Having Visions And What to do With Them? (scripture, prayer, Jesus Christ)
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I've never experienced that but I know you walk with the Lord and he will give you discernment. We all need to stay close to the Lord in these days....
There should have been one more option in your poll....Seek help. That's what I would do....See my doctor. It could be a brain tumor or some other illness causing your visions..
Hi
I have had dreams also and have been wondering lately if they would be better dreams if I would just beieve they are from God. My dreams do not have to do with "end times."---directly---I don't think. I am beginning to think that they are for other believers. I have told a few people about them over the years and they and I have watched every one of them that I told them about come true. I wonder if I am sopposed to tell more people of them so that they can have the same faith I do in God. I have went to church off and on for several years...was saved when I was 16..i'm now in my 40's. Each time I quit going it is because the dreams have become so strong that I think I'm going insane. Upon going back this time, I have come to think that if I shard these dreams with more people that they would ease somewhat...at least in the type of the dreams they are. I think maybe God has been trying to let me know they are from him and if I told more people they would be amazed and it would strengthen their faith..I know it does mine. They only thing that stops me is the ridicule that I know I will face upon telling people. Some will believe, most will not. But I think the true believer will believe. I do not want to be seen as a "fruitloop." I have two businesses and three children. Any advice?
Hi Sherry, and welcome to CD!!! I understand COMPLETELY what you are saying. It was an extremely difficult decision for me trying to discern whether or not I should share the visions I had, which I did. But only after much torture and sleepless nights and fighting God on it. Ultimately, I had to put aside my flesh, and do what God was telling me to do.
I KNEW how it would be received here, and that was really what was holding me back. But if you read this entire thread, and the one where I told about my visions (I'll put a link to it here), and look past all of the pure meanness of some of the posts, you will see that there were people who were feeling just like me, and shared some of their dreams and visions. Sometimes it just takes one person willing to step out in faith, and then everyone else chimes in. There's a whole lot of support here between the Christians, and that's what has to be focused on.
My advice would be to write it all down. Put it on paper, as soon as you have a dream or vision. Some of it will be from God just for you personally as encouragement, some of it may be encouragement for another person that you may want to share, and some of it may be warnings. If you have it all written down, it's easier to go to God in prayer about it and ask Him what He would like for you to do with the information of specific dreams.
Not only is it easier to pray about it, you eventually will have a collection of your dreams on paper and might want to consider having it published!! Another thing that I would do is to write down when and how your dreams came true. It's all about having an account of HOW they came true, to prove that they indeed are prophetic dreams. There's a lot of people, even Christians, that will tell you that dreams and visions are no longer relevant is this day and age, and that everything prophetic died with the old prophets. I absolutely disagree with that, and there is proof in the fact that SO many people are experiencing this phenomena right now. There is scripture that PROVES that this will happen in the latter days, and here it is:
Joel 2:28-29
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."
Acts 2:17-18
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."
I mean, look at the similarity in these scriptures!! Joel is from the Old Testament, and Acts is from the New Testament!! It cannot get any clearer than this!! We are in the last days, and God is pouring out His Spirit on ALL people, not just Christians!!
Consider what you are experiencing is from God, and let Him guide you into what you should do with your dreams. He may just want to encourage you personally, but it sounds like to me that you could be experiencing things that the Lord may want you to share.
Be brave!!! Speak up if you feel God is leading you to do so!! Consider that God may be speaking to you, and write it down! Share it on CD and if you get ridiculed, just remember.....so did our precious Lord Jesus Christ!! God bless, Sherry.
If I might add something to what has been said so far...yes you can Carlos...oh thank you Carlos.....
All kidding aside....
It seems to me that the practice of spiritual gifts of the vision kind and other similar gifts that might cause one to be considered a fruit cake or worse has been hindered in part because one's have not had an atmosphere in which to practice said potential gifts. Or loving sisters and brothers in the Lord around them that would not only encourage any promptings of the Spirit that might indicate a gift but also lovingly correct and teach a more appropriate exercise of a gift. Or in a worse case scenario even pointing out gently that a gift may not be a gift at all.
Faith improves as the Lord gives us circumstances through which we learn more and more to rely on what the Bible says. It becomes steadier. Less prone to swing wildly here and there where we believe one hour and then sink into deep doubt the next.
So likewise, I believe, that the exercise of a spiritual gift also improves. Assuming it is the real thing a Christian will gain and learn as they step out and act in faith to use their gift for the welfare of others. Especially in the Church (when I say that I don't mean Sunday church...I mean the greater Body of Christ of which all Christians are members).
Most Sunday churches do not encourage and some even downright deny or greatly restrict the operation of such gifts. There is little opportunity in most Sunday churches for everyone who is gifted in this or that to actually practice their gift. There is usually only one Pastor or teacher, only a few Sunday school teachers, and so forth.
It has been my experience that we can and indeed should practice our gift wherever the Lord gives us opportunity to do so. Right here on this forum, for example, I am developing what I believe to be my gift(s). By writing the experiences I have with the Lord in my real life, by trying to share the gospel with those who don't know Him, and otherwise. I have been greatly encouraged not only by posts that encourage me but just as greatly if not more so, by little snippets of reputation comments left by various ones.
The number of posts that have encouraged me and the small comments here and there left in reputation comments have led me to realize that I must be gifted in something. Not so much because Christians have said nice things but more because of the nature of what they have said to me.
That this or that which I shared really encouraged them, or that it was the best presentation of the gospel they had ever seen, and that type of thing.
I too have often felt that I should have perhaps not said what I said in a post. Or that I might have been too open about what the Lord is doing in my life. But I have let my posts stand until I couldn't edit them anymore and the lo and behold the Lord seems to have used them in people's lives.
So too....I would encourage anyone seeing visions to perhaps take the plunge and walk in faith, just as I have taken and continue to take the plunge with every new post I make and likewise have to choose to walk in faith. That the Lord has gifted me. That He will use me. That I have something valuable and constructive to share with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
What's the worst that could happen? Perhaps you will be made fun of. I have been told in various forums (and not just here to some extent) that I am a fruitcake, a male chauvenist pig, deceived, advocating that we all live in a Jim Jones community and worse. And so?
None of that has been true of me. The Lord knows that. Am I seeking to please man when I share the things I do or the Lord? If I am seeking to please man then I will falter and fail to share things as the Lord might want me to when I encounter bad feedback. If I instead keep my eyes on Him and share things out of a desire to please Him...well...let's just say that bad feedback is part and parcel of the race that we run for Him.
But if I shrink back I will also not experience the positive feedback He has given me through His Body here online (since that is primarily where I am exercising my spiritual gifting muscles).
There is a risk to the exercise of every single spiritual gift. No way around that. But risk...is also part of the course laid out by the Lord for us in this life. There really is no risk at all if we are seeking to please Him. The Bible says that whoever puts their trust in Him will NOT be put to shame! But in our flesh we sometimes focus on the risk so much that we fail to act!
Incidentally I do not believe the Lord promises to keep us from facing potential embarrasment or shame from others. Rather the shame it is talking about is the shame of having stood for God so valiently only to be let down in terms of His not coming through for us. He will NEVER let our words fall to the ground if our hearts are pure, we are seeking to please Him, and walking in humility to speak those things which He would want us to say.
That will NOT happen! Not if we are doing things for Him, in His place, and acting in faith. God is faithful!
I would much rather that a Christian be willing to step out in faith whatever may come of it than that they hesitate and do not act because of a risk of bad feedback or otherwise. I know it's hard. No doubt about it.
We must die to our natural tendency to preserve ourselves. To preserve ourselves from ridicule, misunderstanding, wrong judgment, or otherwise.
We must be willing to die that He might live through us as His Body.
If you have a vision, yes...by all means use wisdom, prayer, even fasting to determine what to do with it if you wish...but may I suggest that you might also consider just sharing it. If whatever vision you have is a result of stomach indigestion or gas....well...may I say that the Lord is plenty able to discern that and correct you through His Body...the Church. Right here.
If on the other hand it is the real thing...well...you will be missing a great opportunity to see the Lord teach you to operate more fully in what may be a wonderful gift, if you don't share it. For the edification of all.
If I might add something to what has been said so far...yes you can Carlos...oh thank you Carlos.....
All kidding aside....
It seems to me that the practice of spiritual gifts of the vision kind and other similar gifts that might cause one to be considered a fruit cake or worse has been hindered in part because one's have not had an atmosphere in which to practice said potential gifts. Or loving sisters and brothers in the Lord around them that would not only encourage any promptings of the Spirit that might indicate a gift but also lovingly correct and teach a more appropriate exercise of a gift. Or in a worse case scenario even pointing out gently that a gift may not be a gift at all.
Faith improves as the Lord gives us circumstances through which we learn more and more to rely on what the Bible says. It becomes steadier. Less prone to swing wildly here and there where we believe one hour and then sink into deep doubt the next.
So likewise, I believe, that the exercise of a spiritual gift also improves. Assuming it is the real thing a Christian will gain and learn as they step out and act in faith to use their gift for the welfare of others. Especially in the Church (when I say that I don't mean Sunday church...I mean the greater Body of Christ of which all Christians are members).
Most Sunday churches do not encourage and some even downright deny or greatly restrict the operation of such gifts. There is little opportunity in most Sunday churches for everyone who is gifted in this or that to actually practice their gift. There is usually only one Pastor or teacher, only a few Sunday school teachers, and so forth.
It has been my experience that we can and indeed should practice our gift wherever the Lord gives us opportunity to do so. Right here on this forum, for example, I am developing what I believe to be my gift(s). By writing the experiences I have with the Lord in my real life, by trying to share the gospel with those who don't know Him, and otherwise. I have been greatly encouraged not only by posts that encourage me but just as greatly if not more so, by little snippets of reputation comments left by various ones.
The number of posts that have encouraged me and the small comments here and there left in reputation comments have led me to realize that I must be gifted in something. Not so much because Christians have said nice things but more because of the nature of what they have said to me.
That this or that which I shared really encouraged them, or that it was the best presentation of the gospel they had ever seen, and that type of thing.
I too have often felt that I should have perhaps not said what I said in a post. Or that I might have been too open about what the Lord is doing in my life. But I have let my posts stand until I couldn't edit them anymore and the lo and behold the Lord seems to have used them in people's lives.
So too....I would encourage anyone seeing visions to perhaps take the plunge and walk in faith, just as I have taken and continue to take the plunge with every new post I make and likewise have to choose to walk in faith. That the Lord has gifted me. That He will use me. That I have something valuable and constructive to share with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
What's the worst that could happen? Perhaps you will be made fun of. I have been told in various forums (and not just here to some extent) that I am a fruitcake, a male chauvenist pig, deceived, advocating that we all live in a Jim Jones community and worse. And so?
None of that has been true of me. The Lord knows that. Am I seeking to please man when I share the things I do or the Lord? If I am seeking to please man then I will falter and fail to share things as the Lord might want me to when I encounter bad feedback. If I instead keep my eyes on Him and share things out of a desire to please Him...well...let's just say that bad feedback is part and parcel of the race that we run for Him.
But if I shrink back I will also not experience the positive feedback He has given me through His Body here online (since that is primarily where I am exercising my spiritual gifting muscles).
There is a risk to the exercise of every single spiritual gift. No way around that. But risk...is also part of the course laid out by the Lord for us in this life. There really is no risk at all if we are seeking to please Him. The Bible says that whoever puts their trust in Him will NOT be put to shame! But in our flesh we sometimes focus on the risk so much that we fail to act!
Incidentally I do not believe the Lord promises to keep us from facing potential embarrasment or shame from others. Rather the shame it is talking about is the shame of having stood for God so valiently only to be let down in terms of His not coming through for us. He will NEVER let our words fall to the ground if our hearts are pure, we are seeking to please Him, and walking in humility to speak those things which He would want us to say.
That will NOT happen! Not if we are doing things for Him, in His place, and acting in faith. God is faithful!
I would much rather that a Christian be willing to step out in faith whatever may come of it than that they hesitate and do not act because of a risk of bad feedback or otherwise. I know it's hard. No doubt about it.
We must die to our natural tendency to preserve ourselves. To preserve ourselves from ridicule, misunderstanding, wrong judgment, or otherwise.
We must be willing to die that He might live through us as His Body.
If on the other hand it is the real thing...well...you will be missing a great opportunity to see the Lord teach you to operate more fully in what may be a wonderful gift, if you don't share it. For the edification of all.
Carlos
Well said, Brother Carlos!!! Once again your prolific profoundness astounds me. Bet nobody has told you that! Your posts are "prolifically profound". Sounds like a good title for your book.
Quote:
If you have a vision, yes...by all means use wisdom, prayer, even fasting to determine what to do with it if you wish...but may I suggest that you might also consider just sharing it. If whatever vision you have is a result of stomach indigestion or gas....well...may I say that the Lord is plenty able to discern that and correct you through His Body...the Church. Right here.
LOL!! OR....a brain tumor, as someone suggested that I might have. This stuff used to really get to me, but after a while you develop a thicker skin against such nonsense. Like you said, it's about pleasing God, not man. It's really been good for me to receive the criticism that I have here at CD...it's taught me a lot about patience, controlling my anger and how to respond or NOT respond to what are obvious baitings and flames.
CD really is a good way to flex your spiritual muscles and helps in learning how to control fleshly responses. I've learned so much, and whether my visions mean anything or not, I now can say that it has only strengthened my faith in God because He turned all the negative into something so positive and showed me the reasons why He wanted me to do it. It's below:
You have no earthly idea what you have done by interpeting my mother's vision. We love you for it and may God bless you all the days of your life. We felt that it was the work of the Lord but how fascinating. I can't explain to you in words how I felt when my mother told me of this and now to have you confirm it all is overwhelming. Thank you and thank you again. May God Bless Everyone.
The Lord also showed me many years ago that America is Babylon and will be destroyed in one hour. Read Revelation Chapter 18 it alludes to Americas downfall literally. I believe America will be destroyed by a nuclear weapon, the day will come when America the superpower will be destroyed.
Your dream was prophetic for what is to come in America. Our job as Christians is to blow the trumpet and win lost souls to Christ
.
Quote:
09-12-2008, 07:08 PM sandgirl
I feel compelled to let you know that a few people from every denomination seem to be reporting warning dreams and visions all over the United States. My husband and I know a young married man with two children. He has told us he keeps having a waking dream in which he wakes up to find handwriting on the wall and a voice says, "America's handwriting is on the wall." Then, he is told that he is to move his family out of the city he is in. He says it really scares him and that he has never had anything supernatural in his life before. Yet, he truly believes it is the Lord. So , I hope you will share with us, DOTL. I'm beginning to wonder if the Lord is trying to tell His people something.
Quote:
09-12-2008, 08:13 PM aquila Day of the Lord, I would think it depends on what you're seeing. If the visions aren't personal in nature, but rather involve the church or society at large, I would think they could be warnings from the Lord - and as such, would it not be fair to share those warnings with others in the hopes that repentence might result? 1 Corinthians 14, though primarily referencing tongues, seems to indicate that it's not beneficial to the church if someone speaks in tongues while no one is available to interpret the message. Is it possible the same principle applies to visions...? Are they perhaps messages from the Lord? The same chapter also mentions that prophecy is for believers. So perhaps what you're seeing pertains to the church...?
By NO means do I want to misguide you in any way, so please don't accept what I'm saying as anything more than my own thoughts on the matter. First and foremost I would encourage you to pray for the Lord's guidance.
Just a short list of the positive responses, that far outweigh the negative. We know there are many more readers than posters and we have no idea who is being affected by our posts. For example, I have been corresponding with someone from Dubai for a couple of months now, who does not participate in the forums but for some reason wanted to talk to me one on one. Thanks to everyone who responded with understanding and love, including you, Carlos.
Well said, Brother Carlos!!! Once again your prolific profoundness astounds me. Bet nobody has told you that! Your posts are "prolifically profound". Sounds like a good title for your book.
.
On the contrary my dear...a la contraire...my prolific profoundness has been undone by the profoundness of your terminology! LOL.
Prolific profoundness heh? I like that!
It does sound like a great title for a good book. I could not have come up with such a wondrously descriptive phrase of linguistic terminology if I had tried!
okay...here's one dream... I feel it was given to me and those I had told at the time to stengthen their faith in God. I dreamed that I was driving and my car went off a steep hillside full of trees. In the dream I was given the exact location and also saw myself able to drive my car away after people came and cut down a few trees at the bottom of the steep hill. ....... a few weeks later a friend (who I had not told about the dream) and I were driving along this same road and there was ice on this hill. She ran off the road down the same hill that I had dreamed about---missed every tree on the way down---and then someone came along and cut out a couple trees and we continued our drive to work. I called another friend while we were waiting for the trees to be removed...one that I had told about the dream and she said "oh my gosh! I'll come to hospital now!"
I said "no, remember I told you that I was able to drive the car out when I had the dream." She was in shock. The area I am speaking of is one in which many people have been killed in car accidents. When you look down the hillside from the top it is extremely hard to imagine a car even missing one of those trees, let alone missing every one of them from top to bottom. I admit that the only difference in my dream and reality was that it was not my car, but my friend's car. I think that the reason for this was to prove that it was not my subconscious that did it as I was not driving and I had never told this specific about that dream so it couldn't have been her's either. Amazing to all that I had told, but indeed true. This is only one of my dreams that have came true. Have had many and always have scores more when my faith in God is at its strongest. I think I have tested God enough. I believe that He is the reason we are here and that we should all have great Faith that someday we will walk with Him.
okay...here's one dream... I feel it was given to me and those I had told at the time to stengthen their faith in God. I dreamed that I was driving and my car went off a steep hillside full of trees. In the dream I was given the exact location and also saw myself able to drive my car away after people came and cut down a few trees at the bottom of the steep hill. ....... a few weeks later a friend (who I had not told about the dream) and I were driving along this same road and there was ice on this hill. She ran off the road down the same hill that I had dreamed about---missed every tree on the way down---and then someone came along and cut out a couple trees and we continued our drive to work. I called another friend while we were waiting for the trees to be removed...one that I had told about the dream and she said "oh my gosh! I'll come to hospital now!"
I said "no, remember I told you that I was able to drive the car out when I had the dream." She was in shock. The area I am speaking of is one in which many people have been killed in car accidents. When you look down the hillside from the top it is extremely hard to imagine a car even missing one of those trees, let alone missing every one of them from top to bottom. I admit that the only difference in my dream and reality was that it was not my car, but my friend's car. I think that the reason for this was to prove that it was not my subconscious that did it as I was not driving and I had never told this specific about that dream so it couldn't have been her's either. Amazing to all that I had told, but indeed true. This is only one of my dreams that have came true. Have had many and always have scores more when my faith in God is at its strongest. I think I have tested God enough. I believe that He is the reason we are here and that we should all have great Faith that someday we will walk with Him.
Amen, Sherry!! That's quite amazing! Like I said in the other post, keep a dream journal and update it when your dreams are realized. I think you have quite a gift if they are all this vivid and then they actually are realized. The hard part is discerning from God what He wants you to share and with whom.
Yes, we will be walking with Him someday very, very soon!!!
I've gotten quite a bit of feedback about this thread, so I'm going to cut and paste from the other thread I started where I shared my vision. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. God is so good, and He is communicating through His Spirit in these last days to His saints that Jesus is coming soon!!
Judgment on America....My Visions
First I just want to say thank you to all who responded in the other thread. It was very helpful and insightful.
I've never had to wrestle with something spiritually as much as I have this. I'm tired and I come with much trepidation, but I have no choice. God wants me to post it. He told me last night (no, not audibly)and today FIRMLY to "Proceed, and proceed with confidence." I have to do what He says, and I am. I know that having dreams and visions is supposed to be a gift, but I don't like it at all.
I'll say what needs to be said, explain it the best way I know how but I don't want to discuss it any further right now. All I know is what I will post, so you will know as much as I do. There's nothing more that I can add to it.
I had a vision that was actually in three parts. There's not much detail, because my visions are like snapshots. Extremely graphic, but short. Here's what I saw:
New York City will be annihilated
Washington, DC will be annihilated
Chicago will be annihilated
There will be a 4th area, but I did not see where the destruction would take place
It will happen simultaneously. Heaven was open, and a brilliant and large angel was watching. I don't have dates or times, it's just going to happen. I can only speculate on anything else. I did do some research on why it would be these cities, and I do have an idea of what might be the 4th area, but that's all I can do. I'll share what I think about those things. The only thing I know for certain is what I said above.
Why New York City? I think that's fairly obvious. It's the most populated city in the US, it's the epicenter of commerce, finance, culture and entertainment etc. etc......all the reasons that the terrorists struck NY before. There are 19.7 million people in the metro area, with 8.3 of them in the city itself.
Washington is fairly obvious too. Our government is housed there, and it would have to be destroyed. Completely annihilate a country's government, and chaos ensues.
Chicago was the one I was having trouble with. But, it is the 3rd largest city in America and is a dominant center of finance, industry and culture, as well as a major transportation hub. It has the 2nd busiest airport (O'Hare) and the metro area has 9.7 million people, with 3 million in the city. There are 44.2 million visitors to Chicago each year. Also, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studio Headquarters is in Chicago. Why is that important? Because judgement is coming for Oprah, IMO.
So, we're looking at population, money and government. Taking out all three at once would bring America to it's knees, and it would become a 3rd world country pretty much overnight.
ALL is speculation on my part, and I'm speculating that Los Angeles would possibly be the 4th target. It is the 2nd most populated city. 3.8 million in the city and 12.9 more in the metro area.
Let's just say that it's all caused by terrorism. Nuclear weapons have a possibility of wiping out 1/5 of the population, according to the cities in my vision. If not from the initial blast, then the radioactive fallout that follows.
I don't know why I had this vision or why God wants me to share it. I have heard many stories of people feeling led to leave certain cities or even America, so maybe that's why. I am a believer in the Rapture, but I don't feel the Rapture will be happening before this happens.
I hope this is beneficial to someone, as scary as it is. Many, many people feel there is judgment coming on America, and now I do too. America could very well BE Babylon.
DOTL----- You know I agree with the visions you have reported. I am fully supportive of all true Christians leaving the USA as soon as possible because GOD wants to destroy it.
But GOD does not want to destroy His children! So He wants us to get out.
It's not just a matter of being destroyed by the attack of the beast (which will be used as an element of GOD's wrath), but also the church must leave the ultra sinfulness of the secular society.
Any way, you've done right to post the holy visions. It will help those who hear the voice of the Good Shepard.
Any Christian who wants to leave America, send me a message and let's compare notes and possibly work together.
In the event the coming attack is nuclear (I consider it to be a prominent possibility), go to www.ki4u.com for a professional education on how to survive a nuclear attack. The owner of that company is a professional who does business with the government and the private sector and he is sure that a nuclear attack is inevitable.
He recommends that people prepare now for the attack. But I say all Christians should leave America and also follow some very simple practices so as to be prepared for worldwide radiation fallout. It's easier than one might think.
Again---- you've done right to make this matter of the holy visions known!
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I understand COMPLETELY what you are saying. It was an extremely difficult decision for me trying to discern whether or not I should share the visions I had, which I did. But only after much torture and sleepless nights and fighting God on it. Ultimately, I had to put aside my flesh, and do what God was telling me to do.
Speak up if you feel God is leading you to do so!! Consider that God may be speaking to you, and write it down! Share it on CD and if you get ridiculed, just remember.....so did our precious Lord Jesus Christ!! God bless, Sherry.
Bet nobody has told you that! Your posts are "prolifically profound". Sounds like a good title for your book.
This stuff used to really get to me, but after a while you develop a thicker skin against such nonsense. Like you said, it's about pleasing God, not man. It's really been good for me to receive the criticism that I have here at CD...it's taught me a lot about patience, controlling my anger and how to respond or NOT respond to what are obvious baitings and flames.
