Tag Archive: Ministry


The Bride of Christ is to Make a Straight Path for the Return of Jesus

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — Leave a comment
February 13, 2011

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

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.

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GOD KEEPS ON TALKING

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February 7, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.

GOD KEEPS ON TALKING

In our recent postings we have provided a basic understanding of the bride of Christ. In these postings we have illuminated a vision of who the bride is and in doing so, have adequately revealed her mission as taking up the work that Jesus did on earth. We started all of this because of my experience of being a part of the bride in a prayer group meeting.

The Power of Prayer

If you recall, we were getting involved in personal relationships at a new church God had moved us to from half way across the country. Prior to this I had surrendered to God and promised to do what ever He wanted. The vision of the bride of Christ was but just the first of many communications that were to come from God in short order. All of them are supernatural, and because of this they are for the most part totally unbelievable to most people in the world. In today’s posting we start with a message delivered by the auditable voice of God.

THE VOICE OF GOD

One day, I was out on the deck soaking up some sun and looking at the ocean. After fifteen minutes, I decided that I had enough sun and started back inside through the doorway leading from the loft. As I proceeded through the doorway I heard a powerfully masculine and yet gentle voice say, “Joe Gordon.” It was as if everything else stopped when the voice spoke. While it was speaking, everything started moving in slow motion—time itself was slowing down. While it was speaking, I could hear nothing else. I knew that it was the audible voice of God. I lost control of my muscle function, and my entire body turned as limp as a jellyfish. My legs stopped moving at the precise moment that the voice began, and my knees started to crumble as I fell forward through the doorway. My forward momentum carried me on a collision course with the glass top of the pinball machine that was just inside the loft door.

Amazingly, my muscles regained their strength at the very instant the voice stopped. It stopped just in time to enable me to get my hands and arms in position to brace my fall against the metal edge of the pinball machine. I had adverted injury that could have been substantial had I not regained my strength at the last moment. I got my feet and legs back under me and gradually stood up straight, looking around the room for a visible manifestation of God. I saw nothing but the things in the room. I waited silently for more words from God but none came. I did not know what to do. So, I responded in the same manner as the prophets of God in the Bible. I said, “Here I am Lord,” but there was no answer. My heart was pounding as I stood perfectly still, hoping that the voice would return. I wondered if there would be a message or direction from God. Still, there was only silence. Eventually, I slowly walked off, being very puzzled.

I started thinking about the voice that for a moment had nullified my strength. It was so perfect, and I could not help but wonder about it. How could the voice be so powerful yet so gentle at the same time? This voice displayed perfect pace and enunciation as well. The inflections of the voice seemed to convey a type of call but otherwise did not evoke any other kind of emotion. It was devoid of anger or agitation. It was a voice of peace. I did not know what to make of a voice that simply called my name and uttered nothing more. I would get additional insight into this event the very next day.

In an effort to get closer to God I had made a commitment to read the Bible every day. It became my habit to get up very early each morning and read prior to prayer. I had set a goal of reading the entire Bible from cover to cover. At the time, I had already finished the entire New Testament and was almost half way through the Old Testament. The following scripture was one of the passages I read

the next morning:

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, oh Jacob and He who formed you, oh Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you (Isaiah 43:1–2).

This scripture was the confirmation of what had happened in my life. Chills ran up and down my spine as I realized that God had just called me by my name. I belonged to Him now, and if I did not know it before I now knew that He would be with me through all the difficult times ahead. He was with me at that moment, and would be there throughout my future. He would be there for my walk toward His plan.

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.


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The Vision Statement of the Bride of Christ

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Jesus, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment
January 31, 2011

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

The Vision Statement of the Bride of Christ

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

We identified that the bride is to take on the ministry of Jesus and therefore is to become like Him: The-Bride-of-Christ-Becomes-Just-Like-Jesus

Then we presented the truth that the bride of Christ is to do even greater works than Jesus did: The-Bride-of-Christ-does-Greater-Works-than-Jesus

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. 

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”  

 
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The Bride of Christ Does Greater Works than Jesus

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Jesus, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment
January 28, 2011

 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

 

The Bride of Christ Does Greater Works than Jesus

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.

 

Jesus is the Light of the World

 

 

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The Bride of Christ Becomes Just Like Jesus

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Jesus, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
January 25, 2011

 
 
 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

 

The Bride of Christ Becomes Just Like Jesus

 

 

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.  

 

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

 

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Keep the Faith

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Spirituality — Leave a comment
June 30, 2010

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

To the one who has long waited for the promise of God

and waits day after day, year after year.

Are you concerned or growing doubtfull

That His promise may not come?

Have your prayers fallen on deaf ears

and does heaven seem so far away?

Is your hope fading? Then I say believe – believe beyond what you see.

The promise will surely come, sometime, someway, somewhere.

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My Encounter with a Brick Wall

Filed under: ESP, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment
June 9, 2010

My Encounter with a Brick Wall

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 Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Prior to becoming a teenager I had a series of experiences that were quite unusual. It all started when I had a dream that I came to a brick wall that blocked my path. In the dream I tried to get past the wall in many different ways but was unable to do so.

In my dream I found myself continuously searching for a way that would get me past this obstacle. For example, I would search for a way through the wall by looking for holes or week spots. Not find any I would then search for a way around the wall but only found impassable dead ends. After that I searched along the base of the wall only to find no way under it. Next, I contemplated how I might be able to go over the wall, but I could not manage it. Once I had tried all of the possible ways to pass by the wall, I would start back at the beginning and complete the cycle of searches over again. I just kept searching and searching, over and over again without success. Even worse I had this dream several times over the course of several months. Frequently, the dream would last through the night, ending when I awoke still trying to find a way to the other side.

One evening I joined up with some of the kids in the neighborhood who were hanging out down the street. Interestingly, some of these kids were the ones who had the great laugh on me in the bogeyman story (Seeing-the-Devil-at-a-Young-Age). An addition was that one of the boys had an older brother present. We were standing around and talking when the older brother suggested that we all go down to Hastings Street.

I was by far the youngest and had no idea what Hastings Street was or why anyone might want to go there. Much later in life I found out that it was one of the highest crime areas in Detroit. It was a black section of town in which anything and everything was happening. The other boys all wanted to go, so I jumped in the older brother’s car for what I thought would be a nice ride.

As we drove along, the older brother started to take big gulps from a bottle of flavored vodka that he had stashed under the driver’s seat. It seemed that in no time at all he was quite drunk. In fact, by the time we got to Hastings Street he was a sloppy, goofy drunk and way out of control.

I was in the back seat sandwiched between two of the other boys as we cruised very slowly down Hastings Street. Looking out through the car windows I saw large groups of people walking and seemingly just hanging out on the street. There were women in fancy clothes standing on the street corners and under streetlights. There were bars with their doors propped open that spewed out the loud music being played inside.

For some reason our totally intoxicated driver started to sing in a very loud voice, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.” Being very amused with himself, he followed his newly created song with a loud belly laugh. Then he rolled down his window, hung his head out and sang as loudly as he could, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes,” and again he followed up with another belly laugh.

I remember being embarrassed at first. But after a few renditions, I started to become quite concerned because of the inappropriateness of this activity, especially in this neighborhood.

To make things worse we couldn’t get him to stop. He just kept repeating his homemade song and laughing again and again. Now the other boys started shouting at him and telling him to shut up but he ignored their comments and continued. Then they threatened him with violence and promised that they would collectively jump on him and beat the crap out of him if he didn’t stop. No response. Then they actually started slapping him on the head when we came to the stoplight.

The light was red and we were nervously waiting for it to change to green so that we could start moving again. When the light changed and we had crossed the intersection I gasped at what I saw through the windshield. A chill went down my spine as the car slowed down because of the red brick wall that crossed the entire roadway. It was the wall I saw in my dream.

There was obviously no way around it on Hastings Street either, so we initiated a u-turn. But our inebriated driver was having difficulty making the turn. As we were about halfway through the turn I could see men coming out from between the buildings and out of the alleys in front of the wall. They were carrying weapons in their hands, baseball bats, lumber, and tire irons. As I looked around I could see that they were coming at us from several directions.

In the meantime, our drunk driver stalled the car after having turned it back toward the light. He tried restarting but the engine did not start. It turned over and over again, but did not start. I looked and the men were getting closer. The groaning sound of the car’s starter was now slowing down as it became obvious that the battery was rapidly losing power.

When I thought that it would stop turning over altogether I noticed that groups of angry men were getting much closer. It was then that a horrible thought came to me—it was possible we could all die here and no one would ever know what happened. Just when I was about to give up hope, and seemingly on its last turn of the engine, the car fired up. The engine was now roaring, apparently due to the accelerator being floored.  Our driver now seemed very sober, dropped the shifter down into first gear and we peeled away. But by now the angry men were now running alongside and behind the car. I watched them just a few feet away slamming the car with their bats, two by fours and tire irons. The sounds of these weapons hitting the sheet metal of the car were horrific. We finally started to pick up speed and pull away from the angry mob that chased us down the street. I am sure that if we had been there just a few more seconds, our fate may have met a quite different ending.

In looking back at this incident, I know that the dream of the brick wall was another warning from God. But then just exactly what could I have done? I did not have to get into the car but then how was I to know that it would lead me to the brick wall? There is no way that I could have known!

Perhaps it was God’s way of letting me know that He was there watching over me and protecting me from harm. Let’s think this through for a moment. If there was no dream, then I would just be one of six lucky guys who escaped from a potentially horrific circumstance that they got themselves into. But because there was dream, (in fact a series of persistent dreams), means two very important things. First, that a force greater than I knew that this event was about to happen. And second, that this force was able to change the circumstances that may have led to an ill faded outcome. If that were not the case then we would not have been in danger and therefore there would be no reason for the dream at all.

But there is a bigger message as well. I believe that the brick wall that crossed by path had a bigger message. I believe that the road way represented my life and that the brick wall represented its premature ending. My search for a way around the wall was a reflection of my will to live. Therefore, the message is clear. The forces of evil are planning to abort your life. Although I did not know it at the time, it was an attack of spiritual warfare. This was the second time I had looked death in the eyes (see I-Dream-that-i-was-Like-Superman)and it would prove not to be the last. The next attempt will leave no doubt as to what was going on. We will tell you about it in one of our future postings.

In the meantime, If you would like to catch up on the prior postings of this series please use the following links:

Possess-the-Vision

Dad-Comes-Home

Take-a-Leap-of-Faith

The-Meaning-of-Choice

Seeing-the-Devil-at-a-Young-Age

I-Dream-that-i-was-Like-Superman

Premonition-of-an-Automobile-Accident

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PREMONITION OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

Filed under: Covenant, ESP, Faith, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare, the Holy Spirit — 5 Comments
June 4, 2010

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

PREMONITION OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

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.

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I DREAM THAT I WAS LIKE A SUPERMAN

Filed under: Faith, Ministry, Possess the Vision, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 4 Comments
June 1, 2010

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

 

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.

 

May God’s blessings be upon you!

Papa Joe, and remember to:

A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS

 

 

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TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH

Filed under: Covenant, Faith, Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 3 Comments
May 4, 2010

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH

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.

 

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