The other evening we had a prayer meeting at church. As the music played the Lord showed me two visions. The first one was of a field. It reminded me of land that you would see down south. The area was flat and dusty and the air was hot and dry. There were multiple churches lined up. They were constructed of old wood. They had tall steeples and large bell towers. They were worn down, the wood was depleted and the paint was chipping off. They were full of people dressed up in their Sunday best waiting for the sermons to begin.
Suddenly, I began to hear the sound of thunder and the ground was trembling as if a freight train was coming through. As I looked around, I saw the largest tornado I’ve ever seen. The Lord spoke to my heart “the winds of change”. The next thing I know, the churches are being torn to shreds. Wood is flying, people are screaming and the entire area is swept completely clean. “No more gentle breezes Ash. It’s time to tear down what’s holding the Holy Spirit back.”
I feel that there is coming a season of devastation. Many will say “Where is the Lord?”, not realizing that the Lord devastates what is not from Him or in His will. Sometimes the Lord is in the demolition. You can’t build on a crappy foundation. You must tear it down completely and rebuild from scratch.
As the dust cleared I noticed something about the land where the churches had stood. Underneath those old dilapidated structures was beautiful soil. There were seeds rooted so deep in the soil of the word that the tornado couldn’t tear them up. The Lord had made the soil the perfect ground for growth. The weather changed right before my eyes and I began to feel the warmth of the sun on my face. The breeze was fresh, and a spring rain started to fall. What I noticed about the rain was this golden honey color. The Lord was pouring out His Spirit, His oil, upon the entire land. I began to notice beautiful trees and flowers sprouting up from their roots in the ground. This beauty that would have never been found, if it had remained hidden underneath those old structures.
There are rubies, beautiful flowers and strong trees hidden in the shadows of our churches. The Lord is tearing down the old to make room for the new. Don’t get confused in thinking that the Lord is not in the destruction. It might be time for new growth, for fresh breath of the Holy Spirit in our lungs and a deeper, securely rooted foundation in the truth of the word of Christ.
As I continued praying in church, I felt my entire body get tossed into an ocean. Physically I felt like I was swimming, I could tell that I was completely submerged under water and I began to panic at the thought of drowning. I couldn’t breathe which is a fun thing that the Holy Spirit likes to do to me in visions. Death to the flesh has been entirely too close to literally for me at times. I looked to my right and I saw a large fishing hook attached to a line. As I grabbed ahold of the hook, I began to feel the force of being drug through the water, and fast. It was scary, I couldn’t breathe, I felt so much fear but at the same time I felt that I couldn’t let go. I felt like I was being pulled up toward the surface but I also felt that I would drown before I ever got to take another breath.
The pressure against my face was so intense, I could feel the water rushing past my body at what felt like 100 miles per hour. I wanted to let go, I wanted to give up, I wanted to go back to where I was before I grabbed the hook. Yet something inside me told me to hold on. Just as I thought I was going to pass out in church from not being able to breathe I felt my face break the surface of the water. I caught my breath and looked ahead. I felt the air in my lungs. I felt the freedom of the sun on my face. I gained my balance and I saw that the line I was holding was attached to the back of a speed boat going full speed ahead. I noticed that instead of being drug by a hook, I was now holding on as if I was waterskiing. The Lord was going as fast as He could, kind of laughing at me with this hold on for your life look on His face.
He put on my heart that a lot of Christians are swimming in the ocean right now. They see all these different hooks and sometimes they grab the wrong ones. They get caught up in all sorts of sin. Those hooks are meant to drag you away from the Lord and away from the purpose that He has for your life. Some grab the right hook and immediately let go when they begin to feel the resistance of the pull. They’re scared of being drug away from the familiar comfort of their past. They’re scared of being drug away from their families, children or even spouses. Some start strong, they hold on for days, weeks, and even months. Yet, they give up and let go right before they break the surface to receive their breakthrough. The pressure becomes to much, too intense and they can’t see the beauty of breaking through the surface.
I encourage you to not let go. Even if it feels like you are drowning, being drug at a thousand miles an hour; even if it feels like the resistance is too much to handle, do not let go! It’s going to be a wild ride.
Trust the driver, hold on to the truth of the word and get ready to break the surface and feel the sun on your face.
Luke 1:50-52
50 And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.
51 He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Psalm 103:2-6
2Bless the Lord, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
John 8:34-36
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Matthew 23:12 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Matthew 4:19 - And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 13:47-50
A Dragnet
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Philippians 3
The Goal of Life
3 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; 16 however, let’s keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
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