Heavenly Vision Gives Emphatically Clear Directions For Living
Paul had a heavenly vision on the road to Damascus in which God gave him clear and emphatic directions: “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” (My Utmost For His Highest Oswald Chambers January 24th)
12 “While so engaged, as I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King [King Agrippa], I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, 17 [choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by faith in Me.’
19 “So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but I openly proclaimed first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance. (Acts 26:12-20)
When we become born again (if at all spiritual), we will receive visions too. We must truly become Christians believing and trusting in God not simply believing we are Christians. We must go from the faith of a mustard seed to the faith of Jesus Christ. When you truly believe in the words of God and not simply think you believe you are a Christian, your life will change. God will manifest Himself to you in some spiritual way via visions, a small voice of God directing your way, etc. When you truly possess the faith to obey God’s voice, you will encounter setbacks like Paul too–we do not fight against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in dark places.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. (Ephesians 6:12 Amplified)
We are in a spiritual battle for the minds and hearts of God’s children. When you truly encounter God, a change takes place in your mind, heart and soul. You want to obey God’s direction for your life. You will hate sin and everything that displeases God. You will learn to trust in God and not in your own ways.
The great thing is to learn not to be disobedient to the vision God gives you like Paul said.
Heavenly Presence Fell Upon Me
I remember just before getting baptized tears of remorse for past sins against God kept flowing from my eyes. I didn’t want to be embarrassed with red eyes so I kept wanting the tears to stop and drying them up off my cheeks and eyes. The Holy Spirit kept convicting me, and I felt remorse for sins against God the Father. [When you do wrong to others, you do wrong to God. Just like when you help the least of these Jesus brethren, Jesus says you do it unto Him. You are helping Christ when you help His brethren in need.] The tears finally stopped about five to ten minutes before my baptism. I remember Pastor Howard Flynn now deceased said to me as he called me into the baptismal water: “Are you okay?” I shook my head yes. I will never forget that day the Holy Spirit overcame me and made me sorry for sins.
I truly felt sorry for some sins that were beyond my physical comprehension. It was a spiritual experience that was beyond the normal physical realm like Paul experienced on the road to Damascus. God’s presence over shadowed me and helped me to see Him and what He wanted for my life: a relationship with Him. He came to me spiritually when I committed my life to Him via baptism: meaning dead to self will and self rule. I knew full well what I was committing myself to the day of my baptism at age thirty–thought about baptism for over a decade. I did not go in blindly and I knew once I made the commitment to serve God there would be no turning back.
I must develop a personal relationship with Yeshua and God who lives within me each and everyday to become effective for the kingdom of God. We must have that personal connection with God like Paul had on the road to Damascus. God will do for you like He did for Paul and other servants of God in the Bible. We must learn to obey God no matter what.
Oswald Chambers writes that it is not enough to know that Jesus redeemed the world. You must recognize and know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Yeshua (Jesus) did effective within you and me. God wants to reestablish a relationship with us. He wants us to become His ambassadors to a lost world to help them return to Him–recall God coming in a cloud to speak to the three apostles and Jesus.
Remember Yeshua on the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James and John. God came in a cloud with Elijah and Moses to speak to Yeshua and for the disciples to know that God will invade their physical space and speak to them. The spiritual realm of God will at times intersect with the physical realm and you will know that God is present with you. There are many such experiences in the Bible of God speaking to humanity. One of my favorites in this season of my life is about the prophet Elijah speaking with God found in 1 Kings 19:9-18 Amplified Bible.
Christians that truly believe in God will obey God’s voice and have an encounter with the living God because they have a relationship with the living God.
Let’s look at Matthew 17:1-9 below and we will end here:
The Transfiguration
17 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John the brother of James, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. 4 Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious that we are here; if You wish, I will put up three [sacred] tents here—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!” 6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
9 And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
This is a very persuasive article. The Lord struck the Apostle Paul (then Saul) like a lightning bolt out of the sky and turned him 180degrees from a persecutor of the faithful to an apostle. He can do this to anyone…and yet His process for each individual is different. For some it is a dramatic transformation. For some it is a growth over time. We need to always be seeking His face and seeking what He has for each of us. When we seek Him, He promises He will be found by us. 2 Chronicles 15:4. Amen
Wes thank you. I thought these other verses were worthy of mention with some added thoughts to reflect upon–Pastor Seth talk on Saturday helped me to better understand the danger of the stress response better known in psychology as the “fight-or-flight response”.
The Spirit of God Comes On Azariah
15 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. 4 But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
5 “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. 6 Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. 7 But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.
9 Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. (2 Chronicles 15:1-9)
If you were to read this story in it’s entirety, you will discover that under pressure Asa instead of looking to God looked to his own way to resolve his problems. Thus he fell. He decided to strategize and fight without input from God if you read further in the story.
This is analogous to Elijah that had a relationship with God and performed miracles after miracles by and through the power of the Almighty God. When under pressure Elijah took to flight.
Read the story of Elijah. It’s simply amazing how this man of God brought down fire and killed the prophets of Baal yet at the threat of the woman Jezebel, he took flight wishing to die.
“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. (1 Kings 1-3)
Jezebel sent the entire military army after Elijah to destroy his life.
This let’s me know that when we become stressed, we should slow down and look to God. He is our source of safety in a sinful world. We should not let our physical body rule us and the direct the course of our actions.
Asa in panic strategized to fight and Elijah to flight.
These men did not look to God under duress and suffered as a result. We will suffer too under circumstances in this life if we do not look first to God for help. They could have continued to attain victory if they had only slowed down and looked for guidance from God.
So when you want to fight or take flight, stop, slow down and look to God for guidance. He will give you the victory when we put our trust in Him.
We are not to operate in fear, but we must learn to walk by faith trusting in God. This faith starts as small as a mustard seed and grows into the faith of Christ.
Be still and know that He is God. Slow down and walk with God. With God by your side, you will attain the victory each and every time. Do not run ahead of God and do not fight if He does not ask you to fight. Learn to wait, walk and stay by God’s side.
Remember, “…The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2)