I came across this book sometime ago and I thought to share it, I need you to read this. It will bless you.
SEEK MY FACE
SO THAT I CAN OPEN THE EYES
AND EARS OF YOUR HEART
DIALOGUES WITH GOD
N
BY
BEN C. LUNIS
JANUARY 22, 2009
The author is a certified Facilitator (Instructor) with Communion With God Ministries. His personal biography is available at www.cwgministries.org.
He is available to conduct seminars and workshops on learning to
dialogue in two way conversations with God.
Other E-books by the author,
Passionate Intimacy With God Through Dialogue,
Dialoging With God Through The Tabernacle Experience,
and
Unbelief and Disbelief in the “Western” Church
as seen through dialogues with God
are available as free downloads at www.cwgministries.org
The author may be contacted on the worldwide web at:
www.lunis99@hotmail.com
or
4488 Golden Eagle Drive
Ashton, Idaho 83420
208/652-3743
208/351-2735
SEEK MY FACE SO THAT I CAN OPEN
THE EYES AND EARS OF YOUR HEART!
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14). (NKJ)
From the very beginning, God desires intimacy with His people. He wants them to seek His face and turn from doing things their own way. Through seeking His face, we are being set free to worship God in Spirit and in truth. This is an ongoing process. It is not a quick fix for our personal wants. God wants the eyes and ears of our heart to be opened to Him. The following is a compilation of some of my dialogues regarding these subjects. Our Lord’s input is shown in italics. First, blockages to our being set free to worship God in Spirit and in truth are identified by Him.
WE ARE BEING SET FREE WHEN WE LET GOD
REMOVE OUR RELIGIOUS FILTERS.
Everyone of us, and I mean everyone, has religious filters in how we see God because of our past religious and cultural experiences. God wants us to let Him remove these filters, knowing that we cannot do this by our own effort. One day, in a vision, I saw a huge valley. It was filled with countless numbers of people milling around. One detail that I especially noted was that each and every person was wearing glasses. And each and every pair of glasses had filters on them. Some of the filters were very thin, some were thicker, yet others looked grotesquely large, like a long cucumber attached to each lens. I asked God for His comments about the vision. He said:
Religion is one of the biggest filters, for it is not My pure word. Ben, we have talked about filters (through which people see God). Removing those filters that have been produced by religion, religious practices, and the works of Satan, is what I desire. As My Spirit “works” on each person, I will reveal to them the cause of the filters. It is up to them to come to Me so that I can do it. To hear this message from others is too often rejected as people rely upon their religious background, their justification for the way they think and believe. People need to
be encouraged to come to Me, to hear My voice speak to them and show them how to remove their filters.
RELIGION DEFINED
As I continue to spend time with Jesus, He shares with me more and more about the negative role that religion plays in the lives of people, producing filters over our spiritual eyes. One thing for sure, God does not want us to be religious! He does want us to be in relationship with Him! Lord, what is Your definition of religion?
Ben, as I have shared with you before, it is that which people do to see Me, to hear Me, to appease Me, to cajole Me. It is things, stuff, that people do to try to define Me, to understand Me. The problem with religion is that it puts Me in a box, a box that I do not want to be confined within. Religion comes in many forms, from atheism to extreme devotion. It is that which people do. I do not want what people can do. I want relationship first. Out of our relationship, I then can spawn that which I desire to do. Religion can do good things and it can do bad things. But these “things” are not what makes a relationship. It is accepting, receiving, sharing My love. Religions are man made. Relationships are God made.
Ben, you are seeing why I get so upset with religion. It is religion that limits Me to a few pages in a book. It is religion that puts Me in a box. It is religion that confines Me to certain actions in certain time spans. It is religion that replaces works for grace. It is religion that kept you from freely dialoging with Me, of seeing Me freely. Yes, culture fits into this picture, but much of culture develops out of religion – not the other way around.
So you see, Ben, our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). It is against spiritual wickedness – the wickedness that spawns religion. Ben, I am tired of religion. I want face to face intimacy. I want relationship with My people. I want to love them. I want them to love Me, and in turn love one another. When I said this is the first and greatest commandment, I meant it – and I still mean it! It is an absolute. It is not to be “flavored” to fit religious practices. This I detest and I will spew it out of My mouth!
Following is another dialogue that led into the need to remove spiritual filters. While preparing to teach about the Tabernacle to a Dialogue With God class, I asked Him about the Tabernacle being a prototype. Here is His response:
Just as My rhema word spoke things into being, My prototypes speak of things to come. That which has come speaks of Me and My glory.
When I asked Him to explain this statement, I received the following:
In the beginning was the Word. I am the Word, the Way, the Life, and the Truth. By My spoken word, My rhema word, I spoke the earth, the stars, the universe, and all that is thereon and therein into existence. That which I have created speaks of My glory and majesty. My Son speaks of My love. My dealings with My people speak of My love and My judgment when they choose to ignore Me by rejecting the many witnesses I have given to them of My love. The cross is the most significant of these. As I have revealed Myself to My creation, My created beings, I have used, and still use, symbolic, picture, representations of my love and My ways. You are learning some of them. The Tabernacle was one of the more significant representations. You will find many truths as you meditate upon its structure, contents, and meanings. You have seen My past word through a veil, through the filters you wear over your spiritual eyes. I am removing those filters from My children’s eyes so that they can see Me and My glory. I am revealing My truths to My people, so that they can worship Me in spirit and in Truth.
One of the main reasons God wants to remove religious filters from our spiritual eyes is for us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Part of being able to worship God in spirit and in truth involves receiving His healing through intimate and ongoing contact with Him.
Healing and love go hand in hand. Healing removes the roadblocks, those things that have happened to you in the past, things that have created filters. My love cannot penetrate through filters until I choose to bypass them to reach into your heart to purify you. You then experience My love more and more. I know this sounds heavy, but as you think about it, you will see that it is not that complex. Perfect love casts out fear. I am casting out, layer by layer, piece by piece, fears that have been created in the past. Sure, I could remove them all at once, but then you would not rely upon Me. I want you to rely upon Me for everything. Fear is self centered. It is concern about one’s well being. Through it, we create filters to protect ourselves and in so doing we block out God.
Ben, I want My people to be set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. Continue to stress My love for them, how important they are to Me. I want to have a love affair Ø with all of My children!
Ø An affair with God is not an earthly limited passionate relationship, but it is a long term spiritual passionate relationship with Him.
WHAT IS “WORSHIPING IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH”?
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)." (NKJ)
Recognizing that I have religious ideas about what this Scripture means, I asked Jesus our Lord to give to me His thoughts about worshiping in spirit and in truth. Here is His response:
You are learning to communicate with Me at the spiritual level. This is where My Holy Spirit operates. As He is enabled to operate in each person’s life, He reveals My truths, Me, to each one. I am the Way, the Life, and the Truth. No one comes to the Father except through Me. This is a basic truth. Because My ways are not your ways, we define truth differently. As you learn more and more about Me through My rhema (spoken) word, the truth becomes clearer and clearer. As you read and meditate upon My written (logos) word, the Bible, My Spirit will reveal to you My truths as I convert the written word into the spoken rhema word. It is an ongoing process. Truth is not learned over night. Nor is evil. There is an accumulation of information in each case. One route leads to Me, the other is designed to lead people away from Me. Choice enters into the picture. We choose whom we will follow. Me, Satan, or self. Satan uses self, that is the desires thereof, to steer My people away from Me. Encourage My people to follow Me. The rewards are untold, without limit. Follow Me at the face to face level.
Lord, the expression, “In spirit and in truth”. Is spirit to be capitalized to designate Your Holy Spirit, or is it general? Translations frequently seem to use lower case “s”. Your comments, please:
Ben, both apply. Think about it!
My thought: When we worship with our spirit, it is lower case. When we worship in Spirit, capitalized, we are allowing the Spirit of God to speak, sing, entreat, move through us in the heavenly, unknown, languages that He gives to us as a result of His Spirit indwelling us.
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
To worship in spirit and in truth - in this sense, what is worship? Lord, I am sure there is more to worship than I understand. Please tell me what You want me to know at this time.
Worship is fellowship with Me. It is a heart to heart experience. It is not just a song service. It is a continual activity. It is outside of time. It is inside of time. It is an eternal act. It is walking together, dancing together, laughing together. It is loving each other. As My Spirit sets your spirit free, you will truly worship Me. Remember, you are to worship Me in Spirit and in truth. The more of My truth you know, the more you can worship Me. They go hand in hand. Remember also, that you can do nothing without Me.
WHAT IS TRUTH?
How do we discover truth? What is it? I asked God about this:
I am the way, the life, and the truth. As I continue to reveal myself to you, you will know more and more about My truth. It is My truth that will set you free. Continue to seek My face. Spend time with Me. Journal with Me. Listen to Me. Read My word under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Trust Me. I will never forsake you. I am your Deliverer, your King, your Lover, your Friend. Trust in Me. There is none other.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers. He ate and talked with them about understanding at the heart level. Luke 24:45 says: And He (Jesus) opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Lord, is this a heart understanding?
Yes, it is, Ben. All of My truths are from the heart, from My heart to your heart. This is why it is so important to see with the eyes of our heart and hear with the ears of our heart. This is spirit to spirit communication. This is what I want to do with all of My children. I want to set them free to worship Me in Spirit and in truth.
HOW DO WE SEE WITH OUR SPIRITUAL EYES
AND HEAR WITH OUR SPIRITUAL EARS?
God, You are the same yesterday, today, and forever! You spoke then, you speak now! What is so difficult about hearing Your voice, dreaming Your dreams, and seeing Your visions? Seeing You and hearing You is so basic in our walk with You. Lord Jesus, Your comments, please, on my thoughts.
Ben, you are expressing the frustrations of My heart. You see why I am so upset with religion and what it does to My people. They will go to no end to justify their thinking, their belief systems. Why can’t they just spend time with Me and let Me speak with them? Continue to pray that the eyes and ears of those around you will be opened to Me so that they can see and hear Me, so that they can worship Me in spirit and in truth.
Lord, it makes such a difference when we see and hear with our heart. You give us understanding as to why people do as they do. This way, the real enemy can be attacked. Since most of this that I am seeing about me is religious bondage, what are your comments on how to deal with the root of the problem?
Ben, you spoke well when you said the root of the problem. First, pray that each one has the eyes of their heart and the ears of their understanding be opened to Me so that I can get at the root. They have to let Me do this. Being critical of people’s actions does not address the problem, the root. Now you understand what I mean by being critical. You are learning why it is so critical that each one has their spiritual eyes and ears opened to Me. Arguing and reasoning has little or no effect.
Lord, You said “first” that their eyes and ears are to be opened. What is next?
Next involves your obedience to Me. It is your spirit listening to My Spirit and responding accordingly. As your ability to see Me and speak with Me improves, which it is and will, you will see and know what I want you to do.
Many of my questions directed to our Lord evolve into the need to see with the eyes and ears of our hearts. Here is another example:
Lord, from you viewpoint, what is the difference between being negative and being critical about something?
Ben, being negative is being against something. Being critical is criticizing, speaking against that which I desire. Since you may not know what I desire, it is best that the eyes and ears of the hearts be involved to know what is My will, My desire, for any given situation. Again, this is why I want the eyes and ears of My people to be open to Me. See in the spiritual, not in the natural.
Hear in the spiritual, not in the natural. Think Jesus. Think as I think and you will set people free to worship Me in spirit and in truth.
Lord, when You say to pray that the eyes and ears of people’s heart to be opened to You and people ask how is this done, what is Your response?
Ben, they (My people) are to seek Me, to seek My face. They are to spend time with Me. Not just a casual, fix me, Lord, type of prayer. I want them to dedicate time to Me, to come often into My presence. Encourage them to read My Word, especially in the Psalms. Have them read and meditate upon Psalm 103. Have them ask Me about each item as they read it. Have them listen to My still small voice as I speak to them the truth that I want to convey into their heart. Tell them not to look for a quick fix so that they can go on there way, doing business as usual. I am tired of this kind of Christianity. I want fellowship, I want communion with all of My children. I want it all of the time. This is not being selfish on My part. I know the benefits that I have available for My people if they will come to Me with their hearts open to hear what I have to say to them. I want to bless them, but they have to let Me bless them. An occasional trip to the “prayer food bar” is not enough. When My people realize that I want a love affair with them, then their hearts will be opened to My presence, My healing, My fellowship, My joy. There are great rewards available from being in My presence. Seek Me first and all the rest will be added to you. Let’s get first things first. When I am first, your lives will be complete, rewarding, fulfilling, and filled with My joy!
Lord, as I have sought You about how to pray for others, the primary focus seems to be to pray for the eyes and ears of peoples’ hearts to be opened to You. I remember other prayer needs input You have given to me, like binding religious spirits, which relate to the eyes and ears of the heart. Your comments, please, Lord.
Ben, this is My main thrust with My people now. I want intimacy with My people. I want them to be set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. The eyes and ears of their hearts have been obscured, even closed, for too long. I want them to see past their religion and see Me. As you pray, continue to pray for My guidance. Let My Holy Spirit be your guide. I am opening eyes and unplugging ears!
Ben, there are many changes coming. You will have the privilege of seeing Me do a new and wonderful thing with My people. I am truly setting them free to worship Me is spirit and in truth. Satan has had too much control of this earth for too long. He has had his reign, his carrying out My will because of sin. That is to change. I am setting My people free. They have been in bondage too long. Their religious practices have blinded their eyes to My reality, who I really am and what I want to do. I desire intimacy. I am tired of religion. I want relationship with My people. I want them to seek Me with all of their heart, body, mind, and soul. Yes, their divine imagination Ù. I want them to see Me, to hear Me. Share with others what I am doing with you so that they will know that I can be seen and heard. I am not a dead object. I am alive and well! I want to talk with My people. I want them to see Me just as I saw My Father when I was on earth in an earthly body. I want them to do what they see Me do, just as you did at the Friday night meeting in Cottonwood. That was just the beginning. As I said before, hang on for the ride!
Ù Lord, please define divine imagination.
Divine imagination is when you see Me doing things. It is vision, seeing in the spiritual world. It is meditating upon Me and My words and creating scenes in your mind. It is allowing Me to activate the visions of your mind.
Our blessed Lord communicates with us in many different ways. Following are some of the ways He shared with me for the benefit of others:
Ben, there are many ways I communicate with people, with My people. When I inspire someone to write, to share My thoughts, they are speaking My rhema words to others. A knowledge of My Scriptures is essential to knowing what is from Me and what is not. Will every word I say be contained within My Scriptures? Of course not. Basic principles are there. My Holy Spirit is in you, in all of My people. When you pick up a book, especially one that my Spirit prompts you to read, you will be hearing My rhema voice speaking to you. Think about the Scriptures. Did I not use people to communicate My love, My messages to you? So why can’t I do the same today? Here again is another pitfall of religion. It ties My hands in the ways I want to talk, to communicate, with people.
Lord, any more comments on Your methods of communication?
Yes, Ben, I speak to people through all of My creation. I speak to people in a still small voice, as I am now doing with you. I speak in dreams, I speak in the hearts of people. Sometimes, it is just knowing. Sometimes, it comes through meditating upon Me and My Word, the logos word, the Bible. Sometimes it comes as a thunderous roar.
Sometimes My voice comes in visions. This is an area in which I want My people to develop their spiritual eyes and ears. Not only to hear Me, but also to see Me in vision, as you have experienced as you taught the class in Cottonwood Ú. When you both see and hear Me, you will experience greater miracles in your lives than you thought possible. I want you to see in the Spirit what I want to do. Just as My Son, Jesus, saw Me do everything that I did, I want the same for all of My people. I want them to walk in My power, with My guidance. Are there other ways I communicate? You bet! Watch as I unfold My path, My ways, to you. What I am saying to you, Ben, applies to all of My children. Share this with many. This is confirming to you much of what I have shared with you in the past. I am faithful to My word.
Ú A class of twelve students was doing an exercise in which they were to ask our Lord a specific question and then write down the spontaneous thoughts that came into their mind. As I was waiting for them to complete the drill, in vision I saw Jesus standing at my left. I watched Him as He went around the room, laying His hand upon the head of each person. Though I did not hear what He said to each one, I knew that I was to do the same. I explained to the class what I had seen. Then, in faith, I went from person to person, laying my hand upon each head. As I did, Jesus gave, through me, a powerful personal prophetic word for each person. All were deeply moved.
HOW DO THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLDS RELATE TO
THE EYES AND EARS OF OUR HEARTS?
The spiritual world is more real than the physical world. Thinking about the existence of both a natural and a spiritual world and their relationship to opening the eyes and ears of our heart, which is our spirit, I asked Jesus to comment on this. He said:
Ben, the spiritual world is more real than the physical world. That which we do in the spiritual world is everlasting. When you have danced with Me, talked with Me, spent time with Me, that is all recorded in your heart, your spirit. You are laying up treasures in heaven. As you spend time with Me, it is in real time, spiritually speaking. No one can take it away from you. It is there forever. This is one of the reasons why I so want My people to open the eyes and ears of their hearts to Me. In so doing, they are building treasures in the heavenly realm, the spiritual realm, the real “world”. What you see naturally will fade away and be gone, but what you see spiritually lasts forever.
Lord, someone recently said that they saw, in the spirit, body parts in heaven, just waiting to be delivered through faith to those in need. Your comments, please, my Redeemer, my Friend.
Ben, remember, everything existed and exists in heaven, before it becomes evidenced upon earth through faith. I want My kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. You know the Scripture (Matthew 6:10). This is My desire to set My people free. But first, many have to be set free of their religious beliefs and their developed unbelief. Continue to come into My presence so that your faith can be enlarged. I want My people to be set free to worship Me in Spirit and in truth!
THERE IS A WAY TO REPLACE UNBELIEF WITH BELIEF!
IT IS THE WAY OF JESUS!
Oh, the marvelous grace of our Lord, our Father in heaven! First He reveals our needs, our weaknesses, and then He provides the answer - Him! One of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God in replacing unbelief with belief is to only say and do what we hear and see Jesus do first. Using this approach, we are enabled to minister just as He did. When we respond this way, faith is restored, miracles occur, and people are set free! With God doing it first, He receives the glory! Remember, everything that Jesus did, He did so only after hearing His Father, and our Father, speak to Him, or show Him, in vision what He was to do. The Scriptures share this truth:
Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless {it is} something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and {the Father} will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel... 30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 5:19, 20, and 30). (NAU)
Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him (John 8:28, 29)." (NKJ)
Holy Lord, You said “As I hear, I judge”. I need your comments on judging.
Ben, it is as you suspected. I judge the thoughts that come into My head to verify that they are in the will of My Father in heaven. I expect you to do the same. I want you to bring every thought into captivity (II Corinthians 10:5) and judge it to determine its source. Judge it also to know that it is the will of our Father in heaven.
Lord Jesus, how do we judge a thought to know if it is the will of our Father in heaven?
Know My word, both the written (logos) and the spoken (rhema) word. Respond to the nudging of My Holy Spirit.
How did Jesus see His Father? Through His spiritual eyes! Though Jesus is wholly God, It is important to remember that Jesus limited himself to a human body while He was on planet earth in the flesh. His body was just like the one we have! Because He was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a very close intimate relationship with His Father, He was able to do that which He saw and heard His Heavenly Father do. Today, believers who are filled with God’s Holy Spirit can also do the same! We, too, have the capacity to see God through our spiritual eyes, just as Jesus, Moses, David, the prophets, and many more have seen Him. But first, our spiritual eyes and ears have to be opened. Our Lord, in His graciousness, is once again showing how we can open our spiritual eyes to see Him, to open our spiritual ears to hear Him, and most importantly, to fall more in love with Him.
God wants all of His children to be in close communion with Him. He wants them free of sin so that they can enter into His holy presence, using the means He has provided. He wants to love you, to heal you, to be with you in your thoughts and your life. Oh, that I could communicate to you how much God really loves you, how much he wants to talk with you, to be with you, to hold you, to let His love and healing power flow into your heart! If you want your faith enlarged, if you want more joy and victory in your Christian walk, learn to talk with Him and see Him in
vision. He wants that for you more than you want the same from Him! Our Heavenly Father, our heavenly Daddy, offers the following call:
My Children, I want you to come to Me. I have so much to share with you. Your spiritual eyes have been blinded for too long. I want to set you free to worship Me in Spirit and in Truth. I want us to have a love relationship. I am not looking for programs, for things you can do for Me. I am looking for intimacy. I want to hold you, caress you, let My love flow into you, heal you. But you have to let Me do it. I will not force Myself upon you. I have so much to give to you if you will only seek Me, seek My face. You have not because you ask not. You can ask Me for anything. I do not care if it is large or small to you. In My wisdom, I will respond and bring fullness, joy, peace, and love into your hearts. It is up to you. I am waiting.
In order to know the will of our Heavenly Father, we have to be able to hear Him and to see what He shows us. Each and everyone one of us has the capability of hearing His voice and seeing in the spirit what God wants to share with us. We can learn to do this. It is not a difficult thing to do! I spent most of my decades of walking with the Lord without knowing that I can easily commune, talk with Him, on a 24/7 basis. Within the last three years, God has revolutionized my walk with Him through the writings of Drs. Mark and Patti Virkler (How To Hear God’s Voice, Dialogue With God, etc., found at www.cwgministries.org), and others. These resources are such a blessing to me and are providing the practical means of dealing with unbelief in my life. They are showing me how to hear my Lord’s voice, to see and experience dreams and visions, and most importantly, to know more fully His great love for me and for others. THE ANSWER TO REPLACING UNBELIEF WITH BELIEF IS TO SPEND TIME WITH JESUS!!!
WE CAN DO NOTHING OF ETERNAL VALUE
WITHOUT GOD’S INVOLVEMENT.
Lord, this is one of Your great truths. We can do nothing of eternal value without You. When we ask You, allow You, to heal us, to change us, You then can enter into the picture. It is so important that we ask and allow You to work in our lives. When we try to fix ourselves, it is self effort, which in turn produces pride. Self is glorified, the Lord is diminished. Lord, is this a true analysis?
Yes, it is, Ben. You are receiving this message over and over again because of its great importance. Part of your “job” is to help My people realize their need to seek My face, to come to Me to be healed, to receive from Me. It is their free will that often keeps them from Me. It is their religious training that keeps them from Me. Set My people free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. You know the benefits: My kingdom is exalted, My people are set free. The circle of love is completed.
I want to bring healing into the hearts of My people. I want to set them free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. But! They have to let Me do it! They cannot do it on their own. Oh, what
rebelliousness when My people think, yes, believe, that they can accomplish alone what only I can do for them.
It is part of My love “package” to bring healing, to bring restoration, to bring freedom. By sharing My love with you, with all of My people, and your loving Me in return, we bring joy to My Son, Jesus Christ. In turn, this love extends to others, completing a circle of love, never ending, always growing. Love is eternal giving! Remember, you can never out give Me.
WHAT IS OUR PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT
IN ALL OF THIS?
Lord, I know that Your Holy Spirit brings conviction, direction, and correction to people. When people do not allow Your Holy Spirit to guide them into Your truth, I am beginning to understand more about the need for our prayers, our intercession. Our praying and interceding then allows heavenly activity to take place. Spiritual warfare ensues to set people free to worship You in spirit and in truth. Lord, Your comments, please, upon my thoughts.
Ben, they are also My thoughts. Without Me, you can do nothing. With Me, you can do anything. Ben, My Holy Spirit is a true gentleman. He will not intrude where He is not welcome. That is why I want you to pray, others to pray, that the eyes and ears of My people will be opened so that I can move freely among them.
Ben, you are learning to use the eyes and ears of your heart. You are being set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. You have learned much since we first started dialoging together. There is much more to learn. Continue to come into My presence. I will teach you, I will heal you, I will bring you great joy. I will perform miracles in your life, in the lives of those around you. See and do what I do. That is the secret to releasing My power, My wisdom, My hope, My joy. Now you are seeing the tremendous value of being able to see and to hear with your heart. Rejoice in what I am doing for you, through you, and to you. We do have fun walking together!
Ben, you are learning to walk in My love and My power. Remember the secret. Do only what you see and hear Me do first. Then the rest will follow because it has been done in heaven and is being transported to earth by My angels to bring about that which I desire.
In her time of great need, a dear friend asked, “How do we come to God, to let Him do things for us”? I told her to spend time in God’s presence, to seek Him. Somehow, I felt that I should have given a better response. Though the following response from our Lord was primarily for this friend, there are generalities that could apply to all of us. Here is God’s reply:
Ben, this response of having her spend time with Me is the best response. However, not everyone understands how they are to come to Me. They have too much religion that directs them away from the simplicity that is found in that statement of Mine. Add to this the need to read My Scriptures, especially those that apply to the need at hand. Meditate Û upon them. Do not study them. You know what this means. Have her ask My Holy Spirit to speak to her heart through what she is meditating upon. As you thought, have her read those books that I know will speak to her need. Just as you do, she can ask me if she is to read this book, or that one, and I will tell her what to do. In her case, she will need to rely more upon that inner urging rather than hearing My voice in her thoughts. This is OK. Both ways work. In fact, there are many other ways that I can communicate My love to her. Just be open to them all!
Û Biblical meditation is not study, yet it includes study. From the Greek, it is to ponder, to converse with oneself, to speak out loud. Study gives us reasoned knowledge, while meditation gives us revelation knowledge from God. Much of what is recorded in this document is the result of biblical meditation. Study is man in action, meditation is God in action. It includes asking God to open the eyes and ears of our heart. Through meditation, the written logos word contained in the Bible becomes the spoken rhema word in our hearts. (See How To Hear God’s Voice by Mark and Patti Virkler, pp. 61-74, for an in-depth analysis of biblical meditation. This excellent book is available at www.cwgministries.org.)
REVELATION AND UNDERSTANDING COME THROUGH
THE EYES AND EARS OF OUR HEART.
Ephesians 1:17-19 says: ...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 {I pray that} the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. (NAU)
Jesus, Your comments on this Scripture, please:
This is a treasure trove. This is how I reveal Myself to you. As I reveal My truths to you, you will learn more and more about My nature, My desires, My blessings. Open your eyes that you may see Me, open the ears of your heart that you might hear Me speak to you. Separate your thoughts from My thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). In time, you will learn to do this effectively. You will experience My power in your life. You will see Me perform miracles through you as you see Me do it in vision.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers and ate and talked with them. In this setting, Luke 24:45 records: And He (Jesus) opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Lord, is this a heart understanding?
Yes, it is, Ben. All of My truths are from the heart, from My heart to your heart. This is why it is so important to see with the eyes of our heart and hear with the ears of our heart. This is spirit to spirit communication. This is what I want to do with all of My children. I want to set them free to worship Me in spirit and in truth.
DO WE SEE GOD PHYSICALLY OR SPIRITUALLY?
Lord, when You were in the garden with Adam and Eve, they could see You in Your glory with their natural eyes because sin was not yet present. When sin happened, they, and subsequently all mankind, lost their ability to physically see You in Your glory. This is why Adam and Eve hid in the garden after being disobedient. Lord, Your comments, please, on my thoughts.
Again, Ben, I helped you draft this. Yes, they realized that My glory would blind them. They knew they could see Me through their spiritual eyes, the eyes of their hearts. That has not changed. People have lost their ability to see Me with the eyes of their hearts because of their cultures, their training, their religions. But, I am restoring My people’s ability to see Me with the eyes of their hearts and hear Me with the ears of their hearts. This is what I have been teaching to you. Teach it to others.
Lord, what about the times You appear in bodily form, such as after Your resurrection? I am thinking in relationship to Your glory, what You have shared about spirit and flesh contrasts.
Ben, as you have seen in the spirit, that is the way I appear in My resurrected body to others. I have opened their spiritual eyes to see Me clearly. This is why you can see Me and in an instant I am gone. I haven’t necessarily left. I have just “turned off” your spiritual eyes. Think of Paul. He saw Me on the road to Damascus. Others did not – they only heard, and were not sure of what they heard. When someone sees Me in their room, they are seeing Me through their spiritual eyes, which I have opened.
Lord, please comment on Your appearances to Old Testament people.
Ben, they saw through their spiritual eyes. It was very real to them, as you see recorded in the Scriptures. When your spiritual eyes are completely open, you will see Me clearly.
Lord, will I see this happen to me? I know You are healing My heart gradually, that You are not doing it all at once, as You have said before to me.
Ben, you will see Me in detail and clarity as we walk together. At the present time, you are not ready. Just continue to walk with Me. I will continue to reveal Myself to you.
Lord, as I wrote down my last question to you, I remembered that visionary capability comes through the right brain, which needs to be exercised to be more effective. How does this relate to healing the heart?
Good question, Ben. As your heart heals, I am more able to improve the functioning of your brain. It all ties together. Too often, hurts from the past cause our “brains” to go into self protective modes. These, in turn, block the flow of My Spirit and My love. This is another
reason why I desire to bring healing into My children, so that they can be set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth.
Lord, when you said dreams are from the subconscious level, is this the same as from the heart?
Yes and no. The heart is the real you — your spirit. This is where I operate, often using your right brain to communicate with you. Your emotions and your intellect are also involved. You are a complex being that is affected by many things. I am in the process of purifying hearts so that My people can truly see Me. Your right brain has the capability to see Me more clearly. Your background has not allowed it to develop, say like a muscle. Not used, it goes into atrophy and is difficult to restore to normal functioning. But with Me, all things are possible. That is what I am doing. I want all of My children to see Me with the eyes of their hearts. This is a universal desire.
Lord, the expression, “seeking Your face”, now has a whole new meaning for me that it never had before. Recently, I see it applying to literally seeing Your face in the spirit. This is exercising my right brain. As I see You more clearly, I will be better able to follow You and Your directions. Lord, is this thinking correct?
Ben, you will see many areas that have multiple levels of application. You are learning you have just touched the “tip of the iceberg” as I share My purposes and desires with you. Continue to seek My face. Your clarity will improve.
HOW DO WE RECEIVE REAL PEACE?
One of the great byproducts of Seeking God’s face is to receive His supernatural peace, the peace that passes all understanding. In a visualization, I saw Jesus and me sitting on a crude bench by the Sea of Galilee. Then He said; Let us go up into the throne room and see our “Daddy” Ü. Immediately, we were in the throne room. I saw myself sitting on my Father’s lap. This day, His robe was a beautiful purple. As He held me, He said:
Ben, I love you dearly. You are precious and special to Me. Let My healing continue to flow into you. I am God, I am Your healer, I am Your hope, I am Your salvation. Always look to Me, for I am your hope, I am your God. You are the sheep of My pasture. I calm the troubled waters. I bring peace. I want you to bring My peace to others. My peace I give unto you to share with others. My peace passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) . The more of My peace that you give out, the more of My peace will I pour into you. It is like an eternal spring of living water flowing from Me into you and then into others. Be an open spigot. Let My living water flow through you. Just as My Son Jesus did nothing unless He saw Me do it first, so do I want you to do that which you see and hear Me do. As you draw closer to Me, your vision of Me will grow stronger, your ability to hear Me will become clearer.
Ü Romans 8:15 says: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (NKJ) Also see Mark 14:36 and Galatians 4:6. Perhaps the closest English translation of the word Abba is Daddy. May I share with you the following related dialogue?
There is much more of our relationship that I desire to communicate with My people. As you are learning, you can call Me “Daddy”. Remember, We are Three, We are One. We are family. You have all the rights and privileges of Sonship, including the privilege of calling Me “Daddy”. Yes, you worship Me as Lord and God. At the same time, you have intimacy with Me at the father and son level.
THIS PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
IS TO BE GIVEN TO OTHERS.
Sometime later, God flooded me with His supernatural peace. While seated in my recliner, I was lost in praise to God as gentle music played in the background. In an instant, I was inundated with the supernatural peace that comes only from God. It was like a blanket of liquid love flowing over my entire being. Months have gone by since this first happened, yet I still experience His peace. God blesses us in different ways so that we can, in turn, bless others. It is all part of His love package, His circle of love, for us as we worship Him in spirit and in truth. Following is an applicable dialogue:
Lord, you have given to me of Your supernatural peace. You have said that I can pass it on to others and grow in the process. Your comments on this as an act of impartation.
Ben, it is an act of impartation. I have imparted upon you My peace. You, in turn, are to impart it upon another. It all fits into the circle of love. This again is why I want My people to be set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. Continue to listen to My voice, to come to Me, to seek My face. Therein lies the answers to everything!
HOW DO OUR CURRENT NATIONAL PROBLEMS RELATE?
Holy Lord Jesus, Your comments, please, on the causes for the current economic, political, and moral decay problems we are experiencing in America and elsewhere. There is our national leadership forcing Israel to give away Your covenant land. There is the problem of most of Your people doing their own thing and not seeking Your face. There is also the overall moral degeneration, the removal of Your ways, You, from the public scene. Sodomy and murder of children by abortion is prevalent and promoted.
Ben, is there any wonder that I am doing what I am doing? You (as a nation) have sown the wind and you are reaping the whirlwind. Any one of the above items you have identified is enough to bring My judgment. Yet you have chosen to follow all of them. It is My love that keeps Me from pouring My wrath out upon this nation. It is My love that causes Me to send forth My prophets to warn My people, to encourage them to seek My face and turn from their ways. I want fellowship - I do not want judgment! Yet the time will come when I will send it forth like a mighty wind of destruction!
I want My people to turn to Me. As you can see, I am taking the fat of the land away. I want My people to look to Me, not to the fat that I have blessed them with. They want to put the cart in front of the horse. I want first things first! When My people come to Me and seek My face, then I will heal their land!
WE CAN HIDE BEHIND THE PHRASE
“GOD IS IN CONTROL”.
Holy Lord God, I am having trouble when I often hear Your people saying “God is in control”. Then they just wait for You to do something in which they should be involved.
Ben, I too have trouble with the same thing. It is truly a religious copout. It is hiding from one’s responsibility to be obedient to Me so that I can work through them to bring about My desires. I want My people to seek My face so that they can hear My voice and respond accordingly. I am tired of business as usual. I want My people to turn from their ways, some of which are wicked, and seek My face. Ben, you are sensing, you are feeling, My heart - this is all part of walking in the prophetic. Your message will be accepted by some and rejected by others - know that this will happen. However, do not be discouraged or dismayed. Wipe your feet off for those who reject what I am sharing. Follow Me and Me alone. I am the Way, the Life, and the truth - no man comes to the Father except through Me - Jesus!
GOD WANTS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
TO BE A LOVE AFFAIR.
Ben, as I have said before, I want all of My people to have a love affair with Me. I am looking for a passionate relationship. I do not want just a warm fuzzy type of relationship. Think of when you were first dating. You did everything possible to be with the other person, to share your love and your thoughts. It is no different with Me. How can we be passionate for each other if we do not spend time together, if we do not talk and commune with each other? Ben, the greatest desire of My heart is to have a love affair with each and everyone of My children. I want them to be passionate in our relationship. I want to hold them close, bring them comfort and healing, set them free of their bondages. I want to share My heart with them. I want them to experience the depth of My love for them. Since I am love, this is the only way I can operate — out of love. Let Me put My arms around you. Let My healing flow into you, carrying away all of the garbage you have accumulated over the years. I want an open relationship with all of My children. I want them to be open with Me. That which they keep from Me produces a wall of separation in our love relationship.
A PERSONAL INVITATION FROM OUR CREATOR.
Do you want to draw close to Me? Do you want to experience My great love for you? I want you to come to Me so that I can heal you, so I can bless you. Do not resist the call of My Holy Spirit. He is a gentleman and He will not go where He is not desired. Do not grieve Him. Do not resist His call in your life to worship Me in spirit and in truth.
There is so much for you to know about Me. We have an eternity in which to do this, and we are in that eternity right now. We do not have to wait for some unknown time in the future to share our love together, to walk in close communion. I have come to set My people free to worship
Me - now. When you accepted My Son as your Lord and Savior, you entered into an eternal relationship with Me. We are in this together for the long haul. Now and Later! Enjoy My presence. Rejoice in My love - now! Seek Me - you will find Me!
Seek Me with all of your heart. Put Me first, above personal preferences, above religious backgrounds. As you draw closer to Me, I will reveal to you what you are to do to bring others to Me. If I am not first, then your labors are in vain. They are but religious activities. Seek Me first and My kingdom. I want My kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. On a daily basis, I will meet all of your needs. I am speaking to you as My body, My beloved. I want to set you free of religious bondage. You all carry it and I desire to remove it. But you have to let Me do it. You cannot do it on your own. Bring it to Me, confess it to Me so that I can bring the needed healing into your hearts.
Many changes are coming. I am unleashing My Holy Spirit in ways that you cannot imagine. I want My people to be set free to worship Me in spirit and in truth. The devil has had his sway for too long – now it is My turn. Watch and listen. See and do what I do. Hear what I say and respond to it. You will see miracles. You will see many miracles. Watch as I unfold My mysteries to you and to others. Now is the time. Rejoice in it, for you will see great and mighty things. I am setting My people free. I am bringing freedom where there is bondage. Expect anything to happen. It is a new day! Rejoice in it! Praise Me, worship Me, so that I can bless you and set you free. This applies to all of My people. Watch and see. Yes, and pray. Come into My presence for healing, for hope, for restoration. You do your part. I will do my part!
As a step of faith, ask our Lord to make His love real to you, to help you become more intimate with Him. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to reveal the filters that you wear that keep you from seeing Him as He really is. Since iniquity, sin, breaks our communion with God, set them aside and ask to be forgiven. Ask God to help you communicate with Him at the heart to heart level. Ask Him to bring healing into your heart so that you can love Him and others more. He will do it because He said He will do it. Just let Him do it!
