Snapshot: A Dwelling on the Mountaintop

Recently, the Lord gave me a vision where I saw a house being built atop a mountain.

"Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
    who do not worship idols
    and never tell lies.
They will receive the Lord’s blessing
    and have a right relationship with God their savior.
Such people may seek you
    and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob."

Psalm 24:4-6

We all need to get into this holy place, this mountaintop visitation with God.  We each need to be touched by Him, be transformed by Him, be changed by Him--and this happens on the mountaintop. We climb the mountain to meet the Lord--to get away from people and distractions, and to seek His face.  That's why we make the climb.  That why we put in our part and allow Him to uplift us.

Now, Peter and John wanted to build a house on the mountaintop--that's human--and they were told no. (Matthew 17:4) That's not what I'm talking about.  The Lord knows that trials will come, and we need to respond by knowing that He will still make all things work for the good. (Romans 8:28)  We need to come on down from that higher place and interact with others--we have work to do!

What the Lord was showing me was the possibility of really abiding.  He was relaying the importance of getting creativity, inspiration, and life from that mountaintop time.  And most importantly--He was showing me the importance of receiving from that place His Love.  We need to remain in this love--figuratively speaking, to remain on that mountaintop.  We need to remain in with Him, in Him, and for Him.

The only things worth building are those things that came from that mountaintop time.  We need to have an elevated foundation--Jesus--and only build on that.  We need our thoughts, actions, and efforts to flow from the secret place.  We need to be raised up by Him, and then stay there.  That's what really counts--entering into His bliss and applying it to our lives.

"He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure."

Isaiah 58:14

Snapshot: 22

A few days ago, I was asking the Lord for a Word and I heard Him say,

"Ephesians 2:22"

I did not know what this verse said--I didn't have it memorized.  So, I looked into that.

"And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Awesome!  That is the biblical Church--the biblical body of Christ.  He has been speaking to me about the importance of community--whether mentoring, discipling or encouraging--and fellowship within the Church for just a little while now.  We all need to be rooted in Christ and in His love, and then support each other out of that fellowship with Him.

Each part of the body can do something--something to help and build up the bride that Jesus will return for.  Each one has a gift.  Each one (should) have a hymn or spiritual song or word of encouragement that they can share with the others (Ephesians 5:19).  And each one will have these things, if they are filled with the Spirit.  There are many gifts, and they all point towards the wonderful calling that God has placed on us.

So, we come together and become a place where God lives.  We cannot water down those words. Within the confines of the Church body we are in, we each contribute ourselves so that we can witness that God is living and dwelling among us.  By His Spirit, He comes down and dwells among us.  It is a wonderful thing if we can really act on that knowledge--to add to our faith the accompanying works (James 2).  If God is living in a dwelling that we built up, shouldn't that increase our boldness?  Shouldn't that increase our faith.  It's time to accept that God has given us favor.

Confirmed:  I was on a Christian website a little later that same day.  And I came across an article that was talking about the 22 gifts of the Spirit.  Hey, 22 gifts used for equipping and building up the body as described in Ephesians 22!

Note:  It is fitting that Galatians 5:22 is the verse that addresses what the fruit of the Spirit is:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law"

Snapshot: Seeing God

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"    Matthew 5:8

When I began reading and meditating on the Word, I used to think that verses like the one above were more figurative than literal.  Then, I began thinking that such descriptions only described what we'll experience in Heaven.  But now, I believe that God wants us to know that these promised can be applicable to our every day.  They can be lived out and enjoyed in this life, and even more so in the life to come.  If we meet the conditions, we realize God's pleasure in us based on how He treats us.  If we are pure in His sight, we'll discover that He's worth it.  We will become unable to forget all His benefits:

We really can taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalms 34:8).

We can see God's Glory (John 11:40).

We can ascend to the mountaintop with the Lord.  We can live in a Holy place, and God's holiness can go before us and after us.  We can be hemmed in by Him and His grace.   (Psalms 24:4 and context).

We can enter into God's presence in a new way.  There is always more of God that we have not yet seen, heard, or even imagined (1 Corinthians 2:9 and context).

There is always a new revelation, a new promise, a new understanding of His Love.  God is so far beyond searching out--we only experience tastes of Him because He let's us (Romans 11:33).

There is always so much knowledge stored up in God's Word.  Enough to keep us learning, both day and night (Psalm 119:96).

These are His benefits (Psalms 103:2).  These are our earthly foretastes of Heaven. These are results of our inheritance in the Lord--residence in His Kingdom.  And these things are worth counting the cost.  They are worth any cost!  God makes life fun, but more than that, He makes it count.  Let's commit our ways to Him.  Let's allow Him to make us pure, from the inside out.  Let's seek Him so we can see Him, and let's see Him and become more like Him.

Snapshot: A better Connection

A few days ago, the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said, "you need a better connection"  I knew what He meant.

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time."   1 Timothy 2:5-6

The connection here is a person.  That person is Jesus, and He is our mediator and our path to the Father.  He lives to help us and make intercession for us .  He lives to bring us nearer to God, and draw us nearer to Him.

"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them"    Hebrews 7:25

Jesus stands between us and God's wrath, and He stands between us and God's affection.  The Father's view of us is filtered through Jesus.  He sees His Son in each and every true believer.  He sees Jesus in us.  This is our hope of glory, and it is reveals to us His Glory, too (Colossians 1:27).  If we connect to Jesus, we can be connected to the Father.  If we acknowledge Him as Immanuel, God with us, then we can always connect with the Father.  We can please Him by going through His son.  There is no other way.

Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.”     John 14:6

Confirmed:  The morning after I was shown this, internet connection in our house went out.  God knows how to prove a point.  Connection with Him is intentional, and for many that means dedicated time in the morning.

Confirmed:  Today, a new post on the Quickened Word described Jesus as a bridge between us and the throne.  His death bridged the gap between our sinful hopeless condition and the Holiness of God.  Jesus is the way we get to Heaven, and He is the way that we can live in the Kingdom of Heaven even while on earth.  He is the way that we live live to the fullest, all the time connected to the Father God through a lifeline of awareness of Him.

Snapshot: His Finger

In Church last week the Lord showed me a vision of a pointer finger.  I saw that the tip of the finger had been covered but was now being unveiled.  I felt it was the hand of God, representing His arm working salvation.  I new it represented a manifestation of His presence entering the room.

I saw this vision, and it was filled up with light.  It was beaming and full of love.  I didn't think much more of this until we opened up the Word during the Church sermon.  As I glanced over at Vanessa's Bible, the first thing I saw was this:

"He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites."  Leviticus 16:19

That really struck me, and I realized what God was showing me.  By the Law, many high priests made many consecrations on behalf of the Israelite's sins.  These consecrations took blood, more than once.  They took a series of painful sacrifices that were created to atone for sins.  They helped people conceptualize the impact of sin and show that it needed to be paid for, one way or the other.  God Himself commanded these regulations for the priests, as a way to prove His Holiness.  Those who would come into His sanctuary needed to be pure.  They needed to believe they were pure, so that they would be able to worship a pure God.

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."  Romans 3:20

But thanks to Jesus we have a better way.  We have a savior who makes us conscious of His righteousness, and the fact that He is more than willing to share it.  What the Lord showed me in that vision was that HIS finger was revealed through Jesus to make us pure.  By His sacrifice, that of His Son, He brings the tabernacle to us.  No longer do we need ritual after ritual to enter near to Him.  Now all we need is a spiritual hunger that causes His Love to draw near to us.  Glory to God!!

I remember that Smith Wigglesworth said in His books, "you only need a touch from Jesus to have a good time".  How true.  What I saw in that vision was a divine touch.  It only took one!  One was enough to bring purity and light.  The Father of Lights does not need to make consecration again and again.  Praise Him that Jesus died to take our sins, once and for eternity!

"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction..."  Romans 3:21-22

Apart from the Law.  Apart from the finger of a priest dipped in blood.  God has given us a better way. We have righteousness caused by just a touch of His presence.  We have purity given by just a taste of His power.  And we have faith in Jesus that He is able, and that He is willing, to come into our surroundings and set up a sanctuary wherever we are at.  There is wonderful freedom in knowing the purifying power of God.

Confirmed:  At the ending of the Church service, I was beginning to sit down when I happened to touch just my pointer finger on the back of the chair in front of me.  I touched this finger to the metal on the chair and was zapped!  This was quickened to me because of this "finger" vision, and well as the "electrified cross" vision described in the previous post.

God's given to us a cleansing power that can then be imparted to others (2 Timothy 1:6).  He is faithful to empower those He calls, and to show His hand through their own.

Snapshot: Praising God

This morning I received from God a vision of a trumpet. Then at church a few hours later, I saw another horn instrument.

As far as interpretation goes, here are a few verses on the subject:

"Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind the LORD your God of his covenant with you. I am the LORD your God." Numbers 10:10

"And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets." 2 Chronicles 29:26

"Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre..." Psalm 150:3

"They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lyres and trumpets." 2 Chronicles 20:28

We need to be bold and intentional in coming to worship and praise the Lord...we don't want to have "believed in vain". To me, the trumpet I saw symbolized the importance of bold worship. Let's praise the Lord with the instrument He's given us! Praise is a great way to enter in to God. He accepts the worship of those made pure. He loves it!

And because He wants to be worshipped purely, "in spirit and in truth", the act of praising Him often leads to sanctification, as well. Through worship, the Holy Spirit makes us yielded to Himself and softens our heart. Our heart is softened and shaped pure, until the point comes when we realize that the poor in heart will see God.

Confirmed: This morning, after receiving the vision, a friend kept texting us recommending a Christian radio station.

Confirmed: Psalm 150 was read in Church today. Followed by a great worship service!

Confirmed: After worship, the Lord prompted a church friend to read 2nd Samuel, where David worships the Lord and becomes "even more undignified than this". Glory to God for a shameless love for Him!

Snapshot: God's Discipline

In Church today the Lord gave me a vision of my legs being torn ripped, from the top down, into two pieces. I was surprised, but over time I've been taught to trust the things the Lord shows me. I felt the tearing in this case was a good thing...I knew I was being humbled and softened so that I could be a vessel of God. I knew that the sword of the Spirit was sharpening me.

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

Confirmed: while still in Church later on, man was sharing a testimony. He described how God delivered him and kept him out of sin...he was talking about how God "broke his legs"--figuratively--as a means of discipline.

Confirmed: Also in church, there was a bible study mentioning that "the veil had been torn, from top to bottom". In the vision, my legs had been torn from top to bottom.

We need to let the Lord break us. Often His WORD tears us from things which would distract us from God. The sword of the Spirit is meant to keep us safe from evil! If we touch any "unclean thing", the Lord will ensure that the Spirit redirects us. This is the price to pay for following Him. The veil has been torn and we can enter into the most Holy place, but there is a sacrifice to provide. Let's allow the sword to separate us from things that are displeasing to God. Let's invite in the discipline of God, and let Him purify our hearts.

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19