The vision I am about to share about the view from the dam, was a total perspective shift for me. I realized that where the enemy is attacking is the very place God was about to move! Have you been going through a time of discouragement or disillusionment?  Have you been under major enemy attack?  Do you feel like you have cried enough tears to fill a bucket?  Then keep on reading this excerpt from my book, Road to Transformation.

If you see a glass with some water in it, would you say it is half-full or half-empty? Both are actually true, but it’s your personal perspective which drives your unique response. Some people tend to see the big picture; others focus on the details. Maybe you have heard it described as the forest and the trees. Some people see the forest but miss the trees; others see the trees and miss the forest.

Spiritual perception is critical, especially in the times we are currently living in. One thing that can greatly affect your perspective is spiritual warfare or enemy attack. To explain this concept, I would like to share a vision the Lord gave me.

The first part of the vision happened during a Sunday morning service at our church. I was on the platform singing with the praise team. The line in the song that we kept singing said, “Something’s moving, something’s changing…” I saw a picture of a huge grey cinderblock wall. It was a close-up view, which did not allow me to see the top, or the sides. I could see the mortar between the blocks and what I thought were small cracks forming in the mortar.

I began to pray about a shift I felt this represented in the Spirit, while worship continued. It is difficult to articulate, because it was a quick picture in my mind, but what I felt in my Spirit was huge. At this point in the service, our Pastor came to the platform and began to declare to the congregation that there was a shift happening in the spirit realm. It was great confirmation for what I had just experienced. After service, I described to my Pastor what I had seen. He told me that he felt there was more to come, and he would pray with me for God to reveal the rest of the vision.

That evening our congregation was invited to attend a special service at a sister church. The minister preached a message that greatly impacted me. When considering all the great examples of faith listed in Hebrews 11, I had never contemplated what is said about Joseph in verse 22.

“By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.”

Hebrews 11:22 (NIV)

He provided instruction to his family that they were to take his bones with them when they went to the Promised Land. The minister said that Joseph’s bones represented vision and he shared three lessons from Joseph’s bones: 1) God always comes through on His Word. If He said it, it will happen! 2) A promise delayed is not a promise destroyed or denied. 3) Once you catch a glimpse of the Promised Land, you will never be content to live in Egypt! This message was to encourage those who were ready to give up on their vision.

At this season in my life, I had experienced situations which were full of disappointments, disillusionments, and enemy attack, which had made it extremely difficult to remain focused on vision or destiny. I was encouraged by the reminder that a delayed promise did not mean it had been destroyed or denied, but it still brought many tears. After crying the rest of that service and the hour long trip home, before going to bed, I prayed, “Lord if You really save my tears in a bottle, have You switched to a bucket yet?”

The next morning, I arose early as usual, to have my personal devotion time with the Lord. I began to write in my journal about what had happened the previous day. I described the vision I had seen on the platform and the highlights of the message from the evening service. I wrote that I was aware the previous day’s activities were a setup from God to help me change my perspective and focus on the destiny again. However, the reality was that my circumstances had not changed, and I could not understand how my current life was to intersect with the life I once thought I was called to live. I wrote that I felt the lines were blurred and I could not clearly see or define what God’s actual promise versus my own hopes and dreams were!

I continued writing about my prayer from the previous night, “Lord if You really save my tears in a bottle, have You switched to a bucket yet?” At that moment, the vision that began the preceding day continued! Instantly I was standing in front of that cinderblock wall. This time I saw the whole wall, but it was so huge, I still could not see over it or around it. It felt like such a dry and desolate place.

Then I noticed the mortar was turning a darker grey color in between the blocks resulting from moisture. Suddenly, I was taken up high and was now looking down at the wall from an aerial view. I discovered that it was not simply a wall, but it was actually a dam! Behind the dam’s wall was an enormous amount of water, which I knew was a direct result of every tear, prayer, praise, and sacrifice. It was more than a bottle or a bucket. The dam was full and pressing against the wall.

I saw myself in the water. Even though I am naturally a very strong swimmer, I was fighting with every ounce of energy to keep my head above the water. I realized that with every stroke and with every kick the water was rising higher and higher, and the force and the capacity of that river was getting greater and greater. Then I saw an empty life raft floating behind me, and I heard the Lord say to me, “This is not a passive thing! You are not to be in that raft floating aimlessly waiting for the breakthrough! This fight is purposeful!”

The view from the dam in this vision was a total perspective shift for me. I realized that where the enemy is attacking is the very place God was about to move if I would just keep fighting! Unfortunately, this is where many quit; right before the breakthrough.

We have a real enemy, and his number one goal is to kill, steal, and destroy God’s children. If we are in opposition to the enemy’s plan, we will be in a battle as long as we are on this earth. It is very easy to allow the battle to become our focus, but God allowed me to see in this vision what was happening as a result of the battle.

My perspective changed instantly when I realized that every stroke and kick in my fight was causing the water to rise higher and higher. Additionally, the higher level was the increasing force and capacity of the river! Greater meaning came from the fact that the Lord pointed out that my battle in the water was not just a mode of survival during a storm, but a purposeful fight.

The contrast between a wall and a dam is significant. A cinderblock wall gives the idea of a dead end or an obstacle. A dam however, obstructs and controls the flow of water while creating a reservoir. A dam is a great source of power when its floodgates are opened. The greater the reservoir, the greater the power when it is released.

The enemy intends to obstruct and control the flow of God’s power, but what he fails to realize is with every obstruction the reservoir is enlarging. The larger the capacity, the greater the power when released! The greater the battle… the greater the breakthrough! Be encouraged today!