She saw a rope bridge in the middle of a jungle and a girl with a harness around her waist. This girl was slowly inching her way across the wooden planks to the other side of the chasm.
The rope bridge represented her journey with God. It is part of a complete obstacle course. Some obstacles the girl had already conquered and were in her past, but of course there were more ahead. When she slipped, the harness was there to catch her. That’s Jesus. He doesn’t fail to catch the girl from slipping.
There’s a landing on the other side of the chasm, a wooden board. She jumps onto it! This doesn’t signify the end of her journey, but one important segment of that journey.
“What part?” you ask.
Well, here’s the background info:
This is a vision my friend had of me.
I had approached my friend for prayer.
There was a call for prayer for people who wanted to experience more of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
I already have God in the form of the Holy Spirit living inside me because I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior, and until two years ago, I didn’t know that meant that I had the POWER of GOD HIMSELF INSIDE OF ME. Do you know what that means?! God RAISED PEOPLE FROM THE DEAD. He HEALED blind eyes, lame legs, paralyzed bodies, a 12 year bleeding disease and the most horrible skin disease, and demon possessed people. He turned water into wine, calmed a raging storm, and fed two crowds of more than 4,000 people with a couple fish and loaves of bread. And there’s more! And better yet, my God still does this stuff today! He is ALIVE and ACTIVE. When people think He is dead, doesn’t exist, or disinterested, I have heard countless stories of God’s miraculous works PROVING that that is not the case.
I wanted that. But I was scared. So I left the room. God wrestled with me, or maybe I just wrestled with myself. It was my flesh (me) fighting the Holy Spirit who lives in me. I decided I would take a step of faith that night and receive prayer.
God showed my friend a vision and gave her words to speak to me. This is how much our Heavenly Father loves us, guys. He met me as soon as I stepped out in faith. God told her that my reaching that platform on the other side of the chasm was me receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit. She said that I’m stepping out now, in anticipation of what’s to come next year when I’m on the World Race and I will receive it. But it’s a journey and asking for prayer like I’m doing now is part of it. She had goosebumps on her arms as she held my hands and told me this.
I realized that night as I was watching all these people go up for prayer for healing, salvation, etc that I wanted others to have those experiences but I assumed I was exempt. I had the wrong mindset. I saw others stepping out in faith and I needed to, too. So I chose to obey the prompting from the Holy Spirit.
That led me to pray, right afterward, for a woman and encourage her. As soon as God filled me, He poured it out on someone else. That’s how God’s love works. We become so full of His Spirit that it can’t help but flow out from us.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:37-39
I know God has amazing things waiting for me up ahead. The obstacle course I was on didn’t just represent the World Race, but my entire life and entire journey with God. The World Race is just a small blip in my faith walk. God has so much more waiting for me on the other side of next year. But He is going to use the World Race to sanctify me in ways I can only imagine at this point. And I can’t wait to pour out His Spirit on everyone I come in contact with now, next year, and beyond!
