A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Hi Everyone,
Today is Sunday, it is afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. The Lord is faithful! He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And I am thankful! I have received five visions that I would like to share with you today. We need to be aware of the devil’s temptations and trickery. He parades as an angel of light, doing his best to blend in with the flock. But remember he is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
The Visions
The Baby
In the first vision, I saw a small infant about a year old who was sitting on the floor with his back towards me. There must have been something that caused static electricity to build up in the child’s hair, for the baby-fine hair was standing straight up.
Static electricity is like wind, we cannot see it but we can see and feel its effects. There is a scripture that comes to mind:
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
These were Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to Jesus by cover of night. Here is the context in which it is found:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8
The child in the vision represents those that have become born again. All things are new to children. Every experience is an awe and a wonder. When we are born again, born of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. All things are seen with new eyes. What we may have once thought to be true, after we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we may now see it quite differently. We are given the mind of Christ and we see and judge things from an entirely different perspective.
The Apostle Paul, (then called Saul), suddenly realized that those of the faith, “The Way,” that he had been persecuting were right. Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, and he had been persecuting them unjustly. With the revelation of Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah he believed and professed himself. He now supported and preached Jesus without reserve. His entire life changed by his encounter with Jesus in a vision, on the road to Damascus. He was blinded by the light, fell off his horse, and heard the Lord speaking to him. “Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?” Suddenly, his revelation of God, changed everything. His zeal to destroy those following “The Way,” was in error. Everything he had known and trusted in was suddenly turned upside down :
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 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. Philippians 3:7-9
It happens to all of us who receive Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Because we are born again, we no longer have a heart for the things of this world, but instead we have a heart that yearns for the presence of God and his kingdom. Jesus spoke of humility and being child-like in order to receive the kingdom of God.
Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.“ Matthew 18:3-5
A Walkway
In the second vision, I saw a concrete pavement about 10-12 feet wide moving towards me like a belt on a treadmill. The scene was dark, so the moving pavement appeared to be black, wet and filled with small shallow pits about the size of a quarter to two and a half inches in diameter.
In this vision, the pavement represents the world, which is constantly changing in some respects and never changing in other respects. When we have not been born of the Spirit, we might feel that our lives are like walking on a treadmill. We are moving to the pace of the world, but not making any real progress. Life keeps coming at us, and we make decisions along the way, nearly forced to go with the flow around us. A treadmill does not stop, but continues to move, forcing us to walk at its pace, or fall off.
Life in this world can be different things to different people. Some do their best to please people and live up to others’ expectations. Some live life “putting out fires,” doing whatever requires their attention at the moment. Some feel that they are not in control, that they merely exist for the benefit of demanding and ungrateful employers, or relatives. Some may feel as if there is no purpose to their life. Some have given up on their goals and dreams, only doing what is needed to get by. Pain, suffering, and human tragedy maybe all that they see. Life without God is without purpose. Life without God can be hopeless. But life with God can be so remarkably purposeful and blessed. Our hope is found in Him alone. His presence brings peace and comfort. He is our healer, our deliverer and our joy and delight. Seek the Lord for he is the answer!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ Acts 17:27-28
Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist. 1 Corinthians 8:6
As we submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, his character and his traits become ours. We have a new experience of life. Nothing in the physical world may change, however, we are changed spiritually, so that we view everything with new eyes. As we surrender our will to His, the Holy Spirit begins to manifest fruit in our lives. This we call the “fruit of the Spirit”:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is evidence that the Holy Spirit is living within our hearts. His presence changes everything!
Black Dresses
In the third vision, I saw several black strapless formal gowns hung on hangers by their sewn-in ribbon-like straps. These straps are solely for the purpose of hanging up a dress that is strapless. They were all hanging in a row, all alike, perfectly aligned.
The dresses represent conformity to the world and its values. The dresses were black, representing sin, and death. If we conform to the world, and take on its values, and reject the Lord and his ways, our destination will be hell.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. 1 John 2:15-17
The enemy of our souls has all the black strapless dresses in place. They are aligned, and hanging in a row. He would like to tempt us, to put one on, just to try out! This world is full of temptations: which are lusts of the flesh: material possessions, money, fame, prestige, influence, power, control, and sexual desires among other things. Just as the devil tried to tempt Jesus, but of course failed, he will try to tempt us. When a thought comes that does not align with God’s will and his word, we must take it captive, and send it back to hell from which it came. Let us not indulge ourselves with temptation, for we will be overcome by its enticement. However the word of God tells us to flee temptation, and not to try to fight it.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. James 1:14
So do not try to resist temptation, instead resist the devil and flee temptation!
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
A Woman
In the fourth vision, I saw a woman from the back with lots of long curly medium brown hair. She was wearing an ankle length stretch knit dress which clung to her body. She was barefoot and walking away from me.
I believe the woman in the vision represents those who are no longer walking with God. She may have been a believer as a child, but through the years and the changes life brings, she has left the Lord and chosen another path. She is dressed in a somewhat provocative dress, in that it clung tightly to her body, revealing every curve. Her long flowing tresses seemed to indicate a “devil-may-care” attitude. She was barefoot, showing that she was independent of the rules of common sense and was doing things her own way. The world might call her a “free spirit.” But to me, she is a woman in bondage to wrong thinking, and poor decision making. I believe that she is heading for trouble.
There are many who have started with God, and the cares and enticements of the world have captured their hearts. Their desire for God has waned long ago, and they are in the world, of the world and captivated by the world. They are seeking man’s approval rather than God’s. An attractive woman may find that her identity is wrapped up in her ability to seduce men. She may take pleasure in her thoughts of being desirable. She does not realize that she is taken captive by these very thoughts.
Pride, arrogance, wanting to be in control, to be admired, to be wealthy and envied by others is sin. These are dangerous thoughts and must be taken captive.
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6
The woman represents rebellion. One may reason that it is independence, but in reality it is bondage. We become beholden to our beliefs, our fears and the fear of man. When we replace God with our pleasures, passions and a lust for power, notoriety and money, our minds turn to depravity and our souls become dark. Our spirits are dead, we live only in the flesh. This is not a good place to be. To break free of this form of bondage, we must repent of our waywardness, and choose to serve God.
Jesus answered, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Thank the Lord, that he redeems us, and puts us in right standing with the Father! Hallelujah! If we have walked away from God, now is the time to get right with him!
Black balls
In the last vision, I saw 4 rows of black balls. They were smooth and hard, reminding me of the balls on a pool table. They all rolled together following the same path, keeping their exact spacing. They first swung slightly to the left then up and away to the right in a smooth arc. The movement was an orderly, well executed, quarter turn to the right.
In this vision, the black balls moved in a very military-like order. Their spacing was maintained throughout the movement. Their direction started with a slight left. Left generally means to go in the wrong direction or in the way of evil. Because the balls were black in color, I believe that they represent demons, under the devil’s command. Their natural inclination is to go left, to go the way of evil. However there is a graceful curve upward, which shows that a plan is in effect. When reaching the full turn, the final direction is to the right. I believe that this represents a demonic plan to take down those that are going right–after all, right is the right direction!
A primary plan of the devil was to take out Jesus. But unknowingly, his plan served God’s purpose to defeat sin by Jesus becoming the lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world! Jesus’ death on a cross was a victory. Sin and death were defeated! For us who believe, Jesus’ death reconciled us to the Father and purchased our salvation. That is why we can say that death has been defeated, for we are now alive in Christ, and we will have eternal life with the Lord in heaven!
But while we are still in our natural bodies and living on this earth, the devil will continue to attack us, in an attempt to bring us sickness, disease, pain, financial ruin, broken relationships, feelings of despair and hopelessness. But we are God’s own. His power and dominion are available to us when we submit to his authority. And he has given us the keys to the kingdom of God, and spiritual weapons. He has given us his name to use against the devil and his demons. For the mighty name of Jesus is above every name!
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
As the devil tempted Jesus, we will be tempted. As the devil tried to destroy Jesus, he will try to destroy us. The devil shows no mercy, the small, the young, the weak are attacked as well as those who have walked with God for years. He will attack everyone who is in church leadership for the word of God declares: “Strike the shepherd and the flock will scatter.” (Zechariah 13:7) He will try to destroy every faithful believer who devotes himself to serving the Lord and seeking His presence. His desire is to cause fear and to subvert the believer’s authority by casting doubt on the truth of God’s word, and His promises. He wants every believer to lose heart, to give up hope in God, and to feel that God has abandoned him.
The devil is all about lying, killing, stealing, and destroying. There is no doubt that those who follow the Lord will find the devil and his demons attempting to stop the kingdom from advancing. But God has declared:
I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19
So let us not be fearful of the devil, but know that we are to resist him! When Jesus had sent out 72 of his disciples, “to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons,” they were joyful that the demons submitted to them in the Lord’s name. However, Jesus wanted them to understand what was truly important and worth celebrating.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20
Throughout the Lord’s ministry, he warned his disciples that they would face terrible persecution and trials of many kinds. He warned them of people who would be false brothers, false teachers and false prophets who would come in among them to cause harm and division.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15
This vision warns us that the devil will send false teachers, false prophets and people among us who know how to cause division and strife in the church. We have to be aware that the devil can use the ego to cause trouble, especially with those in positions of leadership. False teachers can lead the congregation down the wrong path by introducing dangerous teachings, heresies and half truths. Teachings filled with error may cause some to compromise their faith, to become more worldly, or to sin. False prophets come to the naive to take advantage of them, to hold sway over them for personal gain. When people willingly accept wrong teaching and embrace it as truth, then the word of God is no longer the final authority for them. Ultimately there is a departure from true faith. Teachings not founded on God’s word can lead to divisions or even a church split. There is no lack of evil.
These visions are important. Some are warnings, and some are instructional. God wants us to mature in the faith, to know the word of God for ourselves, so that we will be able to determine what is true and what is not. We need to also rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. Someday you may be presented with a carefully crafted message that is tainted with something that is not true. There may be a mixture of the world’s message with an attached scripture to make it sound right, but it compromises the true word of God. This is very important, for many of the apostles and prophets warned us that false teachers and false prophets would come in and not spare the flock!
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. Jude 1:12
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them. Therefore be alert and remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31
Let us take warning and study God’s word for ourselves.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Please share this post with others. Let us build ourselves up in our most holy faith! Pray for our leaders and those in authority. Pray that their faith will not fail or compromised! God bless you all!
