LIVING FROM A GRACE-FILLED HEART

A SPIRITUAL DREAM

Recently I had a dream from the Lord that had personal application to my own life; however, I also sensed that I was to share it to help others be prepared in the future.  In this dream I was with a young man in his late twenties, and as the conversation in this dream moved towards a discussion of the “church,” this man became very angry and walked away from me.  I pursued him and asked why he was so angry when we talked about the church.  He began to tell me that on two separate occasions, a priest (a different one each time) had upset him a great deal.  He specifically mentioned that one of the times a priest came up to him and performed a procedure called "bluing."  In this procedure the priest approached him, and though appearing to befriend him, the priest tricked him and instead tripped him and caused him to stumble to the ground.  I told the young man that I was very upset by what this priest had done, and he said that I was only one of a few that felt that way about it.  He said that most people to whom he had shared this felt that what the priest had done was acceptable, as it was a means to teach "maturity or character" in the process.  I again told him that I thought it was very wrong.  There were other components to the dream, but this was the most important. 

“BLUING” 

When I shared the dream with Denise, she told me that “bluing” was a substance that was used in times past to make clothes whiter than could occur through normal washing.  I was not aware of that.  Webster’s defines bluing as “a product used in laundering to make clothes white by counteracting with blue coloring the tendency of cloth to become yellow.”  As we talked about the dream in that context, it seemed like the Lord was emphasizing that He desires to deal with "religion/legalism" in a major way.  In the context of the dream, the priest represented the "church" attempting to bring about "whitening" through a means that was not from God.  It involved man's approach and it involved shame.  It produced anger in the young man and a walking away from the church and from God.  It also spoke very powerfully to me about how I have attempted at times to use "bluing" to make myself "clean enough" in my own Christian walk and it has never worked.  It has only caused me to walk in condemnation, self-hatred, depression, and fear.  It emphasized again to me that there is only one type of "bluing" that works--that being the whitening that occurs through the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.  It is only His blood that truly makes us white, and no other means (religion, man, etc.) can ever do this.  We must have this “great grace” (Acts 4:33, AMP) so deeply established in us that we not only know it “intellectually” but we live it “experientially.”   

NO MORE ACCUSATIONS

The bottom line is that God wants to free us from "religion," and the fear of man.  There can be no life in religion, as religion brings death, while the Spirit brings life.  Many of us still struggle with a "long-standing" accusation--that of not being "clean enough"--but the Father doesn't want us to live under this.  We will never be able to be at peace and to accomplish what the Father has called us to until this evil, lying spirit is dealt with.  We can never live in a place of true acceptance and rest in the Father’s love for ourselves while this thing is still alive.

HELPING OTHERS WHO WILL COME

In addition to the Lord’s personal emphasis to me from this dream (He first cares about the “one,” then the “many”), I believe it also has important implications for the Body of Christ for the future.  I believe that we are living in a time whereby we in the Body of Christ will witness and be allowed to participate in one of the most significant moves of God that has ever occurred.  This is also supported by many trusted prophetic voices from different “streams” of the body.  As a part of this future, unprecedented move of God, it is also believed by many that what we currently know and recognize in the Kingdom—particularly in our western culture—will change dramatically.  As the Lord pours out His power and His love, including His “severe mercies,” upon a world so desperately in need of Him, the “wineskin” or the “church” will change.  If we are not living from hearts that know His grace, but are yet trying to live from a place of duty, performance and religion, we will not be able to yield to the changes that will come.  We will also not be able to walk in a truly committed lifestyle for Him if our hearts are not secure in His grace.  In addition, we will not be able to be “people of understanding that instruct others” (Dan. 11:33) and provide the “true Gospel” to those who come running.  Instead, we run the risk of giving forth things that are not coming from the Father’s heart.  We will need to be a people who are able to stand up against any religious practices that serve to put people in bondage.  As I stood against this issue with this man in my dream, he began to trust me and he opened up to me (a latter part of the dream).  I believe that the Father is seeking those who will allow Him to continue to heal their hearts and deliver them from any remnants of “religion,” so that they can be a people who are prepared and who will “prepare the way” for Him.

A VISION OF HIM AND A VISION OF ME

Recently, the Lord drew Denise and me to the first part of Proverbs 29:18, which reads,

“Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .” (KJV).  We have usually heard this verse quoted in reference to the importance of having a personal vision for our lives.  Though this is an important application, when we looked further into the Hebrew meaning of “vision,” we found that it actually refers to a vision or revelation of God.  In fact, the Amplified version of the Bible defines “no vision” as “no redemptive revelation of God.”  Though I relate to the need for a personal vision for my life, I relate even more to the need for all of us to have a deeper and more personal vision or revelation of God.  When this occurs in our lives, I believe we will see a true vision or revelation of ourselves, which comes directly from the Father’s heart.

MY CRY AND THE FATHER’S RESPONSE

For a few years now, the Lord has repeatedly emphasized Jeremiah 33:3 to us.  It states,

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)” (AMP).  As I reflected again on this verse, as well as on this new understanding of Proverbs 29:18, I wrote the following “heart cry” in my journal: 

“Father, I call and look to you and I ask you for a “vision” of myself—how you see me through your eyes.  Lord, let me not perish for lack of the proper vision of myself.  Please give me a divine revelation—of me.”

Then, as I quietly waited on His response to my cry, I sensed Him saying the following: 

“Jerry, I long to bring forth the revelation that you seek.  I want to show you what you do not see nor know—a great and mighty thing—mightier than even the greatest miracles that I have done.  As I change how My people see themselves—even in the face of their own inadequacies and failures—I release great power—power to change a world.  When this occurs in My people, they become a sign and a wonder—to themselves and to everyone around them.  Call to Me regarding this need.  Make this your main call.  This I will do.  This I must do—for the glory of My name that resides in you.”

PLEASE PRAY WITH ME . . .

Father, You sent Your son as an act of Your love (John 3:16), so that we may have life, and Your son Jesus came “full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).  I was created in Your image and in the image of Your Son.  I want to be free to live from a heart of love, grace and truth.  I bring my heart to You now and I invite You to reveal, heal and deliver me from any ways in which I still live from a heart of religion or legalism rather than from a heart of life in You.  I know that I can never do enough or be clean enough in my own ability, and I thank You that I don’t have to try anymore. I need a clearer vision of You and of myself.  I want to rest in You and I want to live my life wholly devoted to You and for Your purposes in this world.  Continue to prepare me for what You’re about to do, and help me to prepare others and to do so from Your heart.  In Jesus Name, Amen.   

From the Father’s Heart,

Jerry Basel