The Paintbrush (P)

"I have a destiny you can walk in," declares the Lord (Ephesians 2:10), "but it doesn't mean that your dreams aren't a part of it." For as an artist uses a paintbrush and paints a picture, so also he can give that paintbrush to his child, and have the child add to the picture as well. And it may seem that the child shouldn't be painting because he might mess it up, yet maybe it is that child's very touch that can add even more beauty to his father's artwork. In the least, as the child grows older, he will know how to paint better, and his increased skill will allow him to start painting like the father paints. The son making masterpieces would never have happened if the father never gave his child the paintbrush and let him experience it while he was younger. I feel God saying to feel free to try out the paintbrush, because he gave you one, and he already knew your ability level."

The Windmill (P)

"I got a picture of a windmill. And the windmill fan had 4 blades to it, making the shape of a cross. And I feel like God is saying that the cross may be what opened up the ability for power and granted salvation, but it's the Holy Spirit, the wind that blows that fan, that is the power itself. I feel like God is saying you should seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Baptism of power. ... '2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.' Acts 2:2-4."

Fear vs. Love

When it comes to witnessing, I notice that there are two main motives that people often have for why they are witnessing to someone. The first one is that they are worried about what will happen to the person in Hell if they don't come to God. The second is that they understand a drop of how Jesus sees that person, and they have a desire inside them that wants to love on that person. I've noticed over and over that the first reason for witnessing seems to cause a lot of destruction. People base their "hunger" for the lost on fear, the fear that if they don't get that next person saved, that the person is going to go to Hell; and so it would be partly their fault for that person burning in a lake of fire for all of eternity when they didn't have to. Then they imagine numerous people that could be burning in Hell and that those people burning could be the non-witnessing person's fault. This kind of thought drives them to do act after act to try to get people to pay attention to God; it stays a fear in them, and as a fear, it steals their peace. Why? Because there is always someone else that could be saved; and if they aren't doing something to try to save them, it very well could be partly their fault that that person went to Hell. This makes them goal-oriented instead of relationship oriented, and because their focus is more highly set on getting the person saved than actually on the person himself, they violate the people they are interacting with, because they set this person as an objective instead of valuing the person of whom the objective may be a part of. The same thing happens when a man approaches a woman simply for sex, or even simply having it as his main focus (I'm talking like a random guy is looking at a random female)- it devalues the person because that person isn't just sex. When we focus on people as just an objective, "Got to get them to Jesus," we devalue all the beauty that God put there and the person as a whole, and it is part of why people run from such Christians. Nobody wants to be looked at like they are only useful as a trophy for someone else, and this doesn't change when being approached with the gospel.

The second motive I mentioned about why people witness, because they simply want to love on the other person (platonically), I've seen give far better results. Seeing a teenage girl who just got pregnant and feeling compassion for her and so trying to make her life not so burdensome- is one example. Notice I didn't mention about the gospel being overtly preached there. As well, seeing someone in a financial crisis, maybe laid off from a job, and so offering to help a bit with their bills so they can stay on their feet. Even simply kicking back and having fun with people, because you like to see people in good cheer. These things turn people toward God, and yet most of these acts don't have to include "By the way, have you heard about Jesus?" Why? Because God is love. So by experiencing love, people experience God. As it is written: "4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4. And again "14The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Galatians 5:14. The whole Bible is summed up in this: Love. It's the battery that everything runs on. And while the gospel still needs to be preached, there is a proper timing for everything; as it is written "6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." 1 Corinthians 3:6. A seed can't be harvested, it has to grow into a plant first. And in the same way, people can't simply be brought to God at any time, they have to grow toward God, and eventually they become ripe/ready. But until then, our job is simply to till a little soil, add a little water- add love into their lives until they realize God is worth going after.

The Pudding Cup (P)

"I also got a picture of a pudding cup. I heard "Take and eat. Take and eat." But then I saw God eating the pudding cup. I asked him why he was eating the pudding cup, and I got the impression that he was saying it was because the pudding cup was simply that good. I believe God said all this to say to you - 'I'm taking the good things I have and sharing them with you. They really are that good.' God says like a master will even share the scraps of his food with his dog, and so also humanity gets some of the good things of God, yet you are a daughter, and you don't get the scraps, you get the big juicy steak. "Eat up," God says "for here is a steak for you. I grilled it up just for you, because I love you daughter. *God smiles*"

Mistakes During Prophetic Ministry

On the subject of mistakes during prophetic ministry, I've wondered what God does about those blessings we pronounce over people that weren't really of Him. And it came to mind that A) Some of these things are still blessings in general, and B) that some of these things could be sinful or create something against God's will for that person's life (if it was brought into being). And as I was thinking about this, I was reminded that Abraham made a mistake and Hagar gave birth to a son. The son should not have come into being, but we see that later God blessed Abraham's mistake because Abraham loved his other son as well. And I think that God may do this in the prophetic ministry as well- that there are some mistakes that God will anoint anyway simply because we meant well, and our heart was for that person. God may also bring our mistakes (wrongly discerned words of blessing) to pass simply for the sake of the person receiving prophetic ministry, so that their belief in the rest of His word that was true does not falter. For example, God may be saying that He was going to increase their impactful-ness in ministry, but since we got a picture of wealth, we happened to mention that God was going to bless them in a new way financially as well. God may not have had that on the agenda, but He may do it anyway simply so the person will believe the rest of His word, and because being provided for in life and being bountiful is what God wants in general for His people.

On the other hand, for B), we see in the Bible that David also had a child by a mistake, but God said that this child had to die. There are some things we say that God simply has to kill, because they aren't of Him, and will be destructive in the end.

But the encouragement is this: That sometimes even our mistakes God may turn into a blessing for the sake of the people involved; and as well, that God may put that extra effort forth to kill those errors that are destructive that we may have accidentally prophesied over someone's life (i'm not saying abortion- aka killing babies- is of God; the reference is merely about prophetic ministry).

The Lil 'Ol Me's (P)

"And maybe you think "Well, I can't do a whole lot. My gifts aren't anything special." But it's the whole world, working together with the gifts that they have, that makes the world run. If people stopped using their abilities, the world would cease to operate. As well, it was the lil 'ol me's of the world that came up with brilliant things. Thomas Edison only went to a normal school for a few months, and got a lot of the rest of his basic schooling at home, but he created tons of inventions. Helen Keller was blind and deaf, but yet she made a huge impact in her time. Bill Gates was just some random guy tinkering in his garage with his imagination, and now he is huge. This could be you. You may think of yourself as not much, but it only took a mustard seed in the kingdom of God to take a mountain and throw it into the sea, and God can use you in the same way."

Key-board (P)

"I [God] still have more for you, more hearts to bring healing to; and as you give healing to others, you will be healed more as well. Part of your healing is wrapped in the lives of others; for as cloth is bound together and the strands survive partly because of one another, so also man is bound to each other, for this is how I made them in the beginning of the world. All are bound to each other in heaven, and the flow of love, the symphony, only hits right if all the players are hitting the right key. And unfortunately, many of the keys aren't hitting right (on earth), and so man is not in the bliss I dream for them. But, It doesn't mean I can't play some keys to make a person's life sound good, to be rich, like me; for I play my keyboard all the time, and this is why people hear the sounds of heaven. You have a keyboard as well, with from which you also can make the sounds of heaven. Play up that keyboard, because you can make beautiful music; you can melt people's souls with the beauty of heaven. And isn't this what everyone wants?

It speaks of me in Micah as the breaker (Micah 2:13). For I go before my people, declares the Lord, to break through the gates; and I break through with my keyboard, for the beauty of heaven destroys the gates. The beauty of heaven destroys through the gates in people's lives, and destroys the works of the enemy. For the enemy plays out the music of ugly, and its acceptance leaves destruction. But the enemy's music cannot stand against my music, because my music was what humanity's hearts were made for. I play my music, but my symphony is made of my people as well, and I give them parts to play. You have a part as well."