New Year's Day 2011

The following is a list of this year’s 2011 New Years Day experiences.

Increased understanding of existing issues

·         I had a picture of drops of water on an apple.  As I looked through the drops of water everything I was looking at was greatly magnified as though I were looking through a microscope.  I felt the Lord was saying that as his presence touches existing issues and situations in our lives, he would greatly magnify details and bring revelation in such a way that we would gain a fresh and more detailed perspective. 

The practical call through this word is to seek the presence of God that he might come and touch all that we have and the result will be a greater understanding and appreciation for what God is doing.

Seeking new things in God

·         I heard a closed, limited and religious mindset say, “God doesn’t change.”  Then I heard the Holy Spirit say, “We can experience something new in the nature and character of God everyday as he is infinite; our lives and teaching should reflect this.”

The religious mindset was using the idea that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever as a basis for not continuing to learn and grow in the things of God.  This mindset was satisfied with existing teachings and ways of doing things.  When the spirit of God spoke, it was with joy and life that it communicated the reality that our Creator is so infinitely big and good that our lives and teaching should grow and reflect the limitless, fresh and creative nature of an awesome God. 

Pursue and expect to experience God in new, fresh and creative ways this year! 

Reorganization will stop the thief

·         The Holy Spirit reminded me of a dream I had the previous night.  In the dream our church had a large storehouse and would in the future have a much greater one, but we were still working through how best to organize and make available to the members of the church that are not on staff, the existing resources and opportunities to serve.  During the mess and confusion of this process, one of the resources that would take us to new places in the future was not brought under the covering of our storehouse and was thus stolen from our parking lot.  A couple of our more strategic people saw the thief in action and called it to our attention.  I felt the Lord say it is very important to know when a thief is stealing from you.

The reorganization of existing resources and volunteer opportunities was vitally important as current members of the church were increasingly discouraged at not knowing where to access particular resources as well as how to participate in serving in venues that they were passionate about.  

This year we should seek the Lord concerning the reorganization of existing resources and opportunities.  We can also expect the Lord to highlight a particular ministry/resource to be brought under the covering of the church, so that it's not stolen from us.

Fresh Wisdom

·         I heard the Lord say we need fresh wisdom to be people of action whose fruit remains.

Wisdom, the practical application of a matter, is faith in action.  It's the details of walking things out.  What we have done in the past is not sufficient to facilitate the fruit God desires to give us in the future.  Therefore, we need fresh deposits, strategies, ways of doing things so that we might be a people who are not just a people of action, but we are a people of impact whose fruit remains.

This year, take the time to ask, wait for and receive deposits, strategies, fresh ways of doing things so that you might bear fruit that remains in every good work.  God desires to impart to us the details!

World Events

·         Lastly, in a predictive dream, I saw what appeared to be a very unusual bank robbery taking place in which one or more of the robbers were young.  In that dream I also saw a number of other masked men lined up that were going to be robbing places throughout the year. 

I felt the Lord was saying through this dream that we will see something unusual and different in regards to robberies this year.  


Each year I have found that I typically receive one or more, “predictive” type dreams of this sort each year and I have seen the dreams play out in the world in various ways.   I believe the reason why God shares these types of dreams is simply to communicate that nothing catches him by surprise, that he is God, that he is sovereign and that he knows all things.

All Saints Day 2007

In the first part of the first dream I dreamed I was purchasing a water meter for a new house that we were currently in the process of buying. In this dream the Seller of the meter was pressuring me to sign the contract and move on. However God impressed upon me that I needed to read the details of the contract and through that process I realized that there were a large number of uneccessary fees that I could have removed from the contract. Through this dream I felt that the Lord was speaking that attention to details would prepare us for our next stage of growth in life.

The second part of the dream had to do with world events. In this part of the dream I saw 15 tornadoes out on the earth all very close together and all going in the same direction.

Throughout the course of the following year we actually had record breaking numbers of tornadoes this year. Headlines have been, the likes of “Tornadoes in the Southeast…Again!!!” “Rare tornadoes Tear through California,” and “God’s Punishment?”

The third and final part of the experience was for our church. In this vision a voice spoke to me and said, “it is important to ask the children what they feel God is saying.” I feel that it is God’s heart to impart to us a part of his vision for us through our children.

All Saints Day 2008

My series of experiences began with a dream in which I was on an island in the ocean that was shaking like an earthquake was happening. In the dream I knew that destruction was somehow coming to this island.

Over the course of the following year I paid attention to the news waiting to see what the practical outlay of this dream would be. According to FoxNews.com, at the end of September 2009, “South Pacific islanders experienced four major earthquakes within 11 hours.” An earthquake caused a tsunami that hit Samoa, American Samoa and other islands and killed up to a couple of hundred people on September 29th, 2009. Later on October 1st, 2009 several quakes hit Indonesia that killed over a thousand more.  Another earthquake hit Indonisia on Friday 10-23.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,566280,00.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,558283,00.html

I awoke from that dream and felt like God said that this year wisdom is going to be a staple for us and that it is going to be over flowingly abundant. I think there are many places in our personal lives, ministries and jobs where in the past we have prayed and asked God for wisdom, but now God is saying to us that over the course of this next year we are entering into a special season where the supernatural wisdom of God is going to be come easily.

God said to me that we could be “united and satisfied” and I felt that this applied specifically to working in teams. I feel like God is desiring to multiply the manifestation of his presence and power through us and that he is saying that if we will team up with others, then the result will be that we will be satisfied in what we see God do through us as a team.

God said to bring our “past and final plans to the light again.” I feel like there are plans that people within our body have been earnestly working on for the last year in personal lives, ministry and in business that God is continuing to restructure and tweak for his purposes. Just as God gave detailed plans for building the temple he desires to give us detailed plans for our lives, businesses and ministries.

I heard God say, “freedom from misperceptions and miscommunications.” I feel this is something that God wants us to be specifically praying for ourselves. I think that as God moves in an increasing measure there will be ample opportunity for people to have a wrong perception or misunderstand what God is doing in our midst. Again I simply feel that if we will pray, God will protect us in this area.

God brought the scripture to mind, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door I will come in and sup with him.” The picture I get is that there are going to be specific times in which God himself will initiate with us. When we respond to him his presence is going to come in, in a fresh way.

I had a very vivid vision of a bone that was burned and broken. I felt like God was saying through the picture that his fire was going to come and when it did he was going to break open some structures (bone).

Lastly I heard an anxious and stressed out voice say to me, “Chop away with your gifts.” Then a strong, power filled voice said,” No, we have replacement gifts.” The picture I got was that if we continue ministry, business and life expecting to use the same gifts and do the same things that have gotten us this far without improving our skills, then we can expect to become stressed out and tired. But God desires to give us new gifts and new skills for all areas of life that will be much more effective and life giving.

All Saints Day 2009

The following is the account of this All Saint's Day annual revelations for 2009. Thank you again to all who prayed and kept me in their hearts. I firmly believe your partnership is what has allowed this years revelations to be so markedly different than years past.

I have written not just an account of the experiences, but also my thoughts on what I feel God is speaking through them. Please feel free to leave comments or let me know what God is speaking to you through them. May we all be encouraged and built up.A Visit from Jesus.
The experiences began when I woke up with the awareness that Jesus was standing over me with his hands on me. He spoke many scriptures over me and although I heard them perfectly clearly and was aware that they were scriptures that he had spoken in the New Testament, later on I remembered only a few details of what he actually said. The details that I remember are that he spoke of busyness, inheriting his promises and he highlighted Sarah, Abraham’s wife in the bible.

As I think about Sarah's life I think about how Sarah tried to cause God’s promises to come about her own way. I felt that Jesus was emphasizing that patience was very important and to trust him to bring about his promises in his timing. All the while he spoke his hands were on me and power, like electricity and warm, hot love washed over my body again and again.

The Voice of the Holy SpiritA short time later I heard a voice say that each one of us should champion what God has placed on our hearts. This seemed to indicate not waiting for the church or others to facilitate a group to participate in, but instead taking the initiative of leading out in the things we are passionate about.

Here is one of those divine paradoxes that seem to abound so much in scripture. On the one hand Jesus is present and saying to be patient and trust him which is reflected in scriptures such as “be still and know that I am God,” and “they that wait on the Lord will renew their strength…” Then on the next hand through his Holy Spirit he is saying to move forward and champion the things he has placed on our hearts, which is reflected in scriptures such as, “do not grow weary in doing good” and “add to your faith, goodness (action)…if you possess these in increasing measure...” So which is it; patience and stillness or championing and action? How do we know when to move and when to rest?
I believe the answer is not so much a formula as it is a step of faith, because the righteous will live by faith. Because my sheep hear my voice, God intends on guiding us daily through the fruit of the spirit which is peace, love, joy, etc. If we are feeling condemnation, then we are probably striving. However if we are experiencing Godly conviction, then we will experience an empowering to change or act because godly sorrow leads to repentance. Remember, faith without deeds is dead, so there should be some action involved in our walk with Christ. The practical outlay of that usually first involves living a lifestyle of loving God, loving family, and loving those that are in our realms of influence. It is as we learn this dance of faith and relationship that we receive the empowerment that comes through the next scripture that I received…
God is looking for people to anoint and strengthenI heard the scripture, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely his.” ll Chronicles 16:9 God is actively seeking and earnestly desiring to find a people whose hearts are completely his. Why is he doing this? Because he is looking for those in whom he can trust the release of greater amounts of authority and dominion. Only those whose hearts are truly Gods can walk the greater paths of influence and ultimately not fall to the greater temptations and devices of the devil. We’ve heard it said so many times; greater levels, greater devils. This is why we mustthrough practice and use learn to distinguish good from evil. Practice perfects the things that concern us.
There is no formula to the Manifest Presence that is comingIn the next picture I became aware of a lot of smoke, but there was no fire causing the smoke. In this picture I was with several others and we were determined to find the source of the smoke. After looking around, our final determination was that the smoke had to be from a divine source. I felt like this indicated that over the course of the coming year we would be experiencing the manifest presence of God in our midst. As God moves and does things that we do not expect, the concern at times can be to figure out the source and what we are doing to cause God to move. I believe God desires to say very clearly that his move is something that is initiated by him and not a result of our actions. We have an opportunity to get on board with what he is doing in the earth and to celebrate his presence rather than create a formula, because there is no formula for what God is about to do. I believe this next experience shows why God is going to be showing up more and more…
I Adore...Mi Amor
I heard the chorus of a song being sung, “I adore, mi amore.” This is a secular love song that I believe communicates God’s heart of love and passion towards us.

Chorus
Dream on... Dream away
I think I'm gonna have to stay
Stay forever

I adore... mi amor
I adore... mi amor

You want to take her place
You say you'd treat me better
But, better I know for sure
You see she loves me
And I could never leave her (ooh yeah)
(Never baby, never)

She means the world to me
And I live for her
(Chica tu cres me vida la ternuda)

She's my destiny I know
(Y alegria amor)
Forever my love
(Y est sueno)
And I'll never let her go (oh no)
(Contigo sera verda) (yeah yeah)
Listen... my love, the girl of my dreams

And I will never leave
She's all that I need and more
I'll love her always
What more could a man ask for
(What more could I ask for)

You know that I really love my baby
She can give me everything I need
There is no one to take her place
She's got my heart in her hands
Baby, I adore

Dream on... dream away
I think I'm gonna have to stay
Stay foreverI believe the key phrase translates, “I adore… my love.” I get the feeling through this song that God is absolutely and incredibly in love with us. In that love he wants us to dream big dreams, know that he is never going to leave us, know that he lives for us and our destiny is wrapped up in him; all of this as we walk by the Spirit.

Revelation of this intriguing and fascination type of love is going to be important due to the spiritual warfare that will be rising up in our days.
What will sustain us in War?
I saw in the spirit, “Witchcraft is calling forth people to rise up.” I felt that even as God is raising up his spiritual army of light and love, the army of darkness is not passive, but is actively equipping and raising up people of darkness.

Understanding the depths of this spiritual conflict we are facing in the days ahead is important because when the going gets tough, only love will keep us through. Hired hands tend to leave as soon as the pay seems to be drying up and situations get tough, but a lover will fight with passion to the bloody end. In the midst of conflict there are going to be times when the outcome of events we are closely watching or participating in won’t turn out the way we expect which leads to the next experience.

In believing for Breakthrough
I heard a desperate voice weeping that was saying so and so or something wouldn’t change. I think that in the days ahead there are going to be some situations in our lives, in the economy and throughout the world that are not going to change as quickly as we would like. In some circumstances there will be even greater shaking before there is outward improvement. The impression I received from this experience is that our peace is not to be conditional on circumstances. When our emotions are conditional on what other people or other circumstances do, then those people and circumstances have power over our lives and the Lord desires that He and He alone is our peace.

Words of Life
I saw what looked like a scroll or parchment paper in which the writing on it was written in blood. I saw the numbers 13:09 and 10:1-9. Later I felt God said these numbers represented verses in the book of Mathew.

Mathew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear.

Mathew 10:1-9 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 

These are the names of the twelve apostles; first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Mathew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message; ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts;”

As we learn discernment by trusting God above our circumstances, we will be given ears to hear what God is saying and as we take to time to listen to God, he will give us specific instructions. Whoever would have suspected that Jesus, the son of God would have said not to go to the Gentiles or to Samaria? Heavenly wisdom is not the same thing as earthly wisdom and as we learn the difference we will be anointed with power and sent out to heal every disease and sickness, deliver people from demonic oppression and see God’s Kingdom forcefully advanced.
Making the Shift
A voice said we have not yet made the shift to judge things after the Spirit and see things as they really are. As clashes between light and darkness increase, the spirit of discernment will grow increasingly important in our daily walk with Christ. Again heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom are not the same things and we have got to learn to make the shift by hearing God’s voice. Remember, my sheep know my voice.

World Events
I saw a wave that was underground that went throughout the earth shaking foundations. This wave ended when it flipped one of three Pyramids.

I believe that there are various foundations throughout the earth that will continue to be shaken. Past experience from Halloween night visitations dictate that about a year from now we will be able to look back and see what the practical outlay of this vision means.

The next and last experience was one of the more unusual and enjoyable experiences I have had.

Our Tunnel of Solidarity
In this experience I walked down a tunnel whose scenery completely changed every so often. First it was as though I was out in outer space and there were asteroids all around me. Then I was in different places throughout the earth. At one point it seemed that I was on the edge of hell and there were many demonic things about. Through the entire journey down the tunnel, the tunnel itself never changed and I heard the word “Solidarity.” I felt God was saying that no matter our circumstances or what we see around us he is the same yesterday, today and forever and we can always rely on him. Our God is the rock on which we can stand.

Whether we are walking in a realm of great beauty and revelation as is depicted in the first celestial environment around the tunnel, whether we are walking on this earth through the practical’s of everyday life or whether at times it seems that we are on the edge of hell itself through things happening in the economy, the world and our lives, God is our rock; our sure foundation in which we can trust.

The God who is in charge when we are surrounded by beauty and revelation is the same God that is in charge when everything seems to be going wrong. God desires that we be set in such a way that we will not be shaken, no matter what is happening in our environment. Again, God is our rock, God is our rock, GOD IS OUR ROCK!

All Saints Day 2010

Beginning over a decade ago I came to realize that God would visit me in a special way in the early morning hours of All Saint's Day (November 1st) and New Years Day each year.  Through these experiences I found that God would convey more of his heart for me, for the body of Christ and/or events that would be happening in the world over the course of the coming year.

This year’s All Saint's Day experiences were very simple and the following are some of the experiences and what I feel God is saying through them… 

Spirit of fear driven out of hiding

In one of the first experiences I saw a fully exposed serpent.  I knew that the serpent had previously been hidden, that the serpent represented a spirit of fear and that the Lord had brought it fully to the light so that its head could be easily severed.

I feel strongly that God is saying through this experience that there are places where the spirit of fear has been hidden in our lives and that he is driving it out of hiding so that we can see and destroy it.  I also believe that God is saying that when fear does become obvious in our lives, do not be surprised, nor dismayed.  Fear that is hidden cannot be dealt with, whereas fear that is exposed can easily be destroyed.  We have not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and a sound mind.

Take out the trash

In the next dream, my wife pointed out to me fly larvae that was crawling across the kitchen floor.  It turned out that flies had laid their eggs on the trash in the trashcan in the kitchen, that these eggs were hatching and the larvae were making their way into the rest of the house.  In the dream I knew that if they were not immediately dealt with, then they would quickly mature and my house would be infested with flies.

This dream reminds me of James 1:15, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”  I felt that the trash in this dream represented temptations or desires that need to be more fully removed from our lives.  The trashcan would represent the action we have taken in the right direction concerning temptation and evil desire; however, as the trash was still in the house, I feel God was saying we had not yet finished the work he had called us to in dealing with it rightly. 

There is a warning in this dream that the lack of fully putting the axe to the root of temptation and evil desire and removing it, will give it a place to grow into sin, mature and ultimate bring death and unclean spirits into our homes.  Sin not only affects us, but everyone closest to us as well, especially our loved ones.  I believe the Lord desires to communicate to us that this is not just another abstract truth anymore, but a present reality that is now upon us.

Scriptures for the year

The following are scriptures that God spoke during the night that he desires to highlight for us this coming year…

·         Proverbs 3:11  My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

God is a loving heavenly father.  We can trust him as he deals with and exposes not only fears, but even sin in our lives.  He is kind and gentle, even as he allows situations that might be uncomfortable or challenging; all that we might see and know him better.  He truly is our exceeding and great reward and anything that would interfere with this must be dealt with as it would be a shadow in comparison to his goodness for us.

·         Proverbs 4: 3,4  When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commandments and you will live.

As a young child who is fascinated by his father and as an only child who has the full and undistracted love and attention of his father, in the same way God desires to meet and speak with us; tenderly, lovingly and with great affection and joy.  He is the way, the truth and his words are life.  If we will heed his words we will not only live, but live life to the full.

Summary

This coming year is going to be a year of personal exposure.  The Lord is going to be exposing and dealing with hidden places of fear in our lives that need to be brought to the light as well as taking us to the next level of purifying our lives from sin.  Sin that is not dealt with will mature quickly and sin when it is full grown brings death.

In the midst of this time of exposure and cleansing, we have a loving heavenly father that desires to meet with us, teach us and lead us into the way everlasting.