned, as we all do, his heart was seeking reconciliation with God. He received mercy, forgiveness of sin and the assurance that he would be in paradise with the Lord that day! We can have that same peace knowing that when we die, we will go to our eternal home with the Lord.   

By this, the sting of death has been taken away!

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

The story of the Apostle Paul at his martyrdom shows how he placed his hope and expectation solely in the Lord.  It is said that the Apostle Paul, in his chains, ran to the chopping block, where he was to be beheaded for his faith in Christ Jesus. He was so excited to leave his “earthly tent,” and to be joined to God, his Savior, for all eternity!  Hallelujah!  What joy he must have felt that day, knowing that he was not facing death, but that he was going to meet his Savior!

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:7-8

The Coasters

Coasters are small discs or pads that are placed under either hot drinks to protect the table, or under cold drinks to absorb the “sweat” that accumulates on a cold glass.  In the vision these two coasters were extremely tiny, almost the size of a piece of confetti.  It would be as if they were viewed from a great distance away.  There was no detail to be seen, because of their tiny size.  I was just made aware that that is what they were.

Because there were two coasters, it speaks of conversation.  Yesterday, I brought out two coasters, one for me and one for a friend as we were having tea.   The scripture that came to mind as I saw the coasters in the vision, was this:

“I did not rush out to confer with flesh and blood.” Galatians 1:16

When we sit down to have a cup of coffee or tea, we are usually with a friend or someone we trust. We are relaxed and open to talk and confer with one another.

When Paul made this comment that he did not confer with flesh and blood, he was stating that he wanted to confer with the Holy Scriptures and with God directly through prayer, not with the other apostles.  He wanted a direct download from God, not someone else’s thoughts and beliefs.  He wanted to hear from God himself.  This is the context:

But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.  Galatians 1:15-20

I believe as Paul did, that it is far better to receive direction and understanding directly from God.  Reading the scriptures and studying the Bible is essential for a true understanding of who God really is.  The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us through the word, so that we gain greater understanding, and wisdom.  When we consult with people we can give and receive counsel, but it is far better to give the word of God rather than an opinion. 

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”  Isaiah 40:8 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

Paul wanted to search the scriptures and understand the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.  It was his desire to know the Lord intimately.  He was not in a hurry to rush out and speak.  He had formerly caused a great deal of harm by having a zeal for God, but without knowledge.  He pulled people from their beds, arresting them and having them tortured and killed for their faith, assuming that he was doing it in God’s honor.   But he was clueless.

It wasn’t until he was struck blind in a vision of Christ that he realized that he was persecuting the Lord and his saints.   Zeal without knowledge is dangerous.  He wasn’t about to make that mistake again.  That is why he went to Arabia and Damascus to get away from all that was going on in Judea, and get alone with God.  In the presence of the Lord we are all changed!  That was certainly true for Paul!

More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Philippians 3:8-11

I believe that the Lord is warning us that too many Christians are conferring with books written about God, and listening to popular Christian speakers speak about God, but they are not conferring with him directly.  They would rather read books and listen to music and popular speakers than to spend time with Him in prayer. How can we be a “worker approved,” if we do not study the Bible or spend time with Him?

We certainly do not want to be like those who claim to know Him, but do not..

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’  Matthew 7:22-23

We have to have our own relationship with the Lord. If we worship God, without knowing his heart, his attributes, who he truly is, then we will be worshipping a “god” of our own choosing.  

We might say, “Oh, God will forgive me for that, so I don’t worry about it.”  Without realizing it, we may be lacking a knowledge of God, as well as lacking the fear of God.  Without realizing it we may be living in sin and have no desire to repent.  “God understands my heart.”  Wouldn’t it be better if we understood His heart?

We deceive ourselves, if we listen to others, and confer with our friends rather than God himself.  If we are only about pleasing ourselves, we will have no part with God. On that day when each of us, in his time, will have to give an account to God, we will have no excuse to stand on. If we do not know Him, we have nothing.  

The Sewing Project

The vision of the fabric and its clearly sewn seams was exceptionally large, in comparison to the dust and the coasters that were exceptionally small.  It was as if they belonged to different universes.  I believe that the vision is about priorities. Somethings we dismiss as not so important, and other things we can blow out of proportion in their significance.  We can worry and “make a mountain out of a molehill.”  Or we can be puffed up with pride over things that do not really matter.  I believe that the overly-exaggerated size of the project was about putting too much emphasis on a matter, or a project rather than looking at it from an eternal perspective.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been making costumes for a play for the church.  I first undertook the job and began designing ten to twelve different costumes for warrior angels.  Then I made three actual costumes to present as choices.  Then I finally made the angels and one archangel.  I spent a lot of time designing, sewing and selecting materials, and they do look great— However, what is most important is the purpose of the play, which is to bring the  gospel to those who need a savior.  

We always need to keep the end goal in mind, and not place so much importance on lesser things.

As I saw the extremely large project in the vision, I thought, could this sewing project be for God?

There is a scripture that came to mind as I was praying about the vision:

“Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.

What kind of house will you build for Me?  Or where will My place of repose be?

Has not My hand made all these things?  And so they came into being,” declares the Lord.

“This is the one I will esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit,

who trembles at My word.  Isaiah 66:1-2

In the visions the Lord has shown me, I am always small and the Lord is always immense.  I usually only see his hand.  Once I saw his thigh, with a tiny Barbie doll’s hand on the thigh.  At the time of the vision the Lord spoke and said to me, “Are you trying to break my covenant?”

It was the Lord’s thigh and the Barbie doll size hand would have been mine.  When Abraham  was dying, he made his servant take an oath to find a wife for his son.  They confirmed the oath by the servant placing his hand under Abraham’s thigh.

The Lord had asked me not to work, saying, “I do not want you to do.  I want you to be.” But when my husband lost his job, everyone around me said that I should go back to work. The Lord and I made an agreement that I was to stay home and raise my child to serve Him. This is the covenant that the Lord was asking me about when he said, “Are you trying to break my covenant?”

As I am typing this, I realize that I undertook the sewing project without the Lord’s permission.  This same thing happened years ago.  I was asked to take over the costume ministry of a large church, but I told them that I need to pray first.  So for two weeks I prayed, then on the last day they said, “You’ve got to tell us now or we will have to find someone else.”  I prayed again and the Lord gave me the passage in the book of Acts, of Dorcas, who was raised from the dead.  The women mourners were speaking of all  the wonderful outfits that she had sewn.  So the Lord gave me permission to take on the task.

But a few months later, when beginning a Christmas play, I assumed that it was okay to do it.  So I automatically said “Yes.”  The play was not a Biblical play but “Christmas Through the Ages.”  It wasn’t particularly evangelistic in nature.  So I believed that God allowed it–but it was not His will for me to take on 98 historical costumes.  Did I do the job with the help of the Spirit, or was I merely doing it in my flesh?  You would think that now that I am going to another church, that I should have prayed about it before I undertook this job too, even though it was a fraction of the work.

Anytime we put ministry before God, we get our priorities messed up.  God is first, whether it is for a “good cause” or for the church.  The word of God says

 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men..”  Colossians 3:23

As long as the Lord is pleased, that is what most matters. God may have other plans for us, but if we do not ask him, we may end up spending time where it is not needed.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 1 Corinthians 10:23

While in prayer one day, the Lord said to me, “I keep my angels around you, but you go your own way!” This was a rebuke. I was doing my own thing and going my own way. I was acting as though I was my own boss! But..

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.  1 Corinthians 6:20

And what he said to me: “I don’t want you to do.  I want you to be,” was his directive. We need to listen to what he tells us to do, and respond in obedience.  No matter whether it is a commitment, small or a large, we need to confer with God first!

Please share this post with others.  God gives visions because he wants us to understand his heart and to be moved by what moves him.  God bless you all!  Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus!