Tag: #dreams

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Be Strong in the Lord Pt.2 -Wargames

Seeing the Battlefield

The strategy of chess is to capture your opponent’s king, whilst keeping yours safe.

Seated around the table were leaders of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. We traveled from our headquarters in upstate NY to Fort Leavenworth, KS, to participate in a wargame.

During a seminar, a retired General, regarded as an expert in warfighting, asked a question: What is the most important attribute of a combat leader?

Over half of the those seated around the extended table said competence was the most important attribute. The seasoned General -respectfully referred to as a greybeard– reflected upon the various responses and then gave his answer: cunning.

Here are two definitions for cunning from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary: 

Sun Tzu’s observations have application beyond the battlefield.
  • Crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end.
  • Characterized by wiliness and trickery

I was seated in a classroom as an undergraduate student. I recognized the teacher, but he seemed out of place. It was time to take the test. Responding to the questions wasn’t difficult, but I felt like I was missing something. 

A teacher’s assistant (TA) graded the tests and announced to the class that I and another student failed the exam. How embarrassing. Why did he tell everybody? The TA handed out the papers, and there marked in red was my score of 50. 

Inner-voices of discouragement went into high gear: You aren’t going to graduate. You aren’t smart enough. Forget about your ministry dreams. You don’t have what it takes, etc.  

Then upon closer examination of my test results, I saw my error. Every question I missed on this multiple-choice exam required more than one answer. I misunderstood the requirements and only selected the best answer—what a relief.

Still, this class was strange. I was the only black student among white students in a class at my alma mater, Howard University, a historically Black college or university (HBCU). I love diversity, but this was unusual.

Then, how could John Anderson be my undergraduate instructor? I was nearly 60 years-old when I met him. Then I awoke from sleeping. THANK God it was all a dream! Let me tie this all together.

The Apostle Paul provided a clear explanation as to why we are to be strong in the Lord: that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11) 

The devil is cunning and crafty in attaining his goals and he relies upon wiliness and trickery. 

The devil is the master of deception and an expert at concealing his true intentions.  He even disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14)

The purpose of deception is to conceal what is real and display what is false. In warfighting, you NEVER reveal your true intentions to your opponent.

In the dream, the devil craftily orchestrated people and circumstances to make me feel inadequate to accomplish my ministry goals, but God exposed his trickery. 

In real life, I frequently deal with this kind of discouragement in various shapes and forms. The devil is the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Did you notice satan’s efforts to publicly embarrass me-the only black student failing in a class of white students? The devil routinely plays upon racial, gender, generational and demographic stereotypes to bias and disorient us.

In real life, John Anderson is the sports psychologist who encouraged me to pursue my ambitious international ministry goals. In the dream, he was a dispassionate administrator of a tricky test employing a TA intent on embarrassing me.

You must anticipate your opponents moves.

I am not just telling my story. I am telling your story as well because we face the same adversary; therefore, I encourage you to routinely ask these questions to better see the battlefield on which you are fighting:

  • What is the current challenge I am facing?
  • What am I not seeing in this situation? (Look beyond the surface.) 
  • What is the enemy REALLY trying to rob, steal or destroy in this situation? 

Pray for wisdom after asking these questions. (James 1:5-7) The Lord delights in unraveling the devil’s schemes. He will help you see the battlefield.

Whatever is of MOST value to you, the devil wants to rob, kill and destroy. He considers no areas off-limits. Spiritual warfare is a REAL thing; therefore, be strong in the Lord!

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16) God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” -Sun Tzu

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From Dreams to Reality

How You Can Influence the Outcome

That’s me. I learned that I was an INFJ, one of the 16 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality types. What is most important about this chart is at the bottom right corner.

Great rewards come from serving others. People on the receiving end will go so far as to say you changed their lives. I’d say that about the guy who signed my INFJ printout. We will refer to him by his initials, JA. 

JA is a sports psychologist. In October 2014, he facilitated a week-long Leadership Assessment Program Level II class in Shepherdstown, WVA. 

Before taking this class, I had to fill out some questionnaires and take some personality assessments. The Federal Government brought in executive coaches to provide feedback on the evaluations at the end of the week of training. 

I couldn’t believe it. JA was not only the primary instructor but my coach. The evening before the coaching sessions, we students were told we had three hours to discuss whatever we wanted with the coaches.

In 2012, I had an idea to start a digital prayer network at my church, but most people could not grasp the concept. They had the look of, “what is this guy talking about?” As such, the first two years were tough. 

To my surprise, the Lord began speaking to me about this digital prayer network the evening before I departed for Shepherdstown. Here I was struggling to get the concept going in my church, and now the Lord spoke to me about global expansion??!!

I grabbed a piece of paper and started sketching out the concept as it came to me.

The Lord then prompted me to talk to JA about this global network during my coaching session. What? Talk to a sports psychologist about a prayer network during a government-funded training event?

Conceptual diagram of a digital global Prayer Network, Oct, 2014

The next day I showed JA the diagram above and explained the concept. He grasped the idea immediately. He marveled at the detail in my chart and said this is how some great organizations get started. He encouraged me to move forward and affirmed the concept.

Dream Prayer Network (DPN) has reached thousands of people around the world. JA has little idea how significant a role he played, but let’s talk about what he depicted at the bottom of my INFJ printout.

You will never guess what that underlined W represents. He actually passed out decals of the diagram after the final class session.

JA asked us, students, to identify our top three goals and give ourselves a score of 1-10 on our level of commitment to achieve them.

Facing the truth was a painful moment for me. I put down a seven for intensity level in pursuit of DPN. JA’s point was clear. Significant outcomes require significant effort, and extraordinary results require extraordinary effort.

JA said you need to be at level 10 to be extraordinary, and you must be willing to put your “butt on the line!” (The W referred to a body part.) I hope you are not offended by the raw reference because it helped me.

Allow me to capture the spirit of the underlined W within a Biblical framework:

Joshua said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. David said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine? Isaiah said, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Paul said, “I press toward the mark of the prize.” 

I wrote this article to encourage you and me to apply a 10-level effort to those things that matter most to us. Resident within all of us is 10-level capacity and potential. I believe we are going to achieve great things. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

PS: After seven years, I just reconnected with JA over Linked In.

  • Joshua’s house: Jos 24:15
  • David’s declaration: 1 Sam: 17:26
  • Isaiah’s response: Isa 6:8
  • Paul’s press: Phil 3:14
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Overcoming COVID-19 God’s Way

The Supernatural- Dreams & Visions Pt. 4, The Sniper

He was a good man, no… a great man. He was an empty-nester.  He had raised ten children and was close to all of them.

Diligent at his work, he had amassed a fortune and was on the brink of being named atop the “Forbes Magazine” list as the wealthiest man of his era.

There was no drama in his life so Hollywood did not come calling. He was not the type to do Reality TV. Wealthy, diligent, and spiritual, he stood above the others. 

This sniper is always looking for targets.

Everything was going so nicely until he found himself in the crosshairs of the sniper.

After a restless night, my wife Vanessa woke me up and said, “you’ve been having nightmares.” It was the morning of 16 August 2016. 

I was at Fort Monroe, VA for the third scene in my dream. I heard a shot fired and was concerned that someone had a weapon.

I looked up and to my dismay, I saw a sniper firing at targets using a high-powered rifle.  He was concealed on an upper story of a building under construction.

I tried to yell…”SNIPER!!” but my speech was garbled. My speech is no longer garbled. Please heed this warning.

Snipers are riflemen who use stealth and deception to eliminate targets primarily at long range. Effective snipers are deadly, feared, and hated. Captured snipers are shown no mercy.

It is appropriate to refer to trained military snipers as professionals, but there are rogue snipers who are nothing more than assassins and murderers. 

The devil fits the later description. Jesus said that satan was a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44) The devil was the sniper in my dream.

Snipers are hated on the battlefield.

One 30-cent bullet from a sniper can change the outcome of a battle involving thousands of Soldiers.

The devil -the spiritual assassin- “fires” lies, deception, innuendo, half-truths, devilish wisdom, and flawed logic.

Concerning him the Bible says:

“Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

“The thief does not come except to steal, to kill and to destroy.” (John 10:10a)

The devil was seeking to devour our man atop the “Forbes” list mentioned earlier.  His name is Job. (Job 1:7)

God described Job as the finest man on the earth. Defiant, the devil tells God that Job only serves Him because God blesses and protects him. The devil continued:

“But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (Job 1:11) God accepted the challenge and the game was on!

God allowed satan to attack Job twice but would not allow him to be killed.  In short order, Job went bankrupt, lost his children in an “accident,” and saw his body ravaged by disease. Job kept his faith despite these catastrophic losses.

Let’s bring this story up to date.

Back in January, we made resolutions, dreamed dreams, and prepared plans for the future. Many projected 2020 as the year of vision, clarity, and prosperity.

If we had only known.

On the back page of the news was a story about some virus in Wuhan, China, but nobody gave it much thought. Remember?

Fast forward and hundreds of thousands have died, and millions are suffering physically and psychologically from this disease. The global economy is in shambles, and our lives have been turned upside down.

Then, just when it appeared the worst was behind us, new cases of COVID-19 began popping up all over the place.

Most have experienced financial loss, some have lost family members, and many have been physically and emotionally ravaged by this disease. Job shows us the key to overcome. He kept standing.

While Job was written thousands of years ago, the sniper is STILL active, and his tactics have not changed.

Having failed to break Job through major calamities, satan resorted to another tactic.

The devil started negatively influencing the people closest to Job, and he began with Job’s wife who says to her husband…

“Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9)

Where did she get that from? Did you catch that? Remember what satan told God:

“But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (Job 1:11), and later…

“But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” (Job 2:5)

Job’s wife was “weaponized” by satan-the sniper, but Job did not cave into the pressure. Incidentally, who are you listening to?

It was unfortunate that Job’s wife did not support him, but at least Job had his friends.  The problem was that his friends were not very friendly. The sniper got to them as well.

Job’s friends told him that his sufferings were the result of his sins. Job’s friends put a lot of pressure on him, but he never surrendered. Don’t you surrender!

The logic of Job’s friends reminds me of the “weaponized” logic of some cable news personalities who talk for hours about things they don’t really understand. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

It is likely that one of these popular anchors will take your blood pressure through the roof.

If you are the type of person who becomes anxious, fearful or upset while watching the news, take precautions and guard yourself. The sniper knows how to push your buttons.

There is a lot of weaponized activity over social media in the form of posts, tweets and news feeds. Guard yourself because things are about to get worse.

Be encouraged. The Book of Job reveals how to defeat the sniper: Maintain your faith in God, and outlast the problem(s)! In a word…STAND!

Just as God predicted, Job kept his faith, and God repaid him double for all that he lost. (Job 42:10-17)

Keep your armor on! (Eph 6:10-18)

If you’ve encountered financial loss, lost family members, or been ravaged physically or emotionally by COVID-19, keep the faith. God will help you outlast the problem(s)!

God is MUCH greater than the sniper. Stand and God will restore to you double what you have lost.  You will get through this, and oh by the way….

Don’t ever forget that you are a target! Keep your armor on and STAND. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

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The Supernatural-Dreams & Visions Pt. 3 The “Jokester”

Relationships are damaged, fortunes lost, empires subdued, and destinies shipwrecked by improper reactions to devious provocations. 

In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix starred in the movie the Joker based on the fictional DC Comics character who served as the archrival of Batman. 

The movie follows Adam Fleck, a failed standup comedian who inspires a violent revolution in Gotham City against the wealthy.  The Joker was the first Batman-related movie to receive an R-rating due to its violence and dark content.

In 2008, the late Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker in The Dark Knight.  In this film, the Joker is portrayed as a sadistic criminal mastermind and mass murderer.

Nothing funny about this “funny” man.

My encounter with a character in a dream back in August 2016, reminded me of their portrayals of the Joker. For the sake of originality, I refer to the character I encountered as the “Jokester.”

My wife, Vanessa woke me up in the wee hours of the morning and told me I was having nightmares.

In this second of a four-sequence dream, a strange man greeted me.  He seemed harmless but there was something about him that made me uncomfortable.

I responded to his greeting and then walked away. He called me back. As I turned in response, he pointed a sawed-off shotgun at me and fired at point-blank range.

The enemy fires to get you to bring harm upon yourself.

I was shocked and reacted immediately by checking my wounds. That was the strange thing.  I wasn’t wounded.  I wondered, what in the world is going on?    

That’s when the Jokester laughed a deep belly-laugh. He reared back and took great pleasure in the fact that he got me to react to his devious agitation.  Now please stay with me.

This Jokester character is symbolic of a real figure who “fires” -agitates, irritates and prods- people all the time.  This shadowy figures fires at you!

He fires wicked thoughts, suggestions, attitudes, feelings, prejudices, preferences, schemes, methodologies, concepts, theories and malevolent ideas. He can nurture the demon-seed of a idea into a sophisticated theory that enslaves multitudes.

The Jokester represents a spirit. His real name is satan-I never capitalize his name.  The fact that most people do not believe he exists enables him to “fire” his provoking ammunition with great effectiveness. https://dreamprayernetwork.com/no-sanctuary-in-spiritual-warfare/

This article is about exposing him and defeating his activity in your life.

The devil fires “flaming arrows” of thoughts and ideas (Ephesians 6:16), that don’t wound physically. Rather, they are designed to provoke improper reactions to circumstances that result in people bringing harm upon themselves and others. 

There once was a king named Balak. He knew his Moabite nation could not defeat Israel in battle so he hired a prophet by the name of Baalim to curse God’s people.

Try as he might, Baalim could not curse Israel. God told Baalim directly: “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)

Here is the first teaching point. No devil in hell, and no man on the earth can curse the people of God! We are blessed!!

Now Baalim was angry, and he wanted his money. He concluded that the only way Israel could be cursed was if they brought a curse upon themselves through disobedience.

Baalim persuaded Balak to seduce Israel through prostitutes and idolatry. When Balak introduced these temptations, Israel reacted by committing fornication with Midianite women and worshipping their god Baal.   

What was the result? God’s people brought a curse upon themselves that resulting in a plague that left 24,000 dead. (Numbers 25:1-9)

Here is the second teaching point: No devil in hell, and no man on the earth can curse God’s people, but God’s people can bring a curse upon themselves through disobedience.

Beware of reacting to circumstances in the heat of the moment.

The devil delights in creating conditions to trip you up.  Once the trap is set, he “fires” to get you to react and bring harm upon yourself.

All manner of sexual sin takes place when we react in the heat of the moment.  Regrettable business deals take place when we react in the heat of the moment, or deliberate at length without consulting God.

Relationships are damaged, fortunes lost, empires subdued, and destinies shipwrecked by improper reactions to devious provocations.

Jesus demonstrated how to defeat satan’s “fire-react” strategy.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. After fasting for forty days and nights, He became hungry.

The devil waited for the most opportune time to get Jesus to react to his provocations.  Jesus was hungry so satan tempted Him with food: “If you are the Son of God, command that the stones become bread.” (Mt 4:3)

Bible
Never more critical to know God’s Word than in the weeks and months ahead!

Jesus did not react.  Jesus rebuked satan and responded with the Word of God.  The devil fired twice more with subtle enticements. Jesus responded in the same manner and satan was soundly defeated. (vv.4-11)

The devil did not stop trying.  Even on the cross, satan tried to get Jesus to react to the circumstances and come down from the cross. (Matthew 27:40) 

Jesus did not react. He would not come down from the cross to save Himself. He decided to die to save you and me. Somebody shout amen!!

Here is the final teaching point. Do not react to circumstances in the moment or at length. Gather yourself. Seek God for wisdom and respond accordingly. (Proverbs 15:22; James 1:5-7)

Slow down. Don’t be in a hurry. 

Be very alert in the days to come. The devil is going to send a flood of agitating, prodding and provoking information over media to get people to react in harmful ways.

The only news you can count on is the good news of the gospel!

Don’t be deceived.  Democrats, Republicans, and moderates alike are subject to be deceived and influenced by satan-the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

In a world of “fake news,” put your trust firmly in God’s good news which is the Word of God.

Posts and tweets are about to become more heated and divisive.

The devil intends to rip our nation apart and separate us from God and from one another.

Let’s stand against his provocations. Let’s announce God’s coming attractions: a mighty revival is coming to America!

So don’t react! Respond as the people of God “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:15)

Have a wonderful Christ-centered week! God Bless! Press On!!  Kevin

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The Supernatural – Dreams & Visions Pt.2 The Arabs

God personalizes direction, confirmation, and affirmation to those who love Him through dreams and visions.

He was having a REAL bad day.  He had given himself totally in support of the wrong cause and now it was too late. He sat there blind, bruised, and broken, but that was not the worst of it.  God was angry with Him.

Still, Saul must have wondered if God was really angry with him.  After all, he received a heavenly vision immediately after seeing that blinding light that knocked him off his feet en route to Damascus. (Acts 9:3-4)

In the vision, God told young Saul that he would preach the gospel to Jews, Gentiles, kings, and rulers. This made no sense at all.  After all, Saul was an enemy of the gospel who persecuted the church.

Saul was not the only one having a bad day. There was Ananias too, who like other believers, feared Saul’s arrival in Damascus. 

God told Ananias in a vision to go and pray for Saul to receive his sight, but Ananias was having none of that. Saul had imprisoned believers and had them beaten in every synagogue. (Acts 26:10)

God told Ananias not to worry.  In the vision, God told him that Saul was chosen to declare the gospel to Jews, Gentiles, kings, and rulers.  You can bet Ananias went to pray for Saul in much fear and trembling. (Acts 9:11-16)

From scripture, we know that both men responded to God’s direction, and these “mustard-seeds” of obedience, became a great tree that spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Christianity was legalized in 3 AD by Constantine and became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.

Saul and Ananias received supernatural direction through heavenly visions.  Their engagement with one another brought confirmation that their visions were accurate and true.  (2 Corinthians 13:1)

Saul matured into the great Apostle Paul.  Many years later, Paul narrowly escaped death during a riot in Jerusalem.  He was placed in custody to protect him from those who sought to kill him. (Acts 21:30-35)

Paul spent that night in prison with his life hanging in the balance.  He was not immune to gloom and despair, but Jesus, whom He once persecuted, appeared to him:

“Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” (Acts 23:11)

As a professor at Bethel, now Antioch College, I get to pass along these incredible truths to emerging church leaders.

It saddens me that many believers rarely experience or recognize God’s supernatural direction, confirmation and affirmation in their lives. 

Granted, most of God’s supernatural direction is not sensational, but God is active and effective in leading us through routine processes. 

God is also active and effective in leading us through dreams, visions, prophecy, etc., which some may deem as atypical-but not from a Biblical standpoint.  

The Holy Spirit leads and guides into all truth. John 16:13

Atypical or routine, the direction we receive only has value if it aligns with God’s word which is the bedrock of our faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

All wizardry, witchcraft, soothsaying, fortune-telling, and root-working activity is a counterfeit of God’s legitimate supernatural power.

Demonic power is real. God’s power is REAL. God’s power is far, far GREATER. (Luke 10:18-19; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 20:10)

God personalizes direction, confirmation, and affirmation to those who love Him through dreams and visions.  Let’s make this practical. 

After a restless night, my wife Vanessa woke me up and said, “you’ve been having nightmares.” It was the morning of 16 August 2016.  We happened to be staying at the Massanutten Resort in VA. 

During the evening I had a dream that unfolded in four different scenes. 

In the first scene, I was with a large group of Arabs, dressed in their traditional robes and headdresses. I was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt; no one noticed the difference but me. 

In scene two, a strange man greeted me. I turned to leave then he called me back.  When I responded, he pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and fired several times into my stomach, but I was not wounded. He then laughed diabolically.

I was on Ft. Monroe, VA for scene three.  I heard a shot and spotted a concealed sniper. I tried to yell “sniper” to warn people, but I could not get the words out of my mouth.

The final scene involved a team of small football players -like the size of children- all dressed in black.  An old college friend said the two of us can easily beat them.  Somehow, I knew they were more formidable than they appeared.

I will use scene one, “the Arabs” to practically illustrate how God personalizes direction, confirmation and affirmation through dreams and visions.

If you read my page “About Kevin,” you will note that I spent 20 years on active duty as an Army Intelligence officer. https://dreamprayernetwork.com/about-me/

What I don’t say is that I did not enjoy my Army career. I got saved during my first year on active duty. Salvation was great for my life, but not for my career. 

Drinking and socializing with other officers in clubs -with female dancers on occasion- was part of the culture when I came on active duty in 1977.  I stopped going to these functions once Jesus came into my life.

Not being a part of the Officer’s Club culture labeled me as a bit of an outcast.  Aside from that, there were aspects of military life that I just did not enjoy.

My solution was to leave the service after my four-year term of service, but God had other plans. Ouch!!  (Romans 12:1-2)

Over the years, I learned to better blend in with the crowd in order to survive. This dream about “the Arabs” so accurately described my feelings of isolation during most of my uniformed and Civilian service with the Army.

How many times did I ask the question, “why Lord?”  Why did you have me isolated in a profession that I did not enjoy?

God personalizes direction, confirmation, and affirmation to those who love Him through dreams and visions.

I diligently sought the Lord for the meaning of “the Arabs.”

The Lord spoke to me that I was not supposed to fit in. I was not supposed to be one of them. I was to learn from them, be disciplined by them, and mature among them.

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds.

God called me to bring the kingdom of God to them.  God called me to be a light in the midst of them. God called me to pull out some who dwelt among them.

I received direction, confirmation, and affirmation from this dream.

I can’t tell you how much light and perspective the interpretation of this dream provided me.  To have the God of heaven and earth speak to you in such a personal way is indescribable. 

Be open.  Be sensitive. God desires to fill in the missing pieces of your puzzle.  Increasingly, God is going to do so through dreams, visions, prophecy, etc. 

God has already been speaking to some of you for quite some time. Don’t be bashful.  Seek Him for interpretation and understanding.  He will lead and guide you into all truth. (John 16:13)

More of this next week. Please stay along for the journey. God Bless! Press On!! Kevin

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The Supernatural – Dreams & Visions

It is likely that God has been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

I figured these kinds of experiences happened to other people but not to me.  I didn’t receive any warning that I would have this encounter, it just happened.

It was Wednesday, 26 March 1996, in the wee hours of the morning. It all started when I woke up with this excruciating back pain. I crawled to the bathroom and back.

I managed to get in bed afterward, but the pain lingered.  It was awhile before I got some relief and then it happened.

As I lay there, I found myself rising out of my body towards the ceiling.  I then had the sensation of traveling at an incredibly high rate of speed then I came back down. I rose out of my body a second time and had the same experience.

When my professor saw it as a hospital room, it clicked and all made sense.

I went traveling a third time, but this time I arrived at a destination. I found myself in what appeared to be a hotel room or something similar.  I was in bed and there was a television in the corner of the room displaying nothing but static.

As I sat in bed, all of a sudden, this four-legged creature approached the foot of the bed.  This creature was not very tall and looked part rat and part dinosaur. 

I had my full senses. This was not a dream.  I was having what the Bible refers to as a night vision.

This creature -which I believe was a demonic spirit- and I maintained eye-to-eye contact.  I saw everything, the details in his face, etc., in high definition. 

Instinctively, I jumped into a karate stance right there in the bed.  Then I began rebuking this creature in Jesus name, and…the vision ended.  (Luke 4:41; 9:42) Needless to say, I was in shock and awe.

Did you know you have angels guarding you? Psalm 91:11

Something very interesting happened after that vision. I got out of bed, put my clothes on, went for a walk, and all my back pain went away.

Now I know all this sounds strange so let’s pause here for a moment. The Bible is full of accounts of God speaking to people through dreams and visions.  

God spoke to Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph through dreams and visions.  (Gen 15:1, 12-16; 41:1-7; 46:2-4).  Joseph the earthly father of Jesus had four dreams related to the birth and protection of the Savior. (Matthew 1:20; 2:13; 2:19; 2:22)

Daniel is famous for his dreams, interpretations, and night visions. (Daniel 2:28; 4:5; 2:19)

It is likely that God has been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

Be open. God wants to use you in this dimension.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

Why does God speak to His people through dreams and visions?  God’s kingdom is not of this world.  The mysteries of God’s kingdom are for those who know Him and serve Him.

Conversely, the knowledge of God is foolishness to philosophers, scholars, and brilliant debaters who reject Him. (1 Corinthians 1:20)

Interestingly, God takes delight in concealing His secrets even from those who love and serve Him.  Why?

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2)

Allow me to cut to the chase:  God wants you and me to seek Him! 

God is always extending to His people the invitation to go deeper.  Too many Christians are content to live on the surface, bypassing God’s invitation to explore the depths of His wisdom and knowledge. (Isaiah 45:3; Col 2:3)  

I began earnestly praying to God for an understanding of my night vision.

In the process of doing so, I sent an email summary of my experience to one of my divinity professors at Regent University.  Let me provide a little context before I tell you how he responded. 

In early to mid-March, my wife, Vanessa and I discovered that she was pregnant.  On 21 March, -five days before my vision- she began having complications with the pregnancy. I immediately notified my professor of the complications and he began to pray for us. 

I will provide excerpts from his email response: “In this demonic vision, the Lord was letting you know the place the enemy wants to take you. As I prayed it looked like a hospital room, possibly signifying the loss of a baby.”

“If you rebuke the enemy -the thought that you are going to lose the baby- the attack against Vanessa and the baby will go away much the same as your back pain went away.”

Praise the Lord!  Vanessa and I stood in faith, but our faith came under fire a few days later after a visit to Dr. T. for an ultrasound.

Dr. T could not find a heartbeat during the ultrasound.  She scheduled us for a follow-on visit about a week later but she was not very hopeful.

I relayed this disheartening news to my professor. He said, “Kevin hold out in faith until there is an absolute confirmation of the results.”  Vanessa and I kept believing.

I drove to the hospital for that second ultrasound appointment on the morning of Tuesday, 9 April.

As I drove into the parking a song came on the radio, “Show Up,” by John P Kee.  To say that the lyrics spoke to our situation would be an understatement.

When I heard this song…it was a done deal!

“If there be anyone who’s going through. We have the answer to the problem for you. Trust and obey, and never give in. Only the strong shall survive and win. Just ask the question and the answer shall come. Just exercise your faith and know He’s the One. If there is no sign, keep this in mind. He’ll show up on time.”

I turned up the volume and was shouting the victory in the car before we received any results!

Dr. T conducted the examination.  Dr. T located the fetus.  Dr. T heard a heartbeat.  God…showed up on time!!

Vanessa and I had three lovely daughters at the time. On 24 November 1996, Kevin D Willis II was born.  I wanted so badly to have a son, and one of the main reasons was for my wife.

There is something special about mothers and sons, and any mother who has a son needs no explanation.

Our son just graduated from Liberty University with a degree in graphic design and is serving the Lord with his talents. 

God used a night vision to engineer a sequence of events that enabled Vanessa and I to hope against hope and receive God’s miracle answer! 

This is the beginning of a series on Dreams, and Visions.  I am asking the Lord to help me make you more sensitive to this NORMAL and very Biblical form of Holy Spirit revelation.

It is likely that God has already been speaking to you in dreams.  In the days to come, God will increasingly unveil His secrets through dreams and visions.

Stay tuned and I pray that the Lord will give you greater revelation on mysteries of the Kingdom of God concerning you. God Bless! Press On!!  Kevin

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