Revelation may come in a moment but oftentimes the reality does not. There seems to be at least two types of revelation. The first type of revelation has to do with that which is in the future. The second type has to do with how God is dealing with you personally…which usually carries with it a promise. That means the first type of revelation is a noun and speaks of what God has already revealed for our future. Whereas the second type of revelation is a verb and speaks of what God is continuing to reveal.
Many people hear the term revelation and immediately think of the book of Revelation. Over the years I have heard a lot of teaching on the book of Revelation and have even taught on the book myself. However, I do not think I have ever heard anyone teach on how to receive personal revelation from God and how to work it out. Receiving personal revelation from God is akin to receiving a prophetic word from a prophet, but it may not necessarily be the same because it could be much broader or more detailed.
Personal revelation is usually the practice field for building our character. ‘Giving all’ seems to be a revelation that requires a lifetime of practice without ever reaching a conclusion. Every day of giving is a new day of testing the emotions for the purpose of overcoming the flesh. Perhaps that is why Paul said we must die daily. Mankind is basically selfish and has to crucify the flesh everyday in order to learn the ministry of giving all. Giving all doesn’t mean that God wants us in need…he is after our heart.
Over the years I have put many things on the altar that were important to me, as Abraham did when he placed his only son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice. The act of obedience obviously showed Abraham’s allegiance to God above all else.
I personally have never put anything on the altar that God did not raise up again and give back to me in greater quality, quantity and kind. Over the years I have given away land, cars, diamonds, gold, all my money, ministry and many other things. These acts were not made public at the time because they were such intimate moments with God. He was teaching me that if I would not hold anything back from Him then He would not hold anything back from me. I responded out of obedience to God without knowing the why. Today God has given me the revelation of why. Knowing the why is the difference between a servant and a friend. All of these acts of obedience were preparation for the blessings that God wanted to give me in later life.
Several years ago while I was praying, the Lord asked me if I was willing to suffer for Him. I thought about it for a moment and said Lord I will have to get back with you on that one. I drove around for a long time thinking about the question and wondered why the Lord would ask such a thing of me. After a long period of time I finely drove back to where the Lord had asked me the question and said, “Lord, I think I am ready to give you the answer.” I said, “Lord, as best as I can figure out…since you already suffered on the cross for me, that means that I do not have to suffer for you. Therefore, my answer to your question is no, I am not willing to suffer.” But then I said, “However Lord, if for some reason you know something that I do not know that would require me to suffer then I am willing for you to make me willing. Now that is the best that I can come up with based on the facts that I have.” With that the Lord seemed to be satisfied and our conversation ended.
That night the Lord came to me in a dream and showed me an old wooden unpainted house with a small detached garage in the rear. He said you are going to be living there but I will be with you and will provide all your needs. In the dream I said, “Lord I don’t understand why I would have to live there because you have blessed me with everything I need or want and I even belong to the country club.” The dream ended and I woke up disturbed wondering what the dream meant.
Within days the Lord asked me to give up everything I had and go start a mission ministry by faith in Houston, Texas. This mission was in an undesirable part of town in an old church building. There was absolutely nothing in my heart that wanted to do this ministry. However I was obedient because I knew God was training me for another level of giving all. I was to start the mission ministry on faith with absolutely no money at all.
I lived in one of the Sunday School rooms and all of the other men that we had picked up off the street lived in the other Sunday School rooms. We had to believe God for each bowl of soup and each piece of bread. We actually saw God work miracles every single day. We saw Him multiply a pint of soup into two gallons of soup. We saw Him multiple a half loaf of bread into enough bread to feed sixteen men and have leftovers. I learned some wonderful lessons of faith during that period of time that would forever change my life.
One day the Lord spoke to me and told me my time in the mission was over and I could leave. I had no money, I had no car, I had no work contacts or anything else and I was not sure what to do. That day the Lord sent a man by the mission to see me and ask if I would go to work for him and help him remodel an old house. I said yes and turned the ministry over to another. I put my things in the back of his truck and we drove away. I told the man that wanted me to work for him that I didn’t have a place to stay or any money for food. He said you can stay in the old house and I only have a couple of dollars to give you for food. As he pulled up in front of the old house it was the same old unpainted house as I had seen in my dream. I walked back to the little detached garage to put my things in it because the house was filled with construction material. On one side of the garage was a small storage room with a broken out window. The room was filled with trash. There was an old mattress over in the corner that had been rained on. That was to be my bed.
Each night after work I would go in and lay down on that old stained mattress thanking God for His blessing and provision. This was what God was talking about when He asked me if I was willing to suffer for Him, but that He would be with me.
Those days were far different than my county club days, but for some strange reason I could not have been happier.
Next to the old house were a couple of bars. Loud talking, cussing, drinking and fighting would go on until the wee hours in the morning. Little did the drunks know that just behind the clubs in the detached garage of the old unpainted house lying on a water-stained discarded mattress was a miracle in the making. Each night the angelic host of heaven would come and minister to me. I felt as though I was in a protective capsule of love. The Lord was taking me to a higher level of faith.
God helped me to pass this test and soon I would leave the old unpainted house in the same way I had left the mission work for my next assignment. My next assignment was to receive an outpouring of the blessing of God because He knew I would not hold anything back from Him so He held nothing back from me. The blessing of God is still flowing in my life after all these years and I love Him so much for trusting me with these tests.
Father,
I am always amazed at how you can take what looks horrible to the natural mind and make it a thing of beauty to the spiritual mind. You taught me to feel as David felt when he said, “you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” I thank you Lord for teaching me how to live in the miraculous at the mission. I thank you Lord for those intimate moments I spent with your heavenly host in the old unpainted house where you cradled me in your arms each night. I also thank you Lord for the abundance of your blessings you have given me over the years. Most of all, Lord thank you for teaching me how to give it all.
Amen
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17 KJV)
Apostle John Dean Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved
Alliance International Ministries