In a recent posting, I shared my spiritual experience as one or a component of the bride of Christ (https://possess-the-vision.com/2021/07/15/the-bride-of-christ-and-her-vision/). This experience came to me as I participated in a prayer group meeting as others were praying vocally. I began to hear (not with my ears) the thoughts of the bride of Christ as she prepared herself for her marriage to Jesus. I heard her reminiscing about the old world, her love for Jesus, and her victory over Satan.
I felt like a small component of her spiritual body, perhaps an atom in her brain, hearing her thoughts as she prepared for the most significant event in human history. I then understood that she is the amalgamation of righteous souls, each doing their part. Her mission on Earth is to take up the work Jesus commissioned us to do by entering the spiritual war against evil and subduing it. The following two postings reinforce this mission. (List them here: posts on the Lord’s prayer)
Other Visions For Those Who Seek To Follow Jesus And Become One With His Bride To Be
My experience in the prayer group meeting was not the only experience as God began to communicate in numerous ways. For example, I previously shared my experience of hearing the audible voice of God call my name (link here.)
In today’s posting, however, I present God’s vision of a straight path leading to His glory on the horizon (insert picture). This vision illustrates the straight path leading the bride to become one with Jesus.
In this vision, I find myself in an unfamiliar forest where the branches and leaves of the trees spiral into a shape similar to a tightly coiled watch spring. From my position, I saw a path cut straight through the forest, revealing the hills and dales below the foliage. There were no impediments or debre on the pathway. Further, it had been cut down into the earth, having walls on each side. I took this to mean that the focus had to be on the glory of God rising on the horizon.
Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies (Psalm 27:11).
It appeared that a giant lawn mower had driven through the forest and cut in a way that nothing remained. There were no bends in the pathway; it was perfectly straight.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken (Isaiah 40:3 – 5).
I now realize that this vision is a message for His bride to make a straight path to prepare the way for the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She is to play a role similar to that of John the Baptist, making the way of the Lord Jesus’ second coming to Earth.
Over the past several weeks we have presented a number of postings relating to the bride of Christ. All of this was predicated on a spiritual experience I had in a prayer group meeting, where I became a part of the spiritual bride of Christ. I presented this experience in this posting: The-Spiritual-Realm-of-the-Bride-of-Christ
Subsequent investigation and research added clarification to my experience at the prayer group meeting. We have identified that the bride of Christ is comprised of the righteous of the Lord, that even though she is comprised of many, yet she is untied as one: Who-is-the-Bride-of-Christ
We learned that the bride brings division to the world by challenging the world with the truth and light of Jesus Christ. The bride brings compassion for the poor and disadvantaged and justice to all. She is found busy doing the work of her Savior. She is the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven: The-Bride-of-Christ-Brings-Division
We then found the bride of Christ sets the world on fire with the truth that is ignited with the light of Christ. We sited Martin Luther King as an example of someone who revealed the truth about the status quo of discrimination and segregation policies. In doing so Martin set the world on fire over issues of justice, liberty, freedom and truth of God. The-Bride-of-Christ-Sets-the-World-on-Fire
We also found that the bride of Christ is prepared as her lamps are burning and her vessels are full. She therefore is prepared for the return of the Lord for the wedding feast: The-Bride-of-Christ-is-Prepared
Based on these observations we have constructed a vision statement that we believe is applicable to all Christian ministries. For any of you unfamiliar with vision statements, they are designed to present the big picture view of what the end state will look like when God’s purpose is accomplished. In effect, a vision statement answers the question, what will be achieved. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the vision statement for the bride of Christ:
The bride is prepared for the marriage feast when Jesus victoriously returns. Her ministry is the ministry of Jesus and she does even greater works that He did. Her light and truth bring division on the earth and she sets the earth on fire in her quest for compassion for the poor and disenfranchised. She fights for freedom, liberty, justice, and the knowledge of God.
In our prior posting we talked about the bride of Christ becoming like Jesus. In it we referenced Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world, and then also sited His words pronouncing His disciples are to be a light to the world. Therefore, we who follow Jesus are to become like Him. In today’s posting we present the proposition that we are to do even greater works than Jesus did. So, let’s start with a scripture to get things started.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12).
The works of Jesus always demonstrates loving compassion for others. This compassion is manifested in actions that improve people’s lives. Jesus therefore demonstrates that God loves His people and desires the best of everything for them. The following scripture communicates the love and actions of Jesus.
Jesus "The light of the World," Heals a Blind Man
When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Luke 7:20 – 23).
Jesus "The Life," Raises Lazarus from the Grave
Therefore, our opportunity is greater as well. We simply must give what we have, which is our know-how, to the world!
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:16 – 18).
This is the vision for all followers of Jesus: The bride is taking action to better the lives of the less fortunate by sharing what she has. In doing so, she makes herself ready for the coming of the Bridegroom.
In our previous posting we talked about the bride of Christ being prepared for the bridegroom upon His return. We also presented the scripture of the wise and foolish virgins, in which only half were prepared to keep their lamps burning until their Lords return. It teaches us to continue to be a light to the world through out our lives.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples
Jesus brought light to the world that enables everyone to find the truth leading to everlasting life with God. His light enables us to cast aside our walk in darkness and to live in the provision and bounty of God. He demonstrated this light throughout His ministry in the form of mercy and compassion toward us. He did so when He healed our afflictions and cured our diseases. He did so when He taught us the truth Father, even challenging the so called experts of His day. He did so when He gave Himself for us on the cross by taking our rightful punishment upon Himself, so that we may one day live with God in glory. He did so when He turned over the tables of the merchants at the temple in defense of the purity of worship to the Father. He did so when He taught all people the truth, including the scribes and the Pharisees. The life of Jesus demonstrated what being a light to the world is. It is in this way that Jesus passes the torch on to us to be a light to the world also. We therefore are to become like Him and carry on as He did until His return.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14 – 16).
This is a direct call to be visibly found doing good works that Jesus did. The bride is wise when she is found doing so before others when the bridegroom returns. Her lamps are burning brightly, her good works are visible to all, and they result in the glorification of God the Father in heaven.
In my previous posting (Possess-the-Vision) I communicated that I was going to present the spiritual experiences of my life that led to the creation of the Possess the Vision Mission Statement (PTV Mission-Statement.)
The experience I am about to communicate to you took place while I was in grade school. It will prove to be quite unbelievable to most people, and to be perfectly honest, would have been disregarded by me as well if it were not for all of the other unexplained spiritual experiences of my life. It is the story of a warning that comes from God in the form of a dream and then is followed up by an intervention from God.
My mom and dad would take us to visit my aunt’s family from time to time. We looked forward to these trips because we got to play with cousins our age.
Their house was about an hour’s drive across town and we were driving home late one night after one of our visits. I was tired and was trying to get some sleep in the back seat of our car. I had my head propped up against the interior wall on the driver’s side when I started to doze off. Then suddenly, I quickly awoke with a start sensing that another car was about to crash into us at the precise point where my head was resting.
Thinking about my feeling for a moment brought me to the conclusion that I was just imagining things and so I ignored the sensation and tried to get back to sleep.
But when I did I found that the experienced just kept happening over and over again and so I told my mother about it. She reaffirmed that I was in fact just imagining things and recommended that I dismiss these thoughts from my mind and try to go back to sleep.
So, I made another attempt to suppress my fear and get some sleep but the fact was that the sensation of an impending crash became very strong again and I could not help but pull my head away from the side of the car. This time the result was different however, as an auto came crashing into our car exactly at the point where my head had been resting just a second before. The accident turned out to be minor, and thankfully no one was hurt.
Still, I had to wonder about what the outcome may have been if I had not pulled my head away at the last second. The jolt of the collision was substantial so who knows what had been avoided. I suppose I could have sustained major injury to my head or neck, or perhaps even worse.
In this case, I heeded the warning and made the right choice. Still, at the time I can remember about wondering about where these warnings were coming from and why.
Just to make things clear, I now know that these were warnings from God who was protecting me from harm. I know that each of us is born with a purpose and that the devil will try to abort that purpose in any one of a multitude of ways. So please pay attention to these messages from God and act on them. Your immortal life may depend on it.
In my previous posting (Possess-the-Vision) I communicated that I was going to present the spiritual experiences of my life that led to the creation of the Possess the Vision Mission Statement (PTV Mission-Statement.) The experience I am about to communicate to you took place while I was in grade school. It will prove to be quite unbelievable to most people, and to be perfectly honest, would have been disregarded by me as well if it were not for all of the other unexplained spiritual experiences of my life. It is the story of a warning that comes from God in the form of a dream and then is followed up by an intervention from God.
THE ESP EXPERIENCES
After I entered elementary school, I started to encounter things that could not be explained by the laws of physics. Some would call these strange experiences extrasensory perception (ESP). For example, I would dream things that would come true and know things that were to happen before they occurred. You know, I would have a premonition of things to come. Here is an example:
I DREAM THAT I WAS LIKE A SUPERMAN
One night I had a dream that I was standing in the middle of the street where I lived, and an oncoming car drove toward me at a high rate of speed. Rather than run out of the way to escape, I braced myself and extended my arms toward the car to absorb the impact. The car sped directly into my outstretched hands where amazingly, it was stopped dead in its tracks.
The car was a gray 1940’s model with a V-shaped hood that culminated in a rounded point at the exact point where my hands contacted the car. I could see my hands against the gray automobile just as one would see them through their own eyes, and I was in awe of what had happened. I remember having the feeling of extreme physical strength and I imagined that this is what Superman must feel like—knowing that you can muster unbelievable power and use it to achieve incredible feats. I truly felt invincible.
A few days later, I was playing with one of my friends who lived down the block. We were flying a new helicopter/saucer toy that he had just received. The helicopter was simply a bladed saucer sat on top of a handle that launch the saucer into the sky when the string was pulled.
We were having a great time; my friend would launch the helicopter, and I would try to chase it down and catch it before it hit the ground. On his last launch he pulled the string with all the strength he had, and the saucer soared high into the air, high above the house tops. Just then a strong breeze kicked up that carried the saucer out into the street. Being totally focused on catching the saucer, I started running after it as fast as I could.
As I was not paying much attention to where I was going, my friend’s mother started shouting to me, “Joe, don’t go into the street. Joe, stop!” I remember hearing her words, but they seemed faint and very far away. I was in the middle of the street by the time I caught the saucer. It was then that I could hear my friend’s mom screaming for me to come back. I turned and looked up the street and there it was, the gray car of my dream had now turned into a nightmare, as it speed toward me. There was no time to get out of the way, so I simply held my arms out in front of me, just like I did in my dream. I could hear the tires squealing in response to the locked brakes. The car hit my hands and stopped. Unlike the dream however, it was evident that it was not my power that stopped the car. I realized that I was not all-powerful as I believed in my dream. The car had knocked me backward even though it just barely touched me. I stood there and watched the hood of the car rock back and forth in reaction to the sudden stop. I did see my own hands against the hood of the gray car just like in my dream though. I then realized I just looked death square in the eye.
My friend’s mother ran toward me screaming at me to listen to her. Somehow her voice grew distant again as I wondered about my dream that had become reality. How could a dream possibly come true? Why were the real-life details being so accurate on one hand while the feelings of power and strength are so wrong? Something stopped that much sooner than it otherwise should have, but it sure was not me. I did not know what to think about this when it happened. As fast as the car was moving, how could it have stopped so quickly?
The body of Christ – On Earth as it is Heaven
Was it possible that some power that I did not understand stopped the car? Was it possible that this power also tried to protect me from this circumstance by giving me the dream in the first place? Or was it a notice to me that that there was a power here to protect me? If so, was it possible that nothing could harm or hurt me? If so, then the big question had to be why?
Well, being like many young boys, I spent about five minutes thinking about it before I filed it in the back of my mind where it was not thought about again for quite a long time.
Looking back on this event now I can say that God intervened in my life and that it was His spiritual power that protected me. If one were to take this event as one single isolated incident, then I would have to say that perhaps this was simply just a coincidence. But as it turns out, it was far from an isolated event, but rather was just one of a string of unbelievable experiences that either communicated a message to me or protected me from harm.
So, what does this have to do with the vision? Fundamentally, it shows that we have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for us and who is willing and able to use His power to protect us. This is especially true of those who put their trust in Him and follow His direction (I did put out my hands like I saw in the dream.) I believe that it teaches that spiritual discernment can be achieved if we have faith and pay attention, and I believe that our decision based upon our discernment are critical to our overall welfare and relationship with God.
I know that much of this may be a stretch right now to believe this tale but stay tuned as we share more about what happened to me in future postings.
In my previous posting (Possess-the-Vision) I communicated that I was going to present the spiritual experiences of my life that led to the creation of the Possess the Vision Mission Statement (PTV Mission-Statement.)
The experience I am about to communicate to you took place prior to the time that I started grade school. It will prove to be quite unbelievable to most people, and to be perfectly honest, would have been disregarded by me as well if it were not for all of the other unexplained spiritual experiences of my life. It is the story of the first time I saw the devil and it was a warning that there was evil hiding out there trying to undermine my life.
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil
My sister Kathy and I happened to be playing in our front yard one day. Near by, a number of older boys were just hanging out on our neighbor’s lawn. Looking back at the event now, I suspect that these boys were bored and wanted to have some playful fun with us by telling us scary stories about the bogeyman, hoping to get a rise out of us.
I did not buy into any of their stories and boldly proclaimed that there was no such thing as a bogeyman. They contended that they in fact, were witnesses to each of the stories they told. When their personal assurances did not sway me, they told even scarier stories than the first ones. After listening to them patiently I continued my defiance by simply restating my assertion that there was no such thing as a bogeyman.
But these boys sensed that I was not as positive in my belief as I let on and they called my bluff. They told me that the bogeyman was hiding between two of the houses near the end of the block. They told me that if I had the courage to walk down the block and take a look for myself, that I would find the bogeyman waiting there for me. I was very scared; after all, I started thinking that perhaps they were right. I resisted their challenge at first, but after they taunted me with words like, chicken and Fraidy cat, and used a few other words I did not understand at the time, I decided that I had to go and look for myself.
Despite being quite frightened, I took the time necessary to develop precautionary tactics. I thought that if there was a bogeyman between the houses that he had to be hiding there so that he could capture me if I got to close. So, I formulated a plan in my head where I would run across the street on a diagonal in order to get a view from a safe distance on the other side of the street. I knew that I had to start immediately so that the bogeyman, if it existed, would not have any warning to prepare for my arrival. So, without any hesitation I bolted out into the street running with my head down as fast as I could.
Much to my surprise, I could hear my sister running right behind me. When I got to the targeted position where I could see between the houses from across the street, I stopped and quickly turned for a look. To my horror there it was, right where the neighbor boys said. It had been hiding between the houses, hunched over to avoid detection as it was taller than the houses. Somehow I knew that it was waiting for unsuspecting kids like my sister and I to come by so that it could pounce and devour them. It was a monster, looking something like the dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus Rex. It just stood there stooped over between the buildings looking at me in obvious in obvious anger and disgust. For some reason it was apparently unwilling to come out from between the houses to get us.
Upon seeing this monster I lost all control and started screaming in horror. I began running back across the street as fast as my legs and flailing my arms in the air. I could hear my sister screaming as well as she followed behind me. Since I ran with reckless abandon, keeping my head down, I was shocked at what I found when we finally returned to our starting point.
The boys who induced us into this adventure were literally lying on their backs and were laughing so hard that they could no longer stand. There they lay, holding their aching stomachs in pain due to the extended laughter.
My first reaction was that they believed their deception had worked. But, I also thought that they did not know what I knew—that there was a devil just down the block and that it was waiting for innocent kids like me. What they had projected in apparent jest, turned out to be the truth. I knew that what I saw was real and this fact would be verified by later life experiences.
Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain
I did not tell this story to anyone for almost fifty years. How could I? People would certainly think that I was nuts. In fact, it never would have been told if it was an isolated event. However, it was definitely not an isolated event, as you will find out in subsequent postings. Rather, it was a warning of the truth that the devil is real and is out to destroy us and the purpose for which God created us. I should have heeded this warning of truth about the existence of the devil. Unfortunately I did not and had to suffer the consequences that will also be described in subsequent postings.
Please do not make the same mistake I did. Be careful of what you believe, and be cautious about the choices that you make because your life hangs in the balance. Do not be careless in disregarding the spiritual messages that you receive, but rather seek for an explanation. Know that God is trying to communicate to you in various forms and that these communications are often unbelievable by our physical world’s norms because they are spiritual truths. Also remember that even Jesus was tempted by the devil so expect that we also will have to make choices that demonstrate our belief in God. We will go deeper into all of this as we progress with our postings.
In my previous posting (Possess-the-Vision) I communicated that I was going to present the spiritual experiences of my life that led to the creation of the Possess the Vision Mission Statement (PTV Mission-Statement.)
My story of my first leap of faith is very unusual and yet it contains a spiritual message foundational to the PTV Mission. Like the prior posting (Dad-Comes-Home,) I recommend looking at this story as a parable, which is a story told in earthly terms but designed to communicate a heavenly message. The message is that we have a heavenly Father that wants us to step out in our faith for Him. When we do so He will support our initiative and protect us from harm. With that said, here is my story:
One day not long after my father’s arrival home my dad was taking care of me while I ate lunch in my high chair. Having had enough lunch and not liking to sit still for very long I squeezed out of my seat and stood up on the high chair tray. My dad was all the way on the other side of the kitchen when he noticed what I had done. I was very excited about achieving this feat and started jumping up and down on the tray of the chair. My dad’s first reaction was to freeze, not wanting to do anything that might make me fall. While he was looking straight at me I grinned and jumped once more just for fun. He said, “Don’t you dare.” For some reason, I thought it would be great amusement to jump and have my dad catch me as there was no doubt in my mind that he would. So, I jumped from the tray as if it were a game and when I did my dad took several quick steps before diving into a slide on the floor, catching me just in time to keep me from being seriously injured. It would seem that I had a natural trust in my father’s ability from the very beginning.
This story communicates that God wants us to act on the faith that He has given us. He wants us to take action on the desires that He has placed in our heart. Most importantly, He wants us to know that He will be there for us if things don’t always work out as planned. I offer the story about Peter walking on water as support for this message. Here is that story.
Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” Matt 14: (22-33)
Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water
So, the moral of this story is do not doubt. Get out of the boat and do what God has put into your heart. Pay no attention to all the evil winds that will blow around you, but rather have perfect faith in your Father in heaven, knowing full well that even if your faith fails that your loving Father will be there to rescue you.
I have decided to publish the most significant sections of my book entitled; “Possess the Vision,” here on my web site. They contain the stories of how God both, protected me and guided me on to a course toward realizing His vision.
I will present these experiences in chronological order to enable a strong understanding of God’s guidance and protection throughout my lifetime. Some of these experiences seem innocent, and yet they convey a vital spiritual message. Others are outrageous in that they defy scientific explanation, things like out-of-body experiences, walking in the spiritual realm, divine interventions and of course, heavenly visions of what God wants for our future.
These experiences will also include what would be considered coincidental, things like moving halfway across the country only to find out that it was the place He wanted us to be, a place where we could see how the Holy Spirit worked through His people. It was there I received the call to possess the vision.
When I started writing down my experiences, I intended to document what I believed was fascinating and profound. In the process of writing them down, however, I saw that I was being guided and protected for some reason. So, I started to examine several other life experiences that I had but was unable to explain. What they showed me was that God had been working in my life from the very beginning. The fact that God was at the heart of all them was a shock to me; it was something I had never before considered.
As I lived these experiences, I often asked myself one question: why were these things happening to me? Of all people in the world, why me? I discovered the answer as I was documenting them. My revelation was that God was protecting me because He created me for a purpose. God created me to Possess the Vision.
I hope that in reading my story that you will join me in Possessing the Vision.
The world is a stage where we demonstrate our choices for either good, or evil. God stopped eternity to give us time (there is no time in eternity) to give us an opportunity to demonstrate where we choose to spend eternity.
Things are not like they we in the Garden of Eden where the perfection of God was everywhere. In the garden all but one choice was good. In addition, there was no knowledge of evil except for the forbidden Tree of Good and Evil. So, I would think that things were easier then. We only had one thing to avoid.
Adam and Eve in the Garden
Things are much more difficult now. God’s perfection is continuously being destroyed by the activities of man. There is only one choice for good and that is the Tree of Life that is Jesus. One the other hand the knowledge of evil is everywhere as people seem do evil without conscience. People seem egger for the evil choices that make them feel good, or that lead to riches or that make them seem important in the eyes of others. All of these can become stumbling blocks for Christians as well. Even Jesus was tempted by these things.
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil
But one thing is certain and that is we all have the power to choose and we demonstrate our choices every day. We choose to either love or to hate, to reveal the truth or lie, to save life or to kill, to be a friend or an enemy, to help others or to help ourselves, to live for God or to server the devil. The choices are all up to us. The power is in our hands.
Our choice to follow Jesus is the difficult road, the road less traveled; the narrow path if you will. It is the choice of love (see our postings on love). It is a difficult path to walk down because the world does not understand why anyone would do it. It makes no sense to them. They see self giving love as illogical. Since they live in darkness they can not comprehend the light of God.
Those who take the road less traveled will find themselves on a genuine search to find God by following the pathway to His door. They will find themselves doing His will, attempting to become like Him, knowing Him and having a personal relationship with Him that lasts forever. In this relationship they become one with Jesus. They will find that our life here on earth is to prepare the way for His return in a similar way to that of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for His first coming.
SEEKING JESUS 