Birthing Your Prophetic Dreams and Visions by Jennifer LeClaire

A few years ago I had a somewhat perplexing dream. In this dream I was about five months pregnant. Now, for starters, I’m not married and had no reason to be pregnant. I was trying to deny it, but my mid-section was clearly swelling—and it wasn’t from eating too many tasty empanadas from the corner Cuban café. In my dream I asked a trusted friend what she thought. To my dismay, she said, “You’re definitely pregnant!”

To say I was none too happy would be a monumental understatement. A flood of thoughts rushed at me in my dream state. “How will I get all my work done with a newborn baby to care for? I’m too busy for this! My life is challenging enough as it is. This is certainly no time to complicate things with a baby!” Even still, I knew there was no way of escape on this one. I had a sense that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter. This baby was coming into the world in about four months whether I liked it or not.

Then I woke up…perplexed.

I’m not spiritually dense. I understood the overarching meaning of the dream. God was birthing a new thing in my life. We were a little more than halfway through the incubation process, and I needed to align my will with His in a hurry. My prophetic friends all chimed in as to what this “baby” could be. Some said it was a new ministry. Others said it would ultimately be a good thing, though times were likely to get rough over the next few months. They were all right.

It’s interesting how God gives His prophets different angles on a thing and at times they seem almost to contradict one another, but in the end you can see how it all fits together. The Messianic prophecies are a good example. But I digress. Or do I? It’s been a few years since I had that dream, and I’ve had others about the baby as both an infant and a toddler since then. In the last dream in this series, the baby was born as a full grown man child and started running as soon as he was delivered.

The Lord recently brought these things to my remembrance while I was reading about Mary, the human mother of Jesus, and a Messianic prophecy she received that changed her life. And there’s a lesson in it for us all.

You’ll remember when the angel Gabriel, often seen delivering messages to God’s people, found Mary in Nazareth. Gabriel told Mary she was highly favored of the Lord, and blessed among women. Then Gabriel delivered his prophetic message: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31 NIV). Mary was perplexed and asked the angel how it was possible, seeing as she was a virgin.

Imagine the flood of thoughts rushing through Mary’s mind. She wasn’t married, so turning up pregnant would be more than a little inconvenient to her lifestyle. Unlike my superficial complaints over finding time to get my work done with a newborn’s diapers to change, Mary’s prophetic revelation could have cost her everything. Not only was she in danger of losing Joseph, she could also find herself on trial for fornication. Fornication was reason enough to be stoned under Mosaic Law. Mary probably met with demon-inspired imaginations about her fate.

Then Gabriel answered Mary. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1: 35). Gabriel also gave her two other insights. He told Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, who had been barren, was pregnant in her old age. He also told her all things were possible with God. At this news, Mary probably remembered Abraham and Sara’s miracle baby and began to put her faith in God.

“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true’” (Luke 1:38 NLT). Mary displayed willingness and obedience to allow the Lord to use her however He chose. I don’t believe He would have used her if she had not been willing and obedient. God will not violate our will. That’s why, after I awakened from my pregnancy dream, it wasn’t so much about getting revelation on exactly what I was birthing. It was about lining up my will with God’s will in the matter.

Let’s get real. Birthing anything, from a baby to a ministry to a business, is hard work. It changes your life. It forces you to get more disciplined. It challenges you to go deeper in God to find the grace you need to meet with the spiritual stretching you will no doubt experience. Indeed, birthing new things demands many adjustments. That’s why so many people have aborted the call of God on their lives. It’s not that they couldn’t yield to the Spirit of God and work with Him to birth something new. It’s that they were not willing.

I believe God is birthing new things—and He needs people who are like Mary, willing and obedient to allow the Lord to do what He pleases for His glory. Notice I say for His glory. Mary gave birth to Jesus not for herself, but so the sin of the world could be taken away. Whatever the Lord chooses to birth through us—a song, a book, or an entire ministry—remember that it’s not about you. It’s about the people who need what you are carrying. You aren’t carrying the Savior of the world, but you may very well be carrying something that will save people a lot of pain, bring people greater understanding of God’s Word, or give people the hope of fulfilling their purpose and destiny in Christ. Isn’t it worth it?

Jennifer is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including the Heart of the Prophetic. You can e-mail Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her web site at www.jenniferleclaire.org. Read more:http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/blogs/the-plumb-line-by-jennifer-leclaire/30651-birthing-your-prophetic-dreams-and-visions#ixzz1Ix4zJQ00

Will You Be Made Whole

Based on the process of the woman with the issue of blood, there is a process we must all go through. I hope that you as the reader will share your process with me.

So let's look at the scriptures that contain this wonderful testimony. You will see that I do not call them stories in the bible. I believe that the Word of God is true and that each "story" is actually a testimony of the goodness of the Lord. So let's read her testimony.

 Mark 5:25 - 34 "And a certain woman, which has an issue of blood twelve years , and had suffered many things of may physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. and straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

Now you will also find accounts in Matthew and Luke. I will refer to those accounts but the main account is this one in Mark. Why did I choose this one and not one of the others. I believe the process can be followed in this account. However, before we get into the process I want to talk about the customs of the day. This is important in understanding the woman's position.

In my next blog I will talk in depth about the customs of that day based on the Law of Moses. I will talk about the understood mentality this woman had to have to even approach Jesus. But as I close this introductory post, let me say this. It's time you stop thinking your situation is the end. It does not matter what others have told you. you have to maintain that God's word is true and that you will stand on His word. As Paul said, "...and having done all, to stand... Stand therefore..." (Ephesians 6:13-14)

You are Bound No More. 

Pastor Linda Hillman 

(c) 2015 Living Above Hurt Ministries

  Get Your Copy Now!

 Through the scripture and the story of the woman with an    issue of blood, Linda Hillman moves past the obvious, more  common meaning of the text to a revelatory truth: GOD  would not have us live unbalanced and incomplete lives. In  her book WILL YOU BE MADE WHOLE, Linda reveals just how  crucial balance is in every area of your life. Through scripture,  practical principles and faith, Linda shows the reader how to  get back on track when life derails. In Pastor Hillman’s own  words—“The one thing I have discovered in my life is that the  pains I have had to endure were not to take me out of the game but to polish me for the end result.” Get your copy today and be made whole!

What Was She Thinking?

Let's get into this. As I mentioned, I have written a book about this precious woman, so I had to do months and months of research squeezing every little morsel of enlightenment out of this seemingly stuffed in account. So let's look at it this way, you have Matthew, who was writing to the Jews, Mark, he was giving a second hand account but he was young, so as teenagers do, he just wanted to get the facts out so he could move on to the next thing, and then Luke, who was a physician so he wanted to bring into play the medical mindset.

I find it interesting that Matthew's version of the testimony is the shortest. as I mentioned he was writing to the Jews. So how were women viewed by the Jewish people. We will need to go back to the Old Testament to get a clear understanding. Let's read Genesis 17:11

"And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you."

This was God speaking to Abram. Notice this is before the law of Moses but this covenant clearly excludes a woman from entering a covenant with God directly. In verse 10 of the same chapter it is clear that "Every man child among you shall be circumcised." So here now we see that women could only have a relationship (covenant) with God through the covenant the men in their lives made. She would have to be related to a circumcised male as a wife, daughter or (depending on stage of life) sister.

Oh but there is more, let's read Exodus 19:1-15 - For sake of space I will just paraphrase for you but here we have God speaking to Moses about "the people" however reading it becomes clear that "the people" are the men of Israel because in verse 15 it states "And he said to the people, Be ready by the day after tomorrow; do not go near a woman." Again, women are to have their relationship through the Man of the house and these men would stand before God.  Beginning to see a pattern forming here?

Now it brings me to the issue this woman was having... an issue of blood. In Lev 15:19-30, again for space I will just paraphrase, it talks about the menstrual cycle of a woman. It speaks of  a woman's “regular flow of blood” according to the priestly laws, the menstruating woman will be unclean for the seven days of her period, as well as seven days following her period. Then, upon the eighth day, she must take two doves or young pigeons to the priest to make an offering before God that will atone for her uncleanness. Man, aren't you glad the law was fulfilled in the New testament. :).

Wait, there's more, during her cycle, anything the woman sits or lies upon (basically anything she touches) will be deemed unclean, as well as anyone who touches the woman. This means that the husband of a this woman is forbidden to approach her for intercourse (Lev 18:19) and, get this, “If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly cycle, he along with her has exposed the source of her flow, both of them are to be cut off from their people” (Lev 20:18). OUCH!

Plainly speaking, these Laws mean that every menstruating woman is ceremonially unclean for 14 days out of every month—roughly half of every year. Also, the menstruating woman is defiling to her husband and everyone within close proximity to her during this period of time as well. For women who had physical problems that caused constant menstruation, such as the woman with the issue of blood, she would be ceremonially unclean for her entire life and never able to make “atonement” for her uncleanness. this woman was just out of luck. however, knowing all this she pressed in to touch Jesus.

So think about it, this woman was putting herself in a dire situation to even go and approach Jesus, let alone touch him.

In my next blog, we will explore this a bit more and talk about how to overcome overwhelming circumstances.

You are Bound No More. 

Pastor Linda Hillman 

(c) 2015 Living Above Hurt Ministries 

Get Your Copy Now
Through the scripture and the story of the woman with an issue of blood, Linda Hillman moves past the obvious, more common meaning of the text to a revelatory truth: GOD would not have us live unbalanced and incomplete lives. In her book WILL YOU BE MADE WHOLE, Linda reveals just how crucial balance is in every area of your life. Through scripture,    practical principles and faith, Linda shows the reader how to get back on    track when life derails. In Pastor Hillman’s own words—“The one thing I have discovered in my life is that the pains I have had to endure were not to take me out of the game but to polish me for the end result.” Get    your copy today and be made whole!

In The Meantime - New Release Get Your Copy Today

In The Meantime: When Waiting is Key is a book that came from a single question, I asked the Lord in 2010, "Lord, how long do I have to wait on the promises you have given me?" The answer God gave me is written in these pages. Not only does it talk about the process of waiting it gives you an understanding of why the wait. While this may not be everyone's experience, I assure you that if you have ever waited on the Lord for an answer to your prayer, you will get an understanding from this book.

I struggled with the process of writing this book because it required me to look into my own life and much of this book convicted me because I saw where many times I have let my unbelief and impatience cause me to lose my footing and have to start all over again. When we see how Elijah deals with his “in the meantime” experience it gives us an insight to the character of God.

Week after week, with an unwavering and steadfast spirit, Elijah watched the brook dwindle and finally dry up. Often tempted to stumble in unbelief, he nevertheless refused to allow his circumstances to come between himself and God. Unbelief looks at God through the circumstances, just as we often see the sun dimmed by clouds or smoke. But faith puts God between itself and its circumstances and looks at them through him.

Elijah’s brook dwindled to only a silver thread, which formed pools at the base of the largest rocks. Then the pools evaporated, the birds flew away and the wild animals of the fields and forests no longer came to drink, for the brook became completely dry. And only then, to Elijah’s patient and faithful spirit, did the word of the Lord come and say, “Go at once to Zarephath.” (1 Kings 17:9).

Most of us would have become anxious and tired and would have made other plans long before God spoke. Our singing would have stopped as soon as the stream flowed less musically over its rocky bed. We would have hung our harps on the willows nearby and begun pacing back and forth on the withering grass, worrying about our predicament. And probably, long before the brook actually dried up, we would have devised some plan, asked God to bless it, and headed elsewhere.

God will often extricate us from the mess we have made, because “his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). Yet if we had only been patient and waited to see the unfolding of his plan, we would never have found ourselves in such an impossible maze, seeing no way out. We would also never have had to turn back and retrace our way, with wasted steps and so many tears of shame.