|
Most of the the material I publish does not
attempt to "develop an idea or bring about a conclusion". It is not designed
to unfold some great revelation, although it may. As time allows, read
the material in chronological order for maximum effectiveness.
Sharing The Journey ...
I chronicle my journey of “perfecting
the ability to perceive revelation”. Everything shared is based on firm
foundations in the word of God. Receiving “moment’s of visitation” from
God is not some ethereal-unobtainable experience. It is not for a few
“way up there people”. You will find yourself going to that place where
I was –experiencing the moment where I had a visitation from God. You
will say, “Oh, My God that is where I am” or "that is where I want to
go!"
Just after 9/11, the Lord began to work through me to illustrate some
of the places of Revelation that I have visited in dreams, visions, or
devotional times. There is nothing new under the sun –nothing comes your
way that is not common to others on a journey with God. You will notice
that most of my writing actually takes you there in the depths of your
being. The Lord seldom speaks a "thus saith" through me without bringing
clarity.
I have traveled the road and learned
by trial and error. I look back and realize so many times that I overlooked
significant pieces of puzzle because I was not familiar with the many
ways and avenues, which God brings knowledge and revelation. Early in
this journey, I would have loved to have followed along moment by moment
with someone more skilled –experiencing the lost art of mentoring. How
many wrong turns could I have avoided? How much farther into my destiny
could I have been –if I knew then what I know now? Sometimes I would sense
only a couple of words or a phrase. When I finally began to “catch on”
that God was teaching me to discern the small things, I began to write
down even the slightest thing, “just in case”. Time would prove whether
it was He or I.
We must prove the voice of God within us in small things before we can
go on to the greater things. I have reached a place where if God sighs,
I do not want to miss it. Do not regard lightly anything that God gives
you on the journey –it is part of the puzzle. Every nugget –every lesson
contains an ingredient that is vital to the mix. Later, I will share the
dreams about the puzzle and the missing pieces.
Paul, the professional writer...
I have heard the professionals say
that the proper way to present information to the masses is –briefly tell
what you are going to tell, expound on what you said you would say. Then
summarize or recap what you just told them. That style is all right, but
in my opinion, it ministers and caters to the human wisdom and comprehension.
We are dealing with spiritual things. 1 Cor 2:13 …Paul is writing. “And
we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught
by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual”.
I consider the Apostle Paul to be one of the greatest writers and revelators
ever known, yet Paul just shared the heart of God. People, who are accustomed
to what many consider the professional style, miss the pleasure of the
trip, because they listen to the beginning and skip to the recap.
My (His) Approach...
As the journey unfolds, it will reinforce that revelation comes in many
unexpected and unusual ways. It heralds by example how revelation knowledge
and understanding builds line upon line –layer upon layer. The “logic
or the lack thereof” will often frustrate the mind. Many of us think that
the substance of our identity came from logic, but the truth is that “who
we are” came randomly ...from years of sporadic, inconsistent, and incoherent
input. This information has made us who we are –good or bad. Our minds
then gather that information and try to put it in some sort of logical
sequence that we can assimilate and disseminate. The truth is… at times
“some of that input” just shows up in our daily routines –surprising us
and everyone else. Revelation comes in much the same way, as you will
plainly see. The Lord compels me to present parts of the material in the
same way I received it …in bits and pieces ...in little bites (bytes).
The verbatim parts are dreams, visions/word pictures, and devotional times
with the Lord and will be dated or pointed out as such. Some will be snippets
and some will be comprehensive teachings that cleared the path to prepare
me to receive fuller revelation farther down to the road. See intersections.
I certainly could not have assimilated it all at once –it would be hard
to swallow at one meal. As Jesus said in John 16:12, "I still have many
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”. He said that the
Spirit of Truth would come and guide us into all the truth. Sometimes
we are not prepared to hear all the truth at once. It must come through
a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit –it is “He” who “will know”
when we are ready to handle the truth for our lives. The greatest revelation
and change will come when He and you are alone --one on one. This material
walks you through and illustrates a process of preparation through which
we all have to go in order to see and hear clearly from the Lord. Though
the timing and process for you may be slightly different, there are some
foundational mandates that are the same for all of us. I must add that
all of us will be in process until we SEE Him face to face.
Who is writing this?
Sometimes as I write, thoughts flow so easily that I am surprised when
they appear on the paper in front of me. Later, when I read some of it
...it is as if “another man” wrote it. Many times, when I go back and
read my journals, I have to do a double take because I cannot believe
I wrote it even though it is right there in black (or blue) and white.
This too comes through a process. As I decreased –as I allowed Him to
increase, I could see a distinct change in my journal. I saw less more
of Him and less of me. See Article- “An Emptying Out”. As you follow along,
at times, you will find that the material will seem to reach you at a
surface level – subtle, gentle “drawing” laced with tenderness and humor.
At other times, you will feel it provoke and stir you to the depths of
your understanding. Do not feel intimidated if at first you do not seem
to “get it”. I didn’t either. You must follow closely, you must relish
each part, or you will miss the meat of the matter.
God, the Strategist...
God used rich imagery and metaphor
very effectively throughout His word. He used parables and many third
party stories. He seems to like to communicate with me and through in
the same way. I am always amazed at the strategies that God used throughout
the word and creation. It seems that every color, number, and symbolism
is rich in knowledge and revelation. The heavens and the earth declare
His glory –they sing out and testify lf His omnipresence. His communication
style sneaks past our walls and beyond our carnal-preconceived ideas.
I can tell you that I have really “tripped” on His hidden meanings. I
hate to admit that many times I was too preoccupied to notice what could
have been major visitations.
Plug In and Tune
In...
When I share bits and pieces of the
material, I can see the light shine on certain areas of the spirits of
those who were listening. I am not satisfied with occasionally taking
light to a small corner of your spirit. I want to see you learn how to
receive, cooperate, and connect with the “Source of Light”. Not long ago
I saw a picture of a satellite that was beaming information into the earth.
As its signals passed through the atmosphere, they created colors within
a prism. The signal’s destination was very focused and precise. Selah!
In a reverential way, I compare God methods of communication to that of
a satellite, which is always sending a signal. If we do not learn to tune
in our receivers, we can miss it, I wish to qualify all of this by saying,
if you have not plugged into the word of God, and filled your spirit with
it, you cannot recognize His voice and will never perceive clearly. You
will forever receive “mixed signals’ until you have hidden the word in
your heart. Incoming revelation always sounds like what is in the word
of God and I do not mean like “King James English” The Spirit of Truth
has come and He will guide you into all truth. (John 12:13). However,
1 John 5: 7 says that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one.
The Holy Ghost bears witness with the word of God that you have put in
you.
Anticipation and Discovery...
If you will stay with me, you will
SEE as I did ...a beautiful open road unfold right before your eyes. The
ingredients of spontaneity kept me coming back. The seemingly blind progression
at times frustrated me. Some of the steps along the way were rigorous
and painful to my spirit man, which was out of shape. Some of the roads
were rocky, the journey seemed long, and hard; there was a lot of trial
and error on my part because I could not SEE God on the road with me.
Sometimes, I would think, ‘Lord, where are we going on this trip?” Things
are only hidden for a season. When new mysteries were finally unveiled,
I walked away with the joy of the discovery and the anticipation of something
new the next time. See Secret and Hidden Things (coming soon)
Our Approach To Perceiving...
A secular writer described how to
sharpen one’s intuitive (perceptive) skills. Intuition is the inborn perception
of truth or fact independent of the reasoning process –it is powerful
and productive –some have described it as “heart intelligence” while relating
intellect to the mind. The article went like something this; If you are
driving down a road in a fast-moving noisy vehicle you cannot hear the
birds that are singing. Neither can you “see or describe” the details
of a flower that you saw nor the fragrance that it emitted. However, if
you slowed down or were perhaps walking you would experience the moment
in its entirety. You cannot learn to receive revelation if your mind is
racing. You must slow down, get quiet, look and listen. So, for the time
being, lay aside your intellect, use your heart, and go where your mind
cannot take you. Let us compare the journey through this material to …a
spring day; you are walking in the country down a trail lined with azaleas
and it begins to gently rain. There is such a sweet odor when the spring
rains come. Before it began to rain, you were enjoying radiance of the
sun. As you continue to walk, you experience grace, peace, and harmony
in your spirit, soul and body. From that experience, you will create a
memory that you can revisit in your heart any time that you wish. The
journey from the beginning to the end is what really makes the destination
worth the travel. Fully engaged and fully experiencing the every moment is essential for
it to be memorable. Focus on the journey:
· Stroll slowly, take your time, do not
allow yourself to be rushed.
· Notice the fragrances and colors round about you –breathe the fresh
air.
· Compare and contrast the beauty of the azaleas to the other scenery
around you –sometime the trails "man has planned" pale in comparison
to the freedom of allowing God to lead you down your own path. Consider
the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
- During each step on the journey, fully experience the moment, sense
God’s presence in His handiwork, –be strategic and deliberate, every
step is full of revelation –God is speaking directly to you.
The Result...
When you have finished the material, perhaps several times, each
of you will experience something entirely different, for God will be leading
you on this path and He will cause you to see from a personal perspective
–one just for you. This is a rock solid trail. The material is designed
be an expedition of discovery ...an example of how as individuals, we
can all come to different, conclusions and revelations that are personalized
and customized by the Holy Spirit. If you are a person prone to drink
from the surface, you will miss the whole purpose of the material. However,
if you will thrust your bucket deep into the well, you will enjoy a cool
refreshing drink of water. Whoever drinks of this water shall never thirst
again. God will teach you to experience and share the rivers of living
water within. If you learn this, you will never have to rely on anyone
else but Him when you thirst. As you revisit the revelation in this material,
you will see something fresh and new. As certainly as growth comes to
azaleas in their season, so you experience spiritual growth in your life.
If you abide in the vine–new growth always brings new perspectives. The
material is written such that when you walk away; its precepts will not
only remain, but also grow –it will feed your faith and hope for days,
even years to come. According to Isa 55:10, it will not only provide manna
for you to feast upon but seed for you to share with others. The word
keeps working in you even when you are not working on it.
(Isa 55:10, 11
NRSV) For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return
there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that
goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall
accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I
send it.
|
