Saturday, February 23, 2008

Dreams And Visions - Ram's Story Part 3

India - Dreams and Visions - I meet my wife, Kinsleigh

The Lord was telling me something. I had been doing some summer work, and a few of my friends were planning to get involved with missions work.

India?

There was a church that did a mission in India for four weeks it was called "India challenge." It lived up to its name. It was my first time doing any type of missions outside of England. I was finding it hard in my spiritual walk as I was not encountering the Lord when I would do my normal prayer routine. We landed In Bombay at 2.00am and were thrown into a busy world of thousands of people everywhere; begging for money, grabbing the luggage.

This was our welcome to India. The heat and smell was the first thing that hit all the team. We eventually arrived at the Salvation Army hostel. Our plan for the whole trip was : Sunday morning we would be doing 4 different church services as well as drama’s and worship!!

It was designed to test us to our very limit. The room I was in had over 15 bunk beds, and the room was filled with different people from all over the world. We were set up in teams of four and the teams were made up of 3 girls and 4 guys. Our motto was, "If it moves, pray for it"!

We went out and gave food out to the street people and started to travel with the people which was always interesting. On one trip I remember having to jump off a moving bus. People started to grab hold of me and would not let me off, so I jumped. I was OK but for a few scratches.

After the first week it felt like I had been there for 6 months and at the drop of a hat I could preach and pretty much do what was asked me.

Darkness in our room

India is a very strange place. Millions of idols are worshiped there. I still woke up early in the mornings and one night while I was there, I woke about 2:30am. I slept in a bottom bunk and from my bunk I faced the door, as I looked around the room I noticed that the door was open. We had made sure it was locked as we never knew who would try and come into our room, so I started to get out of bed. As I began to walk towards the door I felt a real dark presence and I started to back track as I could feel fear gripping me. I slowly got back in bed and was staring at the doorway.

Strange demon

We had all our luggage leaning against the wall, so there was a line of luggage leading all the way down to my bed. Suddenly the luggage bags began to drop! One by one like dominoes, towards me. I hid under the sheets putting on the armor and telling God I was too young to die. "Lord save me!" After what seemed like an eternity, I pulled back the covers and all the bags were thrown every where.

Somehow every one else in the room was still asleep. When the guys woke up and noticed what had happened, I recounted the story. From that time we all made sure we prayed before we went to bed.

I was told our team, would be going to one of the biggest slums in south east Asia. We arrived and were brought into a very small meeting room. It was packed with people inside and out. As we got ready to do our drama, there was a power cut and it was pitch black. We all kind of looked at each other in the dark thinking, "What now?"

Someone said these power cuts can last for days at a time! The people did not move, and we just started to pray for the lights to come back on, after praying nothing happened, so we prayed again. Then the lights flashed on and off and came back there, were a real excitement in the air.

After the message people started to pour forward, I was praying for Muslim boys a whole group of them, and as the power the Holy Spirit hit these children, they would push their friends back up and try and act like they were not being touched. We ended up leading some of these boys to the Lord. It was wonderful,

A witch

A couple of my team members called me over to pray for a lady. I asked one of the girls on the team to pray for her with me. She said, “No, I’m not praying for her, she is a witch.” I looked at the lady and asked what she wanted but she remained silent. One of the pastors there told me she was the local Hindu witch. I got myself ready and as soon as I lay my hand on her and said, "Jesus", she turned into a lunatic! She started to move forward like she was going to attack me, she was completely changed, her face changed shape right in front of me and it was no longer a normal women there. I took evasive action and I got into fighting stance, (old habits die hard) I realized who I was in Christ, and looked directly at her and said,

"You have no power over me, I bind your power in Jesus name!" As I said this, she jumped at me and then hit an invisible wall and slid to the floor. It was like someone was sitting on her. We prayed for deliverance for her but ended up just binding the demons, so the meeting would not be disturbed by her screaming. We left that slum happy and worshiped all the way back to the hostel.

I woke up early to the noise of traffic, the traffic noise was conastant and continued night and day. I lay there on my side facing the wall, I was not going to be facing the door any more! I lay there and started to complain to the Lord about the absence of His presence in my life.

I had so easily forgotten all He had done for me that day, as I was talking, well mainly grumbling, the same bright light that filled my room filled this room. I said, "OK you're God, I'm sorry you know what is best for me, "I realized He could manifest His presence at any time so I stopped feeling sorry for my self and got out of my "poor me" world after that. The India trip was awesome and we all had such a great time there.

Bible College in Scotland

When I got back to England things were really moving fast for me, Peter, a friend who I had spent the summer working with, got together with me and said Alison, His wife, wanted to pay for me to go to Bible College. It was a lot of money. I said "I don’t know" because it would have meant a year living in Scotland and away from my family.

A couple of days later I was at our family camp church event which was held each year, I met the people who ran the Bible college and it seemed like the next step for me. I got back and explained to my family I was going to a college in Scotland they were shocked, as were a lot of my friends, thinking I had joined a cult some where. Before I knew it, I was in a room in Scotland, just a week after being in the slums of India.

Scotland

It was hard to for me to adapt to my new surrounding. The course I was doing was in theological studies and involved teaching from a lot of leaders from around the world who would come and share their lives with us for a week or so. Also lots of Bible reading and work around the college. Anything from painting or chopping wood, to washing dishes and cleaning the college. My room mates were really nice. My journey in Scotland had begun.

Scotland Journey

I would be living in Scotland for the next 8 months, during that time I went through many different types of things that helped shape my character today, my time at Bible College really was the Lord's way of getting me out of my comfort zone and in a place of being open and venerable around others.

I prayed with my room mates every night. It was funny, as we would go around the room and pray for one another their requests were normally for peaceful dreams and help in certain areas but when it came to me I would say "I want dreams and visions and encounters with God." They would just laugh about it. We formed a good bond with one another and after college me and my room mate Matt began doing youth events in the south of England.

Matt was a youth pastor and he became a pastor in London, But his vision was to have young people encounter God and we did events which would last a week called "Substance of the soul. " He would preach and have others there and I mainly came and did prophetic workshops and also help others activate their gifts. Those times were always powerful.

Communicating

I also met a wonderful couple who became like spiritual parents to me; they were from White Horse, Yukon Canada. Dan and Mary Ann helped me learn things I guess you would not expect to learn at a Bible college. I was a very introverted person and I did not know how to communicate with people socially. I would be really quiet and never really know how to talk with people about feelings or anything personal. Let’s just say I was very challenged in that area. Dan would normally make me sit by him during our dinner times, so I could not escape and was forced to talk with people, My usual routine was eat quick as possible and get out.!

We would travel, a 2 hour drive into Edinbrough in the back of an old van with seats in the back. It was a rough ride there but was worth it when you got to the church. I remember meeting John Paul Jackson (a prophetic man from the States) there and I told him about some of the encounters I had in the past and some of my frustrations. He shared some insights with me that helped me come to understand that I was not crazy and also the things that had taken place were from the Lord. This was a divine appointment for me, as his teaching and ministry would really help me grow.

I finished Bible College and was now ready to go into the world, and take it for Jesus. I got back to Derby and my family were not interested in anything I had learned in Scotland and before I knew it I was back into the world of looking for work where ever it was.

Dreams
During this time I still felt like I was absent from the Lord but I had started to take note of my dreams more and was beginning to value anything that came to me now, whereas before if I had a God dream I was not too interested in it, as it was not an "encounter."

I began working with many different work agencies I would try and preach and pray for the sick at any opportunity, believing every where I went was a divine appointment. After 6 months of odd jobs all over the place I got placed in a big sterile warehouse which washed all the linen from local and nation wide hospitals.

My first job there was folding pillow cases. This lasted a few days and then I got put on a machine that pulled big sheets inside of it and dried them. It was a hard job as the sheets would fall into barrels and would be knotted up and wet and hot with steam coming off them. I was doing this for 10 hours a day. I felt I would only here for a little while, believing at any moment I was about to walk into my great destiny.

After working there for a few years, I complained constantly about how the Lord had forgotten about me and I must have missed my chance with Him, I came to a realization of the fact that Jesus had pre-ordained good works for those who trust in Him, so I was in the right place as I had not back slidden or fallen into sin.

I trusted that his hand had guided me to where I was and I began to learn to be content with my job and life at that time. I was already in my destiny and was daily walking it out. It was not something I would walk into one day, but it was what I walked in on a daily basis. This was very freeing to me. Godliness and contentment is great gain.

As I began to enjoy my mission field of the work place my joy returned and the Lord really blessed me while I was there. I worked with the company in many different departments but during my 5 years there I had many opportunities to share the Lord and saw many people healed. They used to call me to the office sometimes when people were sick. I saw people instantly healed.

My work place was very flexible with me and allowed me to travel on my holidays and take unpaid leave to go and minister, I had a very good set up.

Then, randomly I decided to change my job and began working in a different warehouse with the same company but this was a lot of forklift and stock control. People thought it was strange, my leaving to do this, as I was in a good place, working in the clean room, working the sterilizer units. I could do this job with my eyes closed, I was very comfortable there. This change of direction came in useful later. It helped me to get a job in the states and I believe it was the hand of the Lord once again directing me.

Dream and U.S

I had many dreams about doing things with certain people in the states. I had dreams of me working with John Paul Jackson, I would be part of a team and we would be giving people words and ministering to them.

I believed that one day I would be in the States and the Lord told me in a dream/vision about leaving England and coming to the U.S. He showed me areas I would be doing things in the future and also confirmed some things as well. He gave me a scripture, Gen 12, the call of Abraham to leave every thing and go to the Land he had shown me, so this is what I did.

Tim. believed that God had much great things in store for me in the area of ministry. I have always been reluctant to move into things as I have found normally the Lord would not leave me any choice but to do what He wanted. After the years of my warehouse work I had learned one lesson, to wait and trust that God is really in control, and if He said something is going to
happen then it will, as we remain walking with him.

As I said earlier, I had started to do youth events in the South of England and worked with my friend from Bible College. This went on for a few years, I had also met John Paul Jackson when he came to Derby. I got to spend some time with him and His team and asked him many questions concerning dreams and angelic encounters, He told me there was a high level gifting in me and spoke about further training.

After a year, my friends Tim and Lynne, went to the Morning Star New Year conference at the end of 1999. There they met a women called Gloria. She felt like she had seen Tim’s wife before in a vision.

John Paul Jackson

She had dreamed about Lynne's house and John Paul was there at her house. This was another divine encounter, Gloria was the dream coordinator for Streams Ministries in Atlanta. A few month's earlier in Derby, Lynne, Tim’s wife did have John Paul come by for tea as he was ministering in our church, in Derby.

A few months later, Gloria came to Derby with a team, her daughter Kinsleigh and a friend and also a guy whom had been trained by John Paul for 10 years His name was Phil Zaldattie. Phil and Gloria spoke at some events the church organized and I got the opportunity to befriend Gloria and Phil.

We did prophetic workshops from the morning to the evening on a Saturday, where we gave words to people for 15 min slots. It was a powerful time. When we had finished I got prayer from the team and Phil gave a word about further training in the States. I weighed the word and said "Thanks."

I kept in touch with Gloria and Phil for a while and thought I would travel to the States. It was a crazy trip. I had planed to travel all across the United States over a six week period, altogether it was a total of 12 flights, and on the first day I got on 3 planes (it was a long day).

My plan was to visit my friends in Canada and then fly down to California and then across to Georgia for a few days and see Gloria and her daughter, Kinsleigh. Then I was going to spend the last week and a half in New England where Phil lived. Well that was the plan. Things went well with my friends in Canada I spent a lot of time praying with people and giving words. I saw
my family in California and they were deeply religious Hindu people.

They were not to pleased with me being a Christian. I didn't go to the temple with them and refused to bow and do any of the things they were doing. I sat there and prayed in tongues for a while.

My stay at the house was unforgettable. The day I walked into the house one of my aunties was manifesting a demon, but they were gathered around her talking to it thinking it was one of their saints speaking through her!! I had just come off the plane and sat down when this was taking place. They were all pretending that nothing was going on. I knew what was happening, the
woman whom was demonized started pointing at me and doing a weird laugh, and made some fun of me. I got up and pretended I needed to go for a walk.

I was wondering what I was going to do as I was planning to be there for two weeks!!! Well I spoke with one off my cousins and said I believed in the power of the Name of Jesus to cast out demons. He looked at me and started to tell me that their cast was a pure cast, and nothing evil was happening. I disagreed with him but they all continued to pretend that nothing unusual
was happening.

After a few days I woke up in the middle of the night and had a some family members gathered around me chanting some things. I opened my eyes, and was shocked, but lay there and just prayed and tried to go back to sleep. After that I decided I wanted to stay elsewhere, so I moved to my mom’s sister’s house across the street and left them to worship the demon.

Once I left there my plan was to stay in Atlanta for 3 days and then to fly to New England but when I arrived at Gloria's house, she informed me that she had some meetings planned, there was a group of people there to minister to.

I shared my testimony and a few words. I called Phil and he told me he had to fly to California at short notice to do some classes. So I was left wondering what I should do? I ended up staying at Gloria's house for the rest of my trip and I was really stretched by the fact that so many people kept coming and wanting words from God.

I felt the Lord gave me a taste of what it is like for many prophetic people and how people see them and just want words. I went home feeling the life had been sucked out of me and I was done with the prophetic if that what it was really about. America was not for me.

I went back home and picked up where I had left off with my job, Phil would call and say come on to the States, After my experience of the last trip I was not going anywhere until I felt the green light from the Lord.

I decided, If God really opens the door then I will come. Some years went by and one day I felt it was time to go back to the States. I called Phil and told him I was going to make preparations to leave England and come over there. He was excited and began to make plans there for me to arrive. I left every thing again and made my way to the States.

As a was getting ready to leave Phil called me and told me I would be based in a church in New England called Gateway Christian fellowship. I would be an intern there. I interned there for the 8 months and was involved with many different events, mainly "The Call" which was held in Boston. During that time, Phil and I traveled and did meetings in the New Hampshire area.

After the time was up I went back home and back to my job again. I remained in England for another 4 years and during that time I leant more and more about understanding dreams and prophetic things. My own personal spiritual life was good. I was involved in a lot of ministry in the church, in prophetic teams and also involved in working in churches out side of Derby.

I was really walking more into my destiny; I had many dreams about Kinsleigh, Gloria's pretty daughter. In dreams I would get information about what I needed to pray for Kinsleigh, I would have dreams about giving her a blue diamond ring and I would have dreams about talking to her about being married. I tried my best to stop these dreams as I had decided the U.S was not for me, but I continued to pray for her. I prayed and kept myself from any relationship for 4 years.

I stopped trying to contact Kinsleigh and Gloria, and then a year and a half went by and I was praying for the Lord to show me where I should go to be a missionary.

Normally in December I would have a very clear dream about things, so I was excited and was in hope for a good dream, but the dream turned into a word for Gloria and Kinsleigh and ended with me once again dreaming about talking to Kinsleigh about getting married.

The Lord also showed me some things that I would be doing in the States. The following day I emailed Gloria out of the blue and told her about the dream and the bits that pertained to the word for her, and meeting some person in Ohio and some other things. That same day they were on their way to Ohio!! Pretty crazy! Then I ended going back to the States and saw Gloria and
Kinsleigh and the weirdness that had always been between me a Kinsleigh was gone, and it all started from there...

Courting Kinsleigh

Things changed for me very rapidly at the beginning of 2004 and I found my self moving to the States and was courting Kinsleigh. On that trip back to the States Kinsleigh had a list of confirmations she asked the Lord to give her concerning me. And one by one she got her confirmations.

We were sitting in at her house downstairs and for some reason the CD player changed
CD and it was a song she wanted to play at her wedding. One time I was leaving to go back home and Kinsleigh was still not sure about me, and she dropped me off at the airport.

I was thinking, "Hmm I wonder what’s going to happen now," As she left and I went to check in I couldn’t find my passport and tickets!! I tried to call Kinsleigh but her phone was off as she was in a meeting with the man from Ohio. I stood there at check out and it was as if I had lost everything.

I had to call my family and tell them to not pick me up from the airport . I did not tell them I
had lost everything. I thought, "The Lord is keeping me here for a reason," So I started to just stop random people and tell I them I was a minister and was there to tell them about the Lord. I told any one who would listen!!

I got a couple of the front desk people and started to give them some words of knowledge and they began sharing their dreams. I prayed for a lady, Mary, was her name, who wanted to be a missionary. They told me they would give me free tickets to get home whenever I wanted, all I needed was my passport!!

After a while Kinsleigh answered the phone and was shocked to hear I was still there. She came back and picked me up and the people at the front desk were telling me that girl who dropped you off kept your stuff because she does not want you to leave.

Kinsleigh came back and had found all my tickets and passport under the carpet in the car. I was left with a few more days in Atlanta before my flight home. On the way to Kinsleigh’s house we saw a rainbow and Kinsleigh freaked out. That was another one of her signs on her list. In those next 2 days we talked and were very open with one another.

Normally I’m a very guarded person but I was brought to the point of brokenness in that airport, so I was open and Kinsleigh fell in love with me. The last few days were God ordained and when I went back to Derby I went to see a friend of mine and he began to tell me the dream I had was a word from the Lord. He and His wife sat me down and said that they believed
that Kinsleigh was meant to be my wife and they had known for a while and had been praying for us. I nearly fell off the stool I was sitting on. God had confirmed so much to me that I was left with no doubt about all he had revealed to me...

A year later we were married and involved in a ministry which Kinsleigh had been a part of for a few years. Nehemiah ministry was founded by Mike Ellis. He had worked with John and Paula Sanford for many years, doing prophetic counseling around the U.S. He was also mentored by Randy Clark for some time. Michael is a business man and would hold schools around the world
teaching the message of inner healing and being set free from negative and limiting mindsets.

We went to a missionary school for 2 months which was held in Brazil, it was a great start for us as a married couple, we got to deal with many of our key issues We had many basic trust issues believing in our hearts that one way or another we would reject one another. With the counseling we were able to pin point the roots and deal with them and pray for one another, also it helped us bring many areas of shame and fear to the light.

We came back and started our married life, we lived in an apartment and after a year, Kinsleigh got pregnant with Isabella and after she was born we moved into our house. I had been working in a warehouse in the local area.

Phil and I kept in contact over the years He has been pioneering a work in Holland and up in Vermont and is just starting a new work in Africa. We remain good friends and I’m sure we will work together again in the future.

I have been focusing more on family life and at the end of 2007 I was in Kathie Walter's meeting, and found my self being set free from some religious mindsets which were based out of religious thinking over many years. It set me free to understand that heaven had never really closed it’s doors to me and I was not walking in the desert of the dark night of the soul. This was not the way the father taught his children.

The Holy Spirit within us is the one who will teach us all things. This was very freeing to me and I have really started afresh with my walk with the Lord. I begin 2008 with a renewed strength of faith that with God all things are possible.

My walk with the Lord has really amazed me. Before I was saved I did not think my life would count for anything, My life has been transformed by His Spirit within me changing me. There is so much that the Lord has done and allowed me to see over the years I have known Him. I have been blessed, and God has opened doors for me and blessed me with all that I have. There are many things I just cannot begin to explain.

God has lead me so far and I will remain in awe of His goodness and the grace He has shown to me and my family

In Christ, Ram Singh

You can find part 1 of Ram's story here

http://acloserwalkwithgod.blogspot.com/2008/02/god-is-at-work-rams-story-part-1.html

Friday, February 22, 2008

More of God - Ram's Story Part 2

Ram's story continued - part 2

God or the devil?

I began this new quest to hear from God, trying to understand why he had chosen me out of all the people there were in Derby. There is a very strong Muslim, Indian and Hindu community in Derby.

I started to attend the local EMCF fellowship there; I would go with my now good friend Chandresh. The renewed vision of being able to walk with confidence into the presence of the king consumed me. I began to pray and worship and would be excited every time I went to bed. I expected Him to meet me.

I woke up at 3.33am that night and wondered why the Lord had not met with me in some way. So I did the routine prayer for the church then my family then myself.

This continued night after night. It would get real late and I would have to get up early for college. Not much happened and somehow I got into a routine of praying and mainly worshiping after college, and then waking up early in the night. 3am become my second prayer time each night. I would call it the "hour of power." I started to wonder why God would not answer my prayers.

They mainly consisted of. "You tell me what it is you want me to do and I will go and do it!"
One night I was falling asleep after doing the normal prayer and was closing my eyes but I was still awake saying, "You can still come and meet with me." Telling the Lord I was still awake and ready.

Then suddenly something started to happen...I got scared as a wind entered the room and was hovering over me and I felt it start pouring into my chest.

My mind was in full red after I realized I was frozen on the bed, my arms and whole body became heavy and I could not move, I had no control over my body and I was stuck there. This unknown presence was pouring into me!!

I started to try and fight and struggle and I managed to say "No in Jesus name!!!"
Then as soon as it came, it was gone. I lay there, the presence had lifted and I had regained full control of my body. I was left wondering what had just happened. I kept thinking it must have been a demon or maybe even aliens coming to take me away with them!!

His Presence came again

The next day I prayed and worshipped and went to bed as normal. I awoke at 2am and did my normal chatting with the Lord until about 3am. I started to get tired and wondered why I was even praying at this crazy time of night.

I lay there on the bed once again just waiting for the Lord, then suddenly the liquid presence came, it was pouring all over me. I could not move and was once again thinking the devil had come to attack me. I started to fight and as soon as I did, it lifted and was gone again.

I began to really complain to the Lord about way the enemy was attacking me like this. This went on for close to 2 weeks, and one morning after my early morning "attack" the Lord put a verse in my mind. I looked it up, it was Matthew 7 verse 7, and it really spoke to me. It was, if you ask for bread in His name, I (Jesus) will not give you a stone but give you good gifts.

It was like I heard the voice of God in my heart saying, "It’s ME!" I felt kind of silly that I had been praying and asking him to come and every time He did come I fought him as if he was a demon or something unknown to me. This was going to change!

That day I went and did my studies at college and ran home ready to pray. I was really excited that I was going to hear the voice of God that night. I could hardly sleep...I opened my eyes it was 3.00am. I was ready!!

I lay there with my hands up in bed saying, "I’m ready, let’s go!"
I waited just worshiping the Lord under my breath. I would pray sometimes in silence as I did not want to awake my family. As I lay there, suddenly it started. I felt that warm liquid, thick wind start moving around me and hit me in my chest. My mind was going crazy again saying, "This is not God," but I was fighting myself saying in one breath "hold on longer" and with the next breath "I cannot move!"

As I lay there, trying my best not to say anything just trying to hold on as long as I could. The wind started to move up my chest and started to move around my head. It’s very hard to describe but it started to pour into every part of me, my ears, nose, mouth, eyes and I started to hear a great noise. There was a great swirling, like breaking though some thing and each time it would get louder and louder. "No!" I shouted, and as soon as I did, the Presence left me.

I looked at the clock; it was as if time stood still whenever this presence would come. I lay there all night after that and was very tired all day at college. I was disappointed, with myself for not holding on longer than I had.

A few nights passed and nothing happened, I prayed but didn't have any encounters. It was very draining, at least whenever the Presence came I would not feel tired the next day. The Presence of God was always renewing and refreshing.

The days turned to weeks and I was coming to the point of giving up. I was still dreaming like crazy but I was looking for the encounter, something new! I would still wake up at 3am. Sometimes I would just grunt a prayer like, "Yeah, I’m sure your going to come, I guess not I will try again later."

As my frustration snowballed I was really hungry for anything from the Lord. I once again woke up in the early hours and lay there grumbling at the Lord, as I turned to try and go back to sleep, the wind came back into the room and began to pour into my chest. The wind moved fast, it was like warm oil. Something real, it started to pour all over my face, in my ears, mouth, and eyes, going into my mind, the noise was like a great sound that got louder and louder, breaking into a new level and faster and faster.

I thought I might die if this continued. I kept telling myself to hold on, keep holding on. It was getting too much for me once again. Just as I was going to pull out, there was a great flash, and in an instant I was moving at high speed flying on the back of an Angel, going down the streets of Derby. The speed we were traveling was faster than anything I had ever experienced. Then we started to move higher up, and we got so high, we entered another realm, some place. I felt the wind, I could touch it, taste it.

We stopped and the Angel led me up a mountain, talking with me and showed me a temple of worship for the nations. An incredible sight! I opened my eyes and I was back in bed looking at the clock - 3.33am, it was like time had frozen. I asked myself "Wow what was that?" I was so excited I did not understand what had happened but I knew it was the Lord!!

I awoke that morning saying to myself, "I know God!" I had tasted something of God and it was good.

I was desperate to get home and pray and worship and meet with the Lord. I started to have nightly encounters with the Holy Spirit. Each time I held on I would be taken somewhere or shown some thing.

The Cross - I was there

Another time I was praying and asking the Lord to show Himself to me, and thanking Him for what was coming. As I closed my eyes it started, His spirit came and I was taken to a certain place. The Lord allowed me to have a full vision of the time before he went on the cross, it was a very vivid vision. It began with darkness, then I saw Roman soldiers kicking and spitting on a man who was on His knees on the floor. Then I saw them placing the crown of thorns on His head and I realized it was the Lord.

He was carrying the cross, there were demons swooping down and hitting Him. He fell down and was told to pick the cross up and was led up to the crucifixion place.

The sky was a dark red color and as they began to hammer the nails into His hands, as the nails sank deeper, he began to transform into a baby ( defenceless) it was left to die. His head fell down as if dead, then there was darkness. Great silence and darkness lasted for a while then I saw something coming . At first it looked like a little cross but it got bigger and bigger, and then there before me was a shining gold cross.

As I viewed this cross, looking at it, I began to pull away and see this cross standing alone on a mountain hill, looking. As I was pulling away from this I noticed many other small crosses, millions of them. I had a feeling that these were people who were truly saved and evil could not touch them. As I saw this, I noticed demons flying around.

They went down into this area and sat on the crosses. As soon as they sat, the Angel of the Lord came out like lighting, flying. He was huge and so fast, with His sword out in front of Him, he cut the demons up and then placed the sword in front of him and was flying straight toward me. He came so close that I saw His eyes. I saw teh cross of the Lord in the eyes of the Angel, it was like He flew into my mind.

I was then taken to a place, which I first thought was hell,. It was an underground place where a huge dragon sat, and there was a big boiling pot of hot lava. The dragon was stirring it and it was full of white crosses. He was laughing as the crosses were placed into this water, and as I watched this I was hidden in the Rock. I thought to myself, "This is the devil and fear gripped me and I wanted to get out of there.

As I started to look around I looked straight at this big dragon and it started to breath fire and opened it’s mouth wide and thousands of spirits and demons started to come out. I really wanted to get out of there now!!

Suddenly I was back on the surface of the earth, it looked like a war had just taken place across the planet and the sky was a dark red color and I could see no signs of life there.

I began to look to the sky and I was overcome with the feeling of the coming Presence of the Lord. I was shouting, "He's coming, He's coming!" to myself. Then the sky opened and from the heavens crosses began to fall down to the earth in a spiral motion. They fell fast and it created a circle. I began to feel I was about to meet the 12 disciples of the Lord coming down. I could not begin to count how many crossess were falling.

When that stopped I saw a big red carpet being rolled out. As it was rolling out, two great lions of gold were running along the carpet across the earth and I was about to explode with excitement about the Lord coming back!!

Then I was taken away and I was in space somewhere, walking on a marble floor. It was a palace of some type with angels standing guard at the corners of the building. These angels were way over 20 feet tall.

Indian demon
As I turned the corner there was a massive Indian type demon there and he was coming after me. I turned to see if the angels would help me but they remained at their posts.

This demon came right for me, it was ten times my size! and I fell down and cried out to the Lord to help. This demonic being breathed fire out, but a cross the size of a house came and acted as a shield for me. The flames were pushed back and the cross moved fast and went through the demon’s chest. The demon dropped down dead! That was the end of the vision.
I got up from my bed and was so excited and blessed the Lord.

Addicted to God

All I wanted, was to hear His voice. I had become so addicted to the presence I began praying for 4 to 5 hours, it felt like nothing and was a a taste of what I had been created for. My family would wonder what I would be doing in my room all this time. But during this time I also had demons manifest in my room and try and intimidate me. I would be wide awake and know a demon was in my room. The name of Jesus would always be more than enough; As I got closer to Him the more the darkness around me seemed real as well.

One time I woke up and there was a man outside my window. He was an Angel. I got so afraid that I hid under the bed covers and prayed, "Jesus I’m not ready to die, save me!" The angel just went away. The Lord trained me to value and loves His presence. At times I would pull out of the intensive encounter with the Spirit, the main reason I pulled out, was I never grew accustomed to His presence. There was always a fear of the Lord and also the intensity of the Presence would always seem to increase.

His presence was very overwhelming power. The Holy Spirit never forced Himself on me. He would always stop when I even made even a hint of "No."

There was a cost. Each time I pulled out of the encounter, I would have to wait. At first it would be a few weeks, then when I would pull out again it started to be months.

I felt I was dying as I needed His Presence. It was all I needed. I had lost all desire for anything this world had to offer. Girls, money...His presence was everything to me…

Between me and God

These encounters went on for the first five years of my Christian walk, during that time I spoke to many people about some of the things but the response I received was more negative than positive. People would say that these things don’t happen now, or tell me I was praying the wrong prayers. Some people even tried to cast demons out of me!

I started to keep anything that happened to me as a personal thing between me and the Lord, but I did keep a journal of any really awesome encounters. I thought these encounters happened to all Christians.

The season of Change...
My main goal and desire was still to hear the Lord speak and find out what He wanted from me. I had finished my first national diploma in science at College, so I was thinking about what career to pursue.

I was doing work with a good friend from the church ,Peter Cripps. He was a gift from God to me. He has the gift of loving the unlovable and he is a true man of God. We would work together most days, doing gardening work or anything else that came about. We spent many a day just preaching to one another about our hopes and dreams.

His wisdom and character is some thing I will never forget, he and His wife were to play a vital roll in where my life would go for the next few years.

I had been attending a really wonderful house church where each week we encountered the presence of the Lord. The leader of the house group was my mentor. I was learning more and more about church life and the Bible. My encounters stopped afterI pulled out of a very intensive encounter with the Holy Spirit. I had pulled out, and I knew I would have to wait for a while for Him to return.

I continued my routine of praying and waiting in the late hours of the night. This went on for 3 months, it had been the longest I had to wait for His tangible presence.

I started to fast, but was rebuked by the Lord as I was trying to earn His presence. He did not tell me to fast, I was just striving and doing anything I could to get Him too meet with me!

I had grown in some of the gifts of the Spirit. I would move in the prophetic pretty well, and spent a lot of time learning to hear the Lord for others. I would be dying, really not having a will to live because I longed for His presence so greatly. But in meetings I would feel the power of the Holy Spirit and get drunk in teh Spirit and minister to people. Every one would say "You are on fire for the Lord," but I did not feel that way. I learned very fast that manifestations and moving in the gifts does not necessarily mean you’re close to the Lord.

I began to go through a cold turkey type experience. I was addicted to His presence and there was nothing I could do to make Him come. All I could do was be available and be in the right place for Him to speak to me.

It was becoming very hard for me to keep up the prayer routine as it was so silent. I would wake up at the "Hour of power" and say a few words, and then turn over and try and fall back to sleep.
This went on for 5 months, I was coming to the end of myself...
One night it was 2:30am and I decided to pray. I was crying about why He would not come to me, I said some things, more complaining, as I lay there I just kept saying, "I'm ready, just come." I then got angry and said, "Why did Jesus die if not for restoration with me and God?" Then I said, "Oh well, I guess I will be talking to you tomorrow." I was still in hope for Him to come.

The golden light

Then out of nowhere a great golden light filled my room!! It was so bright I curled up in to a ball with my head trying to hide under the covers, it was like on a summers day and you close your eyes and can see the brightness through your eye lids.

I was thinking, "I'm really dead now, as I had made the living God angry with me."
I was telling myself to turn and see this glory, but the other part of me was saying, "Are you kidding, you’re about to become dust!" The fear and excitement cannot be described.

Then as I lay there, trying not to move or even breathe, or even think any thoughts, (I had become like a dead man) the Holy spirit started to come over me. The swirling presence like a great wind moving all over me, then it started to pour into me. I was once again frozen and the warm oil of the Spirit started to pour all over my head and entered my mouth, ears ,nose and eyes, it just enveloped me.

The sound begun to get louder and louder. With each level I went through the sound got louder and the intensity of His presence filled me.

I was holding on with all I had…I had made it past the sounds and once again I found my self on the back of an Angel. He was flying at great speed, He turned and told me, "You’re going to see God!"

We went though the city of Derby and then flew higher in to the night sky and suddenly I was enveloped in the cloud of Glory that was in my room. I was having a conversation with the Lord and was saying, "If this is really you, I’m going to raise my hands up and feel your Glory." I raised my hands on the bed, and felt the thick warm presence of the Lord over me. It was incredible!

I opened my eyes and I had my hands held up. The room was once again dark and it was 3.30am on the clock. I told myself "don’t tell anyone about what happened or they will be carting you off to the mental hospital".

I was on a high for the rest of the day as I was thinking, "I’m going to really meet God." I had house church that night, I was so excited I prayed and asked the Lord to speak to me and to tell me what was going on. During the meeting no one gave me a word and I was getting ready to run home and have my "encounter."

As I was leaving a friend stopped me and said, "I don’t know what this means but I saw you standing in the ocean and the waves were getting bigger and bigger until they completely overcame you and you had no control". I grabbed my friend’s hand and said, "That is the word of the Lord." I was so excited about what was going to happen that night. On the way home I kept saying "I’m going to meet with God. I’m going to meet with God."

When I reached home I did not even eat. I ran upstairs and started to pray. As I awoke at the normal time, I did not even pray. I just said, "OK I’m here, let’s go." I lay there saying, "you're welcome, just come do whatever you want to." The presence came! It started to fall on me and it felt overwhelming, the liquid presence was pouring into me and my head felt like it was going to explode. The weight that was pouring into me was such that I had never come close to all the other times. I felt my body sinking and it was like the very breath was begin sucked out by that Presence. The noise in my head was such that nothing can explain it.

Once again going through levels of sound and each level brought a louder sound, I could not take this, I started to tell myself pull out! I could not take it, I was fighting myself as this was happening, trying to hold on, thinking it would break, but the presence kept coming and coming until I felt I was about to die there.

I started to lose my ability to talk and I got a faint "No" out of my mouth. And as suddenly as He came, He lifted and was gone. As God’s presence moved on, I saying, "No, please come back!"
It was too late. At that moment I realized it might be a long time until I would have another opportunity.

Training for reigning

The next day I was involved in some meetings, I was approached by a lady from out of town and she felt she had a word for me. It was a word about God emptying the well and laying new foundations. Believe it or not I had another two people come and give me the same type of word in one day.

To be continued...

You'll find part one of Ram's story here

http://acloserwalkwithgod.blogspot.com/2008/02/god-is-at-work-rams-story-part-1.html

Friday, February 15, 2008

God Is At Work - Ram's Story Part 1

This is Ram Singh's story. Ram is a friend of mine who now lives in Atlanta Georgia. I hope Ram's story will inspire you and encourage you to look to see God's hand at work in your everyday life.

You never know what might happen when you pray for someone. Our God is the God of the impossible...

Pray for people who are Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, New Age... and watch and see what our wonderful God will do.

I will post Ram's story in 3 parts. If you want to make sure you don't miss any, subscribe by email so that you will be notifed when the next installment is here for you to read.

God moved in Ram's life in a powerful way. He revealed Himself through supernatural encounters. Come and meet Ram...

Introduction

Ram Singh - A young Sikh meets Jesus

My name is Ram Singh. I was born in 1973, in England, in a town called Derby. I was from a Sikh Indian family. My father and mother arrived in England from the Punjab in Indian in the late 1960's.

I lived in England for most of my life but now reside in the united states (Georgia) for the last 3 years, with my wife, Kinsleigh, and little baby girl, Isabella.

I was brought up in a Sikh family with my brother and two sisters, my father died when I was two years old. This meant that my mother was thrown into a world where she did not speak English and was alone. The Muslim community embraced her and helped her find work and be able to look after us all. My childhood was mainly spent inside the house. The house was our home and playground, while my mother worked two jobs.

To be honest I never really believed too much in any thing. I thought I had my faith and that’s what I thought I would stick to for the rest of my life, born a Sikh die a Sikh. The only times we prayed were times when we either broke windows in the house or had done some sort of damage to something. These were mainly prayers to prevent our mum from killing us!!!

We did attend the temple maybe twice a year, usually for weddings. I really never did understand why we did certain things there, we would cover our heads take our shoes off and put money in front of our holy book as we bowed, the holy book would be sung to us by the priest and then we would get some food and go home.

That was my upbringing. As teenager I became very active in sports and when I started high school and became a boxer for close to 8 years, I then got involved with track and field. I guess I enjoyed most sports that involved fighting, as it seemed that’s about all me and my brother ever did. As a child I had a real anger issue and would blow up at my family all the time.

For me to consider changing faith would have meant shame on my family name and also on my mother. When I had finished school, I went on to college not really knowing what to do with myself. I enrolled in a science course, mainly because all my friends were doing business studies so I wanted to do some thing different. I was attending Wilmorton College and I found myself enrolled on a Btec science. During that time I meet a likeable guy called Chandresh, he was a student in my class.

Chandresh - A Christian???

I began to talk with him and I noticed he had the words "Jesus is Lord" printed on his folder. I was surprised to find that he was a Christian. My main area of shock was I had always thought all Christians were white people. I proceeded to ask him, "How can you be a Christian? You’re not white?" At first he laughed and told me there were many different types of people groups around the world who were Christians. I was very surprised and Chandresh did not want to tell me to much as he was a little afraid of me, and did not want to offend me

I immediately began a quest to win him back to his a Hindu roots but after a few days of talking with him and trying to convince him of the error of his ways, he became more confident about his faith, and my attempts to change him were futile. We soon became friends and he began to talk more about his friend, Jesus, and what it meant to be a Christian. I was very suspicious of course.

Dreams and visions and encounters of the heavenly kind

A week later I woke up one morning and in front of me in big letters it said, "JESUS LOVES YOU." It was just there!! I would close my eyes and see it and open them and see it this lasted for about 2 weeks. I remember when I would walk to college I would see an image of Jesus with his arms open toward me! It was pretty crazy and I told Chandresh that he had some how managed to brain wash me with his words and now I was going crazy!! But he got a big smile on his face and he got really excited. He told me this was the living God working in my life. I told him that I would never become a Christian, as it was dishonoring to my family and also I was embarrassed as I grew up in a very strong Asian community. If I became a Christian it would have caused them great shame, and embarrassment.

Weeks began to pass and Chandresh left the class, and started to pursue business studies. We remained good friends and I would meet with him and play video games. I would tell him about the encounters I was having. Images and pictures and weird things began to increase more and more. Crazy dreams, seeing things flying around while I was awake. Everything was about Jesus. Well almost! I began having dreams of dark spirits and being told to use the name of Jesus against these things and I began seeing things in the normal daytime hours.

One time I was sitting in the front room with my family and I looked outside and saw a big flaming fire ball coming towards the house. I screamed and ran outside saying, "What’s that?” My family followed me and just thought I was trying to be funny.

I continued to tell Chandresh about all that was happening and he really wanted me to come to a house church he attended. I told him that I would never attend a church meeting, ever.
But the dreams continued, and in my dreams I was taught about the power of the name of Jesus. I started to realize more and more that when you prayed to Jesus things would happen.

The test
So I decided to put Jesus to the test and said if you are really real you will have to prove yourself to me. Then I began having more and more dreams and visions about the power of the name of Jesus. In some dreams I would have to fight demons and in others I would meet angels. This continued nearly on a nightly basis for close to 4 months. By this time I had accepted the fact that Jesus would hear me when I talked with him at night. The night time became a very exciting time for me as I expected dreams of Jesus and using his name to crush and kill demons it was fun.

Chandresh was getting more and more open about his faith and even frustrated with me, but he continued to ask me to come to the house church meeting. After weeks of harassment from Chandresh I decided if I had enough time out from my training I would maybe visit so one night I was walking back from training track I made a detour. As normal I would walk home talking to the Lord but then I came across this street that Chandresh had been telling me all about, so I thought, "I might as well check it out”. I began to walk up the street, and then my mind started to fill with images. I saw Jesus on the cross and Satan was telling me it was a lie and he never really died, that I was wasting my time.

The House church encounter

I began to agree with my thoughts and I began to turn around and leave. I then stopped and just stood there in the cold snowy weather contemplating what was really going on, I think I was standing there for about 10 Minutes this was never ending.

I could not bring my self to go to the house. Feeling cold, I started to think I was stupid as I did not know why I was even there, I told myself in the Name of Jesus go to the door!! I began to approach the house and I heard singing. Once again I found myself looking at the door number, "11 Harrington street," and I could not bring myself to knock on the door. So many questions were flooding my mind. I left and began walking home, but got half way down the road and turned and once again found my self staring at the door. I was about to turn around and leave when the door opened!! There was Chandresh! Seeing me standing there he proceeded to grab hold of me and pull me into the house. He was surprised to see me and I told him what had taken place and he told me, it was the devil trying to stop me coming here but assured me I was safe now.

A while later I asked him why he came to the door that night and he said he heard a knock on the door. I never did knock!!

As we entered the room I saw it was full of people singing and praying, waving their hands in the air!! I sat there and thought I was with a bunch of crazy people!

I started to feel embarrassed for being there, and was worried that someone from the community might have seen me coming in to this house. The community I am from is like a network of spies. People who have nothing better to do, than gossip about other people's families. So if you were ever up to no good or seen with white people especially girls, some one would have seen and the word would spread like wild fire and then it would get back to the parents.

I was planning to leave as soon as I could. When the people stopped singing I was welcomed. Then the leader of the group asked why I had come tonight? I began to tell them about the dreams and visions I had been having, and also some of the experiences. They looked at me as if I was crazy; I got up to leave but, Chandresh and his friend asked if they could pray for me in the next room.

I did not know what that meant so I asked them. They said they would bless my family and stuff like that so it sounded OK to me. We went to the next room and they said they were going to put their hands on me and pray, I said "Sure" and I stood there with my eyes open looking at them thinking it was strange for a guy to have his hand on me.

As they prayed I stood there and then it felt like my legs began to get heavy. I felt something and I did not know what it was? But I began to double over and wondered what was happening to me.

I began to rationalize what was going on and I thought to myself "I am really tired from training and I need to get home." I was thinking how stupid I must look doubling over in somebody's house that I did not know. All I wanted to do was stand up and then stop them praying for me.
I began to push myself back up and then as I did my finial push to stand up straight. Suddenly a blast hit me in the back and I was thrown back on to the sofa, I heard the guys go "Wow,” and I thought to myself "What's happening"? And I lay there for a few moments thinking, "Did I just get thrown across the room?" Who did that?

Next there was a massive flash and I was taken up to heaven. It was very very bright and I a figure. I could make out a figure and knew it was Jesus and he seemed to be standing in a huge arch way with gates. I was there for a while but I was still very aware of my surrounding. I still could hear everything the guys were saying, I thought to myself "I better get up," so I opened my eyes, and felt embarrassed. They both were just standing over me and I tried to jump up but as I did, I fell back down again. Something was radiating in me and I tried again to get up and I staggered to the door telling them I was leaving.

They looked at me and said "Something has happened here, did I want to talk about it?" "Would you like to become a Christian?" Bluntly I said "No thanks".

Really God!
I wanted to get home. I staggered around like a drunk all the way to my home. I looked into the clear night sky, thinking "Why me?" I was overcome with the fact that this was God really GOD! GOD!!

I had come into a realization of who God really was - GOD! This stayed with me for some weeks. I just walked around saying "Really GOD!" My mind set of wondering why I would want to know this God, changed to "Why did he want to know me?" After all I was just a grain of dust... And HE WAS GOD!!! REALLY GOD!!!

After a few weeks of that encounter at the meeting, I was still having many different types of dreams and seeing some crazy stuff when I was awake. Chandresh was really pushing me to make a decision, but I was very happy to pray and meet with this Jesus person at night. Me and Jesus are fine but I didn’t need to let any one else know about it.

My whole prayer life changed (well I never had a prayer life ever) so I guess I had began some sort of relationship with Jesus.

Months went by and in my heart I had come to accept Christ as my Lord. As I spoke with Him every night I had some type of encounter.

The Name of Jesus has power

One night I started to have another dark type of dream these would excite me as I got to use the name of Jesus to drive demons away!! I had become very confident in the power of the name of Jesus to drive demons out I guess I had become proud of this and felt I needed no one else at all.
So I was very excited to be in another dark dream. I was walking around looking for the demon. I came to a room and saw a being of some form standing in the corner of the room. I started to do the normal routine. I commanded it in the name of Jesus to leave but it just screamed and changed shape!!

At first it changed to some type of animals and I thought, "This is weird." But I thought "Oh well" and I continued to do my thing. The demon changed shape about 6 times, then there was a man standing there, he said, "You've done them, now do me." I knew it was the devil and I was starting to get a little freaked out. I went ahead and tried to drive him out!

I was doing this for what felt like an age and all he did was stand and smile at me. It really shocked me and I awoke feeling afraid and had an urgency to become a Christian. I said to myself. "I need to get in to a church and know Jesus better."

I'm ready

That following day I went and found Chandresh and told him I was ready to accept Christ. We went to JD's house the leader of the cell church I had attended. I said the prayer and became a Christian and got baptized 2 days later. It was amazing and the feeling of being free and clean and becoming a Christian was the best choice I had ever made.

I received many prophetic words at my baptism, and some thing really stuck with me that day. Now that the curtain was torn I had direct access to God!! I started to think all the stuff that had happened to me was only the beginning, now I could enter in to the great place of friendship with God, and really hear from Him.

I had a renewed confidence and boldness to approach His throne for Christ had made away for me. I began to pray with great faith and expectancy. God was going to speak to me!

To be continued...

Prayer

Excerpts taken from

Dancing With Destiny: Awaken your Heart to Dream, to Love, to War

by Jill Austin




God, tenderize my heart again so that I desire to return to You as my first love. Wherever my heart has drifted or gotten lukewarm, return me back to You.

God, I give You permission to do whatever it takes to make me wholly Yours. Set my heart on fire for You. Send a holy ambush of your Spirit into my life to usher me out of the ruts that have hindered me from being a dreamer, a lover and a warrior.

Please forgive me for [here be as specific as you can be and take as long as you need]. Thank You for Your total forgiveness of my sins. That is such a precious gift to me.


How I ache to know You more! Draw me close and speak tenderly to my heart. I want to develop a secret history with You, Lord. Captivate my heart with the gazes of Your eyes. I want to see You face-to-face and not through the lattice, as your Word says. Put Your seal on my heart so I am fully Yours.

Now, Lord, I ask You to release the fiery whirlwind of Your presence with a fresh impartation of Your heart into my heart. I ask You to revolutionize my life from the inside out. Let an earthquake in my heart break up the fallow ground. Let the lightning of God strike me so that I become God-conscious instead of self-conscious.

Jesus, I am ready to give up control of my life and put You in charge again. Forgive me for thinking that I know what is best for my life. It is hard for me to let go; the warfare has been so intense and the storms of life so great. But I can see that my way is not working. I am heartsick about my life. I want to run to You and not from You. Give me grace and humility to accept Your timing in my life.

Burn in me a holy desperation and craving for You. I need a profound touch from You, a fresh baptism of fire from the Holy Spirit. I want a force field of Your glory surrounding me so I am dangerous for God. Will You radiate Your love and power through my life so I can do exploits as You promised?


I want to be a carrier of Your glory and go outside the walls of the church, touching people in every arena of life. Lord, I want to know the times and seasons we live in.


Let me see people through Your eyes and not my own; help me feel Your heart for those around me. Break my heart for the lost. Cause revival to burn so deeply in my spirit that others cannot help but be changed by coming in contact with me.

I do not want business as usual, Jesus! I want a radical visitation from You. I must have a visitation. I want an open heaven over my life. Will You help me to legislate Your mandates from heaven, to bring them to earth so I see things from Your perspective and not my own? I am asking You for divine strategies so Your Kingdom will come.


Open my eyes so that I can see what is happening in the realm of the Spirit. How I need keen discernment for the days I live in. I want to get Your plans, Your blueprints so I do not build on the “land mines” the enemy has planned for me

I want my heart to bless Your heart and give You the love that You deserve. Awaken my heart to worship You. I want to be one who desires You only.

Lord, I want to give You my life no matter what the cost. Even as You died for me, help me to be willing to die for You. You are worth everything I have. All I am - my past, present and future - is at the foot of the cross. Take all of me.

Help me to be a big dreamer with You, dreamer God

Help me to be an extravagant lover of You, my Bridegroom.Help me to be a fierce warrior for You, my King. Amen.

May you and yours have a blessed and prosperous New Year. A year in which you grow in the things of God and know His presence more.

If you'd like more from Jill, visit http://www.masterpotter.com/ and see what she has to offer. I highly recommned her books.