Someone once said, "A picture speaks a thousand words." I believe them. Pictures convey a message across cultures, ideas, nations, religions, and dialects. Boarders cannot contain or block out the message of an image because pictures cross every line. We all connect with the meaning behind an image because pictures are the language spoken around the world. It makes sense that God, the Master Designer behind all art and expression conveys messages through imagery too. 

This is the third part in a series on learning to hear God's voice. If you missed the first two steps then you can catch up here, "Dreams" and "Impressions." If you want a glimpse into my personal journey in hearing God or if you have questions about whether God still speaks today then check this out, "I'm not crazy, I'm just hearing God. "

Visions 

We can find many stories in the Bible where God used visions, imagination, or parables to speak with people. In fact, when Jesus taught large crowds He used imagery to illustrate the truth behind His teaching (Matt 13:34). Jesus engaged people's imagination! Imagery is a powerful tool because it connects the heart with the mind. Vision acts as a bridge between the logical and the emotional, engaging the whole person in an experience with a message. Images are often more moving than words. I can read a letter from my mom saying she loves me, but it is much sweeter to see her say it through a video call. God spoke through imagery many times in the Bible! God appeared to Abraham in a vision, and Abraham was righteous because he believed in what he saw and heard. Moses saw the burning bush before he heard the voice of God. Isaiah had a vision of the angels of God worshiping as they cried, "holy, holy" in the temple. Jesus saw the devil stripped of his power as the disciples preached and healed the sick. Peter had a vision of a blanket filled with all kinds of animals being sent from Heaven, symbolizing that Jesus bought salvation for every tribe not just Israel. If someone cut all the visions and imagery out of the Bible we would have a very skinny and normal history book. But God's written word is not ordinary. He does not fit into our logical boxes. In fact, God loves surprises! He is way more adventurous and fun than we can imagine!

Acts 2:17-18, "‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy."

Visions were a normal way God interacted with His people throughout history and if God used visions in the past He can still use them today.

What are visions? And how do they work?  

There are two kinds of visions.

1. A vision of the mind is the most common way people see visions from God. This can be described as God projecting images or pictures onto the screen of your imagination. For example, close your eyes and picture a yellow apple. This is the "screen" I am talking about. The Apostle Paul wrote, "we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor 10:5) We make our minds captive to God with a purpose. The purpose is for Him to fill us up with His thoughts. When you give your mind to the Holy Spirit to draw on like a canvas you are inviting Him to give you a sanctified or holy imagination. Here is a personal example of when God used my imagination to speak with me. The other day I was talking with God about how I fear rejection and find it painful when unkind things are said about me. I saw a picture of door hinges connected to a frame but there was no door hanging from the hinges. I asked, "God, what does this mean?" And He spoke to my heart, "What good are hinges without a door? You allow anything and everything to come into your heart because you have no filter or door separating the good and true things from the lies or demeaning things. You don't have to let everything in. I'll be your door filtering out the junk and I'll help you live off truth. Your identity is safe in Me because I only believe what is true." Wow! I love hearing God! God often uses our imagination to "download" His truth and life into our spirit. Inner visions can practically play out through your prayer life, or by imagining the Bible as you read, or by asking God what He wants to say to you and the people around you. 

2. An open vision is when you see a "movie" or "picture" from God with your natural eyes opened. I have not seen this kind of vision, but my husband Raj has. He explained that it is like a sudden "clip" which plays in front of you as an imprint over what you see in the natural. Once, as Raj encouraged a friend, he saw a picture project above her like a tv screen with a scene of her sitting on her bed crying and feeling discouraged about her future. When he told her the picture she said, "Yes, this is what I have been doing the past few days!" God used this image to speak hope into this girl by reminding her that He is present even in her hardest moments. Open visions are different from imagination because instead of playing in your "mind's eye" they are imposed on your physical sight. Some people see a word or name highlighted above a person, see the angelic or demonic doing something in the room, have a "movie" play out in front of them, or pass out and have a vision similar to the Apostle Peter in Acts 10:10-20.

I want our personal stories to encourage you that having a God-breathed imagination is normal. Living expecting God to show you His thoughts through visions is normal. Living without expecting to hear from God is abnormal. God wants us to live like children not like orphans without a Father. The church has been comfortable with dry customs when Jesus died to bring us into a vibrant relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit is our Helper and that having Him is even better than having Jesus Himself walking right next to us! (John 16:7) Reinhard Bonnke said, "God will pull you up out of the deepest pit, but He will not lift you out of your easy chair." If we are comfortable with what makes us comfortable then we may not be living a life of faith! We do not believe the gospel because we understand it - we understand the gospel because we believe it! Faith is spelled r-i-s-k! God rewards a child who steps past their own understanding into what they believe. Even if you don't know how to hear God, or understand how it works, move past your comfort zone and expect Him to talk with you. He will not disappoint you! 

Copy the best! 

Did you know that Jesus had visions and ministered from the things He saw!?

"So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. In fact, the Father will show Him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished." (John 5:19-20)

Jesus did nothing without first seeing Father God doing it! Can you imagine what it would look like if we lived with the same sensitivity to what our Heavenly Father is up to? It would be a beautiful thing to see! The world would awaken with the power and love of God! (Rom 8:19) You and I are designed to be a reflection of God's image. A reflection is a mirror of the real thing! As we do what we see the Father doing we will be living messengers who mirror the real Message of redemption and hope.  

Bill Johnson wrote, "Jesus provides the only example worth following. I will not lower the standard of Scripture to fit my experience. Instead, I work to raise my level of experience to the standard of Scripture. I refuse to create another standard to give any explanation for my lack.” 

Jesus is perfect theology. I do not see Jesus living without hearing from God, so I cannot create ways of thinking which excuse me from living without hearing from Him. Jesus did not go through all that He went through on the cross just so I could go to church and read my bible, which are both important! He placed the Spirit of resurrection inside of us so that we can bring the world into an encounter with their King. When Jesus prayed, "Let Your kingdom come down to earth just like it is in Heaven," He meant it! So my goal is not to one day "get to Heaven" my goal is to get Heaven into me so it overflows and brings God's rule on this earth. You and I are not mediocre people, we are revivalist! 

Tag! You're it! 

When Jesus gave the great commission He basically said, "You're next! Go to all the world and teach them to do everything I taught you!" (Mat 10:7-8)

It is our turn! Let's get practical! Close your eyes and ask God to show you His face. Stop for a second and try it. Like, right now! Ok.... now, what is the expression on His face? How close is He to you? What is He doing or saying to you? 

Every time I go into a worship service I love to picture Jesus' face. And you know what? I always see Him smiling at me. The more I picture His face the younger and more alive He looks. God is not some old white man living in the clouds. When people saw visions of Jesus in the Bible they wrote that His face shone like gold and His hair was like blazing fire. Jesus looks pure, strong, vibrant, and beautiful like sunlight! 

Some practical tips! 

Ok, so God speaks through innward visions and open visions. How do we create a place for Him to speak to us in this way?

1. Starting with a clean slate. I have a very active imagination. If I watch a movie with violent or trashy content it is tough for me to erase it from my memory so the dramatic pictures often play on repeat in my mind. In my experience, these images can damage my focus on God. So, I have a boundary not to watch this kind of stuff to protect my connection. Watching intense movies is not always wrong, but they are not worth it for me because they don't give me joy! This simple step helps me keep my mind fresh for God and clear of "drama." Laugh at me if you like, I'm laughing too, but I really like kid movies and Hallmark movies because they are "feel good" stories! 

2. A "fresh" word from God must always be judged against the "written" word of God. There are two Greek words used in the Bible when God speaks, 'rhema' and 'logos.' Rhema is a fresh word from God for a specific situation. Here is an example of Jesus giving a rhema word, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words (rhema) I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." (John 6:63) Rhema is used over 70 times in the New Testament. Logos is the written word, meaning the entire Bible. The Bible is the "final say" which all "fresh" words need to be tested against. Here is an example of Jesus speaking a logos word of God, "Those who listen to my message (logos) and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life." (John 5:24) In short, God does communicate with His kids with "fresh" words but it is always to be compared to and in agreement with the "written" word. We should read the Bible and get it inside our hearts! (Prov 30:6 / 2 Tim 3:16-17 / Gal 1:8)

3. Be a team player! Allow feedback by inviting mentors and friends in on your relationship with God! God designed us to be responsible for leading someone and also to be under the responsibility of a leader. Being a lone-ranger is not godly character because God calls us children, not orphans. Be a part of the family of Christ. 

4. How should we present information or "messages" we get for other people? We should expect to hear from God for others but we must choose humble words as we share the things we hear. Don't insist, "God said!" I love the way Shawn Bolz, a prophetic minister, presents the words he gets for people, "I believe God is saying..." or "Does this mean anything to you?" This humble posture goes a long way in building a healthy platform for what you are going to share. It is also really important that we stay away from speaking in "King James" sounding language or from shouting or acting weird when we share a word. Jesus did not speak "King James" and just because we are acting "spiritual" does not automatically make the word true or powerful. In fact, acting that way can really damage what we have to share even if the word is true. We should create a comfortable place for people to listen by talking with them like we are talking with a friend. Another important thing to do is to follow up with people afterward! Was the word true? Did it help them connect with God? If not, take responsibility and apologize. If they do not agree with what you shared you can say, "I am learning. My goal is that you feel loved and connected with God, not that I sound right." If people leave feeling valuable, even if you got it wrong, then you are doing a good job and growing. 

5. What should we do if we see something dark or demonic? Remember that Jesus crushed the head of the serpent in the garden and He is Champion over sin and darkness. The devil has no power but likes to play smoke and mirrors trying to trick us into fear. The devil is a liar. As a child of God, you are commissioned to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore, darkness is not stalking you instead you are stalking darkness. Declare the Name of Jesus because at the sound of His Name every knee must bow in Heaven and on earth. If you need more tools, here is a great article by Kris Vallotton on spiritual warfare. 

6. What should we do with negative information we "see" about ourselves or other people? The reason God gives any message is to encourage, strengthen, and edify, not to make us or other people focus on our failings. ( 1 Cor 14:1-3 ) When Raj and I attended Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) they taught us to keep negative things we may get about a person to ourselves because "there is no condemnation for people in Christ." ( Rom 8:1-3) We are growing and must be very careful not to project our opinions on people and convince ourselves that God endorses the thought. God is not interested in making people introspective. People often are aware of their sin and shortcomings (even non-believers!), and they usually hate themselves for it. But God wants to make them Christ-conscious and breathe light into their identity in Jesus. Anyone can point out the dirt in someone's life, but it takes a God-breathed word to pull the gold out of someone. Speaking into a person's identity in God is the real purpose of hearing God's voice for people!  

7. Invite God to speak to you in visions and impressions! There is only one person who can do this, and that is you. God is already knocking at your door, He is just waiting for you to invite Him in. We are as close to God as we want to be. So let's make room beyond our comfort zone and expect God to do the unexpected. 

Why do we do this? 

Because God is not distant. He is not just an ancient legend. God is not theology or an idea! He is alive! He wants to be there with you in the middle of the dark days and happy moments. God will never leave you alone and He wants to be constant in your daily life! His Presence is supposed to be present with you! So, we should live like He is with us! God is ready to be found everywhere. In class, in your friendships, even at parties, God's goodness is there for you to see all around you if you are looking. Jesus said, "Seek Me and you will find Me when you look with all your heart." (Matt 7:7) So, look, imagine, and invite Him to speak with you through visions and pictures. 

Has God ever spoken to you through a picture or vision? What did He show you? I would love to hear about it in the comments below! 

Love, Laurel 

Want more? 

Keys to hearing God!