Tag Archive: spiritual warfare



The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

WHO IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?

In our prior posting I communicated that I attended a prayer meeting in which I spiritually became one with the bride of Christ. Later, as things were to unfold this experience proved to be critical in the development of what God wants us all to be a part of during our remaining time hear on earth. In essence, this prayer group experience becomes a corner stone to the vision communicated in the book, “Possess the Vision.” Because of all of these facts, and since we plan to present this vision to you in later postings, it would seem appropriate at this point to delve into the scriptures and glean additional insight into who the bride of Christ is.

The bride is the cumulative body of Christ, formed of the redeemed of the Lord: 

But, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15 – 16). 

This statement ties in with my prayer meeting experience when I perceived the bride to be the accumulation of all the righteous of the Lord into one body, wherein each person is like a single atom of that body. Each individual has its own function and purpose but is at the same time is linked together will all others, such that they function as one body toward the accomplishment of the Lord’s mission.

The bride is pure and holy. She is a gift to God, perfect in every way:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25 – 27). 

This statement also ties in with my prayer meeting experience as I experienced the bride preparing herself for the union with Jesus. She did this by making her garments perfect and pure and by meditating on all the reasons that she is in love with Jesus.

Jesus spoke to His disciples about the bride in the following passage:

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:2 – 6).

In this passage Jesus states that He will come again and take His disciples into Himself. Therefore, the two become one and this is symbolic of marriage where the two are proclaimed to be one. Since Jesus also describes the building of many mansions in the statement above, there must be enough people to occupy these many mansions to comprise the entire city of the holy Jerusalem, which is clarified in the scripture below:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ”Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God (Revelation 21:9 – 10).

 

So the bride of Christ is the holy Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from God. This passage confirms that the Lamb (Jesus,) has a wife and therefore is married. In our next posting we will drill down a bit into the bride’s preparation.

 


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.  

The Spiritual Realm of the Bride of Christ

 We had made some new friends at church and they in turn, introduced us to a prayer group meeting that they knew about. It was being hosted by another couple who attended our church. During this meeting, I had an experience where I kept hearing a series of words over and over again in my head. I wanted to memorize these words and the repetition helped me do this.

The Power of Prayer

 In addition, I had thoughts and memories that were not mine. I had the distinct understanding that they were the thoughts of the bride of Christ on her wedding day. It was as if I was inside the bride of Christ. The following passage is what I remember experiencing during the meeting:

We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quiet time; a time of preparedness, for there was to be a great event of which none can compare. There was joy and happiness. There was anticipation, for we are the source of celebration. We are the focus of attention. There is no sound in the room, just the song of rustling linen.

 

The quiet is good for reflection upon the images of the old world. There were trials, tribulations, and threats of war. In looking back, there were wars, earthquakes, storms, floods, disease, famine, pestilence, and sin. The earth was fouled. There was war with Satan, and then the victory of souls. Eventually, confrontation came with the beast and the final victory—the deliverance and unity of the saved. 

We are a new creation! We are the culmination of saved souls. We are one being comprised of many in the perfect image and likeness of God, assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew. There is great unity and power in the new creation. There is ecstasy in the bride. Every soul that exists in the bride shouts with joy, for we all know that we confessed Him. We all know that we changed our sinful ways for Him. We all obeyed His commandments, and we all loved Him. We are so united when we think of Him.

 

How many times did He forgive us? How many times did He heal us? How many times did He save us from evil or keep us from harm? How endless is His love? Truly, this is our hour. The preparation is complete.

 

Someone knocks at the door. It is the Father, and He is beaming. He holds out His arm, we take it and walk arm in arm. We enter the great hall where the floor is as a single dark green emerald. In this room, the pews are crystal,29 the walls are gold, and there is no ceiling, just the sky. The seats are filled with the winged angels, dressed in white. They are all gazing at us while singing the wedding song in seven-part harmony. We look for Him, but the aisle is too long to see the end. We walk, and we walk.

 

We see Him! JOY! JOY! He is very handsome as He smiles a big smile, and we see heaven in His eyes. We keep walking, and then we are there. The Father presents the bride. Jesus holds out His hand. Our heart sings as we take His hand.

 

The angel, Gabrielle, conducts the ceremony, but we can think of nothing but Him. We say, “I do.” We hear, “You may kiss the bride.” Anticipation! He comes closer, facing us. He lifts the veil, draws closer and embraces us.

Jesus is the Light of the World

Cheers and celebrations! We turn to face the assembly. We walk down the aisle. The angels are delirious. They sing, they fly, and they cause great explosions in the sky. A new, larger sun rises30 over the altar behind us. A new world awaits us.

During the prayer meeting, I spoke words very similar to these for all to hear. These are the thoughts and words that I received from God and spoke in prayer at the meeting that day. Despite having spoken these words, I had no previous knowledge of their foundation. I did not know anything about the bride of Christ. Indeed, I did not even know that there was such a thing. I had no idea what I was doing or experiencing.  

When it came my time to pray, I had simply repeated the words that God had given me just moments before. I also thought that they were special enough that I wrote them down when I got home. Not immediately, but over the course of several years I began to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Review – SIGNIFICANCE TO THE VISION

In the postings of the past several months, I have been telling about the spiritual attack that brought me to be brink of death on multiple occasions. An attack that even took me to the other side of our human reality, into the spiritual realm that exists beyond our death. I experienced hell, the lake of fire, the devil and the judgment day while outside my body.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

When I returned I though all of this was a really bad dream but the reality was that the devil kept attacking me time after time until I finally surrendered to God.

 I finally told God that I would do whatever He wanted and He gave me a vision of an earth filled with Jesus that was a beautiful, ever blooming flower. Still unaware that He was moving in my life, God relocated me to a place where I could learn more about the vision He has shown me, and He blessed me all along the way. He drew me to the exact church and ministry where I would find the vision. Shortly after I arrived there I publicly surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and at that moment, a major victory was won in the heavenly realm.

From this point forward there would begin a steady flow of messages designated to instill in me an understanding of the vision God wanted me to possess. I did not understand much of this yet, and a lot would come later with the writing of my book, “Possess the Vision.”

Starting with this posting we will introduce more of the spiritual experience that led to the development of the Vision statement foundation, and we will also look at the scriptures that support them as well.

 

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.  


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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

Review of Prior Postings

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God.  If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment by Rogier Van Der Weyden

The Last Judgment by Rogier Van Der Weyden

I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

In the past few postings I have reveled how much my life has changed since these experiences. It all started when I surrendered to God (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and told Him that I would do what ever He wanted me to do. Immediately afterward I have this awe inspiring vision of Jesus filling the earth (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision). The next thing that I knew was that all of my worries about my job were resolved in a miraculous way. Finally, God leads me to the exact place He wants me to go by moving me half way across the country (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings). All of this leads to an official surrender to God in the church that He led me to.

PUBLICLY COMING TO CHRIST

We started attending this church on a regular basis immediately after this first visit. The pastor would deliver an altar call every Sunday so that everyone would have a chance to give their life to Jesus. Each week, people came to the altar to accept Jesus. For me it was only a few weeks before I was one of many who stepped forward and gave my life to Christ. On the day of my rebirth, I would say that the pastor was flowing in the spirit. He had one hand raised high above his head as he came to me. His eyes were blazing, and he stared directly at me as he shouted praises to God in a very loud voice. I remember thinking to myself—there are twenty people up here—why is he staring at me? Much later he told me that he had sensed a major shift in heaven at the time. Perhaps this referred to the spiritual victory that was achieved by the Lord snatching me right out of the hands of Satan. But the pastor did not know what I had been through because I never told him. Surely God had been communicating with him that day.

SIGNIFICANCE TO THE VISION

The devil kept striking me but I finally surrendered to God. I said that I would do whatever He wanted and He immediately showed me the vision of an earth filled with Jesus blooming into a beautiful ever blooming flower. Then He moved me to a place where I could learn more about the dream and He blessed me all along the way. He drew me to the exact church and ministry where the vision could be found. In return I publicly surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and a major victory was won in the heavenly realm. From this point forward there would begin a steady flow of messages designated to instill in me an understanding of the vision God wanted me to possess. I did not understand much of this yet, and a lot would come later with the writing of my book entitled, “Possess the Vision.” In the next series of postings we will introduce the vision statement and how my spiritual experience and scriptures help to form its foundation.

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


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Review of Prior Postings

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God. 

If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

 I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

 Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

Seek God and He Will Lead You to Find Him

In the past few postings my life has changed significantly. It all started when I surrendered to God (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and told Him that I would do what ever He wanted me to do. Immediately afterward I have this awe inspiring vision of Jesus filling the earth (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision). The next thing that I knew was that all of my worries about my job were resolved in a miraculous way. I got a job offer in California with a substantial raise, while at the same time accepted an early retirement program from my current employer that included a year’s salary, medical benefits and flight privileges for life (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings).

 So we moved to California not realizing that it was God pulling all the strings for us. We soon moved into a new apartment and shortly afterward had a visit from our daughter who had just graduated from college and had the summer off. One day, I came home from work and found the two of them in the living room talking about God. They were laughing and having a great time but for some reason, I could not relate to what they were saying. Then for some unknown reason I blurted out, “I don’t know what it is that the two of you have, but I want it!” They just stared at me in a daze, seemingly totally surprised at what I had just said. Now this was the second time that I had verbally exercised my need for God. I should have known that He would honor my request.

 One evening not long after, I was in the loft trying to find something to watch on television and was rapidly flipping through the channels. I flipped right past this man in a white suit who was talking about God. Something about what he said in that half second caught my attention. By the time that it hit me, I had already flipped down three additional channels. So, I flipped back to hear more and the more the man talked, the more I liked what he had to say. I called my wife into the room, and she liked him as well. More interesting, he was going to be at a church near Los Angeles, California that week. We did not know anything about this church but were excited about what we heard. So, we decided to see this man in person. I had never before attended a charismatic church service and was not sure what to expect. Apparently, this pastor was famous and he demonstrated signs and wonders in his ministry.

We had to drive half way across Los Angeles to get to this church which was approximately fifty minutes away from where we lived. When we got there, we had to wait in a line that wrapped all the way around this very large church building. Everyone was talking about this man’s visit. They made it seem like a really big deal. We hurriedly grabbed a seat to the side of the choir. The service started with music and song. They had an excellent musical group and a large choir. They played and sang the loudest church music I had ever heard. In addition, all the songs were new to me. Everyone else seemed to know the words by heart. I noticed that people were raising their hands while singing. They were praising God so I decided to join them by raising my arms as well. I was trying very hard to get connected with God.

 Then a minister came out to lead the people in prayer. I remember hearing the people next to me pray in a language that I thought was Latin, and I wondered what this might mean. I thought that perhaps they were foreigners. But then, they spoke such good English prior to the service. This is extremely strange, I thought.

Then the visiting evangelist came out, dressed in a white suit. He started to preach and after the message, led the people in praising God with music and song. This continued for some time. The program slowly progressed into spiritual praise and worship. Then suddenly and without any warning, he coiled his right arm all the way around to the left side of his body. Then he swung it back around, past the audience in front of him, and across his right side. The momentum then extended it back toward the choir behind him while he shouted, “Choir, receive your anointing.” To my amazement, the entire choir that had been standing behind him fell to their chairs in unison. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was astounding. They fell as if they were an integrated unit. They fell in such precision. It appeared as if someone had released a trap door where they were standing. I remember thinking that this could not be faked. It was executed so perfectly. Even if they had practiced for months, they would not have been able to achieve this degree of synchronization.

 But even more importantly, we were hit by it as well. No, I did not fall to my seat along with the choir but I got hit with what seemed to me to be a bolt of electricity that ignited my heart. Because of its impact I had to catch my breath. This powerful charge to my heart started a pleasant warming sensation that lasted for the rest of the church service. I did not know what was going on inside my body, but there was something real working in my heart.

 I then looked all around the church to see what was going on around me. I saw people down in their seats in all sections of the building. It would seem that they also had been affected as I had. There was no doubt that God was working at this church. I was really searching God, and I found Him that night. I had said that I wanted Him in my life and He led me to the place where I could do so. He had taken us to where He wanted us to go. He blessed us for earnestly seeking Him and the blessings were not to going to stop. Just like the ever blooming flower in the vision that He showed me, the goodness of God goes on forever.


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Review of Prior Postings

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God. 

The Judgment Seat of Christ 

If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

 

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day 

 I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

 If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

 Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

 The past three postings address my surrender to God, (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and the beautiful vision of the world to come (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision) and my dramatically changed (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings.)

GOD’S PLAN BEGINS WITH BLESSINGS

The vision that I saw that night was an experience of an eternity. But morning came and it was back to the reality of everyday life. I had not escaped the job problems that, in retrospect, I really brought upon myself. I received the poorest job performance review of my career and while it was quite unfair, I expected it. I had a big mouth and told the truth once too often. Shortly after the performance review, my boss called me into his office. He told me that I did not have what it took to be a manager. As a result he urged me to take a downgrade to a technical position. I coldly refused. I figured it was just a trick to get me into something that I could not handle. Granted, my performance review was less than an average, but it certainly did not communicate incompetence. Therefore, it could not be used as grounds for a demotion. In addition, I had more than ten years of great reviews which certainly would support my case.

 

But, there was no misunderstanding that this guy was out to get me by hook or by crook. As fate would have it, an opportunity was soon to come his way. Revenue of the business had become very poor. The economy had taken a nosedive. As a result, the management team requested that the IT department take an across-the-board headcount reduction. This was music to my boss’ ears. It was evident that he planned to surplus my job and cut me in the ensuing reduction in force initiative. In the meantime, the company decided to offer employees an attractive severance package. This meant that you could voluntarily leave the company and still receive retirement benefits. To qualify, you had to be near retirement age and have twenty or more years of service. I qualified for the twenty years of service rule. But, I would not meet the age requirement until my next birthday. The package was nothing more than a special early retirement offering. It included health insurance benefits until age sixty-five. In addition, since I worked for an airline, my wife and I would also receive retiree flight benefits for life. On top of all this, they would give me a year’s salary as a severance. This was a great package, if I could only get a waiver on the age requirement. I talked with the personnel department and was successful in getting a time bridge on my retirement date to my birthday. They decided to allow me to take a management leave of absence until that date. My boss had a different idea though. He tried to get me fired just a month prior to my eligibility for the retirement package. My response was to tell the personnel department that I planned to file an age discrimination suit if I was denied the package we discussed.

 

They understood my point of view and the ultimate consequence completely. Despite all of this, my boss was successful in eliminating my position in his department. He told personnel that he had no work for me, and that I should be terminated immediately. I had heard through the grapevine that the two departments were battling each other behind closed doors over the issue.

 

One day out of nowhere I was notified that a director that I had previously worked for was offering me an open managerial slot to enable me to work until I qualified for the severance package. I did not realize it at the time, but God was there again taking care of me just like all of the other times. Again, I thought that I had received a lucky break. What I certainly did not know was that this was just the start of God’s plan for me. I had promised to do whatever He wanted. Now, He was going to take action. He was going to lead me directly to where He wanted me to go, and what He wanted me to do. In addition, He was going to shower me with blessings and favor everywhere I went. This was just the start of the new life that God had in store for me. God was going to make my world blossom, just like in the vision.

 

I realized the first part of God’s program when the early retirement package was awarded. The next step was finding gainful employment, so I started looking around for another job.

Surprisingly, a very well know Entertainment Company in Burbank, CA sought me out. It is a long story, but my resume coincidentally just showed up there. They wanted to hire me over the phone. I couldn’t believe it. Even though anyone else would jump at a chance like this, I was cautious. I asked them to fly me out for an interview. They really wanted to hire me right away, but I was still several weeks away from completing the time element for the retirement package. Again, I had good fortune shining on me. They decided to wait for me to become available so that I would have no gap in employment.

So, we moved to California for a thirty percent raise. I also had a retirement package in my pocket that would start to produce income in five years, and I had medical and air travel benefits. In addition, I had a severance check for one year’s salary. We moved into a nice apartment in the town of Santa Monica, California, just three blocks from the ocean. It was just the place to enjoy beautiful views of both the ocean and the mountains from our deck. What a change of events. Not bad for someone who was still clueless about what God intended to do. He was putting everything in place. Unknowingly, I just went with the flow.


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Surrender is Followed by a Glorious Vision

Shortly after my surrender to God in the hallway of my home something amazing happened that was to signal a vastly different future for me. It happened as I was in bed. I was in that twilight place halfway between sleep and consciousness that I had a most beautiful vision. I will make an attempt to adequately describe what I experienced, even though I am sure that no description could ever live up to what I saw. None the less I will make an attempt to do so here:

 

The first thing that I saw was a bright florescent orange globe that appeared against a steel blue-black background.

The colors were sharp and crisp, and they emitted light from within somehow. The image was clearer and sharper that anything I had ever seen in my life. From time to time it seemed that knowledge about what I was watching would enter my head. In this regard I knew that the orange globe represented the earth. Despite this knowledge the sphere was one solid color and did not contain any visible signs of continents or oceans.

 

Then an object appeared at the geographic most Northern point of the sphere. The object had the shape of an Indian arrowhead. It was black, pointed on one end and had a short tail on the opposite end. In addition, it was very smooth and flat on the surface.

I thought of it as being a shuttle for some reason.

 

The shuttle started moving due south, leaving behind a thin black line at its trail. It traveled directly to where the South Pole is found and it disappeared, leaving a perfectly straight black line connecting the North and South Poles. It was a line that dissected the globe into two halves. I continued to watch as the shuttle reappeared at the North Pole again. This time it was on a different longitude track, drawing another black line across the face of the orange globe. I watched as it slowly traveled across the great face of this huge globe, seemingly inch by inch. I continued watching for quite a long time as several new lines were drawn over the face of the globe to the left and right of the original north/south line. The new lines were drawn in sets. Each line of a set was of equal distance from the original center line. When the shuttle had completed its vertical slicing, the shape of the globe resembled a peeled orange. All of the lines ran through both the North and South Poles. I was overwhelmed with the beauty of it all.

 

But, the shuttle had not completed its work. It reappeared at the eastern side of the ball’s equator and circled the globe several times until all of the latitudes were completed. I gazed upon the orange globe, now marked with horizontal and vertical lines. As I was marveling at its beauty, the orange skin started to peel away at the North Pole. Specifically, one of the orange-slice-shaped pieces curled back into a tightly wadded roll. This section rolled back until it passed the equator line. It stopped curling and looked like a tightly wound scroll. Then, one at a time, the rest of the orange slices performed the same curling process and each achieved the same result. This process revealed a pink layer that was previously hidden underneath the orange skin. The smooth, pink surface turned out to be the petals of a flower that was about to bloom. The tightly wrapped flower petals started to grow and mature. As they did, beautiful pink flower petals began to unravel. The flower continued to grow, and the petals continued to open up into a mature state. Next, the fully mature flower continued to produce new petals at its center, which is the equivalent of the North Pole point of the globe.

 

As the newly formed petals grew to maturity, they migrated to the outside to make room for new growth. Eventually the petals at the outside edge ran over the edge of the globe. They would hang down in a long stream of petals that somehow remained attached to the flower. The process continued and the train of pink flower petals continued to grow longer as well. I just watched in amazement, awestruck with the beauty of all of this. Then, somehow it dawned on me that this process was infinite. It would have no end. It would go on like this forever.

 

As I continued to watch this spectacular show, I wondered what would happen if I opened my eyes. Was it possible that I could be dreaming all of this? So, I opened my eyes and lifted my head in an effort to look around the room. To my astonishment, the vision continued even with my eyes wide open. Moreover, I could also see my dresser and the walls of the bedroom through the transparent-like vision of the flower. I did not understand how this could happen, but I did not want to miss any part of the dream. So, I quickly closed my eyes again to focus on whatever else might happen. However, I couldn’t help but wonder again about why this was happening to me. Why should I know this? What significance is this to me?

 

I am not exactly sure what happened next. Either the globe moved, or I moved. Perhaps it was a combination of both. Whatever occurred, it caused my perspective relative to the flower to change by ninety degrees. Initially, I was gazing at the flower from a point approximately even with the equator. When the movement was completed, I was gazing down on it from a point directly above the North Pole. To be more exact, I was directly above the precise center of the budding flower. While I was considering this in my mind, an opening appeared in the center of the flower, and I was drawn into it as if pulled by a magnet.

 

Once inside, I found myself at the feet of Jesus. This Jesus was not the same size as the man who once walked upon the earth. Rather, He filled the earth from pole to pole. His giant feet were planted at the North Pole. His head towered to the South Pole. He was dressed in a long white robe. I attempted to see His face, but the distance was further than I could clearly see. I was able to examine His arms, however, as they were outstretched to each side like the statue in Brazil.

It was as though He was administering a blessing to the people of the world.

 

The vision was beautiful in every way. It was more real than any of the experiences in this life. Interestingly, it occurred within days of my surrender. I did not know it then, but God was there once again. He had shown me the big picture or the end state. He had revealed His plan for me by showing me the vision. I was about to enter a world that would bud into a beautiful flower. This world would blossom forever because Jesus was at the center of it. In addition, this vision was not for me alone, but rather, for everyone who places Jesus at the center of their world. For them it is prophetic of God’s blessings that are to come upon His people. It is a picture of peace, well being, love, and relationship with the Father that God gave me to communicate to you. It is a promise of spiritual victory over evil right here on earth. It ultimately is a fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer that proclaims:

 

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9 – 10).

 

Therefore, the victory is in our hands. For God’s kingdom to come to earth, His will must first be done here on earth, just as it is being done in heaven. What a wonderful end-state it is! The inspiration to write my book, Possess the Vision, is founded on a world filled with Jesus at the center. As you will soon find out, God was about to bring me into a world filled with Jesus right here on earth.

Review of Prior Postings

For people interested in gaining insight into the context of this experience to everything else that was happening to me at that time, the following section is provided as an index to my postings about them.

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God. 

The Judgment Seat of Christ 

If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

 The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day 

 I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

 If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

 Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

 The past three postings address my surrender to God, (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and the beautiful vision of the world to come (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision) and my dramatically changed (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings.)


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Review of Prior Postings

In prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room near death. My spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality, of heaven and hell, and the Judgment God. 

The Judgment Seat of Christ 

If you would like to read the details of these postings, please use the following hyperlinks:

 

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day 

 I lived through the Judgment as I made a promise to God to change. I returned to the physical world and underwent several calamities that also brought me close to death. What I did not know was that I was under spiritual attack, an innocent victim of spiritual warfare.

 If you would like to read the details of these postings, simply click on the following hyperlinks:

 Back-from-Death

The-Physical-Impacts-of-Spiritual-Attack

The-Stench-of-Death

The-Aftershocks-of-Spiritual-Attack

Spiritual-Attack-Brings-a-Hopeless-Outlook

A-Catheter-in-the-Aorta

A-Healing-Miracle-Follows-Meager-Attempt-to-Find-God

Standing-Firm-for-What-God-put-into-my-Heart

The-Spiritual-Attacks-Continue

Spiritual-Warfare-Changes-Everything       

Satan-Calls

 The past three postings address my surrender to God, (I-Finally-Surrender-to-God) and the beautiful vision of the world to come (Surrender-is-Followed-by-a-Glorious-Vision) and my dramatically changed (Gods-Plans-Begin-with-Blessings.)

I Finally Surrender to God

In a series of prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room where the doctors did not expect me to live through the night. Being close to death, my spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality. I traveled to and swam in the Lake of Fire (also called the second death) where I experienced unimaginable horrors. I then went into Hell where I was confronted by Satan and experienced the incredible hatred that he has for me. Next I traveled to the Judgment Seat of Christ and heard the words from God that no one wants to hear, which were, “Why should you live?”

 

The Last Judgment by Rogier Van Der Weyden

 But I made a promise to God that I would be better if He would work with me. The next thing that I knew was that I woke up in the intensive care center. I had lived through the night but what was about to become clear was that the battle for my life was not over. My problem was an exploding pancreas was filling my body with powerful digestive enzymes capable of decomposing the internal organs of my body. So in effect, my body was disintegrating from the inside out. To slow down enzyme production I was placed on a strict fast until such time as a more definitive direction could be made. Then suddenly my vocal cords became swollen and choked off my air supply and an emergency operation was performed that saved my life. Another operation was performed to insure that I had proper levels of nutrition entering my body. Then I was beset by a series of traumatic attacks of a mysterious infection that took me to the brink of death on three separate occasions. Not realizing that I was under spiritual attack my troubles continued. Here is what happened next.

My health continued to improve slowly and I eventually started working full time again. Soon afterwards I transferred to our Dallas/ Fort Worth location. So there were some good things happening, but it was a mixed bag at the same time. Just after we moved to Texas, my dad died after being sick for over a year with a heart condition. I loved him very much and In losing my dad, I lost the one person in this world who truly believed in me. I miss him still. In the meantime, I was having work-related problems. There had been a departmental reorganization at work and I found myself working for someone who had very different ideas than I did. As time went on, the situation became more and more unbearable and I became increasingly unhappy. One night after my wife was in bed, I walked the hallway thinking about the possibility of being out of work. There had been some rumors about a reduction in staffing levels coming down the pike. My disagreements on the direction of the department would make me an easy target if such a reduction in force were to take place. I thought about how hard it would be to find another job in the current down economy. What bothered me more than anything was the thought about how I was letting my family down.

 

This was a breaking point for me. I just could not handle all the turmoil in my life anymore. As I walked back and forth down the hallway of my home I became emotionally upset and I finally gave up on the idea that I could do it all on my own. I lost my balance and fell against the wall on my left side crying. Then I blurted out, “Okay God, I give up. I will do whatever You want me to do.” Those words came from my heart.

 

I did not realize it then, but this surrender was the start of wonderful changes. Things would continue to get worse for a while, but now God was going to show me that He had a new direction and a new strategy for my life. Big changes were in store for me, whether I knew it or not. I was about to move into the realm of God’s will. In addition, I was about to learn how God leads and works with His people in this world. I was about to experience the blessings and favor that He bestows on those who faithfully follow and love Him.

 

The Transfigured Jesus With Moses And Elijah

 

 

Most importantly, I was about to see the manifestation of the power and glory of God. I was now headed directly toward a relationship with the one and only God. From this point forward I would be changed forever, never to be my former self again—never wanting to go back, never looking back, and all the while discovering that I had received the most tremendous blessing possible. I had been saved from the horrible fate that I had chosen for myself and had been placed on a pathway that leads to the glory of God (notice the pathway carved out of the earth below, the one that leads to the glory of God.)

 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

 


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.

SATAN CALLS

In a series of prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room where the doctors did not expect me to live through the night. Being close to death, my spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality. I traveled to and swam in the Lake of Fire (also called the second death) where I experienced unimaginable horrors. I then went into Hell where I was confronted by Satan and experienced the incredible hatred that he has for me. Next I traveled to the Judgment Seat of Christ and heard the words from God that no one wants to hear, which were, “Why should you live?”

If you would like to read the details of all of this please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

But I made a promise to God that I would be better if He would work with me. The next thing that I knew was that I woke up in the intensive care center. I had lived through the night but what was about to become clear was that the battle for my life was not over. My problem was an exploding pancreas was filling my body with powerful digestive enzymes capable of decomposing the internal organs of my body. So in effect, my body was disintegrating from the inside out. To slow down enzyme production I was placed on a strict fast until such time as a more definitive direction could be made. Then suddenly my vocal cords became swollen and choked off my air supply and an emergency operation was performed that saved my life. Another operation was performed to insure that I had proper levels of nutrition entering my body. Then I was beset by a series of traumatic attacks of a mysterious infection that took me to the brink of death on three separate occasions. I still did not realize that I was under a spiritual attack and as a result the attacks continued. Just to be sure that there was no mistake about what was happening, Satan himself was about to let me know what the source of my future troubles was. Here is what happened.

One day I was alone in my apartment and the phone rang. I picked it up and the voice at the other end said, “This is Satan.” The voice was not that of a human. It sounded like something from a science fiction movie. It was loud and somewhat garbled. I would define it as metallic sounding—computer generated. There were several distinct threads to the voice, and each was at a different octave. It was like several people were all saying the same thing at the same time but not totally synchronized. That gave the cumulative voice a garbled effect. Based on my experience in hell, you can imagine what I must have been thinking. I was scared out of my wits. Trembling and in a panic, I hung up. I thought that there must be some explanation. This must be a prank of some kind. Perhaps someone was having some fun with me—using some sort of electronic mechanism. But who would do such a thing? I tried to put it out of my mind. Again, I rationalized it away. Maybe it was just a prankster who called the wrong number.

I was rocked again a few days later when the same thing happened. But this harassment wasn’t over yet. Things were about to get even weirder. I had contemplated moving to another city and was looking for new job opportunities. I looked in the National Business Employment Weekly newspaper one day, and found a job ad that looked promising. So, I called the number listed; a voice answered the phone and said, “This is Satan.” It was the same garbled voice again. I said, “What?” I was hoping I had not heard correctly. “This is Satan,” the voice replied. My heart was pounding as I crashed the receiver down. How in the world could this be? No one I knew could have done anything like this. How could this be? Sometimes you just don’t want to see the handwriting on the wall. I called again, thinking I had gotten the wrong number or something. The same thing happened. I never called again. I was terrified.

Satan had not given up. He was still coming after me. But at the time all of this was a mystery to me. I was a blind man walking in a mine field, ready to be victimized once again by the evil forces that exist and flourish against the good people of this world who do not seek God. So, even though I still did not realize it, more attacks were on the way.

If Satan is attempting to destroy your life also, then turn to Jesus for help. Invite Him into your life. Say the following words: Jesus I need you. I invite you into my life. I ask for your forgiveness for all of the wrong doings of my life, especially those when I turned my back on you. I now seek to conform my life to your will and to be the person you want me to be. I now therefore reject Satan and all the works of the devil. I reject the glamor of this world and seek the love of God in my life. Sweet Jesus be my protector, my salvation and my leader toward a new life. I ask this in the name of Jesus the Christ of Nazareth.

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

To start you on your new road toward God, seek to find Him through scripture reading and prayer. Find a quiet time to read and meditate. Start with the book of John reading for 15 to 20 minutes. Then stop and ask God to explain these scriptures to you. Compare the deeds of your life to those of the stories you read. Ask God to reveal and help you rectify any discrepancy. Put all of your troubles behind you. Give them to Jesus and ask Him to carry them for you. Seek God in the quiet. Don’t worry about talking but rater seek to hear in the quiet. Try to continuously pull yourself toward God in the spiritual realm. Seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit in all of the above. Remember, Jesus has been victorious over the devil.

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.


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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

Spiritual Warfare Changes Everything

In a series of prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room where the doctors did not expect me to live through the night. Being close to death, my spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality. I traveled to and swam in the Lake of Fire (also called the second death) where I experienced unimaginable horrors. I then went into Hell where I was confronted by Satan and experienced the incredible hatred that he has for me. Next I traveled to the Judgment Seat of Christ and heard the words from God that no one wants to hear, which were, “Why should you live?”

If you would like to read the details of all of this please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment

But I made a promise to God that I would be better if He would work with me. The next thing that I knew was that I woke up in the intensive care center. I had lived through the night but what was about to become clear was that the battle for my life was not over. My problem was an exploding pancreas was filling my body with powerful digestive enzymes capable of decomposing the internal organs of my body. So in effect, my body was disintegrating from the inside out. To slow down enzyme production I was placed on a strict fast until such time as a more definitive direction could be made. Then suddenly my vocal cords became swollen and choked off my air supply and an emergency operation was performed that saved my life. Another operation was performed to insure that I had proper levels of nutrition entering my body. Then I was beset by a series of traumatic attacks of a mysterious infection that to me to the brink of death on three separate occasions. I still did not realize that I was under a spiritual attack and as a result the attacks continued. The remaining portion of this posting will address a how these attacks of spiritual warfare would totally change my life.

Spiritual Warfare Reveals the Truth

From this point forward most of my physical problems subsided and my general health was gradually improving. I had been in either a hospital or on home care for over four months now and was eager to get back to work. I thought that I was ready and disregarded my family doctor’s warning that I was not as strong as I believed. I went to the company’s personnel department and took the physical exam required to return to work. They allowed me to start work again, but on a very limited basis.

But my problems were not over by a long shot as I was about to enter into a new phase of troubles. All of these problems centered on my blindness to the reality of God in all of my circumstances. It had not dawned on me that God was behind my good progress and therefore it never occurred to me that I should give Him thanks for bringing me back from the dead and healing my body. True, I had picked up the bible in an attempt to find God, but never tied this to my healing. Therefore I did not give Him the credit and I did not ask for His protection from harm. As a result, I would face a new bombardment of problems and calamities in my life.

During the time of my recovery I never realized that the damage done to my body would have such a major impact on my life. It would require that I change who I was into something new. In this posting I will tell you about one facet aspect of my life that had to change. The result was that everything else would have to change as well. It would also bring to my eyes exactly the type of person that I had become.

My pancreas problem required that I not ever drink alcohol. Not a single drop. I was advised not to take alcohol based medicines like cough syrup. When my doctors first communicated this information to me I did not want to believe them. But, as it turns out they had the statistics on their side. They told me that a pancreatic dysfunction is typically caused by a combination of one to three lifestyle factors. The number one factor is high alcohol intake, the second is a high fat diet, and the third is a high stress lifestyle. I would have to admit that I was probably over the acceptable limits in all three categories. They also communicated to me that once someone has a pancreas problem that an introduction of alcohol will often trigger a reoccurrence of the illness regardless of the cause.

Here are the statistics that my doctors presented to me: if I started mild drinking again, I would have a ninety-nine percent chance of a reoccurrence of my pancreas problem. In addition, the next episode would have a ninety-nine percent chance of being much worse than the first one. They also told me that based on my condition when I first entered the hospital that I had a one-in-three chance of survival. Since any reoccurrences would lessen my chances of survival substantially, what they were really telling me was that I was a walking dead man if I started to drink again. I really did not want to quit drinking but the stakes were too high. Drink or live, that was the question and I chose to live. I therefore committed myself to quit and to do what ever it took to ensure that I kept myself away from these potential dangers.

Spiritual Warfare Mandates Change

I had no idea of how difficult it would be. I did not understand that it would change everything including my friends, favorite activities and even who I was. For example, I never realized that drinking had become the hub of all my interpersonal relationships. Drinking was my way of socializing.

I was involved in lots of activities but they were just occasions established for drinking. Drinking was the real reason for the softball leagues, the canoe trips, camping excursions, the bowling league, traveling, and seemingly everything else. What I discovered that drinking was my life. Without it, I was confronted with a big void.

In the beginning I knew that I would just quit going to bars and other social events including parties. They were really nothing more than disguises for my drinking buddies to convene. Much to my surprise, I discovered that my old friends, for whom I had such a high regard, were not very interested in me anymore. It was like they were saying, “If you will not come out and have a drink with me then you have chosen not to be my friend.” They were cordial and warm in every way but even so, there was an obvious distance between us that had not been there before. I guess that they did not understand the reason why I could not hang out with them anymore.

After thinking about this problem for a while, I thought what the heck; there is no reason why I should not go to the bars and parties with my friends. I will drink ginger ale or club soda to sidestep the alcohol problem. I am strong enough; I can resist the temptation of having alcohol everywhere and yet not partake. So I tried it and another crude reality hit me. All of my world-class comedian friends were not nearly as funny when I was sober. Sorry, but their jokes were not comical, but rather just stupid most of the time. I found myself being the stick in the mud—the only one not laughing. I thought, okay perhaps I will try recreational drugs. Maybe this will be able to get me down with the crowd. To be honest, the drugs just made me stupid. That was not what I wanted. In the end, I dropped out of the bar and party scene completely.

Upon reflecting upon it I realized that many of these people never came to the hospital to see me anyway. Could it be that they were not the really good friends that I thought they were? I suddenly felt like an outsider with the people I thought I knew. I felt alone. Then I knew that my old life was dead, dead, dead. I was going to have to reinvent myself—create a new life. I had to change, but into what? Our future postings will tell.


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



 


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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

The Spiritual Attacks Continue

 

In a series of prior postings I have communicated how a life threatening illness sent me to the emergency room where the doctors did not expect me to live through the night. Being close to death, my spirit left my body and I experienced the truth of our spiritual reality. I traveled to and swam in the Lake of Fire (also called the second death) where I experienced unimaginable horrors. I then went into Hell where I was confronted by Satan and experienced the incredible hatred that he has for me. Next I traveled to the Judgment Seat of Christ and heard the words from God that no one wants to hear, which were, “Why should you live?”

If you would like to read the details of all of this please use the following hyperlinks:

The-Initial-Attack

The-Intensive-Care-Unit-and-the-Initial-Prognosis

Entering-the-Spiritual-Realm-of-Death

A-Journey-to-Golgotha

Inside-the-Lake-of-Fire-the-Second-death

Confronting-Satan-in-Hell

Judgment-Day

Reliving-my-sins-before-the-Judgment-Seat-of-Christ

Gods-Question-on-Judgment-Day

Opening-the-Books-on-Judgment-Day

Repentance-Brings-Salvation-Even-on-Judgment-Day

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

But I made a promise to God that I would be better if He would work with me. The next thing that I knew was that I woke up in the intensive care center. I had lived through the night but what was about to become clear was that the battle for my life was not over. My problem was an exploding pancreas was filling my body with powerful digestive enzymes capable of decomposing the internal organs of my body. So in effect, my body was disintegrating from the inside out. To slow down enzyme production I was placed on a strict fast until such time as a more definitive direction could be made. Then suddenly my vocal cords became swollen and choked off my air supply and an emergency operation was performed that saved my life. Another operation was performed to insure that I had proper levels of nutrition entering my body. Then my doctors wanted to perform an unnecessary operation but I refused after getting a second opinion. I still did not realize that I was under a spiritual attack and as a result the attacks continued. The remaining portion of this posting will address a series of these attacks that had my doctor’s baffled.

 

Going Home

As the second opinion predicted, I started to feel much better and was getting stronger. However, I was still having some problems with food digestion and as a result, had to stay on aortal IV feedings. I no longer had to nap several times a day my weight was holding steady and with more time on my hands, I walked the halls of the hospital out of boredom.

My family doctors thought that now I was out of serious trouble and since the IVs could be administered at home, I could be released and placed me on home care.

The home care package provided everything that I had previously been getting at the hospital. A refrigerator was delivered to my house to keep the IV solutions fresh. The solutions were delivered weekly, and a delivery schedule was established to ensure that I did not run out of supplies. They sent a person to instruct me how to do all of the IV set up work; I became responsible for doing all of my own IV setups. This meant I had to ensure that the IV was hooked to my catheter properly each day at the appropriate times. In addition, the home care plan required frequent checkups at my family doctor’s office to ensure that things were progressing normally.

The Spiritual Attacks Come Suddenly

For the first couple of weeks, things went well. Then one day for no apparent reason, I suffered what I would describe as a severe cold chill with uncontrollable shivers. During this episode my body shivered and convulsed for approximately ten minutes. The coldness I felt could not be remedied with blankets, and I became so cold that even my lips turned blue. Then, suddenly these chills ran their course and stopped just as suddenly as they had started.

I went directly to the hospital where they performed a series of tests. I talked to the doctors directly, and they were baffled. I was concerned, and so I made sure that the doctors knew the history of my illness and the home care IVs that I was currently receiving.

They told me that it was probably nothing, and I should not worry about it. I remember thinking as I left the hospital that perhaps there was something wrong with my home care process. After all, what else could it be? But they were paid top dollars to find problems with people. After all, they are doctors. They surely would have been able to figure this out. They are professionals. They know what they are doing, right?

About a week to ten days later, just when I started to think that the doctors were right, the chills hit me again, only much worse this time. I am not sure how long they lasted but when they stopped I was exhausted. This was a very serious setback in my way of thinking.

After the episode settled down, I mustered up the strength to go to the hospital again. A more exhaustive set of tests was performed but the results were the same. They found nothing wrong and sent me home. Yes, again I made sure that they knew all of the circumstances of my illness and my current home care treatment. Apparently, they could not put the pieces together. They indicated that if they could see me when I was having an episode, they might be able to identify the cause of these mysterious shivers and convulsions.

After another week I went to my family doctor for my biweekly check up. It was there that the third episode occurred. It started while I was seated on the table and the doctor was examining me. I started shivering, and the nurses covered me with blankets but with no effect. I looked in the office mirror and could see my lips turning blue. This time the convulsions were much more violent, and my fingers and toes went numb as well. The muscles of my body were cramping and becoming fatigued. In the midst of all of this thrashing, my doctor decided to check my heart beat with his stethoscope. As he listened, I could feel the abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat in my chest, and I knew that he was hearing it also. I looked at his face and saw it turn white as he listened to my arrhythmia. I looked into his wide-open eyes and saw pure fear in them. I knew that he thought I could die in his office. I thought that his reaction was an indication of the seriousness of the situation. I knew that I was sick enough to die. But I again refused to let negative thoughts into my mind regardless of my circumstances. Just like before, I knew that I would be fine.

My body started shaking even more violently. One nurse covered me with her body to provide additional warmth. Then the ambulance arrived, and I was wheeled out through the patient waiting room. I got to see, first hand, the horror and disgust on the faces of the people as I was wheeled past them. I guess they also thought I was a goner! Just as in the other two episodes, the violent shaking suddenly stopped in the ambulance. This time they must have come to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my catheter. It was removed as a precautionary measure. Later, tests confirmed their suspicions. A strand of staph infection was growing on the end of the catheter tube.

According to the doctor, the growth caused a chain of infectious materials that lengthened as time passed. Once it reached a critical length, the strand would break off and be released instantaneously into my heart. This is what caused the violent reactions.

I did not know it at the time but I was in spiritual warfare, and the enemy continued to pound me because I did not seek the protection of God. One purpose to these communications is to inform the reader about the reality of such warfare and attacks. If you feel that you have been a victim seek God’s help immediately.

 

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