Overcoming the Things that Hinder
Hi Everyone,
I hope all is well. There is much going on in the world today, but we keep our eyes on the Lord, for he is the healer, the deliverer and the one in whom we place our trust. God knows all our needs, before we even speak. He knows our thoughts and our circumstances, every hair on our heads. Nothing takes him by surprise. God is good and his mercies are new every morning. He said:
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Today I have two visions to share with you.
The Visions
The Table
In this vision, I saw a round table, covered in a red table cloth. Its place settings were of white dishes, white napkins, clear glasses, and silverware. The table was placed next to a red draped wall as a backdrop to the scene. The floral arrangement in the center of the table was full of red flowers. There were no chairs in view.
The predominant color in this vision was red, which denotes sin, blood and bloodshed. The place settings in contrast to the red, were white which represents purity, righteousness, wisdom, and holiness. The silverware represents the idea of having worth, being valuable. Red flowers in the Bible often symbolize love, passion, and sacrifice. For example, the rose is associated with beauty and divine love, while the blood of Christ, often represented by red, signifies sacrifice and redemption.
The table represents our communion with God. This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20
Eating with someone is a sign of intimacy, of friendship, of sharing one’s life and concerns with another. Jesus ate with his disciples at the last supper. One friend leaned back upon the Lord’s chest, knowing that he was greatly loved and fully accepted. Another man eating with the Lord was a greedy, sinful man, who would later that evening, betray him for thirty pieces of silver.
The vision of the red and the white represents the interplay of sin and righteousness, of judgment and justification, of condemnation and redemption. Isaiah spoke of the sin of Jerusalem 700 years before the Lord’s coming.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 1:18-20
The Lord asked for obedience, and a willing heart to be devoted to him and to righteousness. But sin and a wayward heart, keeps man from following him. Isaiah records God’s next words to Jerusalem:
How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes. I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.
And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. Isaiah 1:21-28
Here we see that the Lord is continually offering what is wise and good, but rebels and the spiritually blind refuse what is good, and instead chase after what attracts them: personal pleasure and wealth. This is truly foolishness, for what dishonors God will bring eventual judgment.
“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7- 8
The white table napkins represent purity, righteousness, wisdom and holiness. As I was writing this I was reminded of a proverb about wisdom who sets her table to encourage all to come and eat.
Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has set her table.
She has sent out her servant girls. She calls from the highest places in the city,
Whoever is gullible turn in here!” She says to a man without sense:“Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. Stop being gullible and live.
Start traveling the road to understanding.” Proverbs 9:1-6The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. You will live longer because of me, and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, your wisdom will help you. If you mock, you alone will be held responsible. Proverbs 9:10-12
There is contrast between the red and the white as sin is contrasted to wisdom and righteousness.
But these two colors can be seen as one leading to the other if we view the red as representing the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
The blood (red) cleanses us from the sin (red), making us as white as snow! Hallelujah!
The Lord invites us to eat at his table. He offers us living water that leads to eternal life!
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” John 7:37-38
The clear glass in the vision represents this pure, holy, living water that the Lord gives us. It is the Holy Spirit that indwells the believer that is the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, the Paraclete, meaning “advocate, counselor, helper.”
And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18
The silverware on the table represents the silver from which it is made. Silver and gold are precious metals. They have great value because the world places value on them, most likely due to their strength and malleability. The Lord offers us an abundant life with him, something of greater worth than silver or gold.
Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. He sprang to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping and praising God. Acts 3:4-8
The Lord has made every provision for us to follow him and lead us to eternal life. The red flowers represent his love, passion, and sacrifice for our sins. He showed his love for us by his obedience to the Father and by dying on the cross to pay for our sins and reconcile us to the Father.
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is My command to you: Love one another. John 15:9-17
The Foot
In this vision, I saw the bottom of a foot. In the center of the ball of the foot was a ¼” raised spot with tiny black dots. It appeared to be a plantar’s wart, which lives in the body as a virus. It is contagious and can spread from one family member to another by walking or standing on a surface like a bath tub where moisture, and the sloughing of skin occurs. It can start as a single wart and if not removed it can spread to a cluster of them. I remember years ago, my family and I made weekly trips to the podiatrist to treat plantar warts. Today, I prefer freezing them and being done with them. But no matter - they must be removed. It is not a good idea to ignore them.
The foot in the vision generally refers to our walk with the Lord. Years ago, when I first started attending a certain church, the Lord gave me a vision of the bottom of a foot. There were roots growing out of the heel. I heard the Lord say, “Keep your roots short. I am moving you.” So after about 6 months, the Lord had me move to a church that an Evangelist was just starting.
So in this vision the foot again refers to our walk with God. The wart represents something that needs to be removed in our lives. It may represent a sin, a habit, an attitude, a false notion or doctrine that is not right. Whatever it is, it is hindering the work of God. If it is given place, it can become a demonic stronghold. If it is a lie, we need to pray that it is exposed, for the one who believes a lie does not see it as such. He is deceived and unaware. The Lord calls the devil the father of lies:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
If we lie, we become a partner of the devil, therefore we must renounce the devil and all his wicked practices. We have to shun what is evil and cling to what is good, which is the Lord, for he is good.
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1: 5-7
The wart in the vision may represent unforgiveness. Sometimes, family members may not speak to one another for years because they refuse to forgive each other. This is a sin that defiles many people and leads to spiritual bondage. When we do not forgive, we give the enemy the license to take up residence in our bodies and minds. With the devil doing his thing, unforgiveness festers and we become bitter, argumentative and irritable. We lose friends and create enemies. The devil has a hay day in our lives. All because we refuse to forgive and continue to hold someone in contempt. The truth is this: If we refuse to forgive someone, then we will not be forgiven of our sins.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours. Matthew 6:14-15
There is no lack of wickedness; it is all around us. The world is wicked, constantly promoting itself. It wants us to take on its values, and behaviors. It wants us to desire what it has to offer: material possessions, notoriety, influence, money, fleshly pleasures, alcohol, drugs, sex, control, power and the list goes on.
The world is synonymous with evil, because the ruler of this world is the devil.
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:31-32
The devil tried to tempt Jesus with bread, because he had fasted 40 days and nights, and was hungry.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
The devil tried to tempt Jesus to prove who he was, but he responded:
“Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Matthew 4:7
Then the devil tried to tempt him with riches and power and the kingdoms of the earth. He said:
“All these I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:9-10
We can be tempted, but we are not to succumb. The Lord wants us to overcome our flesh and our sinful nature, by yielding to the Holy Spirit.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another. Galatians 5:16-26
These visions are to encourage us to walk with God and to recognize the things that hinder us, things that lead us away from God and into sin. But when we sin, the Lord is more than willing to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He wants us to live at peace with each other and to be one in the Spirit. The Lord wants us to desire his presence and to be in right standing with the Father. We are to seek the kingdom of God and his wisdom. We are to overcome our own flesh and its cravings. We are to walk in love and prefer others over ourselves. We are to acknowledge the cross and the Lord’s sacrificial death that purchased our salvation. And we are to appreciate the Lord’s Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth and helps us to walk in the Spirit.
Someday, we all want to hear the Lord speak to us with these words:
‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:23
Thanks for reading. Please share this post with others, for we all need to support one another in our walk with God.
‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’ Numbers 6:24-26
