The following is a sharing from Bro Lui Meng on what he learnt during an intercessor training session on the above topic conducted by Lai Kheng Pousson. (Pastor Dan, Eileen, Evan and Joanne were also present in the training and they can also help explain if you have any questions.)
God speaks to us through the following ways:
1. Dreams
2. Visions - visual revelation which can appear as :
a) snap shots i.e still picture
b) panarama - movie
She shared with us 2 visions she saw and explained how she interpreted them which are as follows:
Vision 1 - Picture of many spiders, big ones and some are on top of others
Question - What do spiders do ?
Ans - They spin web to catch the unsuspecting.
This is done quietly, without much fanfare.
Interpreted this as satan springing web of darkness over S'pore. S'pore govt has opened up to boost the tourism money and is now more liberal in allowing events, activities (casinos) and arts (like crazy horse) to be shown here.
Vision 2 - Picture of snail
She saw this when she was invited by a church to be their speaker for their training on prayer.
Question - How about the snail ?
Ans - It moves about very slowly.
As this would give a negative picture she didn't share the picture directly with the church but had in her sharing mentioned about willingness to change. To her surprise during prayer time, several groups were praying to Jesus to help the church change as many were afraid and slow to change. When she talked to her friend from the church, she found out that the birthday card sent out to the members by the church contain the picture of a snail.
3. Impression, Illumination, Interruption of thought
a) Impression can be distinct or come as a hunch, something dropping into the spirit.
E.g as secretary of the Love S'pore movt, God gave her a distinct impression that S'pore Christians should adopt a nation and care for her as his own. She asked God to show and was thinking of several countries and didn't mentioned this impression to anyone. In one of the meetings, Rick Seaword chairman of the movt mentioned that God had shown him that S'pore should adopt East Timor as his own.
b) Illumination of mind
She wanted to lead a team to carry out some mission work at some popular cities along the Silkroute. However God had showed this was not what He wanted. During her prayer God showed her a relatively place called Lan Zhou. During her holiday trip back to the US, her family met a guy from YM. This person shared that they are going to China, Lan Zhou. This was a strategic location because when Hudson Taylor first set foot into China he had set up his HQ here.
4. Audible voice
5. Burden - A sudden sense of heaviness.
When this happens, the person should go and pray.
Pray significantly in tongues.
6. Emotion - Distinct feelings.
God wept over Jerusalem and Jesus experience
much emotional feelings when He was in the garden of
Gethsemane.
God can express these emotions through us.
When Jesus speaks to you through either one of these you should do the following:
1. Take responsibility to seek the matter with Him.
Many times the meaning doesn't come straight away.
You must seek God to unfold the meaning.
a. Inspiration - What the Spirit is saying or showing ?
Write it down. How you first heard it, saw it or felt it,
don't add colour to it. State it plainly.
b. Interpretation - What does it (dream, vision, etc.)
mean ?
Is it literal or symbolic ?
E.g, if you see in a vision an earthquake in a city, God
may be telling you that He is doing an economic
shaking or political shaking, etc.
We must look at the details of the dream or vision.
c. Implication - What are we to do ?
If it is a personal word for an individual, should
you divulge or just pray through on behalf of that
person. Exercise discretion if you have a negative
picture. When God reveals He is not saying this
will happen but possibility of happening and we are to
pray through it.
Is there more He wants to tell me ?
I should only share after spending time seeking the
face of God.
Test Everything
Important questions to ask when you receive a vision, dream, etc., :
Does your spirit bear witness ?
Do others bear witness ?
Does it contradict scripture ?
Does it reflect God's character ?
Does it become clearer as you pray ?
Does it lead you to pray redemptively ?
Does it convict or condemn ?
Holy Spirit never condemn
Test Ourselves
Beware of spiritual pride and deception:
Are we defensive about "our sharing of the vision"
Are we exalting our word above all else ?
Are we gathering a following through our word ?
Are we enjoying the fulfilment of negative words ?
A Christian should be praying for God's intervention when something negative is seen.
Ae we validating self ? Don't say there I told you so.
Are we manipulating through our word ?
