We are going on a journey or an adventure together in a systematic way .Journey of discovering how to engage the spiritual realms .Discovering the realms within us, around us and the heavenly realms .There are 2 main pathways that we are going to follow:
Pathway of relationship that leads to deeper intimacy with God .Flowing from inside out – heaven to our gateways of spirit, soul, body to the world around us. Pathway of responsibility that leads to greater kingdom rulership .Flowing from outside in from earth to heaven as living sacrifices to rule.
Hab 2:1 I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me. 2 Then the LORD answered me and said “Record the vision.
Recognize God’s voice as spontaneous thoughts in your mind. Quieting yourself so you can hear. Look for vision. Write down the flow of your thoughts so that we can re-visit it and use that doorway to engage further in the experience of it.
Key 3 Fix the eyes of your heart upon Jesus, to look in the Spirit for dreams and visions of God. God wants us to look for vision, to look into the things he shows us. Habakkuk said, “I will keep watch to see,” and God said, “Record the vision” (Hab. 2:1, 2). Habakkuk was looking for vision as he prayed. He opened the eyes of his heart, and looked into the spirit world to see what.
Vision – seeing or perceiving .Open our eyes to see physically .Open the eyes of our heart and spirit for spiritual vision .Visions, dreams, prophetic pictures are ways in which God communicates with us .Activate our imaginations to see into the word, spirit realm within us and around us and in dimensions of heavenlies. God has given us the imagination. He used his imagination to create the whole universe. He pictured what was in his heart.
In order to see, we must look. Daniel 7:2 “I was looking in my vision 9 “I kept looking 13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, He saw a vision in his mind .We must look for Jesus, and watch as He speaks to us and shows us the things that are on His heart. We need that personal relationship with him. When you are driving to work, imagine that Jesus is sitting next to you and you can talk to him.
God speaks in many different ways:
Audible voice – inner, outer- Matt 3:17, 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Visions & revelations of Jesus- 2 Cor 12:1.
Spiritual perception – Mk 2:8 John 2:23-25.
Panoramic vision- Hos 12:10, Act 10:3-8.
Open eyed vision- Rev 1-3.
Closed eye vision- Act 10.
Pictorial vision -snap shot (a picture) = learn to look into & step into those!
Open eyed spiritual vision, Dreams Matt 2:13, Num 12:26.
Appearances- Matt 17.
Angelic visitation- Heb 13:2.
Trance- Act 10:9-16.
Translated- 2 Cor 12:2-4.
Transported – Act 8:39
Key scriptures (for meditation with the goal of experiencing them, stepping into them).
Eph 1:16-19- eyes of our heart.
Psa 23- Fellowship within (you can get everything you need just from Psalm 23!).
John 4:13-14- Drinking living water .John 7:37-38 Rivers living water .
Matt 11:28-29- Come to Jesus – rest.
Gal 2:20- Christ living in us.
Heb 4:16- Going to throne of grace (there is a literal throne of grace and we can literally come boldly to it).
Rev 3:20- Jesus knocking on door.
Rev 4:1-2- Heaven’s door open
1 Corinthians 2:16 for who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.
When we engage with Jesus, it is a personal experience, where he reveals himself. He gives us revelation of his heart for us. That is why Paul prayed the following prayer.
Eph 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened (opened), so that you will know (Jesus, the Father, your destiny, his heart) Eyes of our heart is our imagination – don’t be afraid of using it.
2 Cor 4:18 so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (using the imagination), since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. We look at the unseen with the eyes of our heart – Imagination.
We have to be careful what we imagine because it is a link to a realm of the spirit, a bridge between the soul and the spirit realm.
There is no other way to focus without using your imagination – it is a bridge that connects us to the realm of the spirit. What we look at, what we imagine is important, whatever it is you are focusing on.
What you focus on, you will connect with. So, focus on Jesus! If you behold the Lord, you will be changed and become like him.
Beholding & becoming,
The more we look at the things of the spirit, the more we will become transformed into them.
2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith .Fix your eyes on Jesus; look at him, at his heart in an intimate way, not just a brief glance.
Isa 26:3 I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on Him.” If you want perfect peace and wholeness (the true shalom), then behold him, look at him. This is the right use of the imagination.
Once you learn to focus that way – you will learn to see where he is. If you can see the throne of God, the river of life, the tree of life etc., then you can connect with it and go there. Cross the bridge from this dimension into that dimension .It may be difficult at the start, but you will be able to do it if you persevere.
Look at, gaze upon, and fix your eyes on .Meditate in the word to engage the word, experience the word and enter into the word .Look at objects or people in the word of God ,doors, rivers, waterfalls, Jesus, Father and enter into it. They then become doorways to encounter to engage the picture and enter into the experience.
Use natural images to stimulate your imagination. Doors – later we will encounter doorways in our spirit, soul, heavenly portals- Rev 3:20 Rev 4:1.
Rivers – rivers of living water. River of life is flowing from heaven into our spirit .Use word of God as a doorway into the experience .Enter into the picture, so the story becomes personal to you.
Look into the word of God to see it .Experience the word .Enter into the word .Go through the word as a doorway to the reality the word reveals .Experience and live in the reality of the realms of the spiritual world. Imagination is the screen and the gateway.
Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
Imagination is the portal to death or life and peace. Stop those thoughts that don’t lead you to life.
What we look at becomes light to us = revelation positive or negative .Light (God is light) contains encoded information that brings revelation at a soul or spiritual level.
Psa 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. We can look to see the path, the way. John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,
Psa 103:7 He made known His ways (him personally; his heart & character) to Moses, His acts (what he does) to the sons of Israel.
John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. If we are to follow him, where is He? Look at Eph.1.20
Eph 1:20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Jesus is looking for a church that looks like him (his body)
Eph 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (this is not theory) .Where He is we can be .How?
Having the eyes of hearts opened and enlightened by looking into that realm and step into it.
Eph 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart (imagination) may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
We can know Him, be like Him, and do the things He does .Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
Where Christ is seated above all authority we are a fellow heir, a joint heir, with him, with that authority! It is very important to know that. If we are going to rule and bring Gods kingdom on earth as it is in heaven then we need to know our authority as children of God. We are not servants (yes, we do have an attitude as servants) but we are kings! We are royal priests. We have been given authority in the realms of heaven. Now God is opening up those realms so that we can experience that authority in reality and engage it and manifest it here on earth.
The key is to fix our eyes on Him
You can’t separate hearing God’s voice from knowing Him who is speaking (we need a personal relationship) .Knowing is by experience not intellect or reason. Not just study his word, but have personal encounters with him. Knowing & Hearing must lead to following – obedience. No point in hearing God if we are not willing to do what he says. We must become like Him who we follow therefore do the works that He did and greater works.
Activation Exercise (from 31:40): Activate your imagination open the eyes of the heart and look .Think about it and begin to picture it .First Natural then spiritual – use word, a natural image or previous experience as a doorway .Journey learning to step into the experience .Pray in tongues 1 mins out loud or within .Pray in tongues 1 mins still mind, focus on Jesus relax.
Think about a Door, the color, size, shape, handle etc. Picture it in your mind .Think about a green pasture behind the door .Picture it in your mind .See yourself opening the door.
Walk through the door into the green pasture .See yourself in it and lie down and relax feel the peace.
See Jesus as your shepherd come to you sit down and talk with you.
Matt 24:3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us…” Jesus sitting talking to His disciple’s .Think about that scene. Jesus is talking explaining things about the past, present and the future .Enter into that scene and sit down .Listen and ask Jesus something about your past, present or future .
Matt 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Think about any burdens that you still carry .Think about the weights of expectations that weigh heavily on you .Think about the things you are still yoked, tied or chained to .Picture Jesus standing before you waiting for you to give Him those burdens, remove those yokes, loose those tethers and break those chains.