Sometimes we desire the power of God's miracles working in our situations, over the wisdom, patience and faithfulness of God's promises. God's power is intensely explosive and profound. The impact of heaven manifesting around us is felt or seen in an instant and it leaves us in awe. It's no wonder we love encountering it over and over again. His promises however, require patience, endurance and faith in what He says. Actually believing it will happen without doubt or uncertainty as if it were a tangible object being handed to us. If God says something, you can hold on to it with certainty that it will be done. Yet many times we talk ourselves out of the truth in His promises by giving room to a lie which quickly spreads and causes fear to consume us. Fear is faith in the wrong god and allows our bad imagination to take authority over our hope, leaving us paralyzed in action and keeping us from all that God has intended for us.
During the year of 2020 I had come face to face with that fear in a decision that would risk the financial security of my family, or at least I thought. All I could focus on was the negative, in the thought of moving forward with what I had been asking for and what God was clearly giving me. In my heart, I made the decision to move forward with the risk, but I was hesitating because of the battle in my mind. I held tightly to the fear of stepping out of the boat to actually doing it. Finally, the time had come for me to either spin my wheels in the rut that I was in or quit my job of 16 years and leave the comfort of my steady income to venture out on my own. I was placing too much security in money rather than God and the thought of that made me sick. Just as a scared little child who doesn't know how to swim and stands at the edge of a pool with their father in the water saying "come on, jump in. I'm here, I'll be with you." There I was afraid to partake in the fun and the safety of what was being offered, yet the voice of my father was cheering me on and won me over to the point of no return. So, I jumped! I quit my job and moved forward with my plans of starting my own business in the aftermath of a pandemic in which the world has not seen in a long time and a recession.
It was on the 19th day of February 2021 that Rachelle and I had just finished spending time in prayer talking to God about the decision I made and our future. Rachelle, along with God was cheering me on as I felt sick to my stomach because of the unknown I stepped into. It was a terribly uncomfortable place to be in. I felt like curling up in a ball but I continued to fight the fight of faith, steering my focus back to God despite what I saw in the natural and where my poor imagination was trying to take me. It was a back-and-forth battle for a period of days but those close to me, kept me encouraged to see the truth and believe in who God created me to be.
Rachelle saw the battle within my mind for those many days by observing my physical state and she wanted to comfort me with a prophetic activation which she felt would give me some peace. She put on instrumental music, held my hands and asked me to close my eyes. There we stood in silence, my best friend and wife who clearly saw the success in me as I doubted my decision. I cleared my mind of all the garbage, soaking in the sounds and presence of the Lord. I did not want to give room to the voices of doubt, fear and failure that were trying to steal my focus off of Him and instantly, in my imagination I saw what was being revealed to me by God. There is great beauty in being fully surrendered to God and it made me breakdown and cry, not in sadness but in the comfort of peace in His presence.
The vision started with a road appearing in front of me which was nestled between the ridge of mountains. Directly ahead of me was a massive burnt orange sun in the center of the road out in the distance. The view change from first person to a third person view as I watched Rachelle and I walk uphill towards the sun holding hands, I was on her left, she on my right. It was incredibly beautiful, so beautiful that my crying intensified. The vision then switched back to a first-person view. I could now see things in great detail as we moved upward in the middle of the old gravelly, black top road. I could see the yellow painted lane lines below our feet as we walked onward. It was so realistic, I didn't dare open my eyes nor did I want too, I wanted more. The mountains soon became more prevalent and the greenness of the landscape started showing up as if more color was being added to the scene. I could also see that the roadside was covered with flowers. I remember asking God what color the flowers were because though I could see them, I couldn't tell, as strange as that sounds. His response was "They are white and pink flowers".
As we continued to walk up the road, it got brighter and brighter which told me this was a sunrise.
We reached the peak of the mountain and now it was a descending road which produce a view to a very large city below. To our right were clouds obstructing our view of what was on that side and to our left were mountains that encompassed the city below. As the clouds dissipated during our walk down the mountainside, it revealed an ocean to the right. The city in my vision was a city on the ocean with mountains closely surrounding it on the three remaining sides. The ocean was not a bay but a straight shoreline.
I remember stopping in the road and turning around to have a look because of a feeling I had, you know, that feeling as if someone was watching you. As I did I saw an army of angels following us close by, I knew they were the Lord's army. It was strange because I didn't even hear them, yet they were very close and there were too many in the massive group to count. Oddly, some of the angels were the color of a flickering fire, some were the color of a bright white light, almost too bright to look at, while others were more normal in color like that of our own bodies, black, white and all the colors in between. Some of the angels had wings, some did not. Many were traveling on horses, most were on foot and some were hovering or flying low just above the enormous pack. Some of the angels had swords, some had staffs but most held nothing at all. None of them spoke a word and when we stopped, they stopped and when we moved, they moved. I felt so honored and privileged to have the security and protection I felt in the atmosphere of that moment.
My wife and I turned back and continued down the mountain road until we entered the city limits. There were many people waiting for our arrival, they knew we were coming and were expecting us. All were happy and joyous and seemed to celebrate that we had finally made it. The Lord said to us in that moment "You have touched the lives of each these people. Some you have healed, many you have brought into a relationship with me, but all in the city you have blessed in one way or another."
The vision ended and His peace consumed me and remained with me from that point. Fear had no place and it was gone. There was a transfer that took place during this vision, I gave God my fear and lack of trust in Him and have gave me His unimaginable peace and reassurance of His promises. Does that seem fair? Does it seem fair that we give him our garbage and He gives us His love and faithfulness. How good is our God? Scripture says seek Him (God) and you will find Him, take time to know God. Develop such a relationship with Him that there is no room for doubt.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
11For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
We don't always see the full picture of the goodness that God has for us but through patience and faith in Him, He gives us more than we could every ask for.
What was the outcome of my decision? My business rocketed with such success, it blew my mind. He is good, He is Faithful and His promises never fail.
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