How do I look around in a picture so it expands into a full vision?

Mark Virkler's picture

Brian asks: I’m reading in Daniel and he keeps repeating how he looks around in visions (Dan. 7 & 8). I am left-brain and would love to hear more about how to look around in a vision or dream and to ask for explanations of dreams and visions while they are happening. My main struggle is that I am much better at hearing God's voice than at seeing.


Answer: Well Brian, I am left-brain too, so I do understand your struggle. Many left-brainers (those who live more comfortably in logic and reason rather than vision and flow) tell me their experience is the same as yours and mine. It is easier for left-brainers to get flowing thoughts than it is to get flowing pictures. So we are faced with a decision. Do I speak a word curse over myself saying “I am auditory and not visual” or do I speak life over myself, “I WILL live as Jesus lived. He both heard and saw. I too will hear and see, and whatever needs to change within me so I can live as Jesus lived, WILL change. Lord, show me what needs to change.”

I needed to 1) repent for scorning pictures, 2) choose to honor pictures 3) ask for them, and 4) not interrupt them with my analytical, judgmental thoughts. So I did those things. Next came some training exercises, and some baby steps to get me started.

Here is a practice exercise

(This one is designed for a man – a woman can do a similar exercise, just use the setting of opening your refrigerator door and looking at what is inside.)

  1. Relax & smile.
  2. Using your mind's eye (also called the eyes of your heart – Eph. 1:17,18) see your workbench (in your garage/basement/or wherever).
  3. Gaze at the surface of your worktable. What is on it? Spend a moment looking at each item on the workbench.
  4. If you have items hanging on the wall behind the bench (or under the table), look them over. Stop and reflect on any item that catches your eye.
  5. Take a few minutes to casually look around at everything. If your attention is drawn to a specific item or location, spend more time gazing at that. You might come back to an item to look at it more closely and reflect on it. If flow kicks in and you have flowing thoughts about that item, go with them. Honor them. Consider it your heart informing your mind of things that your heart is feeling.

 Conclusion: How did this exercise go? Were you able to do it? If so, this is what you do when you look around at a vision God is giving you. Stay relaxed, tune to flow, have fun, and enjoy.

A free training tool

Download the “Sea of Galilee” visualization exercise here. This will set you up with a scene of you and Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee, relaxed and enjoying yourselves. It concludes with the instructions to tune to flow and journal out what Jesus is showing you and speaking to you. You test it LATER, and NOT while it is flowing. While it is flowing, you write in childlike faith!

Rule: The more you practice using any faculty God has given to you, the easier and stronger that faculty becomes.

For me vision was hard. Now after much practice, it is first nature. We all have two options, which are: I can picture that Jesus is NOT at my right hand (an evil imagination, as it is unbiblical) or I can picture Jesus at my right hand, as King David did (Ps. 16:8; Acts 2:25). This would be a godly imagination as Jesus is Immanuel, God with me. I am to abide in Him (Jn 15) and fix my eyes on Him (Heb. 12:1,2).

I am going to be picturing something. No chance that I am not picturing one of these two scenes above. The evil imagination takes me backward and the godly imagination takes me forward (Jer. 7:24 KJV).

So I have already tried evil imaginations and they produce all sorts of negatives: fear, lust, shame, guilt, inadequacy, etc. Who needs any of these? So since I find these all disgusting and taking me away from the Kingdom lifestyle, I choose to REPLACE what I am seeing, by 1) becoming aware of what I am seeing and 2) if it is contrary to Scripture, rebuking it and turning the eyes of my heart back to beholding Jesus at my right hand.

Steps to take to get flow to kick in

So I want more than “still shots” of Jesus at my right hand. I want to see a vision of Him there, alive, and doing whatever He chooses to be doing. Since He has 1) promised to give me vision (Acts 2:17), 2) I ask for vision (Eph. 1:16-19; Jn. 16:23,24), and 3) I posture myself properly to receive flow by relaxing, becoming still, smiling, seeing myself as a child, as He tells me to. 4) When flow kicks in I GO WITH IT! I have faith it is from Jesus. I save judging until after I have finished recording the flow. Since I am staying in faith, the flow continues. The result is that I receive entire visions. Testing and judging are what I do AFTER the flow is over. When testing, I make sure it lines up with Scripture and if a big decision or an edgy topic I also make sure it is confirmed by the hearts of my 3 spiritual advisors.

So yes, vision was hard for me when I first began. However, I was unwilling to say, “I can’t live as Jesus lived. I am not a seer.” I said, “I will break through this barrier, and I WILL live as Jesus lived. Period! So fear, doubt, and unbelief, get out of the way. Atrophied visionary capacity, be healed in Jesus' name! Learn to be fixed on Truth, not evil imaginations. ONLY godly imaginations will be allowed in my mind and heart!”

The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12). I have had to become violent with the ungodly beliefs I was programmed with as I was growing into adulthood. The reward for me has been I get to see Jesus ruling, satan defeated, me ascending into the fulfillment of my God-given destiny, and Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor at my side every time I look for Him. He is speaking, loving, and showing me things I wouldn’t normally envision.

What could be better than that as a reward for this visionary breakthrough? Nothing that I can think of.

Journaling Application

Hearing God's voice is as simple as: 1) quieting myself down (Ps. 62:5), 2) beholding Jesus at my right hand (Acts 2:25), 3) asking for His input and tuning in to flowing thoughts and flowing pictures (Jn. 7:37-39), and 4) journaling out His words and visions (Rev. 1:9-11). These are then tested and they must line up with Scripture (Ps. 1:2) and be affirmed in the hearts of my spiritual advisors (2 Cor. 13:1).

  • Lord, what would You say to me about me stepping into living visual encounters with You daily?
  • What blocks need to be removed?
  • How much should I practice? Is it worth the time to learn to behold You at my right hand?

Prayer

Lord, anoint the eyes of my heart that I may see You. Break off and remove every lie that I believe is hindering me from having full, visionary encounters with You. I repent of these lies (be specific, name each one, and state the new truth that will replace the lie). I speak to my heart, “Faith ARISE, FAITH ARISE, FAITH ARISE, in Jesus' name. Thank You, Lord!”


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