the Gates are MINE!

the gates

sleeping today (between night shifts), i woke up about every hour.
each time, i found myself at an entrance to this building that was a large church.
the number of entrances seemed almost limitless, and they were all similar, rather unassuming, but subtly distinct. it seemed as if i was being given a tour of this facility, which was a mainly asian church of some kind. at each entrance it was explained to me that this entrance represented, whatever it was - each stood for some different aspect of the church, like one would be teaching, another worship, another missions, another evangelism, and so on.

i began to see these doorways into the church as if they were gates into an ancient walled city, each with its own character, & purpose, and name.

this went on for hours, and the really cool part was, at each doorway (gate), i was told by this very formal asian gentleman, that “this is also yours”.

every time i woke up, i was more & more excited about what was going on in the dream, and, it seemed, in the spiritual realm. finally, after about the 6th or 7th time this happened, i couldn’t stand it any more, i virtually leapt out of bed & began walking throughout the house proclaiming God’s blessing on EVERYTHING i saw! it was the most powerful walkabout yet! i blessed everything from the nails in the walls to the storage shelves, the carpets, the grass on the hillsides, the rocks, & the birds! Everything. it was totally awesome.

then i sat down at the computer & read this MOST AWESOME devotional msg from david wilkerson, on "preventing" (!!!):
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2010 “PREVENTING” LOVE

“Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of
pure gold on his head” (Psalm 21:3). At first glance, this verse by David is
a bit puzzling. The word “prevent” is usually associated with hindrance,
not with blessing. A modern translation here would be, “The Lord hindered
David with the blessings of goodness.”

Yet the biblical word for “prevent” signifies a completely different
meaning. It means “to anticipate, to precede, to foresee and fulfill in
advance, to pay a debt before it is due.” Furthermore, in almost every
instance, it implies something of pleasure.

Isaiah gives us a glimpse of this kind of pleasure. It comes from God
anticipating a need and fulfilling it ahead of time. “It shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

This verse provides us with an incredible picture of our Lord’s love for us.
Evidently, he is so anxious to bless us, so ready to fulfill his lovingkindness
in our lives, that he can’t even wait for us to tell him our needs. So he
jumps in and performs acts of mercy, grace and love toward us. And that is a
supreme pleasure to him.

That is just what David was saying in Psalm 21: “Lord, you pour out blessings
and lovingkindness on me before I can even ask. And you offer more than I could
even conceive of asking.”

David was referring to some awesome work that God performed for him in the
spiritual realm. It was something that gave David victory over his enemies,
answers to prayer, overcoming power and unspeakable joy. And God did it all
before David could even go to prayer, to unburden his heart or present his
request. Once David finally did pour out his heart, he discovered that God had
already made provision to defeat his enemies. David’s victory was assured
before he could even get near the battlefield.

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/7529

then i want back to bed. now i am going to work. 8-)