2022-10-29 00:00:00 +0000

I haven’t been updating this and have left it languish as been concentrating on other things, but so much has happened, felt the need to record it before I start forgetting. The below is a summary of just some of the things that has happened over the last few months, but there is probably stuff I’ve forgotten. I’ve tried to put it in order, but may have some things round the wrong way. I’m also just firing this down quickly, so may contain spelling mistakes, bad grammar etc.

Perfect Timing

So I’ve been doing street preaching on my own and went on a bit of a run. Been mostly at the band stand in Jordanstown, but also Hazelbank park on occassion too. I have a camera set up incase there is any “funny business” or false accusations made against me in the things I have said etc. Anyway, someone spotted the camera and started to make faces at it. They could have just lifted it and run, but thankfully they didn’t.

It made me realise that I shouldn’t be doing this on my own. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, and so I’ve been praying alot over the last few months asking God for someone to help me, not just with the street preaching but also on witnessing to people 1 on 1. Basically a buddy that lives near me with the same heart to go out and share the gospel.

As the weeks went by and the prayers seemed to remain unanswered, I began to think about why, and came to understand that maybe it is not Gods will or I’m asking for the wrong thing. Specifically that God has already given me everything I need and I almost felt like the Holy Spirit was saying to me that I have to walk this path alone. If anything, it will cause me to trust in Him even more if no one else is there to help.

So I finally stopped asking and praying for that kind of help and instead went and did what I felt God was calling me to do, and relying on Him only. So I did that and it was great!

I mentioned to a few people in my church that in all my years, I dont ever remember anyone at anytime sharing the gospel with me out on the street. Not anywhere, ever. Not a single person. Well last night I took the dog for a walk and walked through Mosley Mill. I usually go past the front and on round through the gates but for some reason, that night my dog made a beeline for the fishing lake.

I tried calling him over but he just ignored me so I ended up just walking up to the lake which is NOT what I usually do as it’s a dead end. I got there and sat down. There was a man with a backpack there just staring across the water. He goes to walk past me but then suddenly sits down beside me and says “If there is one thing that could solve all your problems, what would it be?”

I knew he was about to share the gospel and so I was tempted to play the atheist and ask some tough questions and have a bit of a laugh before finally telling him the truth, but I felt it wasnt the right time for it, so I just told him that I’m a Christian. We ended up having a really great conversation about God and it just felt like the Lord was with us both as we spoke.

This man also told me he never usually goes to the lake but felt he needed to go there that night! It is not a coincidence that both of us ended up there on the same night. Furthermore, he then tells me that he lives in the area and then says a pastor gave him a microphone and a speaker, but that he hasnt been able to go out street preaching with it yet. I’m like… are you kidding me!?

So in the week that I say no one has ever witnessed to me, someone witnesses to me, and they not only live near me, but also have a passion for the lost, and want to go out street preaching. This is not a coincidence. I truly believe God has caused our paths to cross. So myself and this person have now started to pair up and go street preaching together. Praise the Lord!

Pride Day

I was dreading this day. We go out preaching every Saturday, so we can’t not go out and preach on Pride day, but we know people will think we’re being antagonistic. We’re not, we go out every week, and God does not discriminate. Why should the LGBTQ+ community not hear about the good news of salvation in Christ?

Before Pride, I created a tract specifically tailored for the LGBTQ+ community. It can be found here.

The crazy thing about this is that the tract centers around a person called Jordan. It was the Wednesday before Pride, and I wondered what printers would be able to turn around 500 copies of the tract before Saturday. I tried to contact a big printing company based in Belfast, but to my amazement, no one answered the phone and no one answered their web chat. I don’t think this was a coincidence as I then found a printer closer to home and when I rang them up, a man anaswered the phone and his name was… Jordan! To the unbeliever, just a coincidence. Yet, we who are His know these are Him giving us subtle hints that He is with us in what we are doing. I also found out that this Jordan who answered the phone doesn’t usually answer the phone. The guy who does was busy, but it was no surprise that they were able to turn it around before Pride day.

The day itself was insane. I’ve had thoughts and words from God a few times, but today the leading from the Spirit was incredibly strong. In one moment, as Peter was preaching and I was filming while wearing a small speaker with a receiver on a strap round my shoulder. The Spirit give me instructions that a woman was going to try and take the receiver out of the microphone jack. This woman was talking with a friend. Then the Spirit instructed me to stand on a road behind some metal railings. As I got behind the railings, the woman started to come over, and made a half hearted attempt to grab the receiver, but it was no use because of where I was standing she could not reach. Amazing!

Another moment, I saw a chain of people start to form, and felt the Spirit instruct me that they were going to surround Peter, and to position myself next to Peter to close a gap between him and another person. I did this, and then I saw the people in the chain start to let go of each other’s hands. They couldn’t do what they wanted because the gap was closed. Amazing once again!

As I stood behind the ralings and watched Peter preach, it started to get a bit boisterous. I felt the Spirit gently rebuke me for just standing and filming. There is something else I could do. I could pray for Peter and against the contentious spirits that were starting to take over. As I did this, I saw some people start to quieten down, and then Peter gave a good bit of the gospel as some people were listening. I kept praying throughout the rest of the day.

Later on, we changed position to across the road from the front of the City Hall. I put our stuff down in a corner and started to film. I noticed a man with a Pride flag eyeing our stuff. It was too far for me to get there in time, and as I saw him make a beeline for our stuff I began to run over. What happened next is hard to describe. It looked like he tripped over something, but there was nothing there but air. He didn’t fall, but stumbled, which gave me enough time to reach our stuff first. Again, some would say this is a coincidence, but I don’t see how it is possible to trip over thin air!

We handed out over 400 tracts that day and had some really great conversations with people, including some from within the LGBTQ+ community. Thank you Lord for your protection and intervention! Our God is soo good!

C & C Falling

As Peter and I went out preaching every week, we seemed to get a lot of attention from homeless people, many of whom have additions. It is so sad the level of substence abuse in Belfast, and I was not prepared to see just how much people are suffering. Unfortunately, as I had conversations with various people, I started to realise that nearly all of these people are there because of choices they have made.

On one occassion we met a man and woman (C and C). After I finished preaching, I gave the microphone to Peter and had a chat with them. As I started to talk to them both. The woman then wanted to go and sit down, I think the Holy Spirit was working in her. She then took a few steps and just went down like a ton of bricks. Myself and C grabbed her and took her over to a bench and she was in floods of tears. Then she started to recant everything that happened to her since she was born, and some of the stuff was horrific. But I felt that God was doing a huge amount of healing in her in that moment.

Thankfully, she had a hostel she was able to go to that night.

F & P With Knowledge

A week later we were preaching and “Biker Grove” started harrassing us. “Biker Grove” is the name I give to a group of annoying youths who go about Belfast on their bikes. They seem to be involved in alot of anti-social behaviour, and have tried to do various things to us to stop us from preaching, but we carry on anyway with the grace of God enabling us to continue. They were really getting in our faces, and then out of nowhere this woman comes screaming at them and calling them demoniacs. She looked like she was going to floor them, and I started to wonder if the Lord sent her our way to get these youths to go.

After the youths departed, she wanted to sing on the microphone. Then loads of people wanted to take the microphone of Peter and myself for various reasons. We were literally playing rugby with the microphone as the rugby ball, passing it between ourselves and speaking and then passing it back, to try and stop others from getting it. It was crazy! I realised that this couldn’t continue, so I turned off the microphone and started shouting. This was to give the impression that the microphone was no longer working. It seemed to work and people started to get disinterested and leave (thank you God for that piece of wisdom!).

Anyway I then turned the microphone back on and had a great public conversation with an atheist about why there is so much pain in the world and if God is real, why are there so many homeless people on the street etc. It was a fantastic conversation, and as we started to get in to the details of sin, I hear this screaming behind me. This girl who caused “Biker Grove” to go away was rolling around on the ground saying over and over again “I have sinned with knowledge! I have sinned with knowledge!”. My memory of the situation was that Peter was taking her through Psalm 23, but Peter has a different memory and says it was while I was preaching.

She kept rolling around the gound shouting this over and over again. I found it interesting that she didn’t just say that she had sinned, but that she had sinned “with knowledge”. I think the Holy Spirit was really convicting her about her life. The athiest I was having the public conversation with apologies for her behaviour. He was her boyfriend (or possibly husband). He grabbed her by the arms and tried to trail her away. I told him to let her be because something powerful was happening. I almost felt like I should grab her legs and stop him trailing her away, but then didn’t want her to be the rope in a game of tug-of-war.

Then she got up and started to swing for her husband, and for him to leave her alone, then she ran away and her husband ran after her. Later that night, he came back and asked if we had seen her because she had his phone and money and he couldn’t get home. We hadn’t seen her but then found out he lived just a few minutes down the road from us, so we offered to give him a lift home once we were done.

I drove home and Peter and F were talking in the back seat. By the time we got home, this “atheist” was in the back of the car crying his eyes out and saying he believed in God. Not only that, but I got a word for him and it was just a really amazing encounter. We have been in touch since and I hope he and his wife will come to repentence, as I definitely see the Lord is doing something in them both. Today was a crazy day!

P Seal Death Encounter

I took the dog to Jordanstown for a walk and walked right to the end of the grass and on to a stone verge where the sea was. I passed a man in the water and I sat for a while basking in the sun and talking to God. On the way back the man was out of the water and I felt the Lord tell me to witness to him.

As I spoke with him he told me about a time he near got killed by a seal. I thought this was a geat way to bring in the gospel and asked him if he knew where he would have went if the seal had of killed him: heaven and hell. We had a great conversation and then I find out that his deadly encounter with the seal had just happened literally a few seconds ago and thats why he had to get out of the water. What are the chances of this happening when I was down there? I told him I didn’t think it was a coincidence we were having this conversation.

There were other amazing things we discussed, but can’t write about them for various reasons.

L Sympathy Pains

A friend from church came round to my house and was in some discomfert, although I wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong. They did say to me on the way in but I didn’t catch what was said. After were speaking for a while, I suddenly started to have really bad knee pains in both my knees at the same time. I’ve had foot problems but never knee problems. It was really painful, and came out of nowhere. I suspected that the pain may have been not my pain but the pain of my friend. I’ve heard various testimonies of people who God has used to heal others through enabling them to experience their pain. This then gives the person information on what to pray for and where to lay their hands.

It is not the person who is doing the healing, but God is healing, and I believe it is through faith that this happens. You see this in the Bible where Jesus says “Your faith has healed you” to various people. It wasn’t them, but their faith that has healed them (and faith, as we know, is a gift from God - so no one can boast in of themselves that they have healed a person).

Anyway, this was an amazing chance to not only see God work and bring healing to a dear friend of mine, but it would also be a huge boost to my own faith as the last time God used me to heal someone was quite a while ago, and I have felt lately that it wasn’t going to happen again.

I then made the fatal mistake of engaging my brain too much. What if this pain is not a sympathy pain? What if my knees are really sore? What if I do this and nothing happens? Once again, I started to doubt, and because I started to doubt, I didn’t do, and so nothing happened. It bothered me greatly after he left and I sent a message the following day asking if the issue with him was that both his knees was sore and he confirmed it.

Its strange that I am now able to pick up a microphone and preach the gospel on the street but can’t pray for a friend in my home. A friend of mine said the problem is that it is like a bag of cats fighting each other in my head. I need to drown those kitties (note I am not talking about real kitties here).

Gospel Rap Battle

I had a dream where I was in a rap battle, but rather than slagging off my opponent, I was giving them the gospel. Some of the lyrics that I was saying were great and when I woke up I wanted to write some of them down before I forgot. I was too lazy and fell back to sleep. The next day, I couldn’t remember the lyrics, but I still remembered the dream. As I scrolled through the news on my phone I was amazed to then see a story about a rap battle called “Acquisition” happening in Belfast on Saturday. Wow, what an amazing coincidence (obviously not a coincidence).

Gutted I didn’t write down those lyrics, but still went ahead and wrote a gospel rap during that week (if you could call it that). Will upload it to the YouTube channel at some point. Anyway, because of the dream, myself and Peter set up in Custom House Square on Saturday evening across the road from the bar where it was all happening. Oktoberfest was also happening in that area too so there was plenty of human traffic and we had some great encounters with people that night.

2022-09-25 00:00:00 +0000

Decided to try something a little bit different so created a video to try and get people to think about what will happen when they die.

Never done anything like this before, but was quite fun making it.

Video

Open in YouTube (new window)

2022-06-21 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve recorded anything. Some things have happened, but nothing extraordinary. My walk with the Lord has probably not been as it should have been and so it feels like a bit of a dessert.

I’ve not been obedient or as faithful lately, and I know what God is calling me to do, but I am not doing it out of fear.

I’ve sought help from people, but I think God is making it clear to me that I’m looking in the wrong places. He is my help, not people. I feel that I need to go out and preach, but desparately wanted someone to go with me.

Preaching the gospel is not easy, but I think I can handle the non-believing public mocking and spitting and kicking me (not that it has come to that). The issue has been opposition within the professing church. There appears to be an almost natural reaction to street preaching that it is all fire and brimstone and just going out and condemning people.

Still, I’ve tried to seek help, and things have stagnated. More than that, a feeling of despair sets in when I don’t go out, and I think the Lord is disciplining me.

Hebrews 12:5-7
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

It is not a nice feeling being disciplined, but I’m coming to learn that it is far better to endure persecution than to have that empty and lingering feeling that comes with not following through on what the Lord has commanded you. When I have been obedient, I am at peace and experience true joy, and I know this will be the same even if I have experienced some sort of loss or incurred a physical injury because I have followed His command.

Not only that, but since going out and preaching again, the dreams have started again, and I feel like I am finally back on that narrow path. Thank God for His compassion towards me, His enduring patience and the tough love that He dishes out, because while it is not nice to go through, it is 100% absolutely necessary!

I’ve been having dreams where I’m in battle. Sometimes wielding a sword. I don’t know how to describe them, or how to write about them, so I haven’t recorded those. Yesterday, I had 2 dreams one after the other.

Dream 1 - Not showing that card.

I’m in a dark place and there is a ruler of some sort (perhaps some sort of king). It is not the Lord. He is sitting on a dark throne, I think it is floating slightly of the ground. They are covered in like a shadow, so I can’t really see them. Whoever it is, I don’t like them. I don’t even want to be near them.

There is a table between us and I’m standing at the table. This ruler demands that I show him my cards. I then realise I have these cards in my hand, but I don’t want to show them, but I end up giving in and putting the cards down face up on the table. They are playing cards. There are all spades and clubs, theres a King and a Jack and a few other cards.

The ruler then throws down cards, and I start to look at the cards on the table trying to work out who has the best cards.

The ruler then gets really annoyed and tells me I didn’t throw down all my cards and to throw down my last card.

I then realise I have another card. It isn’t like the normal playing cards. It is quite large, about the size of a large birthday card (how on earth I didn’t notice I had it I have no idea), but it is bright and silver, it is shiny and glowing.

I look at the card to see what it is, and the face is hidden to me. The face of the card is behind a layer that can be scratched off (like a lottery scratchcard). I tell him I don’t want to show that card.

The ruler then gets really angry and demands that I show him the card. He threatens me and tells me if I don’t show him the card, then he will kill me.

I tell him that he can see the cards I’ve put down but I am never, ever going to give him or even show him this card.

Dream 2 - Holy Spirit Transformation

I’m in church and there is a member of the congregation who works in advertising or marketing, and he and the pastor are about to show us an advert they worked on.

We look up at a billboard, but rather than a static image, it is like a TV. The advert starts to play and there is some music.

There is an ugly looking bird with stumpy wings and almost no feathers (kind of looks like a dodo) going through the air and trying to fly. It is flapping hard and swinging left and to the right, but it is constantly going down and losing altitude.

Underneath there is a vast ocean. The bird continues on its downward trajectory, until it finally crashes in to the water, and then it can’t be seen anymore. The music stops.

Then the music starts again, there is a build up (like a drum roll), then suddenly, this beautiful bird comes flying out from underneath the water, covered in feathers and ascends in to the air and flies away.

This was a strange dream. In the morning I prayed asking for the interpretation, and just as it says in the Bible, that the Lord knows what you are going to say before you even open your mouth; as soon as I started to open my mouth and ask what the meaning of it was, I just seemed to suddenly know. I believe God gave me the interpretation in that moment.

We are doing a series on the Holy Spirit in church. The ocean is the Holy Spirit. This ugly looking bird couldn’t do anything, not even fly. Once it went in to the water, it came out and it was beautiful, but also functional! It could fly.

I think the water also points to baptism. Jesus receives the Holy Spirit once John the Baptist baptises Him, and in the book of John it says that Jesus Himself will baptise us with His Holy Spirit. Without Him, we can do nothing!

2021-01-24 00:00:00 +0000

My wife and I were watching the film “Samson”. It has been a while since I read the book of Judges in the old testament, so was interested in watching the movie to rekindle some of the scriptures I had stored away in the old memory store.

As I watched the movie, it resonated with me how Samson always seemed to have to be put in a situation before he relied on God. Like in the film, rather than battle the Philistines, he surrendered to them in order to appease them so his Father would be released (which doesn’t seem to tie up with scripture, but perhaps the makes of the film thought they should enhance the story in their own way).

It was only when they killed Samson’s Father and told him that they would kill and burn his village that he was overcome with anger and went on to slay 1000 of the Philistine army (with the jawbone of a donkey no less).

Towards the end of the film, Delilah cut his hair and he lost his strength. The Philistines came and gouged out his eyes and threw him in prison with his brother. Again, there are a few deviations from scripture, but nothing of major concern. As Samson was in the prison cell, blinded and tortured. Samson was completely broken. It was only then – after he had lost all that he had – did he seem to be ready to do the Lord’s will. Again, this is not in scripture, but simply because something is not in scripture, does not mean that it might not be relevant, and for me it was very relevant. That night I prayed and sought the Lord in what to do with my slow progress and asked of Him if it would take me to lose everything like Samson did before I would eventually be ready and willing to do my Lord wants me to?

I had it in my heart to devote myself to the Lord. To do a 3-day dry fast, and even to give my whole weekend to the Lord. It was a Thursday, and I was off on Friday and so I would break my fast on a Sunday night and have to go back to work on the Monday. After battling my conscience for a while and saying to myself that this is not required, I decided in my heart I was going to do it. God is more important than my food and drink, and more important then my weekends. The football team I support also play in the FA Cup on Sunday. I do not have the sports channels, but this match is on “normal TV” so I could finally watch a game at home. I decided to miss that game also as God is more important than Liverpool FC.

Once the commitment was made, I went to bed. That night, God gave me the most amazing dream. I was in a hall and saw someone I knew from work. This person works for one of my company’s clients and I have not seen them for years. They came over to me and we started talking. I asked them if they were 49 years old. They told me they were 55 years old. They also told me that they had a heart attack and then proceeded to tell me about pains they had in their legs.

I then saw myself in a large tent with tables and men sitting around the tables. They appeared to be soldiers relaxing and having some food and I was talking to 4 at one table and witnessing to them. I spoke to them about the realities of hell and pouring my heart out to them. It was like I actually knew how terrible hell is and was desperately pleading with them to see the urgency and danger of their situation. It reminded me of how Paul said he served with “many tears”, as if he himself knew the fate of those who reject Christ, it drove him to preach the truth of judgement with great compassion and much pleading.

It was an amazing experience and one that I’ve went over a few times in my mind. I did some research online and found that leg pain leading to a heart attack is a sign of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). I believe this person I dreamt about has PAD and will soon have a heart attack.

Now, the question remains, how do I know if this dream is from the Lord? Going and saying to someone I haven’t seen in years that they have PAD and will soon have a heart attack and to try and lead them to Christ is going to shake them up a bit. If they see a doctor and find they don’t have PAD then it may actually put them off the gospel and bring it in to disrepute.

I asked for God for wisdom in this, and then I realised that this was why God gave me the person’s age. From my dream I know they are 55 years old. If I tell them they are 55 and they confirm, then I know the dream is from the Lord. If they say they aren’t 55 then I can still witness to them and enquire about their legs, but be cautious and not tell them they have PAD or will have a heart attack (unless they confirm they have leg pain).

The Bible says to test the spirit and there is wisdom in making sure you are speaking for the Lord and from another spirit or your own imagination. The Lord knows our limitations, but I do not believe faith is blind. God will confirm things to us or give us a way of confirming things that we should do before we jump in (or foolishly rush in where angels fear to tread).

I am now waiting to see this person that I haven’t seen in years. When I do, I will post an update whether the dream was true or not.

Praise the Lord!

2021-01-11 00:00:00 +0000

About 2 years ago, I was out with some colleagues at work, and during the evening I began talking about my new found faith in God. During the conversation, one of my colleagues said something along the lines of “I don’t believe in all that God and Jesus stuff”.

I was hoping to convince them, but the conversation eventually moved on and I had little interaction with that person for over a year.

I’ve been working on a project which went live just before Christmas. I needed to hand the finished project over to the company’s managed services team, and it just so happened that my handover was to this particular colleague.

Due to Covid, the handover was done online, through Microsoft Teams (a bit like Zoom video conferencing but must better). At the end of the handover, I had the opportunity to discuss again with this person the gospel, and perhaps articulate it more thoughtfully this time around.

I didn’t. It was easier for me to put it off till another day.

Christmas came and went and on the first day back I received the terrible news that this person was killed in an accident.

None of us knows what day will be our last day. Likewise, when we don’t share the gospel with someone, we don’t know if we are the last chance that person has at hearing the news that will lead them to salvation in Christ.

I don’t know if this person has had a change of heart during the time I had not spoke with them. I hope for their sake, they had.

We all have a responsiblity to reach the lost. I know it is difficult, but the fear is completely irrational.

Hearing the news of their death had a big impact on me, but through it I have found a greater boldness in sharing my faith and being a witness for Christ. It is unfortunate that it took the death of someone I could have witnessed to to wake me up from this irrational fear.

The fear is still there, but it has greatly diminished.

2021-01-02 00:00:00 +0000

Much has happened since the last post where I had the fish dream.

I have taken the difficult decision to leave my local church. There was not a single reason for this, but many reasons. Having been serving there for nearly 2 years, I look back at my time there and do not see much fruit. The worship is great, but I do not feel like I am serving God. There is not much in the way of taking the gospel message to the lost, and it feels quite insular. The tipping point was the constant stream of messages being pushed on the congregation from false prophets such as Kenneth Copeland. There were other red flags as well. They have started preaching from The Passion Translation, which is not a translation at all. It is written by a person (who also has made many prophecies which have failed to come to pass). This person has claimed to have received “special knowledge” from God, which immediately when you hear something like that, the warning bells start to sound.

Mike Winger is a pastor who has an excellent series on YouTube, and he owns the BibleThinker.org website. I came across his material just this last month, and he has started a project that shines a light on The Passion Translation and anyone who uses or is thinking of using The Passion Translation, I would strongly encourage you to look up some of the videos he has on it as they are excellent.

I have started a small ministry called Behold Christ and created a book that I have been posting through doors in and around where I live. For a while now I have been looking to do street preaching but have not had the courage to go out and preach and have not been able to get any help on starting out on this. This seemed like a good stop gap, but I have been increasingly convicted of the need to actually preach the gospel using my voice on the street.

Today, something happened. First, know that before Christmas, I was walking along the promenade at Hazelbank in Newtownabbey. I have started to practice street preaching as I walk, but I do this quietly into myself. As I walked along the promenade, I thought I should just raise my voice and actually do it. The fear of being ridiculed, or possibly the fear of suddenly not knowing what to say, stopped me.

I looked on the sandy beach at a woman walking her dog, just a few meters from some steps. I then noticed a freak wave in the water, and I thought that it was going to reach right up to the promenade wall. Instead of calling to the woman to get to the steps, I just watched the wave hit the shoreline, and the woman suddenly realised that she was going to get soaked. The water came rushing at her and went up to her knees. It was just a single wave, and I have never seen such a thing before, and I remember thinking that I saw this wave coming, and I could’ve called and warned the woman, but I didn’t. I remained silent and she (and her dog) got very wet.

I then mulled what I saw and how this corresponds to my lack of courage in speaking out in order to share the gospel. How much a greater danger is coming to those who die in their sin than this woman who got wet from a wave! I have an opportunity to warn people and share Jesus with them… but I do not.

Christmas came and went. We have a new addition to the family. A puppy called Ollie. I did not want a dog, but we got him for my daughter. I took Ollie down to Hazelbank today.

It was just myself and the dog and I parked up and started walking down the promenade. It was frozen and very slippery, but as I got to the other end of the promenade, the ice was gone, and I could walk with ease. I was rehearsing preaching again. Once again, I thought about raising my voice and just preaching the gospel to those on the promenade (hardly anyone was there). As I started walking back to the car, I reached the point of the promenade where the ground was slippery because of the ice. There is an s-bend which, coincidentally, is where I saw the woman who I did not warn about the freak wave I saw coming from far off in the distance.

I could hear noise behind me and saw 4 people on bikes cycling towards me. I was on the path about 30 minutes ago and remember it was slippery but reckoned as the sun was out that it might be okay now. I was thinking about warning them about possible ice on the path ahead as they approached the s-bend. Like the woman before, I did not. I stood back with the dog to let them pass and as they went around the s-bend 2 of the 4 of them skidded and came off their bikes. None of them were wearing helmets, but thankfully none of the 2 that fell hit their heads, but 1 of them in particular had a very nasty fall.

Once again, I found myself in the same situation and in the very same spot as I was before. I was looking in front of me at the carnage that could have been avoided if I had of just opened my mouth and warned these people of the dangers of the path that they were going down.

This is not a coincidence. I have failed again!

When I will open my mouth and warn people of the judgement to come? What unfolded before my eyes does not compare to what will happen to those who die without Christ! Not only that, it seems that God is making it clear to me that I have a responsibility to speak out and to warn people.

So, what is stopping me? Irrational fear of being ridiculed? Or possibly worrying that I might fail at conveying the message accurately and succintly enough? Perhaps just a fear of getting stage fright, freezing up and not knowing what to say, or just mumbling and stuttering my words?

These are not valid excuses and I know it. God is gracious and patient, but the Bible says He takes no pleasure in cowards and those who shrink back. I am always shrinking back. Jesus died for me and I can’t say a few words in public!

No more excuses. It is time.

I must go and preach the gospel.

2020-04-21 00:00:00 +0000

Dream

I’m walking down a street. At the end of the street is a large river and the water’s edge is just off a kerb (like a main road is a river). The river is still and not flowing. I pick up a fishing rod and start to fish.

Nothing happens and I feel like I’ve been there for ages. Feeling frustrated, I get up and peer over the kerb and into the deep water trying to see if there are any fish swimming about. I can’t see any.

I then hear someone tell me to call the fish. I stick my head in the water and shout as loud as I can. I’m not saying anything specific. My shouts sound like noises rather than words. A bit like the sound a whale makes.

After shouting a few times, I lift my head out of the water. Still peering into the deep water, I wait to see if any fish arrive. Suddenly I start to see a few fish appear.

I turn around to get the fishing rod. I pick it up and when I turn back to the water’s edge, I can see a fish is lying on its side on the ground, outside of the water. It must have jumped out by itself. The fish is big and brightly coloured. It also has a handle on it! It looks kind of like a kettle bell. I go over and pick it up by the handle. An easy catch!

I then throw the line in and immediately get a bite and haul out another huge fish. This one doesn’t have a handle. I carry it under my other arm and start to walk away with the 2 fishes.

Interpretation

Jesus commanded us to make disciples. I have asked some people who have done this before if I could go out with them. This is just to watch and learn. Unfortunately, no one I’ve asked has been out on a mission and the corona virus has now made this even more unlikely.

In the dream, I didn’t catch any fish because there was none in the water. It was only when I spoke (or shouted) that the fish appeared.

The kettle bell fish didn’t even require me to even throw the line in. It just jumped out on account of my shouting. The 2nd fish took the bait straight away so this seems to suggest that people will be receptive to the gospel and I just need to open my mouth.

Jesus said “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”. I received this dream, but this is for everyone. We need to break through the fear barrier and share the gospel. Bring the message of hope to people and to those who are receptive, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

2020-03-04 00:00:00 +0000

Dream

I am in a large hotel trying to pay for a drink and there is a large banquet around me with many people who seem to be important (either high ranking citizens or possibly celebrities). I pay for the drink and sit down near the open kitchen where there are a lot of Asians working (I think they are Chinese). The chefs in the kitchen then form a conga line and start to make their way out of the kitchen. As they are leaving, they are carrying bags of food for people to take off them as they leave. I take a bag and try some of the food. It tastes good.

I am then no longer in the hotel but can see the open sky and there is a large bronze (or possibly gold) horse in the clear blue sky. The form of the horse is like a puzzle that has not been solved. For instance, it looks like it has 8 legs rather than 4 but this is because each leg is split vertically in 2, with each half leg joined with a set of hinges. Then each of the half legs swing around on their hinges and come together to form whole legs. This happens on all 8 half legs, which completes 4 whole legs. Then the horse is complete, and it starts to walk across the sky.

I am looking at the horse from directly underneath. The horse is called “One Ton”. I know this because as the horse is coming together, and also as it walks across the sky, there is a dramatic theme tune playing and the name “One Ton” is constantly repeated in the music. “One Ton! One Ton! One Ton!”.

Interpretation

I note the name “One Ton” is like “Wonton”, the Chinese word for dumpling (as in Wonton soup). This makes me believe these 2 parts of the dream are inextricably linked.

The chefs are feeding the people with good food. This could reflect the growing church in China, which is sending out missionaries to the world.

Still currently praying for the interpretation and waiting / watching for fulfilment.

UPDATE 28-04-20: This morning it came in to my head that “One Ton” may actually be chinese. A word or phrase. Unfortunately, you can’t simply type “One Ton” in a translater service as they are not Chinese characters. I did manage to find that 万 is “Wàn” and this in Chinese means “Ten Thousand”. But what about the rest of it?

UPDATE 31-10-22: As I was making breakfast this morning, my eldest daughter came down the stairs singing “One Ton, One Ton, One Ton”. I immediately picked up on it and asked her why she was saying it and where did she get it from and she just said she didn’t know and isn’t sure why she is saying / singing it. I asked her if it is “One Ton” (being really specific about the pronounciation), and she is saying its not “One Ton”, but “Wan Ton” she is saying. I still have no clue about what it means, but whatever it is, I think it is going to find its fulfilment now. I have a few thoughts on interpretation, but it is pure guess work, so not going to share them. Just going to wait and see what happens!

2020-01-31 00:00:00 +0000

3 days ago, I had a dream. There were 2 huge cogs on a wall. They were rotating inward into each other. A man was standing opposite the cogs, facing away from them. He took a few steps back and walked into the cogs. As the cogs were rotating inwards, his shoulder got caught in the teeth of the cogs and jammed the cogs. The man started to pull hard to get away but was not able to. Eventually the man was able to pull his shoulder out, but his shoulder was mangled in the process.

Today, I went to a flat in a housing estate near where I live to see some people. One the people in this flat was wearing their work clothes. Their place of work can be cold and so he had all these layers on and a coat. I found this strange as the heating was on and the flat was warm and cosy.

The people in the flat all decide to sit out on a small balcony to have a smoke. They are all smoking “funny cigarettes” and having a few drinks. I start to talk to them about Jesus, and they are all receptive (except one).

One of them starts to complain about the pain in his shoulder. I remembered my dream from the other night. He says he needs to go to a doctor, and I tell him Jesus is a doctor and can heal his shoulder.

They finish smoking and go back in. The one with the sore shoulder sits in the living room of this tiny flat. I have a feeling that the holy spirit is leading me to place my hands on his shoulder and ask for healing, but I start to doubt again: Would the holy spirit heal someone when they are stoned and half-cut?

This time my memory of past regrets come flooding back (see previous post “Missed Appointment”). It is not up to me to say what state someone can be in to receive healing. The truth is I am making an excuse. I don’t want to do it because I am fearful of it not working and looking stupid. I can’t play it safe; I need to believe in what God is doing and step out in faith, so I call him into the kitchen. Another person tags along to see so I now have a spectator.

I tell the person with the sore shoulder to take his jacket off. I’m thinking he has a minor ache, but then I see he is in real agony. He can’t even move his arm to take his coat off (which probably explains why he didn’t take it off when he was in the heat of the living room). He is in that much pain, and I then find out that it is not just his shoulder, but it is also down his right side and in through his back too. This is much bigger than I thought it was.

He turns to the spectator and they talk as he endeavours to get his jacket off. As this point I look up to heaven and whisper a little “Help!”. I have no idea what I’m doing or what to say.

The jacket finally comes off and I put my hands on his shoulder and ask… well what do I ask? I ask, in the name of Jesus, for a brand-new shoulder. I am nervous – this is not normal for me. I start to pray aloud but I mix up my words up and stutter, not sure of what to say or how to say it. At this point I decide to start praying in the spirit and I can feel something start to happen. After a short while I stop speaking and take my hands-off his shoulder and ask him how it is feeling.

He starts to move his arm, slowly at first… almost anticipating the pain. Then he starts to realise, there is no pain. He swings it up and - ouch! The pain is still there, but it is nowhere near as bad as what it was previously. The pain has moved a bit (or perhaps he is aware of a lesser pain now that the greater pain is gone). It is in his neck now. At this point I am buzzing and eager to go again. So, I place my hands on his back and neck and do the same thing.

After that, the pain is gone! He notices a twinge feeling but no pain. Interestingly, he tells me he could feel an electricity type feeling in his back and shoulder as I was praying. I notice that the atmosphere in this very tiny kitchen has changed. The place feels electric and I look over to the spectator who is jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face. The holy spirit was in that tiny kitchen and this person received healing for the pain in their back and shoulder. Amazing - Praise the Lord!

2020-01-20 00:00:00 +0000

This week has been quite an intense week of prayer, worship and fasting. My local church are still doing daily prayer meetings where we’ve been contending through prayer for the people around our area. I’ve done (wet) fasting of various lengths before, but I’ve never done a dry fast before. I’ve been doing my first dry fast this week. I had been without food or water for a few days and the following happened as I was going into the third and final day of the dry fast.

On Thursday night I went to bed as normal but was woken up at 3am and felt very strange. I felt heavy and could not move. I then had a series of fits in what seemed like intermittent episodes of epileptic seizures (even though I’m not epileptic). I looked at my hands and couldn’t lift them. My whole body didn’t feel right and I thought I was dead or possibly in the last moments of dying. I remember having an experience before where I woke up and couldn’t move but my body was still asleep. This was nothing like that at all.

Something didn’t feel right. It was black and I noticed a strange bright shadow in my peripheral vision, just off to the right. I then remember getting angry and attempted to lift my head to get a better look, but I couldn’t move.

When dealing with demons or any evil spirit, we are supposed to use the name of Jesus, but in that moment, I was so angry at this thing that was in the room that I did not think or remember any scripture. Instead of using the name of Jesus, I looked in the direction of the bright shadow and furiously shouted an expletive at it.

I know that swearing at a demon is not scriptural, and I did not think about this at the time, but it seemed to work! Whatever it was disappeared. I then slowly started to come around and then was able to get up. My fiancé was still sleeping so my furious expletive-laden command for this thing to go must have been done in the spirit as I’m sure I would have woken her up otherwise. I decided to go downstairs and pray. I fell asleep on the sofa while downstairs.

Just before 8am, while I was still downstairs, my fiancé sent me a text message. She said she had woken up in the middle of the night and couldn’t breathe and that it felt like someone was strangling her. She knew I had gone downstairs but in no way did she have any idea of what had happened to me during the night. This had never happened before to either of us, yet in a single night both of us were separately attacked. This is not a coincidence.

Later that same morning, I had arranged to give my mum a lift to Tesco. As I left the house, I noticed something in the driveway. It was right in the middle of the driveway. Like someone had measured the width of the driveway and put it exactly in the middle. I picked it up and tried to make out what it was. I couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like nothing I had seen before.

It appeared to be some kind of root, from a plant or vegetable. It also looked like part of a small animal that had been in a state of decay. Like the root and the small animal were mashed together. I bent it a bit and it had like black goo inside and was white and putrefied on the outside. Whatever it was, it was foul. Absolutely disgusting. I threw it on to the main road just outside the house and washed my hands.

The next day I went to sleep again. During the night I was woken by my fiancé suddenly sitting up in bed and screaming. It wasn’t like a normal scream but like a terrified shrill. I sat up and looked around the room but saw nothing. She told me she saw the figure of a man wearing yellow standing over me on the bed. It had gone now. We decided to go back to sleep.

As I lay down, I closed my eyes and lay there for about a minute. I then felt coldness at my feet. This coldness then progressed like a wave from my feet and up my body and to my head until my whole body was cold. I thought I just needed to warm up. Sure enough, after a few moments, the coldness disappeared.

However, after another 10 or so seconds it happened again in exactly the same way. I felt cold at my feet and then another wave progressed from my feet up my body to the top of my head until I was fully covered in coldness again. This lasted for a few moments and it faded away again. It then happened a third time. Exactly the same each time.

I knew this wasn’t the cold. Something is not right. Something is still in here with us. I remember waking up in the night and being fearful for no reason before. This was before I knew Jesus. This was about ten times worse than that, but I wasn’t afraid. I most definitely would have been terrified if this had of happened to me before I knew Jesus. I started to get angry again.

I should’ve bound it and cast it into the pit there and then. I didn’t. The reason why I didn’t was because my fiancé was just freaked out by what she saw and I didn’t want to alarm her further by sitting up and saying something out aloud because it would confirm to her that something was still in the room.

So, I lay there for a few minutes, feeling this thing working on me. Wave after wave after wave of coldness, just waiting for it to stop or go away, but it didn’t. Then I realised how foolish I was in allowing this to go on. I sat up and told my fiancé what was going on and then said aloud “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I bind you and I cast you into the abyss in Jesus name”. I waited a few moments and then lay down again. It stopped. I lay back down and was able to finally get some sleep.

When I got up in the morning, I felt awful, like I had been in a fight. I felt sore, irritable and had no energy. I’m convinced that if I had of dealt with the spirit in the first instance, instead of allowing it to work on me for a time, then I would not have had almost 2 days of my life wrote off. I always seem to learn lessons the hard way! This can be good, as a lesson learned the hard way is a lesson that is not easily forgotten – but for 2 days I felt awful.

This is obvious advice but do not tolerate demons or evil spirits. Whether there are kids there and you worry your words may frighten them, or perhaps if you are in a public place and worry that people will think you are a weirdo - it doesn’t matter! You can’t allow these things any freedom to do whatever it is they are doing. Don’t mess about. Get rid of it and do it quickly. Think of it like spilled red wine on a white carpet. The faster you act, the less damage there is. Don’t mess about with it. Bind it in the name of Jesus and get rid of it. Use the name of Jesus and send it to the abyss where it will enter but will not be able to get out (at least until the time of the end – see Revelation 9).

I found myself telling my neighbour and other people about our experiences these last couple of days. When I went to church last night, we had a guest speaker who anointed and prophesied over us at the end of the night. The message to me was not to focus on the enemy and what he is doing, but instead to focus on Him (the Lord) who is above all. On further reflection, I realised also just how quick I was in telling people about what had happened to myself and my fiance the last 2 nights and how this contrasted with how slow I am in telling people about Jesus and what he did for me.

Having been targeted in this way is good - almost like a badge of honour. Not that I take honour from the enemy, but rather, it is good to have suffered a little for Christ as He has suffered infinitely more for me. That the powers of darkness feel they need to resort to such measures is further confirmation not only that they are real and exist, but more importantly that our prayers of supplication have been making a real difference in the surrounding area (if not the world).

It is amazing to see the power of prayer in action, but I think the results that we are able to perceive are only the tip of the iceberg. On its own, prayer is powerful. It is interesting that I was attacked during the last day of a dry fast. It is often said that fasting can make our prayers more potent. It turbo-charges our prayers as we strip the flesh of its desires. The evidence seems to support this based on the timing of the attack.

Jesus said did not say “if you fast”, but “when you fast”. We are expected to fast. If you have been born again and have never fasted then I would encourage you to start (just a single day at first).

I guess if we could see the effect of our prayers (when we pray for the right things and pray for them in the right way), then I’m sure all of us - including myself - would do it far more often. This goes for fasting too.

2020-01-15 00:00:00 +0000

My local church is having a week of prayer. Last night, some other churches came in to join us and so the place was full of people I didn’t know. At the start of the night, a man approached me and immediately started to tell me about the pain he was in. He had a sore finger. He didn’t raise or show me his finger, but I could make out a plaster on his finger by his side. We departed and I found a spot to pray.

Much later, after many people had left, I started to feel the anointing on my hands. Unusually, I could feel it more intensely on the tip of a certain finger. This was a bit strange, but it reminded me of the man with a sore finger I met at the start of the night. So, I sought him out to ask him if we could see if the Lord would heal his finger.

Unfortunately, when I looked for him, I couldn’t find him. I could hear Pastor C shouting in the background “has anyone found any keys”. I went around every corner of the large hall inspecting each group of people, but the man was not in any of them. He had already left. This puzzled me as I couldn’t understand why the Lord gave me this sensation in my finger if the man wasn’t there anymore. I remember thinking “Lord, why do I feel this so powerfully on my finger when the man is not here”. Am I misreading something?

Just as I was wondering about this, someone came rushing back in through the doors from outside. It was the man with the sore finger! It was his car keys that Pastor C was shouting about and asking if anyone had them. I went straight up to him and asked him, “What is it that is wrong with your finger?”.

He raised his hand and showed me his finger. It was infected and swollen. It looked like he had an accident and sliced right through it. Then I started to doubt. I thought to myself, there is no way I can heal that (even though I know it is not me but the Lord who does the healing). I sort of stood there as he chatted to his mate, battling with my own mind, trying to come up with the courage to ask for him to give me his hand so that I could pray and ask Jesus to heal his finger.

Suddenly I start to overthink - this is a mistake, a miscalculation – this whole situation that I find myself in is a fluke. Here I am, in my own local church hall; never would there be a safer place to exercise a spiritual gift and never would I have a clearer signal from the Lord.

Yet I hesitated, and the man suddenly turned and went out the door. I then had another inner battle with myself. Should I run out after him or is it too late? Then I started to convince myself that the chance had gone, until it really did go, and it was too late.

I get these situations or appointments where I have the chance to share the gospel, the chance to help bring a lost soul to Christ; or in this case to heal a person and demonstrate the mighty power of God – and I do nothing. I keep having so many chances to step out in faith and be part of something great, but I never do because of fear and doubt.

The fear of humiliation and ridicule starts to grow in my mind. The Lord lines everything up for me, he gives me confirmation, a dream, a word, some signal or coincidence. I cannot fail. It is impossible for me to fail. Yet, I do my own miracle and make the impossible possible. I fail. Why did I fail? I fail because I didn’t even try.

From being fully charged up just before the end of the meeting, I went home feeling awful. I did some soul searching and wondered if I was worthy of having what the Lord had given me. The Lord is wasting His time with me, He should go to someone who has the guts to actually step out for Him. I go to the word and even the scriptures seem to torment me. I think of Luke 12:48…

Luke 12:48
He who has been given much, much will be expected.

I say to God “Lord, you have chosen the wrong man! If you have given me gifts, then take them off me and give them to someone who will put them to use. They are wasted on me!”

I am not saying it out loud, but I am thinking it. I’m telling God that what he has given me is wasted on me. I am now making God, who is infallible, out to be fallible. I have gone from doubting myself to doubting God – and the transition from doubting myself to doubting God was so smooth, so invisible – that I had not even realised it had happened.

Does God not know the end from the beginning? How can I possibly tell God that He has the wrong person – do I know better than Him? Of course not.

The Lord drops a bomb in my mind, and I hear in my spirit “Galatians 3:4”.

I reach for the bible, almost sure that this is just my imagination. I have no idea what Galatians 3:4 says and I look it up and I notice it is a very short verse. I begin to read.

Galatians 3:4
Have you experienced so much in vain, if it really was in vain?

I don’t think there is a more fitting verse in the whole bible than the one the Lord just gave me for that situation. How easily we forget all that we’ve been through, almost like it didn’t matter. Thank God for His mercy.

This failure has now become my main motivator. When I am afraid to step out in faith, I will remember back to this moment and remember my profound regret. I will remember this regret on the next divine appointment, so that this really won’t have been experienced in vain.

2020-01-10 00:00:00 +0000

My fiancé was complaining of having a sore ear. It’s been going on a few days now but that night we were watching “The Gospel of John”. I looked over and saw her in pain. She was holding her ear. I had sympathy for her and then got that electric feeling in my hands again.

I thought to myself, “it’s just a sore ear, it’ll be alright in the morning” and the manifestation I felt in my hands started to fade away.

It’s amazing how we are our own worst enemies. It doesn’t matter if it is a sore ear or a missing limb; God can be glorified in small miracles just as much as the big ones and it isn’t up to us to judge what is worthy of His intercession.

As the feeling disappeared, I sat watching the TV thinking I should have done something. And then I thought that even though the feeling had gone, I should still try. So, I asked “Do you believe the Lord can heal your ear?”.

She laughed, seemingly because I was so serious (which is not like me). I said I was serious and told her to come over.

I put my right hand over her ear and said, “In Jesus name, let this ear be healed”. I then felt the power in my right-hand return, and we sat in silence for about half a minute.

I took my hand away and asked if her ear was still sore. She sat up and put her hand to her ear, poking it with her finger. She then started to laugh again… “It’s gone!”.

Praise the Lord! Nothing is too big for Him, and in this case, nothing is too small either. I wasn’t going to post this as it seemed such a small thing, but it wouldn’t be right to exclude it because it is small in my own limited viewpoint. It isn’t small. I could not heal the ear or take the pain away so how can I call this a small thing if I am unable to do anything about it myself!

2019-12-27 00:00:00 +0000

Context

Jesus did a lot of miracles. He also had many disciples. Far more than the 12 that were with him at the last supper.

I was reading Luke and noticed that out of all His disciples, He gave 12 special authority to enable them to do miracles and drive out demons.

Luke 9:1
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.

It is in God’s gift to give to each of us that asks, if He is willing (and He is willing if our hearts are right and our motives are pure). So, I asked the Lord for the same authority that I may do the same. That night I had the following dream.

The Dream

I’m in a large house. It is more like a compound. The place is like a huge maze and I sneak around and try not to be seen. I’m not sure where I am going or what I am doing there.

Someone is walking around near where I am, and I hide in various places from them but they do eventually see me and command me to follow them.

The man is leading me somewhere, so he is in front of me and I am walking behind him. I realise that I might be able to just walk off quietly and perhaps he won’t notice. I keep an eye out for an opportunity to sneak away.

Eventually I see a place to hide and try to sidestep into it as we pass but the man I am following notices me do this. He grabs me tightly by the collar and forcibly leads me to a corner of a large room and starts to tie me up.

The man leaves me tied up and goes on his way and I am on my own.

For some reason I suddenly find myself free again. I start to sneak around again but this time I notice other people are tied up. I go over to one of these people and start pulling at their ropes trying to free them but I’m worried about the man coming back.

I focus on the ropes around this person’s feet. The rope is very thick and too tight that my hand can’t loosen it, so I start using my teeth to chew through the rope.

The man comes back and I go to hide again but he has seen me and what I was up to.

He tells me to turn around, but I refuse. He seems surprised at my response and that I am standing up to him.

He goes to grab me again, but I push him. The man seems shocked that I won’t do as he says.

I then realise that the man is smaller and skinnier than me and I have no reason to be afraid of him or do what he says. I start to beat him, and he runs away from me.

I can now focus on setting this person free without worrying about the man coming back.

Interpretation

I was walking around aimlessly with no real purpose at the beginning and I was terrified of being caught, which inevitably happened.

The man seemed authoritative and I feared him and what he would do to me.

When I was set free, I could have walked about aimlessly again but I noticed the other people captive and I couldn’t just leave them there.

It was only when I was actively involved in setting these people free that I was able to stand up to the man and saw that he wasn’t really that tough at all.

The fact that I was still worried about the man appearing means that we should still be watchful when going about the Lord’s business. If opposition comes then we need to deal with it, before returning to our work. If we are doing the Lord’s work, then we will be given what we need to deal with it.

It is interesting that I couldn’t untie the person’s ropes with my hands. The ropes were too tight, and I had to use my teeth.

Teeth are part of the mouth and it is by the word of God, spoken through the mouth, that we can set people free by leading them to Christ.

This dream was in response to my prayer to walk in the same authority as the disciples and the apostles. We are given authority in Christ Jesus, but this authority is not automatic. The police have authority, but only when they are working. Judges have authority, but again, only when they are doing their job. They don’t walk in that authority in their civilian life. It is only when they are at work.

If we want to see a manifestation of the greater gifts in our lives, then we need to be actively involved in setting people free by bringing the lost to Christ. It is in this work that healings and other miracles will be manifest through the holy spirit.

2019-12-12 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

There is a large drum shaped container of charcoal and a sign that says “4 for £2.40”.

This large, drum-like container is made of thick wire. Like “chicken wire” fencing. This enables the contents in the container to be seen, from the top to the bottom.

The pieces of charcoal inside the container vary in size. The pieces at the top of the container are very small. Just under the top layer, the pieces are a bit bigger. Near the bottom the pieces are large. At the very bottom, the pieces of charcoal are huge.

Interpretation

Sometimes when God shows me something, I give it too much thought and over-complicate it. My first thought on the vision was that the charcoal was a rip off. It didn’t make sense to price it per piece. The pricing should be based on weight, not by piece. Why would anyone take 4 small pieces when they could take larger pieces and it would cost the same amount of money. So, I started to think about why it was priced in the way it was, which was completely missing the point. I didn’t understand the message and what God was trying to show me.

That evening I prayed asking for the interpretation, and as I asked, I was given the answer. Now that I think about it, it was blindingly obvious. I had over-complicated it.

It had nothing to do with the way it was priced. The price is the price. The point God was making was… would I be happy if I brought the pieces at the top of the pile, or the pieces at the bottom?

The pieces at the top were easy to access, but they were very small. We can take the pieces on the top, but we would get terrible value for money. However, if we are willing to get our hands a little bit dirty, then we could dig in underneath the top layer and get some of the bigger pieces. We probably still wouldn’t get good value.

However, if we are willing to put in a decent amount of effort, and dig down further, then we could get even bigger pieces. Getting four of these bigger pieces would almost be worth the £2.40! Some people may be satisfied with that, but to me those pieces were still not worth the £2.40.

In the shop, people wouldn’t notice us digging underneath the top layers and trying to get good value for money. We could get those pieces of charcoal without bringing any attention to ourselves.

But if we dig down still further in order to get the pieces near the bottom, then this would definitely be worth the effort. However, this would be hard work and people will start to notice as we would need to take all the pieces on the top layers out of the container and put them to the side in order to get these lower pieces out. The size of the pieces are large enough that this would be quite good value for the amount that was spent, which is worth the stares and whispers of those people in the shop around us.

Now the pieces at the bottom, if we got 4 of those, then we would have a bargain. These pieces are massive! We’d need to take them to the checkout 1 at a time as they are so big. They are so big that I’m sure that even the owner of the shop will notice us.

The Lord is telling me that I need to dig deep. The more effort I put in, the greater the value I will get. I didn’t understand why it was charcoal. Charcoal seems rather mundane. Again, this was obvious.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

John 5:35
John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

If John was a lamp, are we not also lamps? So, we should want to burn brightly for the Lord. So that is why it was charcoal. It is a bit like the parable of the 12 virgins. In that it was oil and not charcoal.

Matthew 25:1-12
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: "Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!". Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out."

"No," they replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves."

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. "Lord, Lord," they said, "open the door for us!". But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you".

Larger pieces of charcoal will burn more brightly, burn with more intense heat, and burn for much longer than small pieces. The holy spirit is often mentioned as being associated with fire. In this context, it is clear that the more we are willing to do, the more fuel we will have for our lamps!

Why the price of £2.40? Nothing God does is without meaning. Although the price is currency, I can’t help but notice time in the price. The Lord must have revealed this to me. First, I see the number 24 in the price of £2.40. There are 24 hours in a day.

Why 4 pieces and not 3, 5 or 6? Again, I see time. 4 pieces for £2.40 equates to 60p each. There are 60 minutes in 1 hour. The price seems to symbolise time! God’s ways are truly amazing!

How much of our time do we spend on God?

As Christians, we can do the easy stuff and live our lives worshipping the Lord and going to church and maintaining our relationship with him. These are like the coals on the top. We don’t expend a great deal of effort in these activities. If we go for these coals at the top, then we can expect that we would not burn bright or long for the money (time) that we spent.

We can do more and burn more brightly, but if we work earnestly for the Lord, then the world will start to notice us. This is not just our family and friends, but our work colleagues and even strangers. We will be noticed by them. These are the people in the shop. How bright we would be if go for these pieces, unashamed of what those around us think!

Then there is the final layer at the bottom. The owner of the shop (God) will surely notice you if you go for these ones!

2019-12-06 00:00:00 +0000

Even though it has been out for over 10 years now, I’ve only just watched The Passion of the Christ for the first time.

It is a great film, but difficult to watch. The depiction of Jesus being brutalised and killed was awful, but I can’t help but wonder that the real thing was even worse than this.

When I prayed that night, I asked the Lord if I could help to carry the cross that Jesus was forced to carry.

When I woke up in the morning, I felt awful. My neck and down the right-hand side of my body was aching. The Lord answered my prayer! God is good and what I felt was just a small portion of what Jesus had to endure. Even so, it was still good to be able to experience it.

2019-10-21 00:00:00 +0000

Context

Jesus / Yeshua spoke many parables. They are some of my favourite parts of the New Testament.

A parable came to me after discussing the Lord with someone, but the context is too private a matter to write about. The parable I can write about.

It is not found in scripture. I submit no claims to the origin and leave it up to the reader to judge whether the words below are inspired or are simply the figment of my own imagination. Whatever the outcome, I think it contains an important lesson.

The Parable

A master has many servants.

The master reveals things to one of his servants. Things his servant did not know before. These are things about his master and about his master’s business.

He also entrusts to this servant some special privileges to enable his servant to do special tasks.

A while passes by and this servant has an encounter with another servant.

The servant to whom the master revealed things to, and to who was given special privileges, boasts about this to the other servant. He tells the other servant “What do you know about the master and his business that I do not know?”.

The other servant does not speak out against the boastful servant. Instead, he keeps his counsel and bids the boastful servant well and they depart.

Of the two servants, which one is the greater, and which one is the lesser?

Answer

My guess was the one who kept his counsel was the greater servant. The great thing about our God is that He is wise beyond our imagination. The answer came…

It doesn’t matter / It can be both!

So, I had to go and think about this for a while.

This boastful servant lorded it over the other servant, not because this was his master’s purpose, but solely in order that he might exalt himself over another.

If the boastful servant is the lesser

The boastful servant did not realise it, but the humble servant was also given the very same information and the very same privileges!

In fact, the humble servant was given even more privileges than the boastful servant, but he did not reveal it. This was so that he might not inadvertently exalt himself over his fellow servant.

When the master returns, the humble servant who was entrusted with a lot, will be given more.

The boastful servant, the little he has will be taken from him and given to another.

If the boastful servant is the greater

The boastful servant was correct in being greater.

However, when the master returns, he will question the boastful servant on why he boasts of something that was never his in the first place, but rather something that was entrusted to him.

He will humble the proud and arrogant servant that boasted by giving that which he had to another.

Teaching

We are not here to say who is greater and who is lesser - it doesn’t matter. We should focus on serving God and using what He has given us for His glory alone.

We should treat each other with respect and be careful that we do not exalt ourselves over one another, especially with things that have been given unto us by God. Pride and seeking to exalt one’s self is what caused the fall of Satan.

We may not exalt ourselves over God, but it is a slippery slope to do this even to each other. Especially when all that we have was never ours to begin with but gifted unto us through grace! If anything, we should aim to do the opposite and place ourselves under each others service. For Jesus says…

Matthew 20:16
The last will be first, and the first will be last.

Hold your tongue and let others boast. If anything, be gracious to them and the Lord will exalt you above them should you both serve Him in His kingdom.

2019-10-08 00:00:00 +0000

Context

My family and I left the evening church service and came home. It was quite late and dark outside, but the weather was calm, so when my 2 daughters asked to play out in the back garden for a while before bedtime, I let them. My eldest daughter came in telling me she saw writing on the side of the shed.

I thought they were messing about with markers or crayons, but she then said the writing was glowing, and then it eventually faded away!

I asked her to write down what she saw. She wrote down this:

_ . _ -> 20

She is not one to just make stuff up and was wondering what it meant. It looked kind of like a date, except the day and month is missing. I thought 20 was a year as next year is 2020, it could be pointing to something next year. It looks kind of like the hangman game, where you guess the missing letters.

That night I prayed and asked God for revelation on what she saw. 2 days later, I had the following dream.

The Dream

I am outside in an open space, walking on grass. There are people everywhere, just walking about and minding their own business.

Suddenly glowing lights begin to appear in the sky. They look like lines and dots. A bit like this:

_ . _ . _                                _ . _
                     _ . _ . _ . _

I turn around behind me and see more lights. I turn again to a different part of the sky and see more lights. These lights are all around.

Everyone I see begins staring up at these lights.

While everyone is looking up, I look over to the horizon and begin to make out some blurry shapes in the distance. I try to focus on these shapes as they start to get closer. I can then make out what these shapes are. It is a vast number of dogs. So many that they fill the whole horizon from left to right, and they are running towards me and all the other people around me. There must be millions of them.

Everyone who was looking up at the lights also notices these dogs and everyone starts to panic. They all turn and run and I join them.

Dogs are fast. Much faster than people (unless you’re Usain Bolt). As I run, I know that all these dogs are slowly catching up. They will reach and overtake us if we keep running. I then see a wooden picnic bench table in the distance and get underneath it. Even though the picnic table is exposed, and I can be clearly seen underneath, I go under anyway as at least I will have some sort of covering rather than be completely out in the open (as I know I will be overrun eventually).

As I get under the table, everyone behind me continues to run on and pass me. The dogs are about to reach where I am. I see the dogs coming closer and they look vicious. There are so many, and I cannot possibly count them.

I expect many of them to try and attack me under the table, so I get in to position so I can be ready to kick and push them away. As they approach the table they run straight past me and continue on to the people who are now some way in the distance.

I’m not sure why they don’t attack me. It is like they don’t notice me under the picnic table (even though it has no covering and I can be clearly seen). The dogs run on and continue to chase the people.

I can hear people who are still running and screaming, but I can also hear people laughing. I’m not sure why this is. Perhaps they can’t see the dogs yet and they don’t realise what is about to come upon them. I dare not turn around. I lie there frozen still, looking as dogs continually run past where I am. Still they come and still they run past me. It seems unending.

The laughter that I heard earlier stops. I can hear people getting bit with increasing severity: “ow”, “Ow!”, “OW!!!!”. Then I hear the shouts of pain turn to screams. I can’t see the people, I am still looking in the direction of where they ran from and still lie there frozen still. I do not want to turn around and see what is going on behind me.

This is also because I am still waiting for dogs to attack me under the table. I am still getting ready to fend them off, but they never come.

The screams from the people behind me who I can’t see increase in number and severity. They sound horrific, and I can just imagine people are being torn apart, but I dare not look.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I hear the voice of a man. He says “The 18th of June”.

Interpretation

In the Bible, dogs can be referred to as unjust people:

Revelation 22:15
Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Are these dogs the immoral people of the world? I also keep thinking of the phrase “Dogs of war”. There is a film of this name. Do these dogs symbolise soldiers? Is there a war coming?

In other parts of the Bible, dogs eat up those who received judgement. In the old testament, the dogs eat those belonging to Baasha, who was an evil king (but this was only those in the city).

1 Kings 16:4
Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.".

There were no birds in my dream (but I’m not sure what the lights in the sky were).

The dream could point to judgement against the unjust and evil people in the world. Yet, the Revelation verse descibes dogs as being the unrighteous, and it was the dogs who were doing the attacking.

I took refuge under a picnic table. I chose not to run with the multitudes, but took refuge instead under the table (even though it appeared to have no covering and little protection). I don’t know why, but I am thinking the picnic table is the “table of the Lord”. It may represent Jesus Christ. Even though I could clearly be seen, the dogs did not attack me under the table. It was like they couldn’t see me.

The man who said “18th of June” at the end, I didn’t see a man, I just heard his voice. I’m not sure how the dream ties up with the writing that my daughter saw.

This dream may seem toublesome, but for anyone who reading this, remember that there was a place of refuge. I am sure the table represented the Lord. The multitudes ran, but running did not help them. Rather than run, seek shelter in the Lord instead. He will protect us and keep us safe. He is the only one who can.

Even if the world around us is falling apart, and I would say even if we are persecuted and experience extreme hardship in this life, do not worry. Our time in this life is temporary and is but a moment when compared to eternity. We are safe in Christ. We just need to endure for the short time we are here and know that we are safe in Christ Jesus in a much better way than we are safe in this world.

2019-09-05 00:00:00 +0000

Context

This occurred early in the morning. It was a strange experience as I was awake while it happened. Maybe this is the difference between a dream and a vision. I am only speculating as I don’t know.

The Vision

I’m in a street with various people walking about and a man is looking for someone and calling out their name. He is looking for someone called “Jim” (or possibly “James” - it was hard to hear as I was quite far off).

The man looks like he has given up calling for this other man. Just then I see a tall man dressed in blue, and with a blue hat, come out of a building and stand right next to the man.

I somehow know that this is the man that the other man is looking for and I shout to the other man.

ME: There he is, that’s him!

The man in blue hears me point him out and starts to walk away. He is reluctant to hear what we are going to say.

I then see these 5 green shrubs or bushes. They are very green and healthy looking. Extremely leafy, almost glowing. 4 are hunched together. The fifth one is separate from the 4.

I go over to the 4 and the leaves are alive and lean into me, almost like the branches are embracing me. I then feel the fifth one, that was separate from the 4 come up to behind me. This bush has actually moved up close to the rest of the group and its leaves are also entangling me, embracing me from behind.

I shout over to the man in blue, imploring him to come over, because these bushes are good for the liver (I was thinking of eating the leaves).

Partial Fulfilment

2 confirmations from the one vision! I know a few people called Jim/James. It is probably going to be one of the following.

1: Someone that I do not know

The following Sunday, my other half spotted a blue hat in the church. She didn’t tell me about it at the time, but I asked Pastor B about it and he said that he was given it. The man who gave him it was called Jim, but also known as James. He is just about to leave on a trip to Israel. I’ve not met this person but maybe I will soon enough.

2: My soon to be father-in-law (who is called Jim even though his legal name is James)

A fortnight after the vision, we were all on holiday in Menorca and he was wearing all blue and turned to me and Leigh and said all he needed now was a blue hat. Leigh just looked at me in amazement (I had shared this vision with her before this happened).

If in either case there is any trouble with a liver, then I think the green leafy bushes (possibly leaders in the church) will be able to heal the person, but they must be willing to receive healing. The fact this person was walking away and didn’t want to hear what we had to say suggests to me it is the latter person.

1 of the 5 leafy bushes was separate. They had really good green leaves, so this suggests they are people who are good. However, 1 is not with the group. So there is a group of 4 people. I seem to join them and am accepted by them. Then the one who was separate joins the group bringing the total to 6.

2019-08-20 00:00:00 +0000

Context

I’ve suddenly been having dreams every night and they are all about temptation.

For example, I remember in one of these dreams I was shaking the hand of a man who had a ridiculously huge jewelled ring. When our hands separated, his ring fell into my hand and he quickly turned around and started to walk away. This was an easy temptation to resist, I didn’t want his ring, so tried to give it back to him, but he wasn’t really listening to me. It took some effort to get him to finally realise that he “dropped” his ring into my hand during our handshake.

However, I wasn’t so successful in resisting temptation in other dreams. It seemed that caving into a temptation in one dream caused all the subsequent dreams to be repeats of the very same temptation (but in slightly different situations). These dreams started to annoy me as you are not completely aware of what you are doing when you are dreaming and you are not fully conscious. Is it a sin to give into temptation during a dream when you are not fully aware of what you are doing?

I don’t think that these dreams were from God. They don’t share any of the characteristics of dreams that I’ve had in the past which came from God.

• They aren't strong dreams (kind of fuzzy, not as easy to recollect)
• They don't seem to serve any purpose other than try to discourage me (and affect my sleep)

Last night I had another one of these dreams. In this dream I started to think “Here we go again…”, but then I realised that I was lucid dreaming.

The Dream

I was in a garden and there is a girl who is trying to engage me in conversation. As I am lucid, I know I don’t want anything to do with her, as whatever it is, it will likely be some sort of trap or temptation.

I start to become aware of 2 lights. One bright yellowish white light to my right, and another darker blue light to my left. They are shining in my eyes and I don’t know what they are. They seem to be behind solid objects (fences etc), but for some reason I can see them like they are in front of the objects.

I brush past the girl and attempt to go around the object that is in front of the yellow light (in this case it was a fence). As I come around the object, the light is still in the same position. I would then have to go behind another object to reach it.

I start walking towards the yellowish light. No matter how much I move towards it, it seems static. I am not getting closer to it. It is like my movements make no difference. This light is always in the same place and is the same size and distance from me. It is almost like it is on a different plane of existence, so my movements can never change where I am in relation to it. I am not able to get to it, so I start to focus on it to see what it is before saying “What is that?” out loud.

Suddenly, the yellow light I am focusing on comes towards me at great speed, increasing in size until my vision is filled with light.

The Journey

The next thing I know I can see stars and feel like I’m flying through space. Except it is not me in control, the flightpath is not one of my choosing. It feels like I’m being carried.

I then see 2 strange holes in this white structure. The holes are round and smooth (like the inside of a donut). I don’t know how or why, but I seem to know that “they are for the harvest”.

I seem to understand that these are where souls will be stored (perhaps while waiting for judgement).

This next bit I do not know. This is my own thought. It is interesting that there are 2 holes. Is one for those who are redeemed in Christ and the other for those that aren’t? I am then thrown in to one of the holes and I try to to get out but I can’t. I feel like I’m in a box and I’m pressing at the side of this wall trying to get out, but it is no use. I can’t go up out the top either. It is strange, I can go up through the air. It isn’t like flying, I’m not flapping my arms, but I seem to be able to just rise up to the top where the hole is but I can’t go out. I don’t know why or what is stopping me. Even though the top is open, I can’t seem to go back out that way.

The next thing I know I wake up in bed and there is a massive bright ball of light to the left of me in my room. I try and turn towards it but I can’t move my body. I remember trying to use all my strength, every muscle in my body to turn over to the left to where this light is, but my body just doesn’t move. It feels like I’m being held in position.

I don’t know if I fell asleep again and awoke or what happened but I suddenly become fully awake and can move. The light is gone.

Conclusion

This whole experience has been crazy and I’m not really sure what to make of it. Those 2 lights in my dream, I’m sure they were angels or some other sort of spiritual beings. Not sure if they were good or bad, it is beyond my understanding.

It is possible that they were always there watching me in these dreams to see how I would respond to different things, and the Lord made me lucid and opened my eyes in my dream to make me aware of them.

Or perhaps they showed up just on this occassion to put a stop to the daily dreams I’ve been having. I say this because since this happened, I have never had any more of those dreams where I am being put in to all sorts of tempting situations.

I thank the Lord for this. Praise the Lord that I no longer have to endure these awful nightmares.

2019-08-20 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

I see a close up of a man’s face (side on profile view). It fills my entire vision. He is chewing the tip of a large curved fleshy coloured horn. I want to turn away, but I can’t. I start to worry that the man will turn and see me. I do not have a good feeling about the man.

He is using his front upper and lower teeth to gnaw at the end of this horn, scraping and chewing on the tip of it.

This goes on for a while and I can’t look away. It is like I must see this person and remember him and what he looks like.

Notes

This dream upset me. I don’t know who the man was, but I will not forget his face.

In the Bible a horn is a symbol of strength. This man is gnawing away at a horn, but I’m not sure what this could mean (is it the man’s own strength or another’s?).

Update: Weeks later and I am watching the TV and see a news report about India intending to take away Kashmir’s special status and bringing the territory under the full control of India. I see the president of Pakistan. This is the man from my dream: Imran Khan. Is the horn India or another country or person?

I think Pakistan will attack India. The nibbling of the horn suggests it will be low-scale attacks rather than all-out war (which is good for the world as they are both have nuclear weapons).

2019-07-31 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

I’m in a house and there is a knock on the door. I answer it and see a group of people. They appear to be refugees and include young and old. About 8 or 9 of them. I get the impression they are all part of the one family.

They are all wearing orangey puffy coats and are a bit dirty. It is freezing cold outside, colder than I’ve ever known it to be. One of the younger of the group has their arms folded, hands tucked into their armpits. He is shivering and his face is almost blue. I feel warm in my house and just want to wrap my arms around him to give him a hug and warm him up as it looks like he is really suffering.

They want to come in and I invite them in. They start to split up and linger about the rooms. They are complaining of hunger and that they haven’t eaten in a long time and they have no money or possessions.

I see some of them putting some things from the house into their pockets. So, I want to now get rid of them but I don’t want to make it obvious. I suggest we go to the chip shop up the road and I will drive them up and buy them food to satisfy their hunger.

We are in a chip shop. I am about to ask them what they want but then I see someone else in the chip shop who is doing this very same thing with a similar group of refugees (what a strange coincidence!). This other person tells the refugees to go ahead and order food and he will pay for it. When the food is given over, I can see that each of the refugees has ordered far more than they will be able to eat. They all individually receive ridiculous amounts food as they have ordered far more than they needed.

The man buying the food is not happy and he goes over to pay for the order. I watch as the refugees that were with him are stuffing their faces and becoming full, but then also pocketing the many food items they ordered for themselves but couldn’t eat. They are putting whole burgers in their pockets and other food items.

I decide to ask the refugees that I am with what they want me to order for them. Then I can limit what they receive. The food comes and I give it to them. I do not want them to return to my house so while they are pre-occupied with eating the food, and since I live a bit of a distance from the chip shop, I leave for home; hoping that they will not be able to find their way back to my house (if they should choose to return).

Notes

I saw the man in the chip shop regret helping out the people in his care, which is a shame to have regret in doing a good work.

It is interesting that I wanted to get away from the people I was helping. I had pity on them at the beginning, but when they turned against me by stealing my stuff, even though I was helping them, I no longer wanted to help them any longer. Rather than kick them out, I used wisdom in getting them out of my house while also doing a further good work in helping them satisfy their hunger.

We should help those in need. However, we should not allow others take advantage of our generosity.

2019-06-29 00:00:00 +0000

The Short Prayer

Abba Father.

Bring to light my transgressions,

That I may confess them with my mouth.

Reveal in me my hidden sin,

That I may see it and repent.

Expose in me my pride,

That I may cover myself with humility.

Giving up all that I am,

That I may receive the fullness of your spirit.

Amen.

2019-06-20 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

I see some trees close together, 6 in 3 rows of 2. The branches of trees are not evenly spread. They all stretch over to a central point between the 2 rows of trees. Some of the branches from both sides touch and overlap over this central point, forming a cover. Like the picture above (never was much of an artist), except the branches leaned more in to the center point. Even the outside branches curved inwards.

People look at the trees and how they converge over a point. They then begin to wonder about them. They know there is something special about the place over where the branches converge.

Eventually some people take shovels and begin digging under the point where the tree branches are converging.

The ark of the covenant is found under the ground at that point. I see many people rejoicing.

Interpretation

In Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis, there were 7 thin cows and 7 fat cows. Then 7 heads of corn. These all represented years.

The baker and cupbearer in Genesis also had dreams where one saw 3 baskets and the other saw 3 branches. These also represented years.

Could the 6 trees represent 6 years? If this interpretation is correct, then the ark of the covenant will be found 6 years after this dream (in 2025)!

The trees were not bearing fruit and the trees are covering the place where the ark is. This could represent ungodly people who are purposefully keeping the ark hidden and preventing it from being found. They might not be hiding the ark, but possibly they they know where it is, but are just letting it remain there undiscovered.

The people in the dream start to notice. They notice because of the trees covering the spot so perhaps the efforts of those people who are trying to keep it hidden will backfire, and they will inadvertantly cause people to go and dig around and look for it where it is hidden!

2019-06-04 00:00:00 +0000

Scripture is spiritual food. Ezekiel and Revelation both mention the eating of scrolls.

The Bible is often called the good book, but parts of it are really boring.

The old testament is a hard read. Some of it is especially boring. Reading the tallies of the census of Israel or the measurements for the temple are prime examples of what seems like boring reading. The laws in Leviticus and the various sacrifices and cleansing rites too. When reading those bits, I wonder what the point of it is. Unless I am building a replica of the temple or want to re-create the 12 tribes of Israel down to the exact number of each of them, am I really getting anything out of reading such things?

In the flesh, it is boring. Perhaps this is the point! I want to skip to something more interesting. Would that be giving in to the flesh? Although boring, there may be things going on in the spirit that I’m not aware of (boring the flesh to death). Discipline in reading some of the monotony, may actually be nourishing my spirit.

1 Peter 2:2
As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow.

Here is a thought on why night-time, just before going to bed, is a great time for reading scripture. In the flesh, we get up in the MORNING. If you read Genesis, it says there was EVENING (first) and then there was MORNING (last) – the first day. So, to the almighty God, a day begins at EVENING. Yet we, as created human beings, usually say our day begins at MORNING.

This is just another example of how we in the world deviate from God, as we do everything contrary to Him. Even down to defining what a day is. This is why Sabbath observation always starts and ends at sunset – because that is the start and end of the day based on scripture, and not our own human traditions. This is how God defines a day.

Now in the flesh, when we get up in the morning, we are hungry. We need nourishment to prepare us for the day ahead. We call this breakfast. Many studies show that missing breakfast has negative consequences on our health and our mood. So, it is wise to eat breakfast so that we can be ready for the busy day ahead!

Likewise, we need spiritual nourishment. Breakfast time for the flesh is morning. Could evening be breakfast time for the spirit? If so, then feed your spirit a good and hearty breakfast, one that will enable it to grow and become stronger. And that good and hearty breakfast is the word of God!

When I became truly awakened, I came to realise that I was spiritually starving. Do you remember back when you first became truly awakened? How hungry were we for the word of God? The Bible was read with such enthusiasm, and such speed, some of us go cover to cover in less than a month.

We binge on the bible. We eat large chunks, often not even understanding what we’ve just read as we’re reading it that fast. We’re starvos. We aren’t even chewing, we’re that hungry we plough on to the next chapter, just stuffing our faces with the word of God like we just can’t get enough of it. It is because when we become spiritually awakened, we realise we are famished. We are like little babies sucking on our ma’s teat.

Then we become full. In the flesh, we grow into adults. Many of us skip breakfast when we get older. Do you think we may do that in the spirit also? We mature in our faith and may not read as much of the bible anymore.

If you want to be close to God, then feed your spirit. We all have busy lives, some more busy than others, but if you make the time to go to bed a little earlier, and use that time to feed your spirit, then your spirit will grow and it will grow in the right way because you are feeding it good food. The best food.

Psalm 119:103
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

There are 1189 chapters in the Bible. If you read 2 chapters a night, you’d get through it in less than 2 years. If you read 3 a night you will get through it in a year + 1 month.

Christ said He was the word, and the bible is called the word of God. Jesus Christ said we would eat Him; do you remember that?

John 6:56-60
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your forefathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever. Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

John called Jesus “the word” of God. And back in Genesis, we have In the beginning was God, and the WORD was with God.

And so, if the bible is the word of God, and Jesus Christ is also the word, then when Jesus said we would eat His flesh, this may also refer to reading the bible, as we digest the words within it in our spirit.

Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.

2019-06-02 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

I see a building. It appears to be a church. I see a group of people. The people are the congregation of the church.

They are led by a man who is dressed as a minister (or possibly a priest). Although he looks like a man of God, I seem to know that he is not.

As the congregation passes by me, I try to persuade its members not to enter the church, but instead go to a different church, one that I know is good, and whose teachings are true.

An elderly man and woman pass me by to enter the church. I talk to them and try to convince them they are being deceived. They won’t listen. The elderly woman is more vocal than the man. She tells me I’m the one who is deceived, and I should be going to this church too rather than trying to stop her from going.

The congregation starts to enter the church.

I then have a vision within the dream.

I see 2 books in front of me, sitting side by side. They both look identical. They have the same covers. They are the same colour. They are the same size, both width and height. They are the same thickness. On the surface, they appear identical.

Although I did not look inside either book, I know the words within each book are very similar, but they are not the same. One book leads to life and the other contains lies and leads to death and destruction.

The one that leads to death is an imitation of the first book which leads to life. However, its words have been corrupted.

I’m upset and angry at the imitation book and how difficult it is to distinguish from the first. Most people would not see or understand the subtle differences between them.

I am back where I was. The congregation are leaving the church. Some sort of ceremony has just taken place. I don’t know how I know, but I know that all the congregation leaving the church are now spiritually “marked”.

I see the old lady leaving the church. She is coming over to me and is distressed. She is crying and pleading for my help. There is nothing wrong with her physically, but like the rest of the congregation, she has also been spiritually marked.

She is repentant and now knows that she has been deceived. I direct her to the good church, but I am deeply troubled as I believe it is too late.

In my dream, I do not remember caring much for the congregation, as they do not seem to care about their situation. However, I am deeply disturbed by the old lady’s predicament as she makes her way from me. There is nothing that can be done for her and I begin to cry.

Notes

My understanding of the 2 books are they are different books. One was the Bible, and the other one was another book or a copy of the Bible with subtle changes in the words. Are we going to have a new version or interpretation of the bible?

The people that go into the church come out spiritually marked. They are not worshipping the one true God. They have gone into apostasy and are worshipping a counterfeit (the beast of revelation?). Further prayer and study is required to discern the complete meaning but this supports the view that the mark of the beast is not a microchip or other physical mark (such as a tattoo on the head or hand). It is a spiritual mark and one that is not discerned by the human eye or looking upon a person’s skin. It is received by worshipping the beast.

I’m convinced that the beast will be from within the Christian church (just like Judas was among the church, even within the 12 disciples). They will appear good and Christlike, but will be actually be anti-Christ.

In order to be deceived, you must start out as being not deceived. If you are not deceived to begin with then you must do something in order to become deceived. There must be a change. A change means you take on something new or do something different.

The bible says to ask for the old ways (or ancient paths).

Jeremiah 6:16
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

Be wary of new words, new doctrines, new bibles and new teachings. No doubt they will seem appealing, but they will eventually, with all subtlety, lead you away from Christ. Test everything by the word of God. If it fails even a single test, discard it.

2019-04-25 00:00:00 +0000

Context

Meeting Jesus is the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. A better description is given in my testimony which you can see by clicking here. It all started when I had this dream…

The Dream

I am in a place with many people. They don’t seem to share any similar characteristics. I would say they are not of any specific race or creed.

I get into conversation with someone wearing a white turban. We debate about his beliefs. I am under the impression that he is multi-religious, in that he is a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist etc.

Rather than focus on all his religions, I seem to focus on his Muslim religion. Not because the other religions are valid or because being Muslim was worse than the other religions, it just made sense to pick one for the purposes of the conversation rather than mention all of them.

I tell him can’t be both Christian and Muslim. He challenges me why he can’t.

A lot of people are listening to us debate. I get the feeling that every one of them is following this same mixed religion (is this a vision of the future - will there be a mash of religions?).

I answer him by stating that Muslims reject the divinity of Christ. That they don’t see Him as being the son of God. Also, they reject his resurrection as they believe He didn’t really die during His crucifixion.

While the person I’m talking to remains calm, I get a sense that those around us are becoming agitated at what I’m saying.

I continue to tell him that following Christ is not compatible with other religions. You can mix up all the religions of the world if you want to, but you can’t mix Jesus Christ with these belief systems. I remember telling him that he is “diluting the blood of Christ”.

The people around me are now really angry, and I get a feeling that the situation has become dangerous. It is at this point I wake up.

Waking Up

It is about 4am and my hands are tingling, like they’ve “went to sleep” (or some use the terms “pins and needles”). It isn’t the same feeling as my hands going to sleep. It is the anointing of God that I feel (usually I get this when I’m in church and worshipping). Except the feeling is incredibly strong and intense, I feel like my hands are about to explode and wonder what is going on.

Being Taken Up To Heaven

I don’t remember falling asleep, but I am suddenly in a bright place. I’m sat at a large white table. Other people are sat around the table. I would estimate between 12 and 18 people. I did not take much notice of them because of the person standing at the head of the table. It is Jesus!

We’re all looking towards Him. It is quiet. Jesus breaks the silence.

JESUS: Who will have the land of Jasher?

It is silent again. Is he offering land to one of us? If I say “Yes”, do I get it? Should I say “Yes”? Maybe Jasher is not such a good place. I may regret saying “Yes” as he might offer a better place next. It might be wise to keep quiet. I look around and it appears that everyone is thinking the same. We’re all quite puzzled and cautious as we’re not sure of what is happening.

Eventually someone speaks up.

RANDOM MAN AT TABLE: What is so special about the land of Jasher?

Jesus raises his hand slightly and points his index finger up and answers.

JESUS: A prophet knows!

I look around and can see everyone else is still none the wiser. Some people are asking others in the group if there is a prophet in the room, so they can ask him. I don’t know myself.

Jesus starts walking around from the front of table to my side. I’m just over halfway down the side of the table and He says loudly:

JESUS: Someone in this room.

It becomes clear that the previous question “Who will have the land of Jasher?” was not Him asking who WANTS it, but rather who HAS it. He starts to walk slowly from the front of the table to my side. I am hunched forward on the table and focusing on my hands, thinking “please don’t come over, please – please – please, not me”. It is that feeling of inadequacy, what does He want with me? Who am I that He should come to me? I feel like an imposter and that I shouldn’t even be there!

He is getting closer, right to where I’m sitting. I hear His footsteps and then they stop and there is silence. I get the feeling he is right behind me and looking right at me, but I keep focusing on my hands in front of me. I’m just in total awe, and I don’t know where to look. It is almost unbearable. Eventually, I turn around to Him and blurt out:

ME: Is it me?

I felt like I put my foot in my mouth. But I said that just to break the silence. I just want out of there.

It is strange, but I seem to know that He knows what I’m thinking, and that I feel I’ve made a right fool of myself. But He’s just smiling at me (possibly finding it funny).

Next thing I feel myself falling back into my body. Not from a great height, like from a few inches above where I am lying, and I can feel this amazing energy all around me. I fall into my body, but I don’t wake up as I’m already wide awake. The energy in the room and around me is still there and it feels awesome.

My eyes are closed and I’m aware where I am but can still feel this amazing energy around me. I don’t want to open my eyes and get up. I keep my eyes shut, almost like I’m pretending that I’m not yet back in my body. I’m foolishly thinking that if I pretend I’m not back in my body then the feeling (the holy spirit?) will stay. The feeling eventually starts to fade away.

Back To Reality - The Confirmation

I’ve never heard the word Jasher before so begin to look up what it means. It means “Upright” or “Righteous” in Hebrew. Months later, I find that Jasher is actually Yasher, which means “Straight”. So “Land of Jasher/Yasher” is actually “Land of Upright/Straight”.

I had a dream a month before of this amazing place where everything was straight. Now I have this encounter with the Lord where He uses a phrase that was completely unknown to me but matches what I saw in my previous dream. Amazing!

2019-03-23 00:00:00 +0000

The Dream

I emerge from darkness, like I am coming out of a long dark tunnel. I can hear people behind me in the tunnel. It is the sounds of life, people talking, kids playing etc.

As I emerge from the darkness, I find myself standing on a raised platform overlooking the most amazing beach. I can see far off in the distance to the left and the right. The beach goes on forever in both directions. I want to turn around to tell people to come up and see this amazing and beautiful place, but I don’t (or perhaps I am unable to for some unknown reason).

I look around and notice that everything is straight. The horizon is obviously straight, but the sea on the shore is also straight. It laps the shoreline in a straight line all the way from where I am standing into the distance on either side of me. The boundary where the sand meets a grass verge is also straight, again all the way into the distance on either side of me. It seems to go on forever. Vegetation is planted in a straight line all the way in the distance too.

Everything is completely straight, yet it doesn’t look odd or strange, it looks perfect.

2019-01-26 00:00:00 +0000

Context

This is the first dream I recorded. Even though it was recorded a few days after it happened, I remembered every detail. This is a good indication of just how incredibly powerful dreams from God are.

Since not everything comes from the Lord (and we are warned to test the spirits), this is a good way to test the source of our dreams. This dream, and others like it, are ingrained into the memory. I was soon to have some other dreams, which I’m convinced were not from the Lord, as they were not as easy to recall.

Every word and action in this dream was remembered, as well as almost photographic memory of the surroundings (which I can’t really convey in text). The strength of my ability to recollect every detail is not down to human endeavour or ability but can only be explained by the power of the holy spirit.

The Dream

I am in distress; not for myself but for someone else. It is late in the evening and I’m looking at a shop. The lights are off and it appears to be empty. In desperation I go to knock the door but I notice that door is open, so I enter in. It is dark because the lights are out, but I can hear a noise in the back. I call out and a man emerges. I ask to buy something. He begins to shout at me for daring enter into his shop when it should have been clear to me that he wasn’t open.

MAN: It is a Sunday. I don’t open for anyone on a Sunday.

I apologise for disturbing him, but I tell the man that I am desperate. I only wanted a single item. If he can sell me it then it would be greatly appreciated. I need a sugary drink for a friend who is diabetic - their life potentially depends on it, so it is vitally important!

He refuses and shouts again at me to leave immediately. I really don’t want to go as I really need the item. Without it, someone will suffer or endure extreme hardship and there is no other shop around that I can see. I start to plead with the man to serve me this one item.

The man refuses again and insists that I leave. He is very angry now. I can see the situation is hopeless and so I leave, saddened that I have not been able to obtain the item.

I now find myself in a room in a church. There is no service on and the place is empty. I’m in conversation with the minister of the church. I’ve only just met him. A man and woman enter into the room. It is the man from the shop!

MAN: You!

ME: Hi. Sorry about the other day. I really didn’t mean to disturb you.

MAN: I don’t know who you are and because of that I do not trust you.

ME: Perhaps if you get to know me then you will start to trust me.

MAN: Well as you can see, I’m a Christian and therefore I don’t open on Sundays. That is why I could not serve you.

ME: It doesn’t matter anymore. What is done is done.

WOMAN: Hello. This man is my fiancé. We own that shop and work hard in it. We don’t want people like you coming in on the Lord’s day of rest.

ME: Again, I apologise. I would not have entered had I not been so desperate.

WOMAN: My fiancé and I are going to get married and we’re going to have a family and he is going to take my name.

ME: Your name? Surely it should be the other way around!

WOMAN: No, he is okay with it and will be taking my name. You can do that nowadays!

MAN: Do you have a problem with that?

ME: Well, I don’t think it is right but it is no business of mine. What you do is up to you.

WOMAN: That’s right, so keep out of our business.

ME: I will mention it no more.

I now find myself in a room in the same church with a vending machine and a table. I go to get something from the vending machine. Suddenly the machine starts to dispense all the items one by one. The tray is nearly overflowing. To prevent the items from spilling from the tray and on to the floor, I start to move the items from the tray to the table. The vending machine eventually vends its last item and it is now empty.

People can now just lift any item they want from the table. I go and get an empty container. People can pick items they want from the table and can pay by putting money in the container. I take the item I wanted and put some money in the container.

The woman I met earlier on walks into the room and sees the items on the table. I explain that the vending machine is broken. I leave the table and go to a corner where there is a piece of cardboard and pen. I start to write “Honesty Shop” with the pen on to the piece of cardboard with the intention of putting it on the table. While I’m writing, the woman lifts an item off the table and walks out. I know she hasn’t put any money in the container, but I choose to keep quiet and not say anything.

A few moments later, the woman returns. She puts money in the container but does not take an item. She must be paying for the item she had previously taken.

It is now later in the day and I am in the same room with the vending machine. There are a few items missing on the table and some more money in the container.

A man comes into the room, unshaven and dirty looking with torn clothes. The man and woman from earlier also come into the room but through a door on the opposite side. I am in the center of the room. The dirty looking man eyes the container with the money. He runs past me to the container with the money and grabs it. He turns around to run back past me again to escape…

WOMAN: Thief! Stop him!

The dirty looking man runs past me and out the door. I make no attempt to stop him.

MAN: Why did you not stop him? He has taken the money! Can’t you do anything right?

ME: Yes, he has taken the money and I could have stopped him, but I let him run past me.

WOMAN: What is wrong with you?

ME: That man came in here and took money that was not his. He could see how little money there was and that there are three of us and only one of him… yet he still risked taking the money. That man must have been desperate to do this. He may have fallen on hard times and is taking the money to survive. Perhaps what he is feeding is not himself or his family but a drug habit or alcohol addiction. Whatever the truth of the matter, it is not for me to stand in his way. God will judge him accordingly.

ME: When that man took that money, I did not act because I saw how desperate he was and I thought back to last Sunday and how desperate I was when I entered your shop to get an item for a friend who was in great need. I did not want to add to this man’s hardship by standing in his way. I did not hinder him, but at the same time I would not help him in taking the money either. Do not concern yourselves over such little amounts.

Notes

In my dream, I remember understanding that the Sabbath is not a Sunday but begins at sunset on a Friday until sunset the following day. If the man held sound doctrine, then he could have served me. Despite being berated and spoken to in harsh terms, it was not the time nor place for a theological discussion on what day is the Sabbath. I could have raised this also at the church, but I got the impression that both he and his future wife already disliked me, so it would not have been a good time to argue and debate about such a point. There is a time and a place for every conversation and that was not the time.

Being refused service in the shop on Sunday caused someone to suffer. In Matthew 12, Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and states that it is lawful to do good on that day. We should use our hearts as well as our heads when keeping God’s commandments. He desires mercy!

I am not condoning stealing, but at the same time I would not stop the thief from stealing. I let him. We shouldn’t stand in the way of desperate people. I do wonder that if the man wasn’t desperate, but took the money out of pure greed, would I have still let him run past me?

The bit where I spoke out against the man taking the woman’s name seems completely random! Perhaps it is okay for both people to keep their own names, but a man should not be taking a woman’s name. I’m not sure why God gave me this, but it would not be for no reason. I’m sure I will find out in future!

The woman took an item off the table but didn’t put any money in the container. I let her go without challenging her. She returned later to pay. Perhaps she didn’t have the correct change and went to get the right amount of money. This is a lesson in not judging others or jumping to conclusions or making assumptions. Proverbs backs this up:

Proverbs 25:8
Don’t be too quick to tell a judge about something you saw. You will be embarrassed if someone else proves you wrong.

Even though she spoke harshly to me without reason, I held my silence when she first left without paying. It turns out this was a wise decision, as the woman was honest after all! We can be too quick to jump the gun and make wild accusations and assumptions about people. This may be especially true when they treat us harshly or dislike us without reason or cause. We should be watchful but hold out until we know all the facts.

Finally, the way I spoke in this dream is nothing like I do in real life. Not just the words, but also my tone and assertiveness. Especially in the end, I felt like I was speaking with real authority. Although it was me in the dream, it didn’t feel like me in character. Despite the way I was treated by the man and woman, I don’t recall resenting them or feeling any ill-will towards them at all. Rather the opposite, I cared deeply for them. It was almost like a lesson in how to be perfect, perhaps mirroring the personality of Jesus Christ!

2019-01-14 00:00:00 +0000

Context

One day in January, I went with someone to pick up a lady who was in hospital. The man and woman were husband and wife. This woman has been ill since I have known her, and for over 10 years she has suffered a tremendous amount of pain. In hospital, I watched as she tried to slide off the edge of the bed and into a wheelchair. A distance of less than 50cm. It took them both a prolonged period of time due to the pain she was in and I started to sympathise a great deal about her situation.

As this happened, I noticed my hands tingling. I get this feeling when worshipping the Lord in church and alone in prayer, but I wasn’t worshipping in this instance. I also noticed that the feeling was unusually strong. I had an urge to go over and lay my hands on her around the back of her shoulders. It is difficult to describe, but I felt in that moment that I could heal her (not I as in me, but rather the Lord could heal her through me).

However, I worried about putting my hands on her and nothing happening. Even worse, I worried that she would turn to me and shout to get my hands off her and not to touch her ever again! So I did nothing. I actually sat on my hands, hoping this feeling would go away! When I went home, I was bitterly disappointed with myself for my cowardice in not stepping out in faith and trying to heal this lady.

The following week, I met 2 mighty men of God: Billy and Niall. We had a conversation about my newfound faith and some of the things that was happening to me. Billy offered to pray for me. Feeling guilty about what happened in hospital the previous week, I asked him to pray for this lady instead. I’ve never prayed for anyone else. Sometimes I would feel I am not being sincere if I prayed for people, especially those I don’t know. Because I was able to see the pain and suffering that this lady endured, and I felt sympathy towards her, I could be sincere when I interceded for her in prayer. Billy and Niall also prayed for her and took a prayer request to their church for their whole church to pray for her also.

Less a week later, I hear news that this lady is on her feet and is even going up and down the stairs in her house! Shortly after I hear that her doctor paid her a home visit and she spun round saying “Bet you didn’t expect to see me do this!” to the amazement of the doctor. 10 years of illness and pain are gone after less than a week of prayer - Praise the Lord!

The Lord is mighty and powerful. He gives us opportunity to be part of His plans, and it is up to us to trust Him and step out in faith. God gave me the opportunity to be part of His plan in healing this lady but I was not up to it. I let my fear of ridicule become greater than my fear of the Lord and so it didn’t happen in that moment. But the Lord will have His way and it was done anyway. The Lord does not need us for His will to be done, but He blesses us with opportunities to be part of His plans as long as we trust in Him and have faith!

2018-12-31 00:00:00 +0000

Various happenings in the latter half of 2018 (not dated)

Baptism of the holy spirit

I have always believed in the almighty God (the Father) and in His only begotten son: Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ). Despite my belief, I was not living life as one who believes should live. This changed towards the end of 2018. I entered a phase of intense repentance that lasted around 3 weeks. At the end of this period I received the baptism of the holy spirit. I recorded a testimony of what that felt like, why I believed it happened and how it came about. You can see it by clicking here.

What isn’t included in my testimony is that immediately after that experience everything changed. I started having dreams and getting weird sensations and strange encounters. For the weeks immediately after that moment, my mind was changed and I felt like I was constantly praying. It felt like silent thoughts and praises were over-flowing out of the top of my head and upwards towards the almighty God. This was constant and it continued even when I tried to sleep at night. I would lie there awake for hours with my mind filled and over-flowing. On some occasions my thoughts turned to intense feelings of mourning and sadness for the sinful nature of the world. I was overcome with grief at how the vast majority of people in this world disregard their creator and commit these awful sins against themselves and each other. This all started from that single point in time and it went on for over a week.

Hearing the voice of the Lord

I was on my own, reading the book of Revelation, when I heard this loud and audible voice. The sound seemed to emanate from the front of my forehead. The voice told me something about a person I was thinking of as I read a piece of scripture. The voice was authoritative, yet gentle. This voice spoke clearly and precisely. It was the Lord and He spoke the answer to a question that I had not yet asked!

I was doing some studying on end times prophecies and conducting my own research in some of the scripture in Revelation. I was reading about the kings in Revelation 10.

Revelation 17:10-11
They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

The seventh king “remains only a little while” and then there is an eighth king, who goes to his destruction. I always understood that the Papacy was the harlot, or prostitute that rides the beast. In the Bible, a woman symbolises a church (hence the bride of Christ is the church). A woman who sells her body is a prostitute, so the harlot is a woman who is a church but not the virgin woman which is the true church of Jesus Christ, but is that of another church. A church that is all about selling religion and obtaining wealth. In the old testament, the Israelites were spoken about being unfaithful to God when they “prostituted” themselves by worshipping idols and bowing down to the Gods of other nations.

This ties in with a future dream I had where people were Christians but were also Muslims and Buddhists etc too. It is pointing to a unified religion. I didn’t know this at the time, but during this period I started wondering about Pope Francis and looking at when the Vatican became a sovereign nation.

There have been many popes, but these popes were not kings. This is because a king is the sovereign of a state. The Vatican, for most of history, was not a self-governing state. It was part of Italy. That changed in 1929 when it became its own sovereign state.

I began to do some research (in other words, I had a look on Wikipedia) and discovered that since the Vatican became its own nation state, there have been exactly 8 popes! As the Vatican is now its own nation state, these popes are effectively kings (sovereigns). Before 1929, they were not kings. So Pope Francis is the eighth king of the Vatican!

Interesting thing to note is that Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict, resigned from his position as Pope. All other popes, both before and after the Vatican became a state, were all popes until death. The 7th pope, Benedict, seems to be the first (and only) pope to have left office alive. If the current pope is indeed the eighth king in Revelation, then this would tie in perfectly with the prophecy in Revelation that the 7th king remains “a little while”. Unlike previous popes, he remains alive while the current 8th pope reigns! This has never before happened in history and it aligns exactly with what is written in Revelation!

When this was revealed to me, I started believing that Francis really is the 8th king from Revelation. At that moment I heard a voice. It was clear and loud, and it had a message that was brief and to the point. It didn’t deny, nor confirm my thoughts. The voice said “I will use him for my purposes, and he will accomplish the plans that I set out before him.”. I sat in silence, stunned at hearing what I believe is the voice of the Lord.

Anointing

After a while, I noticed tingling sensations in my hands. These always intensified during worship and prayer. There are many spiritual gifts, and one is the gift of healing. I suspect it may be a healing gift but I do not know how to exercise it or even if that is what it is. I am waiting for the Lord to give me revelation and understanding in this and so must patiently endure in the meantime.

Unusual happening

I was working from home and in the house on my own. At lunchtime I went to make something to eat. I sat down at the table and was about to start eating and then thought about God. I don’t normally say grace but in that moment, I had the inclination to do so. Suddenly a huge thunderclap came from nowhere from an empty space in the other side of the kitchen. It sounded a bit like when you blow into a large bag of crisps and twist the end, trapping the air inside and then slamming your palm in to the blown up bag to make a large bang. I have no idea what the noise was, but I didn’t feel worried or afraid.