I have been around long enough to have seen a few things in my life. One of the things I do is encourage people to hear from the Lord. To hear from Him directly. How do I know? Everywhere I turn there are dream sites and meetings. I have taught on prophecy and dreams for years.

But there are two observations I have. One is the person who is always looking for an answer from someone. (I personally believe you hear better for you than I do for you!) They are wanting to have someone else do it. I think it interesting that we think enough of a dream or a word to believe it from God but we do not trust that we have the ability to employ discernment or understanding. Wisdom AND revelation ought to walk together

I think the answer becomes the ability to bring things to the Lord. To converse with Him. To allow your spirit and you to just “hang out” with Him.

In 1998 I wrote the following section. It was a time in my life where I had a lot going on. Our church was in growth mode. There were some 20-30 young people always wanting to do something with or for God. Many of our people were newly saved and a little “rough” around the edges. My style of ministry and function in ministry…well, suffice to say, I am not pastoral in my gifting or function. As I read many of these early writings, I think “wow, you have come a long way!”

I woke at 2am, getting up because I knew something was going on(I found out at 6, she was up as well!). I prayed and prayed. I felt burden upon burden, took upon prayer upon prayer. I woke because I was attacked in a dream. I realized that there was a war going on.

Church, I really believe the Lord is asking us to set aside some of our “priorities” and get down to business with Him. That we need to pray like never before.

In the last week I feel such an escalation in the spirit realm. I know one of the reasons that we have not completed the building is the attack. All our men are too busy and the finances have lowered. Am I the only one. NO! What affects one affects another. My pain is your pain, my growth is your growth, our success is your success.

If you read the prophetic site here, you will see a vision God has given about gathering.

God is making us one. When a man marries his wife he becomes one with her(And does it not appear, that half of each, have to die that 2 may become 1? Simple math 2-1=1!!! And that’s why marriage can often times be painful, for parts must go!). And God is making us one with Him, as He prepares His bride. And its getting tight. Our brothers and sisters are coming together.

There is a great move of the Spirit upon His people. The world is in flux right now. And God needs all who are called to pray…to PRAY! That means all of us, if you are washed in the blood of the lamb.

Need prayer? Sow prayer!

My youth group was precious last night as they asked prayer for different people. Everyone of them lifting their request. I asked who sought prayer, and they all raised their hands! This was different. They are becoming people of prayer! HALLELUJAH!! They talked about secular music and what kind of animal they would be as a Christian. One lion, a dove, an eagle, a small lion, but get this …a gorilla-because they are wild and compassionate with others! Praise God!

You and I need to settle in our hearts that prayer moves mountains. Big mountains and little mountains. Let’s try an experiment. If you work for someone you trust them to pay you at the end of the pay period. So let’s trust God for that pay period.

“My children are in trouble.” Pray to God for another’s children at the same time (sow prayer, reap prayer!). “My spouse and I disagree”, pray to God for yours and another’s marriage. That’s easy, right? Now let’s begin to pray all day. The car is…God, I give it to you. The dinner is…God, I give it to you. Get the picture. Give Him everything and you just “prays”(praise Him).

I have a young man whose wife left him. He was here yesterday. I told him to give her to the Lord. Consecrate her, put her on the altar. “I can’t, I don’t know how.” Verbally do this, “Lord, here is your child, my wife. I place her on the altar for you to do as you will.” Envision it. You might have to do it once or 100 times! But if you keep the person in God’s hands, He is faithful to do His thing in the circumstance. And whatever that thing is, its better than we will do with it.

So, lets make this a week of prayer.

Now as I read that I see there was a “work” mentality. Pray harder, work harder, overcome more. I am not there anymore. I believe sincerely in His love for me. I pray out of love and not works. I minister out of His goodness and not my own. But what I also see is I allowed people to use me or use others to get answers.

Back to this part. There are three groups with a little shading perhaps of each in the area of hearing.

One who “hears” and goes without wisdom, listening to their own version of the words or dreams they have had. This is dangerous to you, your family and your future. What I mean is you may well be filtering the words of God through previous experiences and situations. I spoke to someone who did not want to be “condemned”. I agree! The difficulty is they see “condemnation” as anything that brings correction to their course. So after years of “no condemnation” and not allowing others to walk with them or listening to others, their life is a mess.

Recently I have had a number of dreams about lives that are going wrong. Now, too often in “grace” we do not want to hear the “negatives”. “Just tell me what I want to hear and make me feel good.” But, I want to help you!!! If you could see what I see. Where this is headed. Now, I get it when I say, “maybe it was just for prayer”. To pray away destruction. To enlarge the “house” with light. (By the way, I only try once, maybe a couple of times to talk to a person.)

The second group is the group who hears, dreams or sees. Or they may not “value” their own “hearing” and are always looking for another word (Or another meeting or another prophet…) Their belief is two fold. “I can not rely on what I am hearing” and “one more, just maybe the next word will do it.” (Fix my marriage, get me a job, help my kids…)

This group has two things happening usually. They are not sure God would speak to them or value them. (Does He really love me?) The other is simply the idea of pain or discomfort is too difficult to assume. They are always “running” from God to find out what He is saying. They fear He might not be loving. That he might necessitate change in their lives. A lot of it is simply and understanding of His love and maturity.

So you have one group who does not rely on others or trust. (Yes, I get there may be an issue with pride as well.) And then you have a group that does not trust themselves or God. (And as I said, a few shades in between…)

But there is a third group that is increasing in size. They trust God and believe Him. They believe in their friends and listen to others who have their best interests at hand. I would like to believe this is the one that changes the world. That even when difficult things come down the pike they know God loves them. That His heart towards them is goodness. That what they hear can be worked out in conversations with loving friends.

I am asking you in all sincerity, are you okay if God changes your routine? Do you trust Him to watch over you? Will you trust Him to guide you even if it is uncomfortable? Will you accept lack of comfortableness not as a sign “God does not love me” but as a sign of maturity?

I have lived in each of those groups at one time. I get it. I also know there is an increase of dreams and visions and all of that, but there must accompany it, discernment, wisdom and revelation. I would encourage you to ask God to heal you, to make you whole and give you the discernment to know what is Him. The revelation to know what it means and the wisdom to walk it out with Him.