An Excerpt from Adventures in the Spirit A Series of Prophetic Visions By Richard L Spangler

 

Leaving the oasis, I noticed a strange darkness on the horizon. Further down the road, the darkness grew larger.I stopped and ate and drink from my provisions, sensing that all my strength would be needed. I moving into the darkness it took hours to reach the oasis.

Entering the oasis, the darkness became greater and heavier on me. I was having trouble making out the buildings in the darkness. Most of the people moved away from me as I approached them. The fear in this place is so strong you can almost taste it. The few people I could talk with were hopelessly in fear. They had the fear of rejection, fear of destruction, fear of the devil, fear of failure and even the fear of success. This is the largest of the oases.

The closer I get to the center of the oasis, the more fear presses down on me. I drink more of the water and eat more of the fruit I have with me and I am strengthened.

The darkness of fear is pressing in from all sides, it so close that I can only see a foot or less in front of me. Yet, I continue to push forward. My strength was fading fast. Then I heard a voice saying, “You are not going to make it.” I heard that the same voice in 2007, saying the same thing when I was about to have quadruple by-pass surgery. It was wrong then and I determined that it would be wrong now. The fear continued to close in on all sides and voices of defeat were growing louder and louder.

  Then, I heard a voice from deep within my spirit, “Turn the Robe inside out.” I immediately stopped and turned the robe inside out. The Lion on the robe started to glow; I felt the fire and the power of the Holy Spirit rising in me, I did not realize how weak I had become. Then, I brought the Shield of Faith in front of me and it also begins to glow. The Sword of the Spirit lighted up like a torch.

With all the light around me I now see the gate leading out of the oasis, just a few short feet in front of me. I quickly move through the gate and then down the road, until I am well clear of the darkness. I knelt down and praised the Lord for getting me out of the Oasis of fear.

Then, I prayed for those trapped there and in every oasis of deception and of fear. After prayer, I notice it is still daylight, which is surprising to me. It felt like I had been in the Oasis of Fear a long time.

THE MOUNTAINS OF REFRESHING

The mountains are close as the trail moved into them. The mountain walls now tower above me on each side of the trail. Suddenly, the trail ends and before me is a thick forest. I knew that I could not go back, so I pressed forward into the forest. I pull out the Sword of the Spirit, to cut a path though the trees, but the trees separate. I put the sword away and the trees close together. Then I pulled out the sword again and move forward and the trees are move apart in front of me. Looking behind me the trees have closed. I continued and notice that the colors of the leaves on the trees and even the color of the trees are getting brighter and becoming more alive. There is the sound of a mighty waterfall. I’ve heard the sound of this water before.

  It is the sound of joy that the water of the River of God makes as it flows from the Throne of God. As I step into a clearing, there it is the waterfall. It is beautiful and stretches skyward until it disappears in the clouds. Just looking at it is refreshing to my soul.There is a lagoon created by the waterfall. The water is crystal clear. Moving to the other end of the lagoon I see another waterfall with the River of God flowing down to the earth.

It is then that I realize how high up I am in the mountains. The view is so beautiful and amazing. Puffs of clouds are below me and eagles soaring through the sky. I could stand here for hours enjoying this view and in fact, I have.Turning back and walk away from the edge, I see life everywhere.

This place is the total opposite of the Oasis of Fear. It is wonderful and beautiful! Even the air I breathe here seems to be alive with joy and peace. Wading into the lagoon; my body glows with life and joy. Overwhelmed with joy, I dive into the water and begin to swim and shout and play like a little kid. I climbed up on a rock and watch this beautiful and refreshing scene.

I decided to move over to the waterfall, where the spray is wonderful. I stepped into the waterfall, an amazing thing happened, I rose. The water below is forcing me upward and the water above parts as I rise. The water around me continues downward with tremendous force.

As I look, I see the entire Land of Closed Gates before me. Over to my right I can see the River of the Spirit and the beauty of the surrounding land. Soon I am passing through the clouds and reach the top of the mountain. I step over onto the land, I look up and there stands Jesus smiling.

Jesus says, “Welcome to the Mountains of Refreshing.”

 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

                                                                    (USED BY PERMISSION)

If you would like to read more of the book is availible at http://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-SPIRIT-Prophetic-Visions-ebook/dp/B0073GCU3Y/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352118594&sr=8-2

  

 

 

 

 

Here We Stand

By Richard L Spangler

  We are standing at a crossroads as a church, a nation and the world.  We all have been hearing this from various sources both spiritual and secular. The nation is divided in a 50/50 spilt politically; we have economic problems here and in the world. We are in moral decay, we are told what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. We are under spiritual attack from those who want to remove God from our nation. There are others who would force us to submit to their beliefs and reject Jesus Christ. Yet, we are told to be politically correct in our thoughts and speech. Some have been moved to action by the Holy Spirit, CBN’s 50 Days of Prayer and America for Jesus are the most recent calls for prayer for our nation. But, the Holy Spirit kept urging me that there was more to do than gather in one place or in our homes and churches and pray. We can take action as individual believers. We can change the course of our communities, our nation and the world by answering the call of God.

Abram was commanded as part of the covenant with God to look and see the land the Lord had given him and he was also told to walk the land. This served a two-fold purpose: first was Abram could see more and more as he walked and secondly as he walked the land God said wherever he walked was his land. Genesis 13:17(AMP) Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you (boldness added for emphasis).

  Then in Ephesians we read that we are to put on the Whole Armor of God and to stand, holding your ground. Ephesians 6:14 (AMP) Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God (Boldness added for emphasis).

So there are two things that need to happen first to see the land and walk it, then the other is to hold your ground. Sadly, the church has not been doing either of these things. We hunker down behind the four walls of our church buildings and homes and prayer closets and pray for our land. We pray with an expectation that God will do all the work and take back our nation for us.

This is a lie of the enemy, he wants us just to sit back and pray. The devil knows that God has chosen His people to take dominion over our communities, states and nations. So long as there no action with our prayers then devil doesn’t have to worry.

  This then is a call to action by the Holy Spirit, to get out of the four walls of churches and homes, to come out of our closets and take action. First get a friend, (Jesus sent the disciples out two by two), and go to a street corner in your city (ask the Holy Spirit which street corner He will tell you). Second, look around you and see the land the Lord has given you. Third, begin to thank and praise God for the land he has given you. Fourth, pray for the land and the people in it. Praying that the people will come to know Christ and His love (no prayers of condemnation or judgment) and for God to heal the land. Fifth, rebuke the devil.

  If, someone comes up ask what you are doing, tell them you are praying for your community and the nation and invite them to joint you. If they say, “yes” let them joint if they say, “no” ask them if you can pray for them. If you find yourselves with two or more jointing you , then you or your partner take one of them and move to another corner nearby and begin to pray. In this way, you have walked your land and have stood your ground and God will give you the land.

  A closing note, please stay on public property and do not block a sidewalk. This is not a time for a show or a display of religious exercises, do it in humble matter, but with the power and authority of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

 If you would like, please e-mail me at HereWeStand@lionsvoiceministries.net that you are going to pray at the street corner and share your stories. 

                              ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

 

The Unnatural Natural

Richard L. Spangler

   A few years ago I lost three family members in three months, my youngest brother Sidney on December 23, 2009, my brother Jon (a year younger than me) on March 2, 2010 and my mother-in-law Eloise March 21, 2010. To say the least I was reeling under the weight of grief. I cried out to the Lord, “Help, I need something to get me through this.”

   I heard the Lord say, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” To that I replied, “Lord I don’t need riddles I need an answer.” (Thank God He loves me and is patience with me.)

 At this point, I heard again, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” It was then I began to think about what was being said. Death is a natural part of our physical existence. Everything in the physical universe eventually dies but our spirits are eternal. We live forever.

   This then is the conflict we experience in dealing with the death a love one, a friend or a pet. Our spirits realize that this is not natural; we are not suppose to die, we were created to live forever by God. We were never meant to experience separation from God, our family, and friends and even our pets. Remember, before the fall of man there was no death in the universe so animals were eternal also. When man sinned, he brought death into the entire universe.

 God put eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He Has put eternity in their hearts,.

   This makes death hard for us to deal with, whether sudden or a prolonged illness before death, it is still unnatural to our spirits.  Our spirits are screaming from deep inside us, “This is not right! This is not supposed to happen! ” Yet it does.The unnatural separation occurs and we are left with a sense of lost and aloneness. It does not matter what people say or what we know, we still feel the unnaturalness of the loss and the grief that goes with it.

 Thank God, that He gives each of us  time to come to terms with this unnatural event.  The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV).

   Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). 
  God is here with us. He holds hand, wraps us in His loving arms and will even pick us up and carry us through the valley of death. He also lets us know that for the believer this separation is temporary, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV).
 
   Even in the darkness hours of our lives, there is hope for us that believe in Jesus Christ. We know that the unnatural separation of death is only temporary and we will again be with our love ones and friends, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and received forgiveness from sin.
   Those that do not know Christ do not have this hope, They only the darkness of confusion and grief caused the unnatural separation of death.  If you want this hope, please pray this prayer: 
   Dear Lord Jesus,
  I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God. So now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You.
  In Jesus' name. Amen. 
 
  Contact me,directly or call the CBN Prayer Center 1-800-759-0700 and talk with a Prayer Partner, let them know you prayed this prayer on this blog and ask them for the New Day. Then, once you know Christ, ask Him to save your family and friends. He will use you to lead them to Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

Forgive, How Much?

By Richard Spangler

 

 People ask, “How many times must I forgive this person?” Or, “I can’t forgive what they did to me.”  And, “I want God to judge this person.” These same people have financial and other troubles, wondering why God is not blessing them. Some also have relationship issues with their family and others.

I have personally dealt with people that were hard to forgive. Once I was given the responsibility of running a shop and yard crew for the water department. I worked with men, most of whom were much older than myself.

There was this guy I will call Frank, who would ride my case from the time I walked in the gate until I left. Frank would curse constantly, put open men’s magazines on my desk, and relocate my Bible and my lunch.

There were times I felt like getting revenge on him, but I didn’t. I continued to pray for him, asking God to save him, and to help me forgive him. This situation continued for months. 

Then one day, Frank came into my office. I feared the worse, but to my surprise, he broke down. Frank’s life was a mess and he needed someone to talk to. He asked me to forgive him. I told him I already had and was willing to listen and help.

After that, a good working relationship developed. Frank would still slip up with the language, but would quickly ask my forgiveness. This was my first lesson in forgiving someone who continually sinned against me, so I understand how difficult forgiving can be.  The question arises, how much to forgive someone? We can thank the Apostle Peter for the answer.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV).

If we analyze these figures, it is amazing. Jesus says to forgive 70 times 7, which is 490 times a day! Then when you divide 490 by 24 hours in a day it means 20.4 times an hour. Then you divide 60 minutes in hour by 20.4 and you get 2.9 minutes. So we are to forgive someone who sins against us every 2.9 minutes!

This is a lifestyle of forgiveness. It does not matter what someone does to you or how many times they may sin against you, you are to forgive. It is almost impossible for someone to reach this volume of sinning against another. If you’re counting, are you really forgiving?

But, what about if they are breaking the law, you may ask? If they break a law of man they still have to pay the consequences and if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then they are under the judgment of God’s law, so we must leave the judging to Him.

Forgiveness is for you, not them. Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God and leads to bitterness. Both unforgiveness and bitterness not only take their toll on you spiritually but also physically, opening the door to sickness and death. They also poison every relationship you have.

Unforgiveness also affects the blessings you receive from God.

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful^. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:32-38 NKJV).

What caught my attention is that most of this scripture deals with our relationship with others, then comes this one statement by Jesus on giving at the end. We are to love our enemies. We are to forgive unconditionally. We are to show mercy as God has shown mercy to us. Don’t condemn or judge and finally, forgive. Forgiveness jumps out as the key to the other blessings.

So forgive, for your own sake. Then, you will have an open, unhindered relationship with God and others. When you pray for the blessings of God, they will flow to you in a far greater way than you can imagine. 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

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ADVENTURES IN THE SPIRIT A Series of Prophetic Visions

Don't Squirm: Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Don't Squirm: Daily Devotional | CBN.com