At a rare moment in my life, I am at a loss for words.
I haven't posted in a few days because I've needed to digest what the Lord was telling me about the state of affairs in the world today. I've been having dreams and visions, and what the Lord is showing me has been overwhelming and takes my breath away. When I was 5 years old, I started having dreams about events that had not yet occurred. I dreamed of places I had never seen before, and events that were spoken of in the Bible, but I had never read the Bible before. To puts things in perspective, my family did not attend church and I was not taught the Bible at home. I was having dreams that were straight from the pages of a book I had never read.
God was speaking to me then, and He is speaking to me now. He has spoken to me throughout my life. When I tried to tell others what I experienced, it was hard for them to understand and they often rejected what I was saying. It still happens today. People don't want to hear what they have trouble understanding.
It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I read the Bible and began to understand what God had been showing me in the dreams and visions I was having.
As an example, when I was 18 years old, I was attending a fraternity party with my brother. I had barely arrived at the party when I became overwhelmed with the feeling that I needed to go speak with a specific person at the party. While I was walking toward him, I could hear the voice of God say to me, "Tell him that if he rides his motorcycle tonight, he will die."
I walked through the crowd of people, my heart pounding in my chest, wondering if I was brave enough to deliver such a dire message of warning. I didn't understand why I even needed to tell him. What if the voice was wrong? I would become an outcast from the group, laughed at, humiliated...and probably end up in a psych ward somewhere. People had mentioned that I was psychotic for years and needed mental health counseling (in fact, every time I shared a dream or vision).
I didn't care, the pounding in my chest and the vibrations of power running through my body overwhelmed my rational thinking. I HAD to tell him.
I walked up to him, and he looked at me for just a moment. I had his full attention. The party was loud and I wasn't sure he could hear me, so I leaned in really close and said, "If you ride your motorcycle tonight, you will die."
He looked at me and said, "WHAT?"
I spoke in a louder voice, "IF YOU RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TONIGHT, YOU WILL DIE."
My heart was pleading with him to LISTEN. Listen! Maybe it wasn't true, but the rational thinking of it was that he had been drinking alcohol that night and shouldn't be riding his motorcycle anyway!
It was just sound wisdom, to be honest...
He gave me a unconcerned look (that I will never forget) and I walked back into the house. I was shaking in my body and decided to just go sit by myself in the living room. Everyone was outside in the back courtyard of the house and I was left alone.
Within just a couple minutes, I heard him start the engine of his motorcycle. My heart raced and I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A couple more minutes passed and a young man came running into the room in a panic. He was frantic and ran back outside. In that moment, I heard the voice say again, "He is dead." I crumpled onto the floor and became so overwhelmed with sadness that I was unable to move.
Another young man came inside and yelled, "Sarah, J.T. has been in an accident on his motorcycle down the street. Your brother went with him to try to get him back, but it doesn't look good."
I turned to him and as he was running away, I quietly said, "He is dead."
I'm not sure how much time passed, but someone came and got me. I was still crying on the floor. He said, "Sarah, let's go to the hospital."
My brother was at the hospital and I knew I had to go. I almost couldn't stand the thought of hearing what I already knew was true. He was dead.
We walked into the waiting room and I was in shock. My skin felt cold and the world around me seemed blurry. I had cried my tears and now sat in silence. Someone came out and declared that J.T. had passed away and there was nothing more that could be done.
I had stopped crying, but the sadness continued. Why? Why didn't he listen to the warning? Why? Why? Why?
How many of us get the opportunity to receive such a direct warning of impending doom from the Lord? Why don't we listen? It's a gift that God is giving the opportunity for things to turn around, to work out differently, but we choose stubbornness and pride over humility and salvation.
We all have this warning from God. We are going to die soon.
We can make a choice to turn in a different direction and heed the warning.
All have sinned. All are going to hell without the mercy of a Savior. We are all J.T. deciding whether to ride the motorcycle...to take the risk. Some will choose to continue down the path of destruction, some will turn the other way. It's your choice.
Don't let those around you make the decision for you. It's a big decision. Have the courage to do what God is telling you to do, even if the world thinks you're crazy.
This one event in my life has shaped the way I approach everything. First of all, I know that life is a gift and can be taken away at any moment. I also know that God is speaking to His people. J.T. claimed to be a Christian. If he was a Christian, despite his bad choice, God's grace is sufficient enough to have saved him from damnation. His death has greatly impacted my life.
Since that day, I have become bolder about speaking the truth of God's Word to people. Although I went down the path of destruction for several years following his death, it still continues to impact me now that I am walking the path of righteousness. God has called me to speak the words that He gives me from His heart--for His people.
Just like on that fateful night, I am not afraid to speak the truth in love. Some will listen and turn around, some will not. I have accepted my calling, my gifting, and my purpose on this earth. I am a watchman on the wall and a gatekeeper.
I still see visions and dreams of things still yet to come.
Take everything I say and compare it to the Word of God. Discern what is said...and keep what is good.
You have a decision to make today. Do you want to be humble and turn from your wicked ways, or keep moving toward certain destruction? It's your choice.
I think back fondly of J.T. I see his smiling face and I hope that I will see him again one day in heaven. His death impacted my life. Our lives intersected at one pivotal moment--a moment where a simple choice was the difference between life and death.
We don't know what is going to happen today. Although I dream of future events (and see them come to pass), I still respect the fact that I do not know everything that is going to happen. I get small glimpses into the events of the future, but I don't see the whole picture at once. I still have to live one day at a time, putting my faith and trust in Jesus Christ to walk through life with me. I don't know when I will die, or what my last moment in life will be like.
However, I have peace and I am not afraid of death. Death comes for us all, but it's how we live and WHO we put faith in that really matters. If today is my last day on earth, I know that I have lived well and that I am a child of God--I will spend eternity in perfect intimacy with God.
It's your choice. Do you accept the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in your life? Do you know without a doubt what would happen if you died today? Do you have peace? Are you afraid of death?
These are questions that you might want to answer now...because (like with J.T.), 5 minutes later, you might not be alive anymore.
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)
"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
Make your choice now! Don't wait!
I haven't posted in a few days because I've needed to digest what the Lord was telling me about the state of affairs in the world today. I've been having dreams and visions, and what the Lord is showing me has been overwhelming and takes my breath away. When I was 5 years old, I started having dreams about events that had not yet occurred. I dreamed of places I had never seen before, and events that were spoken of in the Bible, but I had never read the Bible before. To puts things in perspective, my family did not attend church and I was not taught the Bible at home. I was having dreams that were straight from the pages of a book I had never read.
God was speaking to me then, and He is speaking to me now. He has spoken to me throughout my life. When I tried to tell others what I experienced, it was hard for them to understand and they often rejected what I was saying. It still happens today. People don't want to hear what they have trouble understanding.
It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I read the Bible and began to understand what God had been showing me in the dreams and visions I was having.
As an example, when I was 18 years old, I was attending a fraternity party with my brother. I had barely arrived at the party when I became overwhelmed with the feeling that I needed to go speak with a specific person at the party. While I was walking toward him, I could hear the voice of God say to me, "Tell him that if he rides his motorcycle tonight, he will die."
I walked through the crowd of people, my heart pounding in my chest, wondering if I was brave enough to deliver such a dire message of warning. I didn't understand why I even needed to tell him. What if the voice was wrong? I would become an outcast from the group, laughed at, humiliated...and probably end up in a psych ward somewhere. People had mentioned that I was psychotic for years and needed mental health counseling (in fact, every time I shared a dream or vision).
I didn't care, the pounding in my chest and the vibrations of power running through my body overwhelmed my rational thinking. I HAD to tell him.
I walked up to him, and he looked at me for just a moment. I had his full attention. The party was loud and I wasn't sure he could hear me, so I leaned in really close and said, "If you ride your motorcycle tonight, you will die."
He looked at me and said, "WHAT?"
I spoke in a louder voice, "IF YOU RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TONIGHT, YOU WILL DIE."
My heart was pleading with him to LISTEN. Listen! Maybe it wasn't true, but the rational thinking of it was that he had been drinking alcohol that night and shouldn't be riding his motorcycle anyway!
It was just sound wisdom, to be honest...
He gave me a unconcerned look (that I will never forget) and I walked back into the house. I was shaking in my body and decided to just go sit by myself in the living room. Everyone was outside in the back courtyard of the house and I was left alone.
Within just a couple minutes, I heard him start the engine of his motorcycle. My heart raced and I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A couple more minutes passed and a young man came running into the room in a panic. He was frantic and ran back outside. In that moment, I heard the voice say again, "He is dead." I crumpled onto the floor and became so overwhelmed with sadness that I was unable to move.
Another young man came inside and yelled, "Sarah, J.T. has been in an accident on his motorcycle down the street. Your brother went with him to try to get him back, but it doesn't look good."
I turned to him and as he was running away, I quietly said, "He is dead."
I'm not sure how much time passed, but someone came and got me. I was still crying on the floor. He said, "Sarah, let's go to the hospital."
My brother was at the hospital and I knew I had to go. I almost couldn't stand the thought of hearing what I already knew was true. He was dead.
We walked into the waiting room and I was in shock. My skin felt cold and the world around me seemed blurry. I had cried my tears and now sat in silence. Someone came out and declared that J.T. had passed away and there was nothing more that could be done.
I had stopped crying, but the sadness continued. Why? Why didn't he listen to the warning? Why? Why? Why?
How many of us get the opportunity to receive such a direct warning of impending doom from the Lord? Why don't we listen? It's a gift that God is giving the opportunity for things to turn around, to work out differently, but we choose stubbornness and pride over humility and salvation.
We all have this warning from God. We are going to die soon.
We can make a choice to turn in a different direction and heed the warning.
All have sinned. All are going to hell without the mercy of a Savior. We are all J.T. deciding whether to ride the motorcycle...to take the risk. Some will choose to continue down the path of destruction, some will turn the other way. It's your choice.
Don't let those around you make the decision for you. It's a big decision. Have the courage to do what God is telling you to do, even if the world thinks you're crazy.
This one event in my life has shaped the way I approach everything. First of all, I know that life is a gift and can be taken away at any moment. I also know that God is speaking to His people. J.T. claimed to be a Christian. If he was a Christian, despite his bad choice, God's grace is sufficient enough to have saved him from damnation. His death has greatly impacted my life.
Since that day, I have become bolder about speaking the truth of God's Word to people. Although I went down the path of destruction for several years following his death, it still continues to impact me now that I am walking the path of righteousness. God has called me to speak the words that He gives me from His heart--for His people.
Just like on that fateful night, I am not afraid to speak the truth in love. Some will listen and turn around, some will not. I have accepted my calling, my gifting, and my purpose on this earth. I am a watchman on the wall and a gatekeeper.
I still see visions and dreams of things still yet to come.
Take everything I say and compare it to the Word of God. Discern what is said...and keep what is good.
You have a decision to make today. Do you want to be humble and turn from your wicked ways, or keep moving toward certain destruction? It's your choice.
I think back fondly of J.T. I see his smiling face and I hope that I will see him again one day in heaven. His death impacted my life. Our lives intersected at one pivotal moment--a moment where a simple choice was the difference between life and death.
We don't know what is going to happen today. Although I dream of future events (and see them come to pass), I still respect the fact that I do not know everything that is going to happen. I get small glimpses into the events of the future, but I don't see the whole picture at once. I still have to live one day at a time, putting my faith and trust in Jesus Christ to walk through life with me. I don't know when I will die, or what my last moment in life will be like.
However, I have peace and I am not afraid of death. Death comes for us all, but it's how we live and WHO we put faith in that really matters. If today is my last day on earth, I know that I have lived well and that I am a child of God--I will spend eternity in perfect intimacy with God.
It's your choice. Do you accept the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in your life? Do you know without a doubt what would happen if you died today? Do you have peace? Are you afraid of death?
These are questions that you might want to answer now...because (like with J.T.), 5 minutes later, you might not be alive anymore.
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)
"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
Make your choice now! Don't wait!
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