BOUND

I prayed for the box that the enemy had placed him in … to be shattered.

As soon as I woke up on the morning of 6/23/23, I had a prophetic vision with two parts. 

THE VISION PART 1

I saw the face of a man. His face was dirty and his hair was disheveled. He appeared to have been been sweating and was shaking, uncontrollably, it seemed. He was totally enclosed inside a light-colored wooden box that looked like an extremely narrow coffin. All I saw was his face, and I could tell that the box was totally surrounding him, to the point that he could barely move. Even though it seemed as if he had been left to die in a remote landscape where no one could find him, apparently, he was still breathing. The coffin’s planks were maybe an eighth of an inch apart, so he could see outside of the box yet was trapped inside. His skin tone was light, and he had dark hair and features. Honestly, he was very handsome and looked as if he could easily be a model. 

THE VISION PART II

In the second part of the vision, I saw the same man’s face, but this time he was not in a box. His face was clean, and his hair was combed. He was standing upright, smiling and laughing. Furthermore, the man was no longer shaking, or fearful, or anything of the sort. The atmosphere around him was sunny and pleasant, and his countenance was cheerful.

REFLECTIONS

Immediately, I began praying for this man. I initially prayed as if he was a real person who was actually in grave danger. My friend Melinda pointed out to me that perhaps he didn’t have anyone in his family to pray for him and so God chose me to pray instead. Who knows? I prayed first for rescue, for divine favor to be discovered where he was hidden, for healing, and for freedom. 

My second thought was that this entire vision may be symbolic. The face could be real, but the visions may be symbolic, with spiritual meanings—messages from God. The Bible tells of many times when God delivered messages through dreams and visions; He still does this today.

I continued praying but this time from a spiritually symbolic point of view. I prayed for the box that the enemy had placed him in, indicative of affliction, grave trouble, or sickness—forcing his life to be at a standstill—to be shattered. I prayed that whatever was keeping him bound would be destroyed because it was keeping him practically paralyzed in his current position, which seemed dire. I earnestly asked the Lord to bless him such that he would break free, for the chains that obviously held him to be loosed. His enemies had planned his demise, but check this out:

You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he’s doing today.

Genesis 50:20 CEB

Perhaps, in the second vision, God was assuring me that He had already freed this man. More likely, He was showing me that the smiling, clean face, along with the brightness of his new atmosphere, represented the situation the man could be in, the results that could be—depending on his or someone else’s prayers. God does not force Himself upon anyone. How would you like it if someone had to force the person you love to love you back? No, that’s not how the Creator of the universe rolls.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

I read something recently that said we should either worry or pray, but not both. God’s instructions make this crystal clear:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Philippians 4:6 NLT

Here’s the solution for anyone who feels as if they’ve been placed in a box—discouraged, stressed, bound:

PRAY

God’s word says if my people would humble themselves, and pray … then I will hear … forgive … restore … (II Chronicles 7:14).

MANY MAY RELATE

Whether the man in my vision is real or not, I believe there are many who can related to him and his situation.

Do you know anyone who may relate to this vision? Is it you?

  • Perhaps you feel as if everything is closing in on you, as if you were in a box.
  • Perhaps you feel entrapped, and you don’t see a way out. 
  • Perhaps you are nervous and uncertain about some things in your life. 
  • Perhaps you have been involved in something you are uncomfortable with, or that you know is wrong, and you don’t feel clean, spiritually.
  • Perhaps you look good on the outside, as if you have it all together, but on the inside you are distraught, maybe even depressed.
  • Perhaps you can see beyond your circumstances, but your feet feel mired in their current position.
  • Perhaps you are scared and ‘shaking’ and don’t know where to get help from or how to ask others, or God, for help.

GOOD NEWS

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

I Peter 5:10

God is a restorer. He strengthens you to be a repairer of the breach (Isaiah 58:12). He is a way maker. He parts seas. He raises people from the dead. He heals incurable diseases. There is absolutely nothing and no situation that He cannot handle. 

I pray in this moment that all who find themselves bound would soon be described in the following manner:

  • No longer bound
  • Completely set free
  • With chains broken
  • Surrounded by the marvelous, miraculous light of Christ
  • Smiling, genuinely, more often than not
  • Falling into the arms of the Heavenly Father, over and over
  • Looking to Jesus as both Savior and Lord
  • Rejoicing that the Holy Spirit guides every part of your life

Selah.


What are your thoughts after reading this post? Please comment and let me know, and I encourage you to share with others. Grace & peace.

Photo by Lars Nissen, LN_Photoart on Pixabay

Listen: A Lion, A Girl & Oppression

” … all the people looked disheveled and/or sad, oppressed. So, I walked in and asked what happened to the place. No one gave me an answer …”

A Dream, A Prophetic Interpretation and a Word

The Dream

Scene 1 – Sudden Darkness

I was walking down a road near where I grew up in Tennessee. Except it was now a dirt road, with very light dirt. I was going to visit the area where I was raised. I don’t remember if in the dream my mom still lived there or not. As I was walking down the street, which is pretty barren on both sides for a long stretch—no homes, only corn fields, as it is in the country—all of a sudden there was a boom sound and everything went completely black, no lights anywhere. Before there were street lights and it was about dusk. After the blackout the only light was the moonlight. And that was really dim. It felt as if the entire geographical region of Tennessee and beyond, maybe the world, was suddenly dark. I speeded up walking to get to the neighborhood quicker, where I figured they were other people and I would be safe.

Scene 2 – A Lion and a Little Girl

No cars came by, but I did pass a few people walking briskly on the other side in the opposite direction. So this one lady passed by; we didn’t speak and then I noticed a little girl following her. The lady was walking very fast and seemed completely focused where she was going, not glancing over at me or even looking back to check on the child. I believe she was Caucasian or maybe Hispanic. I know her skin color was pretty light. After passing me, all of a sudden, the little girl turned back and started following me. I urged her to go and catch up with her mother. She tried to do so but her mother had gone so far and she really couldn’t see her. The next thing I know the little girl was stuck in the ditch and crying out for help. She was literally hanging on something by her dress, head downwards into the ditch. I started walking over to help her, and before I could reach the ditch, I noticed what looked like a lion slowly going down toward her. It seemed young but large enough to do damage to any human. I froze and was really scared. I turned back because I reasoned that both of us would be killed by the lion. So in fear I kept going. I heard the little girl scream, and then I didn’t hear her anymore. I felt extremely bad. I kept going in the direction of the community. At that point I realized that I had somehow veered off the actual road and was about to walk straight into a swamp. So I doubled back and got back on the road. I was worried that I had to go back in the direction of the lion, thinking surely, he would get me too. But he was nowhere in sight, so once I found the road I headed back toward the community, as fast as I could.

Scene 3 – Shantytown

When I got to where our subdivision used to be, the streets and homes that should have been there were not. Instead, it seemed to be a huge camp of people like a refugee camp of sorts, with just little small pockets or rooms, like a shantytown, set up like a maze, seemingly with no streets. Chaotic and full of people. It was very dark and depressing, and all the people looked disheveled and/or sad, oppressed. So, I walked in and asked what happened to the place. No one gave me an answer. Most of them looked rather unapproachable, and I was a bit afraid so just kept moving through the maze hoping that soon I would break free of this and find my old neighborhood as it was. I came to this one door, and as I passed I looked in and it was full of foreigners, maybe 20 people or so. They appeared to be Indian or of some Asian country, all fairly dark skinned but with straight black hair. A man who seemed to be a leader (I think he was American but not sure) made them line up and begin marching out of the room single file. They were all men and were all with such a sad countenance. I caught one’s eye and gave him a smile to encourage him. The next guy in line looked at me and said, “It’s bad. It’s really bad.” I responded, “Are they abusing you?” And he answered, “Yes.” Then I told him I would try to help. And then they kept going. I had to stop to let them pass by. I followed behind them into the next room, namely because there was nowhere else to go, and heard the leader asking the guy I had spoken to what I had said. The guy told him that I would try to help them. Then the leader was very angry, and he grabbed my hand to try to twist it to frighten me. I became bold and looked at him right in the eye, and I grabbed his hand to try to loosen it from mine and said something like, “I’m not afraid of you, let go of my hand. You’re not the boss of me.”

The Prophetic Interpretation of This Dream

Some of the children in this world are in grave danger. We, as adults, are allowing this danger. How? From neglect. Being so concerned with our own safety, our busyness, our schedules, our safety, that we’ve forgotten about the children. There are so many being abused. ‘Hanging by a thread’—and headed in the wrong direction, even the opposite one they should be going in. Once they realize they are in trouble, they cry for help, but in fear, or disinterest, many ignore their cries. And so the ‘lions’ of this world—sex traffickers, abusers, pedophiles, child soldier ‘recruiters,’ kidnappers and other evildoers—easily devour them. They become ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and I would add, ‘out of hearing range, out of thought.’ We sympathize with their issues, but how often, do we actually do anything about them?

There are also adults being abused and oppressed around the world. No one can deny this truth. There were people of all kinds of nationalities in that ‘shantytown.’ Oppression is an international issue. Many nations are in turmoil as a result. God is shaking things up, majorly. He is showing us these things in our dreams for a reason.

A Word

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we pray! It is also necessary for us to get involved in standing up for children, rather, to their abusers. The children cannot do it themselves. The enemy is behind all evil, which is why, when we decide to fight him, it’s important that we wield a sword of great power: the word of God. Praying the word of God is powerful. And prayer changes things. This is a call to warfare prayer. And for those who are able, a call to action. For the children. And for those who are oppressed. Let’s press in to God, actually listen to Him, get insight on how we are to pray, and what we are to do.

Selah.

Turn Your Back

… Against systems and governments that make futile attempts to block My way …

Turn your back against the wall. And there it shall remain:

Against the hard knocks of angst for Me and My people.

Against the hardened walls to My affection and My love.

Against vileness and evil in the earth.

Against those who do harm to My people.

Against the baseless belief that some are unlovable.

Against using My daughters and sons for illegal and immoral harm and pleasure.

Against all those who scheme against Me and My people.

Against systems and governments that make futile attempts to block My way.

I am the Lord.