A Vision from the Lord

For those of you expecting a rapture date or extravagant End Times chart this will be very disappointing. Unlike those with “special” spiritual gifts, my visions are much simpler and more practical. What this is, and I believe it was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit, is a visualization that started popping into my head about three weeks ago. It came up when I was praying. Let me explain the elements of the crude picture I’ve drawn. 

As I was praying, I started seeing the top part of the picture in my head. The person’s name, and sometimes their face would pop into my mind. The lines below, were just lines, never any words, but it was their personal history and their history with me. They were just lines, because the information wasn’t pertinent.

The box represents that person’s fleshly life, fleshly needs and desires. If they had happened to share some fleshly needs with me, I inserted prayers for the things they needed in the box, but most of my focus was on the line. The box is closed off, just like our fleshly lives are closed off and are, as it were, packaged up in a closed container.

The line represents our new life in Jesus. It is infinite and sloping upward as we grow in grace and are sanctified. This is where I have spent the most time praying for myself and others. I have prayed that they would come out of the box or stop seeking things for their flesh, seek what the Holy Spirit has in store for them, and that they focus their lives on being transformed into the person who is fit for the eternal kingdom.

My prayers for my spiritual growth and for those I pray includes:

·         Shaking the box so that we aren’t comfortable staying in it.

·         Develop in us a deeper love for Jesus.

·         Give us a greater desire after the righteousness of Jesus.

·         Keep us facing forward and focused on the upward call rather than looking back at our weakness, lacking, failures and sins (all in the box).

The second line came about a month later (a few days ago). I started noticing that the box was no longer closed. It had been opened and connected to the line. The significance of the elements hadn’t changed, but the “door,” so to speak, was opened and the gap bridged. That door and bridge represent justification by Jesus. I’m not sure why the visualization changed. I didn’t make any conscious effort to change it. Perhaps it is just a new element of growth in my life that caused me to see things differently.

I know this isn’t any great sign from heaven; certainly not compared to the crazy end times stuff we’re seeing out there. This is a practical way of looking at ourselves and others; a picture of the journey of sanctification. It really gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “think outside the box.”

Brothers and sisters, I pray, even if I don’t know you personally, that you live outside of your box. Put your history and your box (which closes you in and keeps you captive) behind you. Go through the door and across the bridge that was provided to you by Jesus and keep facing forward and “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)