Learn how to receive visions
17 January 2021
God shows me His calling for my life through dreams and visions
Colossians 2:5
"For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ."
God speaks to His people through visions (pictures)
When the visions is from God, it will surely come to pass
Sometimes, the devil tries to hijack my visions by also giving me vision - but false vision usually involve picture that depict evil and devastation, can be also form of nightmare.
If the dream or vision causes me to feel dejected or fearful, bind it in the name of Jesus and don't give further thought to it
While the devil can prophesy evil plan, only God is omniscient and can show me the things to come
John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Daily prayers:
Ephesians 1:17-19
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
"give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened" => God wants me to be cognisant and in full possession of the resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead. He wants me to walk in it, and that comes by having the Spirit of wisdom and revelation released in me
"that you may know (1) what is the hope of His calling, (2) what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints and (3) what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" => When I have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the eyes of my heart are enlightened, I will know I have a high calling in Christ. With that call and vision for my life comes all the provision, supply and resources to assist me in walking in my calling
Today's sermon is about how to receive hazon vision and dreams from God
It takes a believer who is filled with the Spirit to be able to interpret those visions
ie: Pharaoh had a dream all his wise men could not interpret except Joseph
Genesis 41:38
And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a oneas this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream all his wise men could not interpret except Daniel, Daniel 2
This shows that while anyone can have visions, the wisdom to interpret those visions comes from God Himself
Some believers re fearful of receiving visions because they are concerned the visions may be from devil. However that fear is from the devil and I should not fall for it.
Receiving hazon visions and dreams is my rightful inheritance as a child of God
Today because Jesus has been glorified, I can be sure that the Holy Spirit (who reveals God's hazon vision and dreams to me) has been given to me
John 7:37-39
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Acts 2:17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
There are times that God's hazon visions contain warnings for me but with the bad news also comes a solution for God's people =>
Acts 11:28-29
28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
"a great famine throughout all the world... send relief to the brethren" => although visions from God can include pictures of negative events (these visions are usually delivered through preachers/prophets), these visions also contain solutions and answers to the prophesied events. God will never give me a negative or fearful vision and leave me hanging. He will always give me something positive to look forward to and walk in
Fulfilment of the prophet Joel's prophesy Acts 2:17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
"Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions," => The way God speaks to me is through His word, but many times the word describes faith pictures for me. God also speaks to me in picture form - in visions and dreams that are in line with His word
Job 3:25
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
Matthew 9:29b
According to your faith be it unto you.
God always provides a solution for His people, and so He began to speak in visions and dreams
What was exclusive to the prophets in the Old Testament is now the God-give inheritance of every child of God
God has given me all the ability to see His visions for my own life. It is my inheritance to possess!
While they may take time, God's hazon visions for me will surely come to pass
God's hazon visions may not come to pass immediately, but they are sure to come to pass at the right time
Habakkuk 2:2-3
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
"write the vision... wait for it... it will surely come" => sometimes the visions from God will take time to manifest. But God's promises in His word that they will surely come to pass. When I write down the visions God gives me, I am adopting own attitude of faith
Take time to ask the Lord:
"How do you see my marriage?"
"How do you see my ministry?"
"How do you see my career?"
"Lord, how do You see me?"
When I ask God for something, get ready to receive it!
James 1:5-6 KJV
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God... let him ask in faith" => when I ask God for wisdom and direction, ask in faith! As I ask Him about the visions He has for me, write them down. Adopt the good practise of writing down what He shows me in a notebook. Write down the flashes of visions that come up in my Spirit. If the visions don't come up immediately, wait for them. The answers to my challenges and the wisdom to handle them will surely come
James 1:8 KJV
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways"
God works within me and with me as He gives me His hazon visions
God doesn't want me to be passive
He doesn't want me emptying my mind so that He can overtake me (that is what devil and the occult do)
God wants to work with me. He wants me to cooperate with Him. He wants my involvement
It is the same with speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit does not overtake me, but I speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives me utterance
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I am the ones who open my mouth to speak, and that is when the Holy Spirit works together with me
When it comes to receiving visions, I am not to be passive or surrender my mind to unseen forces
I am to actively ask God for His visions, pray in the Spirit and wait and watch to see what He will shoiw me
Watch to see the floating images that come up in my Spirit
Habakkuk 2:1
"... And watch to see what He will say to me..."
When God wants to do something good in my life, He often prophesies it through a vision
New covenant => God always prophesies good in my life
When I am talking about receiving Hazon Visions from God, I am talking about receiving simple prophetic pictures of my life, my ministry, my areas of responsibility and assignment
Acts 9:7
And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
The way God speaks to me is in His still same voice
Hazon visions and dreams from God always edify, exhort and comfort me
God images bring peace'Even when God shows me a Hazon Vision that contains a warning of negative event, there is a solution to it and it will brings me peace
1 Corinthians 14:3
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
edification and exhortation and comfort => Prophecies and Spirit-inspired words, and they contain pictures that edify, exhort and comfort me
Under grace, the judgement that was mine fell on Jesus at the cross, I live on the side of blessings, not curse
Galatians 3:10
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
Isaiah 61:2
To proclaim the acceptable ('radzon') year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
"acceptable" => Hebrew "radzon" means favor
"The acceptable year of the Lord" => a year of favor that freely abounds to God's people
When Jesus read this verse out in Luke 4, He stopped reading at the comma and omitted "the vengeance of our God"
Luke 4:19-20
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, .........
"Then He closed the book" => This tells me that the day of vengeance is not upon me. Christ has reconciled me to God because of his finished work, that is why I can enjoy His favor and blessings in my life and know that God has no longer imputes sin to me
2 Corinthians 5:19-20
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 .... be reconciled to God.
When I am waiting in faith to receive visions or dreams from God, expect to see floating images that come up in my Spirit. When I see such an image in my heart, don't doubt it
Just write it down what I see first and I can look at it later and see if it is scriptural and in line with the word of God
1 Corinthians 14:3
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
God has supplied me with the wisdom to understand His Hazon Visions
Story of Daniel Daniel 1:17
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
"God gave them knowledge and skill" => what I have is natural understanding and knowledge, but God gives me supernatural understanding and knowledge that can only come from Him
"understanding in all visions and dreams" => Daniel who sought the Lord for an answer, Daniel 2:19a Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision
The king acknowledged that the dream was from God and promoted Daniel. In the same way, when I prayed and ask God for wisdom and understanding, He will supply me with the wisdom to understand the visions He shows me
Both visions and dreams are prophetic pictures from God
When does God gives me vision?
Daniel 7:1 ESV
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.
"Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream" => As Daniel lay in bed, visions kept appearing in His mind, and he knew they were from God. Notice God gave Daniel visions as he was simply lying down in bed. While that seems like a very unspiritual moment, that's often when God speaks to us. King Nebuchadnezzar, he was also lying on his bed when he received the vision that Daniel prophesied later on
Daniel 2:29
As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, aboutwhat would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.
God makes it clear that He speaks visions and dreams
I can see this in His response to Aaron and Miriam when they revolted against Moses, God's anointed lead. God told them:
Numbers 12:6
Then He said,
“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
"in a vision... in a dream" => Visions and dreams are not things I should esteem lowly or discredit because God Himself said that He speaks to His prophets this way
Under grace and as children of God, it is my inheritance to received visions from God - even daily
While God can definitely speak to me audibly
Acts 10:19-20
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.
20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
many a times, His word comes in the form of visions
*Practice this when I am praying for someone: Listen to what God is saying
Many times, God will show me a vision for that person
The Lord is calling all of us, to walk in this anointing of praying for others and having visions for them. These visions will always edify, exhort and comfort the person. Don't speak disease/ negative images over the person because these visions are not from God
This year, let me all walk in visions and dreams
God speaks through simple pictures that will lead me to where I need to be
Hosea 12:10
I have also spoken by the prophets,
And have multiplied visions;
I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”
"multiplied visions" => when God speaks, He speaks in multiplied (many) visions
"symbols" => God gives me vision (Pictures) that are symbols, means they stand for something (eg: the symbol of white cloth represents the new covenant)
Acts 10:11,13
11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
Be alert and be expecting the Lord to lead me through simple visions
In God's word, I will find many of His Hazon Visions for my life
Revelation 1:1b
And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
Many pictures of God's hazon vision for me are found in His word
Psalm 128:3
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
"Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine" => God likens me (wife) to a fruitful vine. What does this signify? Vines produces grapes from which I get wine. God is saying to my husband "Your wife will always intoxicate you. Always be intoxicated with her love"
Proverbs 5:19b
be intoxicated always in her love.
This is how God sees me (wife) => as a fruitful vine => and you're to see the same way. If God sees me is a fruitful vine, agree with Him. Even in your private thoughts, see yourself enjoying and feeding on wife's love
When I agree with and focus on the faith picture God wants me to have, I am letting Him fill my heart with His hazon visions
I am designed to be fed with faith pictures
"Your children like olive plants" => God likens my children as olive plants. Olive plants are greatly valued because every part of olive plant can be used for something. They also have an extremely long life span, longevity
scientific studies shown => when olive shoots are planted within older olive trees, the old trees starts to perpetuate again. This is a picture of how God gives me children to renew my youth
This is God's hazon vision for my life
Psalm 92:12-14
12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree" => Palm trees are fruitful even in old age, with multitudes of fruits for harvest. I will always be fruitful
"He shall grow like a cedar" => The cedar tree is known for its strength and fortitude
"they shall still bear fruit in old age" => This is how God sees me => bearing fruits in old age. G odds vision for me is that I stop growing old and stay young
"They shall be fresh and flourishing" => the word "flourishing" in Hebrew "ra'anan" which means luxurious or "fresh green". God wants me forever green and young
God also wants to give me this picture of His blessings => Isaiah 65:22
They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and another eat;
For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
"For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people" => God's promise of long life for His people
"My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands" => how I will be blessed in my career => I will not continue then be replace, but I will get to enjoy the fruit of my labor
God envisions me as the blessed man that is described in Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
This does not mean that there are no challenges or difficult situations in my life. It means I will not see/ be affected by them. Instead, I will see the good and the fruits in my life
When I choose to complain and see only the bad, I liken myself to the cursed man who cannot see good when it comes - even when good is there
Jeremiah 17:6a
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh
God said He will prolong life as the days of a tree => I will have many good days
Psalm 91:16
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
"With long life I will satisfy him" => when I live in years, I shall bear much fruit, just like Abraham and Caleb
Psalm 92:10-11
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
"I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire" => The result of being anointed with oil is that my eyes will see. God has designed me for visions. Enemy feeds me with his visions via filth and violence that I watch on tv, these images rob my peace and well being and cause me to have negative emotions
That is why God wants me to spend time in His word, keep listening to His word, feed myself with positive images in His word. One word from God can change my life forever
Psalm 92:14a
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age
Possessing hazon vision opens my eyes to see Jesus - in whom I find all I need
I can see the importance of having the right vision in the story of Adam and Eve:
Genesis 3:6-7
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
"the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked" => after Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened to see their nakedness ( a picture of shame, condemnation and lack). Before they ate the fruit, they were not naked but were crowned with god's glory and honour
Psalm 8:5
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
God wanted man's eyes to be opened by the tree of life to see the glory that surrounded them but He gave Adam and Eve a choice: they could have their eyes opened by either the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because of the enemy's false vision, they chose the latter
God made paradise for man to enjoy. Due to the fall of man, all of us have come shot (forfeited) the glory of God
Romans 3:23 KJV
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Today, all this has changed because of Jesus finished work. Jesus prayed for me to have the same glory of God that He possessed » John 17:22
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
and I am once again crowned with glory
To have Christ's glory means I am a heavy weight (a picture of blessing and influence). When Jesus came, the restored everything that was lost in the Garden of Eden back tous.
Luke 24:16
But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him
Luke 24:27b
"... He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."
Luke 24:30-32
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
"He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him" => On this Emmaus road experience, Jesus restored what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden, Adam and Eve => eye were opened by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to see their nakedness, lack, shame, and condemnation. Emmaus Road, Cleopas & his wife's eyes were opened by the Lord's supper => the true tree of life => to know Jesus. To know Jesus is to receive everything from God. JESUS IS EVERYTHING. With Him comes all good things.
when I partake of the Lord's supper - the true tree of life-my eyes will be opened and I will know Jesus, who has given me everything
Romans 8:32 KJV
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
The greatest knowledge is knowing Jesus. Everytime I partake of the Lord's supper, I will not see my negative situation but I will see my health and my blessings and my breakthrough that come from the Lord
Thank you Jesus
Amen