Book Review: My Descent into Death
My Descent into Death by Howard Storm is a very inspirational Near Death Experience (NDE) story about an American college art professor who has a medical emergency while traveling in Paris, France. I love reading books about another person’s experience of life after death in the heavenly realm. Unfortunately, Howard didn’t start there. He was an atheist when he died and experienced something terrible – something I hope you never see or hear in your life. I won’t go into detail – no spoilers here. But fortunately, a song from his childhood came to his mind – Jesus loves me. He sang it in pure desperation, wondering if he could ever escape this hellish place he found himself in and guess what? Jesus came to him!
The rest of the book is full of inspirational and unusual insight. Remember, he didn’t know Jesus when he died so he had no preconceived religious ideas (or not very many). So he asked a LOT of questions of Jesus and the angels – the answers he received provide some powerful truths we could all benefit from.
For instance, when Jesus told him that he needed to go back to earth, Howard was very reluctant and asked why he had to go back. He was experiencing such love and peace as he had never experienced before – you can imagine why he didn’t want to come back to earth. Jesus’ answer to him was unique.
You can save the world.
I don’t think so. I’m nobody and I’m not going to save the world. How could I save the world? Howard replied.
You are to love the person you are with.
How will that save the world? Howard wondered.
When you love a person, they will love the next person they meet, and they will love the next person they meet, and so on.
I don’t know if I can do it.
You can do it because we will help you. (“We” meaning Jesus and the angels who were with them.)
Howard was also thinking of his family – his wife and two children. Jesus told him he had to return to finish the job he had.
You have a job to do, which is to take care of the people God needs you to love. You were born to love these people. This is the job that you were created to do.
I LOVE this idea, don’t you? You have a job to do – to take care of the people in your life. Whether that’s your spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, etc. But it’s not “everybody” in the world – just the ones you are with – the ones you speak to, live with, visit or see each day. “You were born to love these people.” What a simple, yet profound concept.
I took my mother to a doctor’s appointment recently and as we were leaving, the doctor turned to us and said, “Take good care of each other.” That hit me with such powerful simplicity. Yes, that’s what we are called to do – every single one of us. Just take good care of each other. 💗
Reading Howard’s life story is very encouraging – his NDE completely changed his life. You can imagine what it might be like going from being a humanistic atheist to a man of faith who had actually met Jesus, face to face! How he changed his life and the differences it made in those around him is contained in the book and I am so glad! Often NDE stories end with the person waking up in the hospital, but not this one. He describes what life was like for him and how long it took to physically recover as well as process his supernatural experience. And the life choices he made afterwards profoundly changed the direction of his life and family.
He said something very powerful toward the end of the book,
Living life with faith is infinitely more rewarding than living without faith in God. Having faith gives one courage to do things one would never do, and the patience to endure the unendurable. Faith gives hope when you haven’t a clue how things will turn out. Faith gives joy when everything is bleak. Life with faith in God is so superior to life without faith that I recommend anyone to seek faith above all other things.
– Howard Storm, My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life
Thank you, Howard, for sharing your story with us. We need encouragement when things look bleak in the world. We need that courage, patience, hope and joy. And most of all we need Love.
As Howard learned to apply his faith, he was amazed at how much good he could do to help others. He said,
“There is nothing we couldn’t do if enough people listened to God.”
I believe it! And as my previous post described, Jesus is already drawing people together to bring restoration to the earth. They WILL be listening to God, whether they realize it or not! 😁
If you’d like to read Howard Storm’s book, you can click here to find it on Amazon.
Do you have a book you’d recommend? Please post the title and author’s name below in the comments. I love finding good books. Thanks to Andrey in Poland for recommending this one!
Light Exploding as Unity Restores the Earth
The Lord showed me a very encouraging vision 2 nights ago. I was with a group of people, waiting on the Lord to see what He would show us.
Someone saw us standing in a circle with our hands outstretched toward the center of the circle. Suddenly there was a bright light in the center and Jesus was there! We felt enveloped by His presence and were awestruck with the weightiness of His glory – it was awesome!! 😍
The Lord showed us that our unity reveals the brightness of His glory. We each have Him inside of us and when we come together in unity, His glory is revealed. This is what creation is waiting for – His manifest glory through our unity as One. Wow.
Then He said, “Stay focused on the Light, there’s more coming.”
Someone sensed a new beginning – that it was time to dance!
I saw this bright burst of light explode into the night sky like a rocket. Then it split off into two and circled the earth.
Immediately I knew: This light represents the power of restoration for all creation – His glory revealed in our unity. HE is doing this – bringing people into unity all over the world because now is the time. No more playing around – it’s time for Unity on the earth in order to bring Restoration.
I was in AWE. 🤩
And then He made it clear to my mind that it wasn’t just Christian people He was uniting. He was bringing unity to all kinds of people – so that what is inside of them can come together and reveal His glorious power to restore the earth.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
God is SO GOOD! I’m excited to hear and see what that looks like.
Already so many good things are happening in the earth and it seems they are accelerating. Every week I hear good news about new breakthroughs that will help solve the problems of the earth. There’s an app you can download that will give you good news like this regularly – I read it to encourage me, especially after I’ve been reading regular news headlines. Here’s what the icon of the app looks like:
Here’s the links to download it, if you’re interested. I love what they are doing to share good news!
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.impactpartner.goodnews
Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/good-news-app/id1321856447
What are your thoughts? Please share them below. Can you imagine things getting better on the earth as people begin to work together to solve the world’s problems? I completely believe it is possible and now that I know God is already working on it, it makes my heart so happy!! 😍💗😁🤗
💗 HE IS THAT GOOD!!! 💗
Water Responds to Love: Jennifer’s Story
I have a very cool story to share with you today! A friend of mine, Jennifer, recently shared this story and I was blown away – this is LOVE in Action!
On this blog we discuss our authority as believers in Jesus Christ. As He is, so are we in this world, right? (I John 4:17) We have authority to help creation prosper and cooperate with the needs of God’s children. Authority comes from knowing who we are as children of God (aka sons of God) and taking our place to help govern the earth as Adam and Eve were commanded to do.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV
The authority we carry comes from Love. Jennifer was learning about this and decided to put it into action. Here’s her story:
My husband built our home in 2018. When he was starting to finish the basement, I heard the Lord say he should wait to finish it off because the basement is going to take on water and there will be damage. I told the Lord, “You know he is not going to listen to me.” Out of fear and not taking responsibility, I kept silent. Every spring when the snow melts, our basement has taken on water and made a mess for me to clean.
In spring of 2023 I repented and said, “Lord, I really should have taken responsibility for that and said something, even if he hadn’t listened to me. What can be done, Lord?” The Lord has led me to speak to the water. Not in a demanding way, but in a loving way. I said, “Water, I really love and appreciate you and you are needed in the earth, but do you think you could go around the basement instead of through it?” I went on to explain that I’m a son of God and how much work it was causing for me – how it was preventing me from having a clean and comfortable home for my loved ones. So far in Spring of 2024, the basement is dry! Praise the Lord!! – Jennifer V., Maine
WOW! I love stories like this because they are so real and practical. She had a mess on her hands EVERY SINGLE YEAR. She was frustrated. She didn’t know what to do. So she asked the Lord and realized she needed to repent for not saying what He told her. She took responsibility and asked the Lord for help and He gave her a creative solution!
This is an exciting time to be alive as more and more people are learning how to work WITH creation as partners in taking care of each other. Creation was made for us and it respects us when we are acting in Love and in accordance with God’s will.
Notice that she did not demand that the water obey her. She honored the water and it’s place. She asked it to simply help her keep her basement dry for her family. I think that’s awesome! I never would have thought of that, would you?
I’m curious as to how this actually happens – that her basement stays dry. Are there angels redirecting the water away from the basement? Is the water itself moving away? Is the soil around the basement shifting so as the snow melts, it runs in a different direction, away from the basement?
Regardless of how it happens, she is thrilled that it IS happening and no more wet basement! Thank you, Lord, for giving us authority as your sons and daughters!
Do you have an experience of talking to creation and having it respond to you? Please share it below! I love to hear these kinds of testimonies because they stretch our faith and help us think outside the box.
Angel appears – Zaps my laptop!
Guess what happened to me the other night? An angel zapped my laptop!
I was in a Zoom meeting with several other people, waiting on God to see what the Lord would show us about Himself and His kingdom. As we did, different members saw us together with Jesus in a garden. Then a door opened and a company of angels started marching out. They were full of Light.
Someone saw Jesus talking to the angels and assigning some of them to each of us. We thanked the Lord for sending them to us, to assist us in establishing His kingdom and His will in the earth.
Suddenly I sensed a very strong presence of an angel right there in my office. He was standing directly in front on me so I turned my head toward him to discern why he was there. Here’s the screen shot from the Zoom meeting. That’s me in the blue shirt with the beach scene behind me, turning my attention away from the screen.
Suddenly my computer started making a LOUD alarming sound that wouldn’t stop! I have never heard a computer make that kind of continuous sound before. I tried pressing the Esc key and then I tried pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, but it didn’t respond. The screen was frozen and so was my mouse, so I held down the power button until it shut off.
What just happened, I thought. I was sensing a new angel here in my office and suddenly my laptop is freaking out!
I tried to restart my laptop but it was very hot to the touch on the bottom so I shut it down again to let it cool off. I rejoined the meeting on my phone and found out I wasn’t the only one who had experienced problems. Another member of the group also suddenly had tech difficulties and had to shut down her computer and rejoin the meeting using her phone. She also mentioned problems with the sound.
As the meeting continued, I tried to calm down and refocus my attention on the Lord. I asked Him about this new angel. I heard, He is here to serve you. And I saw gold glitter in the space where he had been standing.
The next night I was working on a painting in my office and sensing the angelic realm around me. It was getting late, so I took the dog out for a potty break before heading to bed. As we stepped out the front door, I saw a round rainbow around my front lamp post.
The rainbow was a perfect circle of red on the outside and I looked to see if I could see all 7 colors – they were not in rings, but more like looking inside a crystal prism. They were sparkling and winking and moving, especially the yellow and green. It was so bright and beautiful! I pulled out my phone to try and capture the effect, but it was fading and the phone could not see all the colors I could with my eyes. I noticed the air was cool and very moist. I blinked several times, realizing that seeing this effect was probably not “normal”. Was it the water vapor in the air refracting the light from the lamp post? I looked at other nearby lights on the neighbor’s houses. None of them had this rainbow effect. But the light from them was in a star pattern and they were also twinkling and moving. It was wild!
When I looked back at my lamp post, all I could see was the star pattern. I tried to capture it on my phone’s camera and you can kind of see what I mean.
Energy shifts things in the natural realm. The angel appearing in my office definitely shifted something and freaked out my laptop. By the way, it’s fine now – I’m writing on it right now with no problems. Energy was also shifted in the rainbow effect from my lamp post. Light was being refracted, but why could I only see it around the lamp and not any other lights? It reminded me of the scripture in Revelation 4 where it says there’s a rainbow around the throne of God that sparkles like an emerald.
I’m hoping to get more information about this experience, but for now, I just wanted to share it because it’s not every day that an angel’s appearance zaps your computer! Has anything like this ever happened to you? Feel free to share in the comments below.
By the way, here’s the photo I tried to take of the rainbow circle of light around the lamp – you can see the circle, but not the colors. It was so cool to see the colors! 🌈
I Googled this effect, it’s called corona phenomenon. Sometimes you can see it around the moon at night. Here’s a photo someone captured of a corona around a light post. That’s what mine looked like!
Book Review: Third-Heaven Authority
Third-Heaven Authority by Mike Thompson is a new book on prayer that is worth reading. If you are not familiar with third-heaven authority, I highly recommend it. If you are familiar with the concept, you still may enjoy the book as he shares several visions and experiences of going to heaven that are inspirational and encouraging. If you don’t have time to read the entire book, read the first chapter and the last chapter, where he gives a brief summary of the entire book’s message. His visions are spread throughout the book and several are described in detail starting with chapter 13.
The Lord taught me how to pray with third-heaven authority many years ago – primarily from the Scripture, Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Jesus told us to pray that “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. How can you pray God’s will on the earth unless you know how things are done in heaven? So you sit in heavenly places in Christ and you see what God is doing – that’s what you pray.
I mean, what is the point of praying for things from YOUR perspective if you don’t have HIS perspective? His perspective shifts everything and it’s the power of His words that make things happen in the natural realm, right? All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus after He rose from the dead.(Matthew 28:18) It just makes sense to go the Source if you want your prayers answered. 🙂
The author, Mike Thompson, does an excellent job outlining what is third-heaven authority and how to access it. He’s a good teacher and lays it down, point-by-point, with many Scripture references so that beginners can understand what is meant and how to apply it.
If you’ve had trouble seeing your prayers answered, then this book will be a GAME CHANGER for you!! Praying from heaven’s perspective gives you great authority to see things change on the earth. He explains why in the book.
If seeing things from a heavenly perspective is new to you, you may want to read the post I wrote recently called, Visit Heaven Today. You may also enjoy the one on the Courts of Heaven. Both of these will help you with the concept and encourage you on your journey toward establishing God’s kingdom in the earth.
You can pray from your soulish desires or you can pray from His Spirit’s desire – and you will get very different results. Do you know when you are praying from your soul or when you are praying from your spirit? I can hear the difference when I listen to someone pray. I explain the differences in the post, Spirit vs Soul, Surprising Power in Prayer. This is somewhat related to Mike Thompson’s teaching in his book, but he doesn’t directly say it. He does explain the difference between the soul and the spirit and how these two interact, which I found refreshing and explained well.
It is part of growing in your relationship with God to learn who you are in Christ – and that includes the tremendous authority you have in the spiritual realm. You have NO IDEA how powerful you are! Pay attention to your words, they are not “just words”. The intention of your heart is what empowers them. So please “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
You can get a copy of Mike’s book on Amazon here – or check your local library. I found a copy on the Hoopla Digital app, sponsored by my library. I hope by reading it on their app, it encourages the library folks to keep buying good Christian books like this one. 💗
Cloud of Protection
“NO! Aaahh, stop!!”
I woke up screaming from a nightmare (again). Sigh. When was this going to STOP?!
But this time, I could still feel the Fear in the room – like something was watching me! Maybe several somethings … ((shudder))
I turned on all the lights. I walked around and prayed, trying to dispel the effects of the nightmare on my mind. This was back in the early days before I knew much about spiritual warfare or my authority in Christ.
I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep! But I still felt unsettled.
My mind told me, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. God is your protector. You can go back to bed.” But my heart said, “Yes, and what if those things come back as soon as I close my eyes. I hate nightmares!”
A few days before this experience, someone had mentioned the concept of using your imagination to help make God’s qualities more real to your mind and heart.
So I imagined a fluffy pink cloud surrounding me as I lay back down in my bed. This represented to me God’s Love and Protection over me as I slept. I started to relax and soon fell deeply asleep.
The next morning I was pleasantly surprised that this simple exercise had helped me SO much! I began to use it whenever I felt unsettled before going to bed. And I always slept peacefully.
I recently shared this with one of my readers who was asking about nightmares as well as how to deal with demonic entities in the atmosphere that she could feel. It’s not easy to stand up to the enemy when you don’t feel safe. I know that feeling well – not feeling safe, or feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of the demonic entities and not knowing what to do. That used to be me every day. Can you relate?
Learning I could create a personal space of safety by trusting in God as I went to sleep really helped me. It gave me more confidence. Later I learned how to apply that idea at my job, which was often a very oppressive environment. I’ll post about that on another day.
So what do you think? Does using your imagination empower you? Does it help make God more real for you? Have you tried this technique before?
I used to know a lady who really wanted to make Jesus more real in her life. She struggled to stay focused during her prayer times. So she set up her kitchen table with tea cups for two. She put tea bags in both cups. As she poured the boiling water into the cups, she began talking to Jesus as though He was joining her for tea. She talked to Him like He was sitting right there in the chair next to her – and it became so real for her! She felt comforted by His presence and they talked until His tea got cold. Then she drank His tea and put everything away, confident that her “tea time” with Jesus was as real as any prayer time she had ever had.
Fiction Flexes Your Seeing Muscles
Many people find this blog because they want to grow in being able to “see” the unseen realm. Can you see what is unseen? Yes, you can. Sometimes you see with the eyes of your heart and sometimes you see with your natural eyes. Here’s a couple of articles on this topic: Why Can’t I See or Hear in the Spirit? and How to See the Unseen Realm.
Today I want to explore some other ways you can grow in the ability to see.
Something about reading fiction enhances my ability to perceive angels and the unseen realm more clearly. Perhaps using my imagination as I read helps me tap into that realm more easily. Try it! Read a good fiction book like The Starlore Legacy series by Chuck Black – it’s like the Bible told in a Star Wars universe. Lots of fun! After reading for an hour or so, close the book and look around the room. Or walk through your house. I bet you’ll notice more things from the spiritual realm. I certainly do! 🙂
I believe the same part of our being that can imagine is the part that helps us perceive things that are invisible to our eyes. Think about when you get a prophetic insight – you don’t SEE it with your natural eyes, do you? You see it with the eyes of your heart! (aka your imagination) Paul said he prayed that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). I don’t think that this means we are “making it up” like when people use their imagination to create a novel. But it is a part of our being that we use to “see” things, to imagine things that our natural eyes cannot perceive. So when you read a good fiction book, it is flexing those “seeing” muscles! Isn’t that cool? 😲
Different Types of Spiritual Senses
I’ve noticed that many people that can see clearly in the unseen realm cannot perceive clearly. And those that hear can’t see and those that perceive don’t often hear or see. We need each other – none of us have all the gifts. This way we all have a piece to share. If we could see, hear and perceive everything all on our own, why would we need anyone else? 😉
I would much rather be able to perceive than to see. But that’s just me. By perceiving I mean sensing or feeling or “knowing” beyond knowledge.
I’ve also noticed that fasting sleep makes me more perceptive to the unseen realm, though I’ve never done it intentionally. It makes me overly sensitive to everything (which can be overwhelming) so I don’t do it on purpose. But if for some reason I get less than 5-6 hours of sleep, my senses are very sharp. If this happens for more than 1 night, I’m incredibly sensitive but it takes a big toll on me and I need a day or more to recover.
In college I lived on a supernatural grace of 5 hours a night during the week and then slept copious amounts on the weekend. I was young and on fire and my friends and I sought hard after God. It was exhilarating!!
So what enables you to perceive the unseen realm more clearly? And no, I don’t mean psychotropic substances. I personally don’t trust anything that alters my ability to perceive the natural realm to begin with.
By the way, I ALWAYS notice a big shift in my awareness after midnight until the sun comes up. Everything is clearer and it’s much easier to get discernment or prophetic insight. Have you noticed this too?
Let me know in the comments section – let’s learn from each other! 🙂
Emergency Rescue Prayer for Others
“Help! I need God to breakthrough for my family member NOW!”
How many of us have had that thought well up from deep in our heart – desperate to see someone we love set free from whatever binds them to trouble?
I have often pondered why some people just can’t seem to escape the trouble they experience in life. No matter how much they wish they could change, they don’t. Or you try talking to them and they won’t listen. Sound familiar?
So what can you do to help them?
We can pray. But not just regular prayer – though that always helps. I’m talking about a different kind of prayer that shatters strongholds and sets them free – without them evening knowing about it.
It’s called Identificational Repentance and it’s very, very powerful. I first learned about it from John Dawson in his book, Taking Our Cities for God. He applied it to cities and I was on prayer team who practiced the methods he recommended. We were amazed at the results!
A few years ago, the Lord began teaching me about this as it applied to individual people. I did not know it could be done that way but it made sense. And again, I was amazed at the results!
Basically instead of praying FOR the person, you talk to God as though you ARE the person.
For example, instead of praying, “Lord, please help Billy get off drugs. You know he’s already been to rehab, but he’s back at it again. He needs you, Lord. Please help him!” you pray this way instead, “Lord, I come to you now as Billy Jenkins. Please forgive me for using drugs instead of turning to You. I am sorry I don’t trust you. Please forgive me for believing the lie that I can do this on my own. I am weak and I need Your love to free me from this addiction. I can’t do this on my own. Please open my heart to Your love and show me how to live. Thank you.”
This is not easy to do – don’t take this lightly. You have to let go of your ego and lay aside your sense of self. You let go of judgment about Billy and what he’s doing. You come before God as thought you are Billy and you ask Holy Spirit to guide you as to what you need to say to God.
It is very powerful and very intimate. If you are trustworthy, God will show you what it is like to BE Billy. And it will probably surprise you. These are secrets you must keep – please don’t share them with anyone, not even Billy. These are between you and your Father.
Pray this way as often as you feel led for as long as you feel led to pray this way. You will see surprising results.
Why does it work?
Legal ground is established by our agreement with darkness – like a contract. We believe a lie (or a partial truth) and by agreeing with it, it has authority in our lives.
When we repent and come out of agreement with the lie, then its influence (or authority) over us is broken.
Sometimes someone is so deeply deceived that they don’t even realize they are in agreement with darkness. They can’t see the lie to come out of agreement with it. It is so deeply entrenched in their psyche that it seems impossible for them to recognize it. We all know people who have struggled for YEARS to overcome addiction. This is an example of an entrenched lie that is deeply hidden. No matter how they change their behavior, they are unable to overcome the lie that is hidden deeply in their hearts and minds. As a result, addiction still has a hold on them.
Here’s a secret: We are all “addicted” in some way or other. Some of us have obvious addictions like drugs or alcohol. Others have more “socially acceptable” addictions like worry, codependence or workaholism. These are all just evidence of our addiction to “self”. We all suffer from this “disease” (the more popular term for addiction now).
So, how do we get free? We turn to Jesus and repent of our false beliefs and come into agreement with His truth.
If someone is not able to do this on their own (because they can’t see the false beliefs), then an intercessor can start the process for them. The intercessor can take the place of the “addicted one” and repent before the Lord for whatever strongholds of agreement the Lord shows them to repent of. These are usually mindsets, patterns of thought or heart attitudes. It could be pride, independence, self-centeredness, fear, doubt, disbelief, etc.
We agree with HIM regarding what the truth is and come out of agreement with the lie – doing all of this as though we are the other person.
How does it work?
We become “one” with the person we are praying for, the one for whom we are repenting. Here are some examples from Scripture of the principle of being “one” with another person.
Husband and wife are one, according to Scripture. Genesis 2:22-24, Ephesians 5:31 and Matthew 19:4-6:
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6
If we truly are one and that’s how God sees us, then that means I can “take the place” of my husband before God, if necessary. I can repent on his behalf – as though it was him talking to God, but the words are coming out of my mouth. I can’t change his heart, his mind or his will, but I can remove the stronghold of darkness that is exerting its influence on his heart, mind and will by repenting on his behalf.
All believers are one, according to Scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28 and Ephesians 2:13-16:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Ephesians 2:13-16
How about unbelievers? Can we be “one” with them?
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 18-21
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. I John 2:2
What if they are unwilling?
What if they are unwilling? You can’t make anyone receive God’s love. From my experience, the only people I’ve ever met who were unwilling to receive God’s love and forgiveness were people who had a misconception either about God or about themselves. They believed a lie or partial truth that convinced them that either God didn’t really love them or that they were unworthy of being forgiven and loved by God.
There’s no logical reason for anyone to reject God’s love! The only time people reject it is when they believe a lie. We remove the power of the lie by breaking the agreement with it through repentance.
What an amazing masterful strategy from our God!
Once the power of agreement is broken, darkness no longer has any legal right to have such strong influence on their mind and heart. Then they can receive God’s love and forgiveness more easily!
Really – try it! It works! 🙂
I’ve seen it happen in “hard cases” – people who were not able to receive God’s love. Then someone prayed for them in Personal Identificational Repentance. Suddenly God’s love was accessible to them on a very deep level and they completely changed! Their hearts opened up like a flower bud and they blossomed with His Love! It’s an amazing miracle!
Visit Heaven Today 😊
One day a friend came to visit me. He was always really on fire for God. I enjoyed spending time with him because he always had new things to share with me that our heavenly Father had shown him.
We were sitting in the living room getting caught up, when he turned to me and said, “Did you know you can visit heaven before you die?” I looked at him quizzically. No one had ever said that to me before.
I was taught (and you probably were too) that we only see heaven after we die. In fact, that seems to be the emphasis of most preaching – accept Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die. So I always assumed that heaven was not for now.
Guess what? My friend was right!! He taught me what he learned about it. We visited a friend later that evening and told her too and all three of us visited heaven that night – together! It was a blast!
WHAT?! I can just hear some of you right now thinking, “Has this woman lost her mind? WHAT is she talking about?”
So let’s start with what the Scriptures say about it.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2
How do you “seek those things which are above, where Christ is”? What if this is not figurative, but something you can literally do?
Paul said we are already there! How can that be?
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
What does it mean to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”? Ponder that with the Lord.
John was invited to make this a reality – he saw a door open in heaven.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Revelation 4:1
Yes, John was given a special revelation for the church. But why not ask Jesus, “Can I go too?” 😁
Lastly, think about what Jesus said. This is one of my favorite passages in the book of John. I thought it was for “some day”, but what if it’s for now?
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:2-6
When did Jesus come to you and receive you to Himself? Well, for me it was when I opened my heart to Him and asked Him to guide me and be my Lord and Savior. He came to me and received me. So then He says why He went to prepare a place – that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus Christ is the only way this visit to heaven can work – never forget that. He’s the one who invites us to sit with Him in heavenly places, that where He is, we can be also. Isn’t that cool? 🙂
I know it’s kind of a mind blowing idea, but stay with me.
Take a moment and say in your heart, “Lord, show me if this is true.” Then wait and see what He says.
The easiest way to do this is simply spend some time with Jesus. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart. And while you are with Him, say, “Jesus, will you please take me to heaven?” Then see what happens.
The first time I went with my friends to heaven, we were talking to Jesus and we asked Him to take us. We were sitting in my friend’s living room when we said this. But suddenly we all had the experience of moving up and we all saw ourselves in a convertible car going up to heaven. It was so fun! I said to my friend, “Hey, did you bring the popcorn?” She laughed because we just had been talking about eating popcorn on road trips.
Then we were brought into a courthouse building. We were standing in the lobby outside a courtroom. We saw a bunch of children being escorted into the courtroom and we each immediately knew that justice was being given to these children that had experienced abuse. It was solemn but there was also a sense of joy that justice was being served for them. They were no longer victims without a voice.
After that I became aware that we were in the living room again. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my friends. We smiled and tried to process what we had just experienced together. It was amazing!
I don’t think I left earth – my body was still here because I hadn’t died yet. But my spirit was definitely somewhere else – up in heaven. Just like John in the book of Revelation. He was in two places at once. Remember Revelation 10:4? Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” So John was in heaven seeing and hearing all these things and he was also writing them down on earth. What he wrote down is what we call the book of Revelation in the Bible.
Other people have experienced this too – many of the prophets were shown things and they wrote them.
So why not us?
Many people see things when they pray for others – like a picture from the Holy Spirit showing them something about the person. I was taught to “pray into the picture” and more would be revealed. So as I concentrated on what Holy Spirit was showing me, in an attitude of prayer, He would expand what He was showing me in the picture. Often I received more revelation by getting more details about the picture. For instance, if I was praying for someone and I saw a picture of a man, I would look more closely and ask Holy Spirit for more information.
Holy Spirit might show me who the man was or why this man was significant to this person. It would go from a generic man to a more specific man – perhaps it was the person’s grandfather. Then I could continue to pray and perhaps the Holy Spirit would show me WHY I was seeing a picture of the grandfather.
Does that make sense?
So taking a trip to heaven is kind of similar. It’s a revelatory experience of the heavenly realm because Jesus wants to show you something.
You might visit a garden. Or ask Jesus to show you your mansion in heaven. You might visit a courtroom to get justice for your situation (see my post here).
So go ahead – ask Jesus to take you to heaven and see what He shows YOU!
Enjoy your trip! 🙂
Is God REALLY Your Provider?
Is God REALLY Your Provider? Or do you secretly rely on your job, a family member or the economy to keep your bills paid?
This is a question most people don’t wrestle with – they have a job = they pay their bills. They might pray for a job and feel that God has provided one. End of story.
But what if God asks you to walk away from a very good job and just trust Him to provide?
What if you get fired? Will God provide for you then?
Learning that God truly is your provider can be a very challenging experience, especially when you are used to being self-sufficient.
Self-sufficient … think about that. Self-reliant is a synonym of that. Notice the first part – SELF. Yeah, the one thing Jesus told us to deny. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matt 16:24 and Luke 9:23
It’s not about you striving to provide.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Jesus, Matthew 6:25-26, 33-34
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom! – Jesus, Luke 12:32
This is what my heavenly Father has said to me:
“You’ll have all that you need when you need it.”
And when I’ve been thinking about things I wish I had, He has said:
“You don’t need it or else I’d be providing it.” (Ouch!)
This doesn’t just apply to money or paying bills. This applies to EVERY area of life – having discernment and wisdom to make good decisions, having certain people in your life, having opportunities you want to experience (i.e. travel, ministry, a specific career, etc.), what kind of place you live, what resources you have available, etc. The list could go on – basically whatever you “need” falls into this category.
Can you really trust God to be your provider? Because ultimately that’s what this is – it’s a TRUST thing.
Do you really believe that it is your Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom? (No striving necessary.)
Do you really believe that if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness that all the things you need will be provided? Is God that good?
I do. I’ve lived it. It’s real. He promised it and I found out He was true.
Many years ago He asked me to leave my very good corporate job and just trust Him to provide. So I did. And I can honestly say that I have never lacked for a thing. I have always had all that I needed WHEN I needed it. 🙂
Anyone else have a testimony they’d like to share about God being their provider? Please share in the comments. I’d love to read your story.
And if this is an area you are struggling with – be honest with Him. He really likes honesty. Find the root of the fear that you feel and ask Him to help you with it. Once the fear is gone, it’s much easier to trust Him. ❤ This post on Overcoming Fear might help. 🙂
Thanks for reading this post. I love to hear from readers – it really encourages me. 🙂
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 