What is the Will of God for Your life? The Importance of Seeing in the Spirit

I have just officially closed a chapter of my life and have been reminded how very powerful and needed the ability to see and hear the spirit realm is for every believer.

In John 8:38, Jesus said "I speak what I have SEEN with my Father".

A little later in the chapter He says, "He who is of God HEARS God's words". John 8:47

In John 10:27, Jesus states "My sheep HEAR my voice...and they follow me".

I ran out of the court house with unrelenting sobs that came out louder than I anticipated. I knew they needed to be released, but I didn't know they would gush forth from such a deep place inside me. It was over. The gavel had fallen. The judge granted me what my lawyer had prepared for: a divorce by adultery. A divorce. A second divorce before I was even 40 years old. Grief was covering me like a menacing cloud that was starting to materialize and turn to an encompassing blanket. Not any blanket, but a thick heavy blanket of reality that I had to raise another son in a split home and release the hope of reconciliation with my husband. I just wanted to hide somewhere. I wanted to go into a private place where I could scream and cry and beat the floor without judgment. Where a year and a half of holding my breath looking for any change in behavior could finally be released.

That is when the phone rang. My oldest son uttered the words, "I just had a wreck". I really couldn't even understand the words I was hearing, much less an appropriate response I should give. I was still swirling in my own cloud when I suddenly had a knock in the head of mom strength to focus and be strong for him. Who knows where that energy to rescue my kids comes from but it seems to always be there in the reserves just waiting for times like this. Thank God my son wasn't hurt but his car wasn't going to bring him home for the holidays. So I commenced on my three hour trip to pick him up. God knew what I needed. The three hours back with him were refreshing, like cold water on a hot face. That dark blanket was sliding off and a deep seated thankfulness for God's divine timing and providence grew inside me.

The next morning as I reached out to the Lord in prayer, I saw him (not with my physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes) hand me a pair of wire cutters. I looked down and saw a giant fish hook hanging out of my belly (again, in the spiritual). I took the tool he handed me and cut the barb off the hook and slid it out of me, just like you would if you caught yourself while fishing. That's it! Sounds so simple, but from that moment on, I felt free. I mean like it doesn't make sense to your mind kinda free! I was no longer sad or full of grief. I felt light and excited. Like the scripture says, the joy of my salvation felt like it returned to me and I was ready to run. That unexplainable joy and excitement started a reflection process in me that I wanted to share here.

Sixteen years ago, I was hanging around a group of people that always asked the question "What is the will of God for my life?" They always seemed to be desperately seeking, but hopelessly blind. Their emotions followed suite: the days they felt like they were doing something 'spiritual' would bring elation and the days they did 'normal', everyday things would be disappointing. I couldn't help but desire to distance myself from these thought patterns as they were exhausting! Eventually in 2002, I met a group of people who were confident that everything they did was 'spiritual'. They were determined to preach the gospel in season and out of season with every word, action and thought no matter where they were or who they were with. They could see and hear things in the spiritual realm that would bless others tremendously and often cause life changing results. I wanted that. I wanted to be able to love people well. I wanted to hear what God had to say knowing it would be full of love and power. So I started to practice listening. I hung around those that could hear well and asked questions. I trained my ear to trust what I was hearing. A lot of times God is speaking to us but we pass it off as our own weird thoughts or something fleeting. In reality, it is the God of the universe that very clearly promised that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

What pasture is he leading into you today?

~Love you so much~

Nikki Martin