As a pre-teen, at about 12, I was home alone with the mumps on a Sunday afternoon, I was listening to the radio, when I had what I was fairly sure was a vision, but I made it mine, embellishing scenes into it until it was really nothing but a fantasy. An exercise in imagination. (Boy, have I turned that into a huge muscle!) The fact is, I'd plotted out a whole dynasty and series of novels that were far more detailed than the original vision.
When God plans to use someone, He usually gives them a glimpse of this in advance, in a dream or a vision. However, then God tests that one by destroying all possible natural means for that vision to happen.
In the Bible, for instance, we learn of Abraham who sensed God drawing him and his family out of his country to look for one, just for his descendants which would become a nation. Then he was asked to give up his heir, Isaac. Goodbye descendant nations, right?
Later there was his great-grandson, Joseph, who dreamed that others would bow down to him. His family were insulted at the idea! His brothers sold him into slavery. But he rose from obscurity in prison to become second to Pharaoh.
There are many others, once you look for them. Jesus told His disciples of the coming kingdom and how a kernel of wheat must die before it can be resurrected in new life. Did you know this is a basic spiritual principle?
First comes faith as the vision is received. Your spirit within you shouts, "Yes! I want this!"
When death comes to the vision, and it surely will - if it is truly from God, hope begins to well up in your spirit. It may be just a flicker, and you may think it has gone out sometimes, for all natural means of that vision being fulfilled will be destroyed. The ONLY way it can happen is if God does it miraculously.
About 20 years ago, God finally convinced me to let go of my fantasies, and live in the real world. I packed up and came home to care for my parents, and to see if God might still turn me into a writer after being off on my own tangents for 16 years.
With no other dreams but to draw closer to Him, I saw the value of my book and writing as a ministry and goal. Throwing myself into that work, I saw a plan developing, and I pressed on, but still afraid to use words like dreams, visions, or even fantasies.
This is the third phase of a true vision from God, and it represents Love, the fruit or blossom stage. It's when God brings the vision to pass after you or I think it is quite dead, and oh, how lovely it is! Like a lily white bursting from the ground!
Although I've been very much involved in every step and aspect of the publication of my novel, to me it has been like the resurrection of a lily bulb buried in the earth to rot. The blossom is astonishingly beautiful compared to what went into the ground.
At some point God gave you a vision for your life, didn't He? Have you clutched it and made it your beloved play thing? Or have you let it go into it's death, so that God can resurrect it in His own power and glory?
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Ruth Marlene Friesen makes friends wherever she goes!
Her friends become her rare roses at Ruthes-SecretRoses.com
Order the softcover edition at Booklocker.com
And- Subscribe to her weekly ezine RoseBouquet
To follow and get to know Ruth better!
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
[Article may be reprinted only with this resource box].
Back Inspirational Articles (index)
Ruth Marlene Friesen
The Responsible One
Privacy Promises ~~
Sitemap
Ruthe's Secret Roses (official site)
©2001-2022 Ruth Marlene Friesen
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada