Some Trust in Chariots
Hi Everyone,
I have four visions to share with you today. These are truly thought provoking messages and scriptures. The word of God is liken to a mirror. There is no doubt that when we read such clear passages our hearts can become convicted of sin. That’s not a bad thing. We need to repent and seek God for his strength to overcome our weaknesses.
The Visions
The Gun and the Bread Paddle
In this vision I saw a rifle and a bread paddle forming a horizontal cross, or the letter x. A rifle is clearly to be used as a weapon, but a bread paddle is used to take a loaf of bread or pizza out of an oven. The rifle and bread paddle when crossed reminded me of the crossed sabers as a military emblem, giving a meaning of being prepared to engage in war or conflict. The rifle is meant for killing and the bread paddle is meant for peace, for the breaking of bread is seen in fellowship, representing unity and being in one accord.
As I saw these opposites, war and peace, two opposites scriptures came to mind. The first speaks of being ready for war or battle.
Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Joel 3:9-10
The second scripture speaks of exactly the opposite, of putting down their weapons and shaping them into useful farm implements, for the purpose of peace.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4
As these two scriptures are exactly the opposite from each other, the rifle and bread paddle in the vision are also opposites. I continued praying for understanding and the Lord gave me this passage of scripture in Isaiah and another vision.
The passage of scripture is Isaiah 30 with a heading over the chapter reading:
Do not Go Down to Egypt
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.
But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.
For though their princes are at Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them. They bring neither help nor benefit, but only shame and disgrace.” Isaiah 30:1-5
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!
And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. Isaiah 31:1-3
For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. Isaiah 31:7-9
In this passage God warns the people of Israel not to go to Egypt to escape the Assyrians. But the Israelites were a rebellious people and did not put their trust in Him. The Lord told them that if they were to return to him, he would deliver them. But they were not willing.
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.” Isaiah 30:15-17
Israel followed after other gods, time and time again. They sought to make human alliances and to trust in the very people that had formerly enslaved them. The Egyptians could not protect them from the Assyrians, for God used the Assyrian army to punish them all.
King David, “a man after God’s own heart,” knew where his help came from:
Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7
The Cat
I saw a cat sitting upright in profile. Its front leg closest to me was a human arm with a human hand.
I believe that the Lord was using the cat to represent Egypt, and the human arm to represent military might or power. The human hand represented provision, aid and help.
Together with the vision of the rifle and the bread paddle, the Lord is telling us, his church, to trust in him, not in man. The Lord is to be our protector, our healer, our provider and the one in whom we trust.
But, are we putting our trust in God, or in man?
Why do we run to specialists as a first resort rather than seeking God? Why do we trust in man’s intellect, and abilities rather than the one who created us? Why do we seek out wisdom from the Internet, instead of God who is the revealer of truth? When we seek people and make decisions apart from God, things will no doubt go wrong. It should be expected, for we can make our situations worse, taking in worldly advice and following fads and advertisements design to deceive. Why worry and introduce confusion and added stress? Why not just sit, be still, and seek God for his counsel?
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19
Doesn’t the Lord tell us to seek him first?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:31-33
The word of God encourages us to:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
If the Lord, our Savior, died for us to reconcile us to the Father, and suffered punishment for our sins, receiving the stripes on his back so that we could be healed; if he cares for us as the Good Shepherd cares for his flock, and promises us eternal life, then why can’t we trust him with our health, our families, our jobs, and our financial concerns? Why do we seek others rather than the Lord who is the source of all good things?
Do we want to grieve the Spirit of God by going our own way and doing our own thing? The Israelites were far from God, and no longer wanted to hear from him.
For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the faith, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 30:9-11
If we are believers we have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, who reveals the truth. As believers, we have all the promises of God, we have the mind of Christ, we can call upon him at any time. So let us depart from the ways of the world, and the values to which the world wants us to align. The world should hold no interest for us. It should not be able to entice us with its treasures or for its worthless things. The word of God tells us:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4
So let us not put our trust in men, in government, in money, in education, or in jobs, talents and abilities, for this is idolatry. We trust in God alone.
The Red Lid
In this vision, I saw a red plastic lid to a bowl that was not seen. The lid was the type that snapped on and made a good seal so that even liquids would not escape. The lid was colored red which generally denotes sin, blood or bloodshed. Because its job is to seal, it represents the action of sealing, closing or shutting tightly. Because it was red, I believe it may be speaking of the mouth - to shut it up, for very often sin comes from the mouth.
The word tells us to be quick to listen but to be slow to speak. (James 1:19) Jesus said:
“Hear and understand, it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Matthew 15:10-11
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. Matthew 15:18-19
The Lord cleanses us from all unrighteousness when we are born again. We do not want to sin, but when we give in to the sinful nature something is bound to happen. We sin with the mouth and we unknowingly, can curse what God may be desiring to bless. This happens when we use our mouths to speak negative words that cast doubt or fear over God’s plan. With a word from his mouth, Peter unknowingly tried to subvert God’s plan of redemption.
From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”
But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23
James declares that from the mouth come blessings and curses, and speaks of the tongue as a fire:
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:6
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. James 3:9
With our tongues we slander and gossip; with our tongues, we can destroy a person’s confidence, or reputation. Sin is pure wickedness, so the red lid is a call from the Lord to guard our mouths, so as to not sin against God or our brothers.
He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. Proverbs 13:3
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Psalm 34:13
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Psalm 141:3
Yes, Lord, keep a guard over my mouth! Let me not dishonor your name by what comes out of my mouth and heart.
The White Nine
Next I saw the number nine, in white. White represents purity, righteousness and holiness. The number nine represents divine completeness, finality and judgment.
The Lord’s judgments are perfect. They are holy and righteous. There is nothing that he decides that should be questioned. His ways and thoughts are not like ours.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” Romans 11:33-34
Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding? Isaiah 40:14
For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
When the Lord speaks to us through his word, or while in prayer, we need to listen, take whatever he says to heart and obey him. It is a simple thing, yet not always easy or comfortable. Lately, the Lord has been dealing with me about removing hindrances and obstacles from my life that have tripped me up or caused me to sin. I mentioned in a recent post that the Lord had me walk away from a friend and neighbor that I had had for many years because she was an unbeliever, and refused to come to the Lord. She gave me back the Bible, I had given her, and told me not to speak of Jesus again. It was sin on my part to continue in the friendship, hoping that I would somehow win her to Christ. The Lord told me to walk away, so I did.
Just this past week, the Lord told me to give up wearing makeup, which I have worn every day of my life since I was 16. I would not think of going out of the house without it. But now I am trying to get used to the person in the mirror. Wrinkles, dark circles, and eyes that seem to have disappeared off the face are making it difficult to transition. I find myself wanting to avoid people that know me, for they may say that I look sick or depressed or somehow “not right.” This is the known as “the fear of man,” being concern for how others see me or think of me. Without realizing it, we can become enslaved to the fear of man, buying into the world’s values which oppose the values of God.
God wants us to walk in his ways, so we cannot hold on to anything that the has put his finger on to remove. His ways are truly “higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts.” The Lord once told me: “As long as you are fearful of man, I cannot use you, for you are already being used.”
Man’s opinion is not more important than God’s.
Years ago, I was in the bathroom getting ready to teach an exercise class. I was putting on my makeup when I heard the Lord ask me, “Is it for me that you do this?”
I knew that I was doing it for myself, to look presentable to the ladies in my class. So I said, “No Lord, I am doing it for me.” I am ashamed to say that I did not stop wearing makeup, but just rationalized that it was because I was just going to sweat it off, in the exercise class, so I didn’t take what he said to heart.
We are told in the word of God to do everything as if unto the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Whoever does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:23-25
So I am cleaning house, taking out the garbage, everything that the Lord places his finger on must go. I want nothing to stand between the Lord and myself. If we want spiritual authority and to please God, we have to rid ourselves of the sinful things in our life and simply be obedient.
The Circular Block
In the last vision, I saw a group of orange colored wooden cylindrical blocks. They were about an inch and a half in height and about two and half inches in diameter. Each of them had a hole in its center, about a half inch wide. Off to the side was a single block, identical to the others but separated from them.
The blocks reminded me of the rings in a carrom game. Carrom is a game similar to pool in that it has pockets in the four corners of the board, and it uses a shooter to knock the rings into the pockets. However, all the rings were the same color - orange.
In the Bible orange generally represents fire. And fire represents the Lord’s presence, as in the pillar of fire at night and the burning bush that was not consumed. Fire also represents purification.
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. Zechariah 13:9
See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him. Proverbs 27:21
The Lord tests us to purify us, to make us holy, to make us suitable for his use. The last scripture above speaks of God testing us with the praise that we receive from men. The test is to determine whether we will accept the praise for our own glory, or will we give God the glory for what he can do through us. We have no power of our own. There is nothing of value that we do by ourselves. The Lord makes it clear:
Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
The Lord not only wants us to stay connected to him, but he would like us to be connected to the body of Christ, the church. We are more vulnerable to the schemes of the wicked one, when we are alone, just as a sheep who is separated from the flock, is more vulnerable to prey.
In the vision, one ring was separated from the group. Had it been white like a shooter, it would have been used to break up the group. But it was orange like the rest, so it belonged with the group. In the church, people tend to separate from the group if they have become offended by someone, or if they feel that they don’t belong, or are not welcome. But it is not God’s desire for anyone of us to separate from the body of believers.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:15-20
We are to separate from the world, and its values, but to be joined to the body of Christ. The Lord will place each one of us where he chooses.
Years ago, I had a very memorable dream. I was walking down the street and I decided to go into an establishment that appeared to be a restaurant. There were only two people seated, a waiter and a waitress having a discussion. I felt that I didn’t belong there, so I left.
I continued walking and came to a narrow wedge-shaped building squeezed between to streets. Its door was that at the very corner of the building where the streets intersected. I decided to go inside. At the far end of the room were salon chairs facing me, with the hairstylists and clients looking in my direction. Immediately, I perceived that I did not belong there either. So, I left.
Next I found myself boarding a train. I took a seat in the center of the car with benches along the perimeter. I looked at everyone in the room. They were all dressed in beige, including me. Their hair and eyes were brown like mine, and their skin was light, just like mine. I looked out the window and realized that we were going nowhere.
By this dream, Jesus was telling me that if I am looking to be comfortable, to be with people just like me, then I will be going nowhere with him.
We all belong to the body of believers, yet there are differences among us. There are differences in churches because of traditions and doctrines. However, if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who died on the cross to pay our debt of sin and reconciled us to the Father, that he rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of God, and that we have eternal life in him, then we all belong to the body of Christ.
As I have seen there are no perfect people, and no perfect churches. People and churches may disappoint us, or offend us, but God is always faithful. I have been accused falsely many times by many people for a variety of things. But because we live in this world, and live for God, we may experience persecution from the church. Perhaps we offend someone ourselves by our worship, by our prayers, by our doctrine, by our zeal. We may even be asked to leave as I have been. But no matter what, we must forgive others who have offended or mistreated us. And we must continue to hold fast to our faith, and ask the Lord to show us where we belong in the body of Christ.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10
Thanks for reading and sharing with others. God bless you as you continue in your walk with Him.
