Is it possible God would be pleased to give you supernatural visions? A TV station may be constantly sending out its signals, but only those with a TV properly tuned will receive the pictures. You and I will get far more visions from God when we are properly abiding in His Spirit.
As a younger believer I was amazed as I saw saints I respected who received visions from God. I saw them as super-spiritual, in a category beyond reach, and assumed God would never give me a vision. But our heavenly Father has rolled back my unbelief by showing even I could experience wonders.
Key Takeaways
- Visions from God are accessible to all believers, not just the “super-spiritual”
- Our unbelief, sin, sleepiness, or lack of training may prevent us from receiving visions
- God still speaks through prophecies, dreams, and visions in today’s world
- We can train our spiritual senses to better perceive what God is showing us
- Daydreams may sometimes be God attempting to communicate with us through images
God Is Speaking Through Visions Today
As I interview people many say God spoke to them through a dream. A much smaller percentage of people say God revealed Himself through visions.
Joel prognosticated of a drenching rain in the last days.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17)
Our God is today speaking through a deluge of prophecies, dreams and vision. But we are largely unaware.
Unbelief may prevent us.
Sin may prevent us.
Sleepiness and insensitivity may prevent us.
But mainly, many are simply untrained in how to wait on God and increase their awareness of what He is saying or showing. But all of that can change, starting today!
We see in Scripture, “schools of the prophets” (1 Sam 19:18-24). If hearing and seeing from God were automatic there would be no need for spiritual education, discipleship or mentors. All of us can learn to hear better and see better, but we must be willing to go to school!
What Do You See?
Jeremiah, Amos and Zechariah were all asked this question; “What do you see?” Consider these three passages.
“The word of the LORD came to me again: ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a pot that is boiling,’ I answered. ‘It is tilting toward us from the north'” (Jer 1:13).
“He asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide'” (Zech 5:2).
“And the LORD asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer'” (Amos 7:8).
Why do you suppose they were asked? I’m inclined to believe that they needed a little prompting to become aware of things which were perhaps blurry but needing focused attention. Would it be a silly question to ask you now, “What are you seeing?”
All of us daydream from time to time. Have you experienced this: You’re off in a daydream. A friend notices your eyes and asks, “What are you thinking about?” You come back to “reality” a little surprised, and like a lost dream of the night your daydream has vanished. You then respond to your friend’s question, “Oh, nothing”, and the thoughts or pictures are gone, lost into the subconscious sea.
We share keys for remembering our night dreams. Perhaps we should do the same for our lost daydreams. Could it be, at times, God is endeavoring to show you and I things in our daydreams? I’m certain of it!
At this point someone might say, “That’s only your imagination” as if imagination only means silly nonsense. But to imagine means to activate an image. Isn’t activation of God pictures the very thing we want?
How can God show us He is able to go beyond what we can think, hope or imagine if we never activate holy, Spirit filled imaginations? (Eph 3:20-21)
The Limits of Human Imagination
In a dream I found I was going to be attending school. I told a classmate it was nice to be in a place where you could take elective classes. I told him, “I would like to take a class that studies the limits of human imagination.” Would you like such a class?
Unfortunately many Christians are known for their ruts, not their imagination and creativity. We are willing to give credit to God for speaking to us through dreams, but hesitant to give Him credit for showing us pictures in our sanctified imaginations, even our daydreams. That should change!
Going Back to School
Back to the notion prophets needed schooling in Samuel’s day. We train our spirits and minds to think in a larger, more godly way, in keeping with the scope of God’s expansive glory! Our wonderful, God-given minds can be trained to perceive and operate in amazing ways.
A couple decades ago audiostereograms were popular. They are images which we first see as two dimensional, but if we look at them in a certain way we can find hidden three dimensional images. Some seemed to get them immediately, some took a while to perceive them, others simply couldn’t see the 3D images. I think this is a figure for the way God reveals visions to us. He is leading us into new dimensions, and we will have to train our eyes to see differently.
I know a woman who used to be a court stenographer. Often when she had a conversation she would imagine typing the conversation and seeing the letters in her mind.
Our imaginations can be trained to see the world through many lenses, disciplines and thinking approaches. A professional choreographer may walk to the refrigerator ten times more aware of the movements of their body, and do it with a flourish.
A coffee taster may have a highly trained palate to discern and describe the nuances of each cup’s flavor.
My wife was trained to see the wildlife, foliage and colors on the high desert of Eastern Oregon. Her father, a wildlife biologist helped train her eyes. Her eyes will pick out the deer, antelope and coyote infinitely better than mine. As the prophets of old, our senses can be trained to “get the picture.”
Which Comes First, the Words or the Pictures?
Do you know much of your word vocabulary is connected to a picture vocabulary. My favorite illustration for this is, “The boy walked the dog.” In classes I have led I have asked, “What do you see when you hear, ‘The boy walked the dog.'”
People see a boy three, five or seven years old, each one seeing the boy wearing different clothing according to their picture vocabulary. Some see a cute little puppy and others see the boy being dragged along by Marmaduke.
We may think our images are activated by our thoughts and words. I’m inclined to think that often our words come from pictures rather than the other way around. Watch this and see how it works for you.
Types of Visions
Visions may come as faint mental impressions or as “open visions” with real life crystal clarity.
There are times where dreams happen within dreams. In a dream you may suddenly see a TV or movie screen. Visions may also come inside dreams. For example, I dreamed I was in a worship service at a Presbyterian church. The presence of God was very strong. We all looked at the high wall at the front of the sanctuary as an angel appeared there and then spread their wings. There was a gasp from everyone as we felt a surge of the glory of God!
Mary and Joseph both had their experiences with angels telling them about the coming of baby Jesus. It seems that Mary had an open-eyed face to face encounter with Gabriel. Joseph had his encounters in dreams.
Visions are fascinating expressions of God’s goodness.
The martyr Stephen was given a rapturous vision of Jesus at his stoning! He was super-fortified for the moment! (Acts 7:56)
Elisha’s servant became confident when he saw the fiery chariots obviously outgunning the Syrians! (2 Kings 6:17)
Balaam had his worldview shaken when he had the vision of an angel, sword in hand, threatening to cut him down! (Num 22:22-35)
A Few Personal Vision Accounts
Remember, I’m the guy who thought I would never have a vision from God. I’d like to share some vision experiences with you – so you will be encouraged to believe God will also grant you visions.
The Cowboy
It was early afternoon and I was tired. I flopped down on top of the bed to rest a few moments. Instantly I had a vision of a cowboy in leathers covered with silver conchos.
We had been considering attending a cowboy church. The vision confirmed it was the thing to do.
Cut Them Down at the Ankles
My wife and I were praying for our nation, particularly for the exposing and coming to justice of corruption in our government. She was sitting at the table and I was kneeling beside a chair.
I had a vision of someone standing a foot in front of me and seeing their legs from their shins to their shoes. Then a sword swept from my right and struck at their ankles. I prayed spontaneously, “Cut them off at their ankles!”
Before I spoke Pam also was seeing a vision. She saw a pair of lower legs with a rope around one ankle. She spoke out half a second after me; “Yank them down by the ankles!”
It gives extra courage in prayer when God is sharing similar pictures at the same moment. We believe those prayers have been, and are being, answered.
Blood on the Door Posts
My wife and I were in bed. Pam had her head on the pillow with her eyes closed. I was sitting up reading with a table lamp. I put the book down and looked across to the doorway, and had a vision.
I saw an old clay pot beside the door. Then a leafy branch was dipped in the pot and came out with blood on it. The branch began painting the sides and top of the doorpost with blood.
As I watched this I had assumed Pam had fallen asleep. Then she spoke; “Lord, cover our door posts with Your blood.”
It was another example of both of us being in the holy Spirit at the same moment. I saw the vision and Pam voiced it in a prayer. What a comfort and security to have the blood of our Redeemer over our lives!
The Lion Watching Me Pray
For a season we were doing all night prayer every Friday night. We would walk about, sit, listen, pray, and sing in worship to our God. At one point I was laying on my tummy with elbows on the carpet and my head raised a bit in my hands.
I’m sure you have had the experience of being tired and suddenly falling asleep, but catching yourself back to wakefulness as your head bobbed. I had a one second episode of falling asleep. In that moment I saw the head of a huge lion. His nose looked large as it was only about 8 inches from my face. It was an awesome instant! I instantly realized the lion was watching my intercession.
How encouraging to know that Jesus is aware and follows us in our prayers!
Don’t You Think We Should Be Seeing More?
The prophets were asked, “What do you see?” We may ask ourselves, “What am I not seeing, I should see?” We may need to train our eyes to focus on things we have never noticed before, and pray, “Dear God, what do You want to show me?”
Jacob didn’t notice he had bunked down right next to a staircase leading to heaven until he saw it in a dream. (Gen 28:10-19)
Hagar did not know the angel of the Lord had followed her life-long until she had a revelation. (Gen 16)
The shepherds of Bethlehem had a group vision where all of a sudden their universe expanded! (Luke 2:18-20) They had no idea hosts of angels were above them until the curtain was pulled back!
There are demons and angels moving about on the earth. Don’t you think we should discern them? There are solutions to problems God has laid before our very eyes. Don’t you think we should perceive them?
Butterflies: A Lesson in Awareness
Here is a lesson impressed on me from an experience years ago.
I was in a small group and we decided to simply wait on the Lord and listen for his voice. After a while I asked the group, “What have you been sensing or hearing?” The whole group was silent. They felt they had not been getting anything at all. Then I offered, “I’ve been thinking of Monarch butterflies.” Immediately one said, “I was just thinking of Monarch butterflies!” Another said, “I was thinking of butterflies!” Another said, “I was thinking of Monarch butterflies I saw earlier today!”
No one in the group felt thinking about or picturing butterflies might constitute hearing God. The butterflies may have been on the edges of their consciousness and not radiating in a center-stage floodlight. If we are unaware and unfocused we may miss the vision. If we are unwilling to be embarrassed by sharing “silly” pictures edification will not come. If we think the little pictures in our minds are “piddly”, “unspiritual” and not worth mentioning we will not continue the journey to understanding, interpretation and godly applications.
You can be more aware of the visions the Lord is giving you even in this moment.
A Prayer
I fully believe it is just as valid to ask God for visions as for dreams. Let’s ask!
Father, give us wakeful spirits so we may see things we have never seen before, or never focused on before. Let Your holy Spirit activate our awareness far above what a drug, a cup of coffee, or sugared snack can do. Show us how to stir ourselves to wakefulness.
In Christ our Lord, please remove the veil between our conscious and subconscious minds. Remove that which obscures Spirit from flesh.
As you pointed things out to Jeremiah, Amos and Zechariah, please point out the things we should bring into focus!
We pray that you would help us be aware and remember the dreams you give us, and the visions.
Take us to school! Open our eyes! Give us alertness and sensitivity to what you are showing.
We confess we need your hearing aids and corrective lenses for good focus. We want to look into new dimensions of Your goodness.
Let many today enjoy Your outpouring of dream and visions.
By the name of Jesus, our Savior and great Revelator!
Concluding Thoughts and an Invitation
Some parents will take their children to splash and play at a water park because they love to see delight in their eyes. I can’t help but think God is even more willing for His children to enjoy supernatural delight in His River of Life!
This is Steve Johnson with RevelationConnections.Vision. There is nothing on the internet like Revelation Connections. It is designed so saints in every nation can contribute their dreams, visions and prophetic impressions in a great searchable database. The goal is to get a clear, composite, world-wide picture of what the Spirit is saying to the Church universal, in these days just before the return of our Sovereign King.
Join our tribe of Saints seeking to become better listeners (and seers). Gain insights from others and share your own.
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Class Pattern
- Testimonies to encourage
- What motivates you to be in this group?
- Review from Last Week – How to tell god-dreams
- Roster and name tags
- Introduction of today’s subject – Vision: Being alert and aware
- PRAYER – Not something to just check off!
- TEACHING PROPER
- DISCUSSION AND TESTIMONIES. Do you have a God-dream to share?
- HANDS-ON PRAYER FOR INDIVIDUALS
- CHALLENGE AND HOMEWORK
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