God's Call to Come Up Higher by David Nelson

Posted: 2007-07-31 17:25:36

God’s Call to Come Up Higher      by David Nelson      8-21-07

(Articles by other authors to follow)

I had a dream about a year ago that was very strong and I thought about it for weeks as being from the Lord. But it was so “different” that I did not even share it with my wife, thinking it probably was just for me (between me and the Lord). Then about 3 weeks ago a lady named Hollie Moody wrote about a prophetic vision she had that was very much the same as my dream. So I thought, maybe this is for everyone?

In the last few days two writings have come to my attention from Rick Joyner and a man named Mitt Jeffords. So, what I am about to write comes from all of these sources above plus a man of God from China named Wang Ming Dao. (I will include quotes and articles at the end of this writing that will tie in).

First, let me share the dream I had a year ago. I will try and paint the picture I saw and how I felt. There was a very tall pole, like the kind a diver would dive from at a circus into a small pool of water. The pole in my dream had no pool of water at the bottom and instead of a platform for diving at the top it had a seat to sit in. This pole was very high (looked kind of scary to climb), and it looked kind of rusty and old (like it had been around for a long time, maybe past generations had climbed it and used it), and once you were seated at the top there was a small platform under you so that no one could see you (yet I could see people walking below me). I was so high up, and I had some fear of falling, though the Lord assured me that I was safe, strapped in, even if I should fall asleep, I was OK, and that I was free to leave whenever I wanted. I also noticed that there were other poles spaced far enough apart to be secluded available for other people who chose to climb their own pole. Now I was at the bottom of the pole again and the Lord said, “Do you want to be alone with Me, to know Me and what I am thinking? It is a place of total one-sightedness, seeing and being with Me, total dedication to knowing Me. It is a place where I have you and you have Me, but it is for you to choose to go there and stay there as you choose. Also, this is a place where I will show you people and how you can help them.” 

I have thought about that place where I could live close to the Lord and yet continue in my daily work, chores and relationships with the people I rub shoulders with every day. I have wanted to live in that place and go there again and again, and stay as long as I could. I have wanted to go there in my spirit and have this as my mindset, this is where I really want to live. But it is kind of scary to get there and kind of scary to stay there unless I could learn or the Lord could teach me to be comfortable there.

Here is where the butterfly and cocoon idea comes in (from Rick Joyner) and the vision by Mitt Jeffords (The Steel Mill), and the revelation by the man from China, Wang Ming Dao. Up in the seat on the pole is the cocoon we must wrap ourselves in. We are worms or caterpillars that crawl on the earth and we must decide at some point to wrap ourselves up with the Lord where nothing else matters except to become what He wants us to be. All things must be shut out (even though we continue in much of our normal life activities). The Lord will show what must be dropped, every soul tie that must be cut, no strings attached, one thing that we want above all else, not even ministry but the Lord Himself. Once He has allowed us to be wrapped up in Him alone, He will continue the process that will lead to creating the most beautiful, colorful butterfly, looking completely different than before, with wings that soar high above this world. Butterflies are somewhat elusive, and can hardly be seen by others in their full colors. We only see them for a fleeting moment and cannot see all their beauty and colors unless they are confined and their wings are spread out for all to see. (Maybe things will be better seen in heaven after we have finished our courses).

The process that is going on in the cocoon as the Lord is forming our wings and painting the colors in minute detail is explained to some extent in Mitt Jeffords vision (The Steel Mill). How can we change ourselves? Maybe we have tried so hard and we seem to fall short again and again. Yes, we should want to cooperate with the Lord in this process of becoming Holy as He is Holy and becoming righteous and pure in character as He is. Mitt Jeffords shares that the Lord wants every detail of our lives to be put into His hands. Our cooperation is to humbly give up each area of our lives as He shows us and corrects us, and keep giving up each thing to Him till He completes the work in us. How can we change, how can we obey even His slightest promptings? He is the author and finisher of the work He is doing if we will be in the cocoon and if we will offer up every detail for Him to finish His work. He wants to change some big flaws in us that we may or may not see, and we seem to have little or no power to change. There may be small flaws we do not see that He wants to change also. Lord, please point these things out to us and give us a stronger and stronger desire to change into what You want. “I am at work in you both to desire and to do my good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) Please do this verse in me Lord, please help me to long for this with my whole heart. 

Each one of us may have visions in our own hearts and dreams we dream for ourselves, and one day we hope what He has put into our hearts will come to pass and will be exactly the same as the visions and dreams He has always had for us. And just like it took time and some pain and confinement for Joseph (in the Bible) to reach the fulfillment of his dreams, but because they were given by God they did surely come to pass. It is the same with each of us. Will we go up to a place where we are the Lord’s completely and He is our goal and desire alone (the seat on the high pole)? Will we know that we must wrap ourselves up with the Lord in a cocoon to be wanting and available for the changes and the beauty He wants for us? (Actually He is calling to each one even now and has been, to come, come to that place). What wonderful things He has planned for each of us.

 

 

 

I saw that some of the people were positioned on rooftops, Some

were positioned on walls that ran around the perimeter of the city. Others were in groups of twos and were walking around the city together. Still others were also up in high lowers such as the one I was in.

I then sensed the Lord’s return next to me. 

“Why am I here. Lord?” I asked

“To keep watch,” the Lord replied.

So. I watched. For quite some time, I continued to watch. Yet, I saw nothing. 

I noticed that the Lord was going from watchman to watchman, speaking to them. I saw that some of them had fallen asleep on their watch, and that the Lord appeared quite displeased by this.

(Isaiah 56:10,  “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.”

Suddenly, I saw something bright falling from the heavens.(The rest of this vision is available upon request).

August 13, 2007

Rick Joyner:

"THE GREAT METAMORPHOSIS--BEING TRANSFORMED AS WE SOAR ABOVE OUR TRIALS"

"There is no greater freedom than knowing we are in the will of God."

The Church is the Lord's Body, and what He does, He will do through His Church. If we want to be a part of what God is doing, it is fundamental that we find our part in His body and begin functioning in it.

We must also acknowledge that there are many ways in which the contemporary Church reflects the ways and organizations of this world more than the Kingdom of God. However, the Church is going through a most radical transformation at this time. It is so radical that the only way to describe it is metamorphosis, which we have discussed before, but we need to build on this thought a bit, so I will review it briefly here.

Metamorphosis of the Church and Our Mindsets

Metamorphosis is the process that a caterpillar goes through in the cocoon where it enters as a worm and leaves a beautiful butterfly. The Greek word that is the root of this word "metamorphosis" is the word translated "transformed" in Romans 12:2:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

A caterpillar is a worm that crawls along the earth, conforming to all of the contours of the earth, but a butterfly soars above the earth. This is the transformation that is needed in us, and as it is specifically stated in this verse, the transformation must take place in our minds by the renewing.

Our minds have what are called "mindsets." A mindset is the setting of our mind so that when a word is spoken, we form a certain, definite impression. For example, when the word "Church" is stated, many have a very definite impression of it. For most of us, the Church is in its caterpillar state—the worm that is still conformed to this world. However, that mindset is about to be changed and renewed. Those who see prophetically already see the Church differently. She is about to become a very Heavenly creature, and those who are still looking for her crawling along the ground may miss her as she soars by overhead.

Metamorphosis requires going into a cocoon, which is very confining. Even after the transformation has taken place, the cocoon is very hard to break out of. In fact, breaking out of the cocoon is often the greatest struggle a butterfly will ever go through. (from  www.elijahlist.com).

 

VISION of the STEEL MILL
-by Mitt Jeffords.

"Who shall stand at his appearing?..."

"I found myself in the middle of a steel mill, and all around me were
 the sights and the sounds of one would expect to see and hear in a
steel mill that was in full production. I saw fiery sparks every where I
looked, and the sound of "shhhhh"; the sound that hot iron metal is
dipped in water to be cooled. The only thing missing was the mill
workers; for there was not one man to be found anywhere.

I then noticed that not far from me was a molten mass just laying on
the floor; and it had no shape or form to it. The outside of this mass
appeared burnt black and crackly, appearing just like the lava that I
have seen in pictures from the volcanoes in Hawaii. Though the outside
of this mass appeared cool and hard, I could tell that the inside was
still molten hot. I was studying this molten mass when all of sudden it
started taking on a form; it was a simple upright form that was about
4 feet high and 2 feet across; other than be upright, it had no other
characteristics to it. The outside of this mass still appeared as black
and crackly as lava. I was amazed because though I saw this mass
taking shape before my eyes, I could not visibly see who was doing it.

For about 15 minutes I had been trying to figure out what this form
was before me when all of sudden, starting at the top, all of the
burnt outside pieces began to fall off this figure. It was not until the
bottom pieces fell away before I could what this form was. It was
the figure of a man who was bent over at the waist, with head straight
down towards the floor, his arms were running parallel to his legs,
and he appeared to be made out of sterling silver.

I hardly had time to consider what this new form was before I could
discern that this figure was about ready for another. I then observed
as this figure changed from sterling silver to liquid silver. Once it
became liquid, this figure then stood completely upright. After this
figure stood upright, it then hardened again; this time the figure
appeared as the most clear sparkling crystal that I have ever seen.
I do not know how I perceived this, but I knew that this new man was
completely filled with all humility and boldness, having all confidence
and faith in God.

It was then that I woke up from my dream. When I opened my eyes,
there standing at the foot of my bed was this very figure of a man
that I had seen in my dream. He leaned towards me and said, "I
stand corrected"; and then he disappeared. Immediately the Spirit
of the Lord spoke to me that which is written in Malachi, "Who shall
continue in the day of his coming? Who may abide in the day of his
coming? For he is like a refiners fire and a fuller's soap; and he
shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver so that they may present
before the Lord an offering in righteousness". I then shook at the
reality of what the Lord has shown me; for many, many are looking
for the coming of the Lord, but who is he who has gone through the
fire of the Lord's corrections?

I then asked the Lord, "Who does this man represent, Lord. Is it
me?". And the Lord then answered and said, "The man that you
saw in your vision, he is your inner man; your heart, your mind, and
your soul. The inner man is he which no man has power to correct
or to change of himself.

The man who attempts to correct himself, he is the man who does
so that he might be found pleasing and acceptable in the sight of
men, as well as in his own eyes. He who loves me, he it is who
humbles his heart before me, presenting himself before me, asking
for me to correct him. I correct all those whom I love because they
desire to for me to change them into my own image", says the Lord.
"When I correct you, I change things in you; for I do that which is
impossible for any man to do...."

"I have asked you to seek for the truth. I have asked you to believe
and to trust me when I said unto you that you do not yet know the
truth. There are many things that you do not yet comprehend
because you have not yet asked to understand them. If you ask
diligently and if you will focus your eyes on me, and not on your
own self, your own emotions, your own reasoning, your own vision,
or on your circumstances, then I will show you the truth. If you will
seek my goodness, in all that comes upon you, then I will reveal
myself unto you.

Do not think it strange nor be dismayed at the fiery trials which
confront you. Remember, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for
just as I was with them, so also am I always with you. Look for me
in the fire, for you are not alone. Believe on my words, and look for
the good that I desire to bring forth in all that you go through.
Remember that which is written, "Happy is the man whom the Lord corrects".

I AM; I Am a consuming fire. I desire to baptize you with my fire. I
am that fire. I am that fire that you must pass through to return to
paradise, the kingdom of God. The kingdom which is about to
appear on earth. But who shall stand when I appear except those
who have been corrected? Are you ready for me?" says the Lord.

 

What kind of person will have revival?  (Wang Ming Dao, spiritual leader in China)  Thoughts from an article by Alex Buchan (taken from Voice of the Martyrs Jan. 2000, Vol. 15, Issue 1)    (2-17-07)

Born at the turn of the century, Wang Ming Dao was China’s most famous house church pastor and evangelist and, until his death in 1991, received all the religious VIPs, including Billy Graham.

Wang was the genuine article. While his official church counterpart, Bishop Ding, was mysteriously protected during the Cultural Revolution, Wang spent those years in prison in solitary confinement. Finally released in 1980, his steadfast faith during 23 years of imprisonment inspired millions of Chinese Christians.

For Wang, revival could only come upon those who knew that walking the way of Christ would be hard, requiring courage, determination and sacrifice. During a visit, I quizzed him on his prison experience. “I will probably never be put in jail like you, so how can your faith have any impact on mine?” 

He replied by asking me a series of questions: “When you go back home, how many books do you have to read this coming month? How many letters to write, people to see, sermons to preach?”

Then he stopped and said, “You need to build yourself a cell. When I was put in jail, I was devastated. I was an evangelist. I wanted to hold crusades all over China. I was an author. I wanted to write books. I was a preacher. I wanted to study my Bible and write sermons.

“But I had no Bible, no pulpit, no audience, no pen and paper. I could do nothing. Nothing except get to know God. And for 20 years, that was the greatest relationship I have ever known.”

His parting advice was, “I was pushed into a cell, but you will have to push yourself into one. Simplify your life, so you have time to know God.” For him, the absolute requirement is to go at a “walking pace,” slowing down, stilling yourself enough to commune properly with God. 

Revival can only come to those who make room for God.