Stephanie Ike Okafor | Divine Encounters

AND SO THAT ACTUALLY, THAT DESIRE TO KNOW, YEAH. GOD PUT ON THE INSIDE OF YOU TO SEARCH HIM OUT. IT STARTS UP WITH, WHY DO YOU NEED THE VOICE OF GOD? IF HE'S - IF HIS VOICE IS NOT LEADING MY LIFE, WHAT AM I LIVING IN? HEY, GUYS, WELCOME BACK TO THE REBECCA WEISS PODCAST . I'M JOINED TODAY WITH AUTHOR AND EXECUTIVE PASTOR STEPHANIE IKE OKAFOR - YES. BASED IN L.A., BUT SHE'S HERE WITH US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

THERE'S SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT I GOT TO BE FOCUSED BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME. YOU'RE SO COOL, BY THE WAY. THANK YOU. BUT THERE'S SO MUCH SPIRITUAL DEPTH, AND I THINK OUR AUDIENCE, YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE REALLY BLESSED LISTENING TO THIS. SO JUST KEEP YOUR FOCUS, KEEP TUNED. SO LET'S GO BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD BECAUSE GOD GOT YOUR ATTENTION AT A REALLY YOUNG AGE. YEAH. AND BEGAN TO DISCIPLE YOU.

YEAH. SO TALK ABOUT, IT WAS EITHER WHEN YOU WERE EIGHT OR NINE - NINE YEARS OLD. YOU HAD YOUR FIRST, KIND OF, ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD. YEAH. AND SO AT NINE, I HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN ANGEL. I THOUGHT THE ANGEL WAS GOD BUT IT WASN'T. AND THAT ENCOUNTER LITERALLY, LIKE, WAS A CATALYST. PRIOR TO THAT, I WAS - I JUST HAD A LOT OF ANGER. MY FATHER WAS MURDERED AS A BABY - WHEN I WAS A BABY. AND I THINK MY LIFE, LIKE I TELL PEOPLE, LIKE, GOD NOT ONLY - LIKE, HE REALLY SAVED MY LIFE.

NOT EVEN FROM A PLACE OF JUST SALVATION, HE SAVED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE. WHERE I WAS GOING, YOU KNOW, IN MY MINDSET, WHAT I WAS MEDITATING IN MY HEART WAS VERY DARK. AND THE LORD ENCOUNTERED ME AND HE JUST STARTED DEALING WITH ME. SO AFTER I HAD THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE ANGEL, I STARTED HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD. AND AFTER THAT, I STARTED HAVING ENCOUNTERS WITH THE LORD IN DREAMS. AND HE WOULD TEACH ME, LIKE LITERALLY, LIKE, THE LORD RAISED ME.

AND SO IT WOULD BE THIS FLUID CONVERSATION FROM DREAMS. I WOULD WAKE UP. I WOULD TALK TO HIM ABOUT THINGS. I COULD HEAR HIS VOICE SO CLEARLY. AND HE REALLY DEALT WITH MY HEART BEFORE HE STARTED GIVING ME ANY OTHER WORDS. MY HEART POSTURE BEFORE HIM WAS A VERY KEY THING. WHAT'S SO IMPACTFUL ABOUT YOUR STORY IS YOU LOST YOUR FATHER, LIKE YOU SAID, WHEN YOU WERE A BABY. BUT THE ENCOURAGING THING TO TAKE OUT OF SUCH A TRAGEDY LIKE THAT, IS THAT GOD BECAME YOUR FATHER.

YEAH. I RECOGNIZED, LIKE PEOPLE WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT I'M LIKE, NO, RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS VERY REAL. IT'S VERY TANGIBLE. I, LIKE, I ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH THE LORD. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS - LIKE WHEN I WOULD SAY THIS TO PEOPLE I'M LIKE, NO, I REALLY MEAN IT, LIKE. GOD IS AS REAL, IS MORE REAL TO ME THAN PEOPLE I SEE. THAT'S AMAZING. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, LIKE, HE REALLY RAISED ME UP.

EVEN UNTIL TODAY, THERE ARE TIMES WHERE YOU KNOW, BEFORE I'M ABOUT TO PREACH AND HE WILL TALK TO ME ABOUT A SCRIPTURE THAT I'VE NEVER READ. AND HE'S LIKE, HEY, THIS IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE, AND HE'LL BREAK THINGS DOWN TO ME. AND THEN I WOULD WAKE UP AND I'LL READ THE SCRIPTURE AND I'M LIKE, OH, MY GOD, THIS IS WHAT HE SAID. BUT IT'S A REAL TANGIBLE RELATIONSHIP THAT THE LORD WANTS TO HAVE WITH US.

AND YOU SEE, FOR ME, I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND GOD AS MY FATHER UNTIL JUST RECENTLY. AND IT WAS ACTUALLY AROUND THE PASSING OF MY OWN FATHER, WHEN I TOLD GOD, I SAID, BECAUSE FOR A SECOND, I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT PRAYING, BRING A FATHER FIGURE INTO MY LIFE IN THE FORM OF LIKE A HUMAN. AND THEN I THOUGHT, NO. I SAID, I WANT YOU TO BE MY FATHER NOW. AND HE'S THE BEST AT IT.

NO, HE'S AMAZING. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTENING, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FATHER, IF YOUR FATHER'S NOT HERE, GOD CAN BE THAT FOR YOU. YEAH. AND IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. AND EVEN SEEING THE SECURITY YOU HAVE, THE SELF-ASSUREDNESS, THAT COMES FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHO THEIR FATHER IS AND THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE IN HIM. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN'T - YOU CAN'T PRODUCE ON YOUR OWN, IT CAN ONLY COME FROM YEARS OF BEING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM - THAT'S RIGHT.

AND I JUST LOVE THAT. SO WHEN YOU - DID YOU GET SAVED WHEN YOU WERE EIGHT? NO.

YOU PUT THE TREE. YOU DID. BECAUSE IT WAS HARD FOR ME - THIS IS JUST BEING SO HONEST - IT WAS LIKE EVEN IN SUNDAY SCHOOL OR CHURCH, DURING EASTER SERVICES OR, YOU KNOW, RESURRECTION SUNDAY, PEOPLE START CRYING. AND I'LL BE SITTING DOWN IN CHURCH AND I'M LIKE TALKING TO GOD. I'M LIKE, DAD, I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY'RE CRYING. YOU CAUSED THIS. YOU CAUSED IT. YOU FIX IT. I COULDN'T CONNECT AT THAT TIME WITH THIS WHOLE IDEA OF LIKE SAVIOR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY QUESTIONS.

AND I'M LIKE, I DON'T GET IT. LIKE, JESUS, OKAY, YOU DIED FOR US, BUT YOU PUT THE TREE. YEAH. AND THEN I REMEMBER ONE OF - SO THERE ARE TWO VERY SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS FOR ME. SO ONE WAS WHEN I WAS AT A POINT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EVEN JUST LIKE HOW CHILDREN WOULD DO WITH THEIR FATHERS, YOU LOVE YOUR DAD, BUT YOU MIGHT BE A LITTLE REBELLIOUS SOMETIMES. YEAH, ESPECIALLY THOSE TEENAGE YEARS WHERE YOU'RE LIKE, I KNOW MORE THAN YOU. I KNOW MORE THAN YOU. SO, FOR ME, HE WAS MY DAD, YOU KNOW.

IT WASN'T JUST LIKE - I LOVED HIM BUT I DIDN'T FEAR HIM. YEAH. I DIDN'T HAVE THIS REVERENCE, RESPECT FOR HIM, RIGHT, AT THE TIME. AND THAT WAS WHERE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE STARTED, HE WAS WORKING ON. BUT IT WAS A TIME WHERE I JUST FELT LIKE, OKAY, GOD, YOU'RE A BIT BORING, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE YOU DO WITH A DAD. DAD, YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW BETTER. YOU'RE BORING. YOU KNOW, MY FRIENDS ARE FUN.

BUT THAT'S HOW - PEOPLE GO THROUGH THAT PHASE IN REAL LIFE WITH THEIR REAL PARENTS, TOO, IT'S WILD. AND I WENT THROUGH THAT WITH GOD. I WAS LIKE, YOU'RE BORING, YOU KNOW. I WANT TO HAVE FUN. LIKE, YOU DON'T REALLY - WHAT ARE WE DOING THAT IS FUN RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW. AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS FUN WAS NOT BECAUSE ALL THAT - ALL OF THAT STUFF LEFT ME EMPTY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANTED - I WAS LIKE EVERYONE IS GOING OUT, THEY'RE HAVING FUN, THEY'RE DOING THIS, THEY'RE GOING TO THE CLUB.

SO I WANTED TO LIVE THAT LIFE. AND I WAS IN THAT LIFE AND I WAS DOING IT, YOU KNOW, A LOT. AND I REMEMBER ONE DAY I WAS AT A CLUB AND, LITERALLY, LIKE THE LORD GIVES ME A PROPHETIC MESSAGE FOR A YOUNG LADY, WHO HAD - WHO WAS GOING THROUGH THINGS WITH HER FATHER, LIKE, HER FATHER WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. AND, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS JUST IN THE CLUB FOR THE WRONG REASONS. IT'S LIKE TRYING TO ESCAPE, YOU KNOW, THE REALITY OF LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, I MIGHT LOSE MY DAD. AND THE LORD TOLD ME THIS WORD TO GIVE HER.

AND I GAVE HER THE WORD AND SHE'S CRYING AND SHE GOES HOME. AND WHEN I GOT HOME I'M LIKE, MAN, LORD, I DON'T WANT TO - THE FACT THAT YOU WOULD ENCOUNTER ME AND SPEAK TO ME IN THIS VERY DARK PLACE, THAT SHIFTED ME. IT WAS LIKE, I REALLY WANT TO LIVE THIS LIFE FOR YOU, BUT I STILL HAD QUESTIONS BECAUSE I WANT TO - I'M SOMEONE THAT, LIKE, I REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND THINGS. YOU KNOW, FOR ME TO REALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW.

SO I WAS AT A POINT WHERE I'M LIKE, GOD, I'M SURRENDERED, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHATEVER YOU WILL HAVE ME DO, I'M ALL IN, BUT I HAD QUESTIONS. I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND YOU KNOW, JESUS DYING FOR US. YEAH. AND I REMEMBER ONE RESURRECTION SUNDAY AT CHURCH, AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE EMOTIONAL. AND I JUST, I WASN'T THERE. I WASN'T IN THE PLACE OF LIKE, OH, MY GOD, JESUS DIED FOR ME, YOU KNOW. BECAUSE I'M LIKE, GOD, PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS.

AND WHILE I WAS SAYING IT, I HAD THIS VISION. AND I SEE THE LORD ON THE CROSS. AND I SEE BLOOD, LIKE ALMOST LIKE IN THE SAND, AND IN THE BLOOD WAS MY NAME WRITTEN IN IT. AND I HAD THIS UNDERSTANDING. IT WAS LIKE IN THAT MOMENT, THERE WAS THIS IMPARTATION OF REVELATION OF WHAT IT MEANT FOR THE LORD TO DIE FOR US ON THE CROSS, THAT IN HIM WE TRULY HAVE LIFE. AND IT JUST TOOK ME TO THIS JOURNEY OF WHAT HAPPENED FROM THE BEGINNING, WHY THE TREE WAS EVEN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

LIKE, I WAS LIKE, WAIT, GOD, YOU'RE NOT REALLY DRAMATIC. YOU'RE LIKE - YOU'RE YOU'RE REALLY LIKE, OH, MY GOD, YOU DIED FOR - LIKE IT DAWNED ON ME. LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, LIKE YOU CAME IN THE FORM OF MAN. AND YOU DID THIS SO THAT I WOULD HAVE LIFE, LIKE THE REVELATION OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST AND THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. IT TOOK OVER MY HEART AND I THINK THAT BROUGHT ME INTO A PLACE WHERE I REALLY CAME INTO THIS UNDERSTANDING OF, OH, WOW. YOU ARE REALLY LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU KNOW.

BUT, YEAH, IT HAD BEEN A JOURNEY, YOU KNOW, GETTING TO THAT POINT, BUT YEAH. THERE'S A VERSE IN PROVERBS, IT SAYS, IT'S THE GLORY OF GOD TO CONCEAL A MATTER, AND THE GLORY OF KINGS TO SEARCH A MATTER, AND SO THAT, ACTUALLY THAT DESIRE TO KNOW - YEAH. GOD PUT ON THE INSIDE OF YOU TO SEARCH HIM OUT AND TO KNOW HIM. AND SO WHAT YOU WERE DESCRIBING WANTING TO UNDERSTAND, IT'S BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO GENUINELY CONNECT TO GOD IN YOUR HEART, IN YOUR MIND, AND THE FULLNESS AND ALL OF YOU.

YEAH. SPIRIT, SOUL, BODY. BECAUSE I WAS - I WAS ALREADY AT A PLACE WHERE I'M LIKE I WHATEVER YOU HAVE ME DO I'M YOUR PERSON, YOU KNOW. BUT I WANTED TO, FROM A HEART POSTURE, UNDERSTAND THE CROSS. YEAH. YOU KNOW, LIKE, LITERALLY, IT USED TO BE THE FUNNIEST THING, LIKE I WOULD BE IN CHURCH AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, AND IN MY HEART I'M LIKE, GOD, YOU'RE REALLY DRAMATIC.

YEAH. ISN'T IT FUNNY WHEN WE LOOK AT SCRIPTURE AND WE SEE IT ONE WAY, LIKE I REMEMBER BEING IN BIBLE SCHOOL, OR NOT BIBLE SCHOOL, I WAS IN A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. THIS IS A MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND I REMEMBER READING THE GOSPELS AND I THOUGHT SOME OF THE STUFF JESUS SAID, I WAS LIKE, THAT IS THE STRANGEST RESPONSE. YEAH. BECAUSE HE WAS NOT OF THIS WORLD. HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD, BUT HE WAS PREACHING THE KINGDOM - THAT'S RIGHT. INTO THE EARTHLY MIND. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.

BUT IN TIME, AS GOD BEGAN TO UNFOLD, WHEN YOU GET REVELATION FROM HIM, WHICH ONLY HE CAN GIVE TO YOU - WE THINK ABOUT THAT STORY WITH PETER. HE SAYS WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? AND HE SAYS YOU'RE THE MESSIAH. AND HE SAYS FLESH AND BLOOD DO NOT REVEAL THIS UNTO YOU, BUT MY FATHER WHO WAS IN HEAVEN. THAT IS HOW GOD GIVES US REVELATION.

AND WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THAT IS BECAUSE YOU SEE THAT THERE IS A PLACE IN YOUR GROWTH WITH GOD, THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE INTIMACY AND COMMUNION WITH HIM BECAUSE IT CEMENTS SOMETHING IN YOUR HEART. YEAH. BECAUSE MANY TIMES, LIKE YOU HAVE MANY PEOPLE WHO GREW UP IN CHURCH, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN RECITE ALL THE VERSES, THEY KNOW ALL THE LINES. BUT THEY'RE NOT ANCHORED IN IT BECAUSE THE REVELATION OF WHAT THAT MEANS HAS NOT REALLY. COME INTO THEIR HEART.

AND SO CHRISTIANITY IS NOT THIS PRACTICE, RIGHT, IT'S RELATIONSHIP. YEP. AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M SO PASSIONATE, EVEN ABOUT THE BOOK BECAUSE IT GOES BEYOND JUST ABOUT DREAMS. IT'S REALLY HEARING AND UNDERSTANDING GOD'S VOICE, BUT YOU CAN ALSO DO THAT WHILE YOU SLEEP. SEE, AND I WANT TO ACTUALLY GET INTO THAT TOPIC, BUT I WANT TO TOUCH ON ONE THING, IS THAT FOR ME, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, THAT'S THE FOUNDATION.

YES. AND SO MANY PEOPLE, THEY'RE RAISED IN CHURCH, AND CHRISTIANITY IS A CULTURAL THING. YES. IT'S AN EXPERIENTIAL THING, BUT IT'S NOT A PERSONAL COMMUNION WITH JESUS. AND WHAT WE LEARN ABOUT THE CROSS IS THAT WHEN HE DIED AND THAT VEIL WAS TORN TOP TO BOTTOM - YEAH. HE WAS OPENING THE WAY FOR US TO HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. YES. EXACTLY, BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE WITH HIS BLOOD.

OUR BODY AS BEING THE TEMPLE, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SENT 50 DAYS LATER AND HE COMES AND DWELLS IN BELIEVERS. NO LONGER IS IT IN A BUILDING. HE'S GOING TO ABIDE IN US. THAT'S RIGHT. AND SO THAT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTENING, THAT THAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH. YEAH. AND IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN STEADY AND ROOTED, YOU HAVE TO BE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN HIM. NOT IN OTHER PEOPLE'S FAITH. NOT IN YOUR EXPERIENCES. BUT IN HIM. AND GOD DID THAT IN YOU.

YEAH. SO, LET'S BREAK DOWN FOR PEOPLE WHO - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT - WHO ARE TRYING TO NAVIGATE, WELL, DO THE VOICE OF GOD AND THEN WE'LL DO DREAMS. SO, LET'S DO THE VOICE OF GOD. BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH THAT. YEAH. SO JUST TAP ON HOW DO PEOPLE HEAR FROM GOD? HOW DO THEY KNOW IT'S HIM? YEAH. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE GOD'S VOICE. AND IT'S NOT ABOUT ONE OR THE OTHER. YOU HAVE ACCESS TO EVERY, YOU KNOW, MEANS.

SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I DISCUSSED IS THERE ARE FOUR PRIMARY WAYS THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HIS VOICE. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN EXPERIENCE IT THROUGH EMOTIONS. I CALL THEM LIKE FEELERS. MM-HMM. AND SO, YOU KNOW, GOD IS SHARING HIS EMOTION WITH YOU CONCERNING A THING, AND SO THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE SAY LIKE - OH, LIKE SHARING HIS HEART. YES. SO IT'S LIKE, OH, I HAVE PEACE ABOUT THIS, OR I DON'T HAVE PEACE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE PEACE IS A DIRECTIONAL EMOTION, RIGHT.

SO THERE ARE TIMES WHERE YOU KNOW YOU MIGHT BE LOOKING AT SOMETHING AND EVERYTHING IS PERFECT ON PAPER, BUT YOUR HEART IS NOT SETTLED AND YOU'RE NOT AT PEACE. AND SO THE LORD IS SHOWING YOU, HEY, I'M NOT IN THIS. YOU KNOW, WALK AWAY FROM IT. SO, YES, IT'S PERFECT ON PAPER, BUT GOD IS LIKE THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE, RIGHT. SO THERE'S THE FEELERS. THEN THERE ARE THE KNOWERS. THIS IS THIS INSTINCTIVE KNOWING OF WHAT TO DO.

LIKE, IT'S NOT THAT YOU HEARD SOMETHING, YOU JUST KNOW WHAT TO DO. AND THIS IS ALSO CONNECTED TO THE GIFT OF FAITH. YOU KNOW ONE OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FAITH. AND IT'S LIKE GOD LITERALLY SHARING WITH YOU YOU KNOW, SOMETHING, LIKE WITHOUT EVEN COMMUNICATING IT. HE BRINGS IT IN YOUR INNER KNOWER. WHEN PETER, WHEN JESUS ASKS PETER, HE SAID, WHO DO MEN SAY THAT I AM? IF YOU NOTICE, PETER DID NOT SAY I HEARD. HE DIDN'T SAY, YOU KNOW, I HAD THIS ENCOUNTER. HE JUST HAD A KNOWING.

HE'S LIKE, YOU ARE THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. AND SO EVEN JESUS GIVES HIM LANGUAGE FOR HOW HE KNOWS IT. HE SAYS FLESH AND BLOOD DID NOT REVEAL THIS TO YOU, BUT MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. AND SO THERE ARE TIMES WHERE YOU JUST KNOW SOMETHING AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW, BECAUSE GOD IS SHARING THAT KNOWLEDGE WITH YOU, RIGHT. THE SAME REASON WHY THE DISCIPLES WOULD JUST LEAVE THEIR JOBS, LEAVE THEIR FISHING BUSINESS AND FOLLOW JESUS BEFORE HE WAS EVEN REVEALED AS THE CHRIST.

THERE WAS A KNOWING THAT, I NEED TO FOLLOW THIS MAN. YOU KNOW, SO THERE ARE TIMES WHERE PEOPLE JUST HAVE THIS INSTINCTIVE STRONG KNOWING OF WHAT TO DO, AND UNTIL THEY - THEY CAN'T SHAKE IT OFF UNTIL THAT THING IS DONE. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE HEARERS, WHERE, YOU KNOW, EITHER MAYBE THAT YOU - THEY CAN HEAR THE AUDIBLE VOICE OF GOD, WHICH IS NOT AS COMMON TODAY. BUT IT CAN HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, IF MAYBE GOD REALLY WANTS TO GET YOUR ATTENTION IN A MOMENT.

BUT THEN IT'S WHEN YOU CAN DISCERN GOD'S VOICE AS A THOUGHT, OR A SERIES OF THOUGHTS. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE SPIRIT OF GOD COMMUNES WITH YOU, HE COMMUNES WITH YOUR SPIRIT. AND WHEN YOUR SPIRIT IS TRANSLATING THAT TO YOUR SOUL, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR - WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE, IT CAN SOMETIMES BE RECEIVED AS THOUGHTS, RIGHT. THAT'S WHY EVEN IN THE SCRIPTURES THERE IS THIS - THERE'S ALWAYS THIS WARFARE CONCERNING THE MIND.

BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE DREAM YOU MIGHT SEE SOMEONE YOU DON'T - YOU JUST KNOW THEIR NAME, LIKE YOU JUST KNOW WHO THEY ARE. YOU HAVE THIS UNDERSTANDING. EVEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD DREAMS OR HAD ENCOUNTERS WITH ANGELS OR THE LORD, THEY DON'T SPEAK WITH THEIR MOUTH. IT'S LITERALLY LIKE SPIRIT TO SPIRIT, RIGHT. AND YOU JUST HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. THEY HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

BECAUSE IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM IT'S LIKE - IT'S NOT THAT THERE IS, LIKE, DIALOG, LIKE, HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING? LIKE, I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU, I'M COMMUNICATING YOU FROM SPIRIT TO SPIRIT. SO THAT NOW TRANSLATES AS THOUGHTS. SO THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN DISCERN WHEN OH, THIS IS NOT MY THOUGHT, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE LORD COMMUNICATING TO ME. AND IN THE SAME WAY, THAT COULD HAPPEN EVEN ON THE DARK SIDE AND THAT'S WHY THERE IS ALWAYS THIS GUARD, YOU KNOW, CASTING DOWN EVERY ARGUMENT.

WHEN THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE. YOU KNOW, THEN IT STARTS TALKING ABOUT THINGS WITH THE MIND, RIGHT. SO THEY'RE THE HEARERS. AND THEN THERE ARE THE SEERS. AND THE SEERS IS - THERE'S NATURAL SIGHT AND THERE'S SPIRITUAL SIGHT. AND SO YOU CAN BE IN A ROOM LIKE THIS AND YOU SEE PEOPLE AROUND, BUT THEN THERE ARE ANGELS IN THE ROOM AT THE SAME TIME, BUT YOU MAY NOT SEE.

BUT THEN THE LORD MIGHT OPEN YOUR EYES TO SEE WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE NATURAL THAT IS HIDDEN FROM YOUR NATURAL EYES, RIGHT. AND THEN THERE'S A SPIRITUAL SIDE, WHICH IS VISIONS AND DREAMS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I REALLY, LIKE, I'M VERY HEAVY ON THE SPIRITUAL SIDE, IS BECAUSE WHEN YOUR SPIRITUAL EYES ARE, YOU KNOW, OPEN IN THE SENSE OF WHEN YOU'RE EXPERIENCING THE VOICE OF GOD THROUGH YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSES, OR YOUR SPIRITUAL SIGHT, RATHER, YOU CAN EXPERIENCE EVERY MANNER IN ONE.

YOU CAN HEAR, YOU CAN FEEL, YOU CAN KNOW, YOU CAN SEE. SO, IT'S A VERY POTENT WAY OF EXPERIENCING THE VOICE OF GOD. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED HEARING GOD THAT WAY, THROUGH THE SPIRITUAL SIGHT? CAN YOU GIVE LIKE AN EXAMPLE OR A STORY? YEAH. SO SPIRITUAL SIGHT, SO THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE BOOK IS BIRTHED. YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S VISIONS, IT'S DREAMS AND I'VE HAD - THAT'S BEEN MY LIFE, YOU KNOW.

EVEN WITH A VISION, I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, WE WERE - A FRIEND OF MINE, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LIKE - WE WERE GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE. IT WAS VERY SIMPLE. WE'RE LIKE, HEY, WE BOTH NEED TO GET GROCERIES. AND SHE'S LIKE, OH, STEPHANIE, LET ME JUST GO. I'LL GET MY CAR AND LET'S GO. THE MOMENT SHE, YOU KNOW SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS GOING TO GET HER CAR, I HAD THIS VISION. AND RIGHT AS SHE WAS GETTING ON THE FREEWAY, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. AND IT WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT GOT CRUSHED IN.

BUT THEN I WAS STILL A BIT IMMATURE IN HOW I - YOU KNOW, WHAT I DID WITH WHAT I KNEW. AND I SHOULD HAVE CALLED HER TO SAY, HEY, DON'T GO ANYWHERE. I WAS SELFISH AND I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M GOOD. I WAS JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT - AND LITERALLY SO SHE GOES BY HERSELF, AND A FEW MINUTES LATER SHE CALLS ME, I JUST GOT IN AN ACCIDENT. AND IT WAS EXACTLY WHEN SHE WAS GETTING ON THE FREEWAY, A CAR SMASHED. AND I WAS LIKE, BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE BEEN SITTING THERE. SO THAT WAS A BIG MOMENT FOR YOU.

YEAH. BUT I'VE SEEN LIKE GOD LITERALLY HAS SAVED MY LIFE LITERALLY THROUGH DREAMS AND VISIONS, THROUGH THE MESSAGES. YOU KNOW, GROWING UP, THEY WERE PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO HARM US IN DIFFERENT WAYS, POISON, ASSASSINATION. BUT THE LORD LITERALLY PROTECTED US BY GIVING US A FOREWARNING, HEY, THIS PERSON IS GOING TO BRING THIS, OR THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND TOLD US WHAT TO DO. AND THAT'S JUST, I DON'T KNOW, THAT BRINGS SO MUCH REASSURANCE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR.

IF WE JUST KEEP OUR FOCUS ON HIM AND, LIKE, THAT'S PSALMS 91, HE IS OUR DWELLING PLACE. THAT'S RIGHT. HE WILL PROTECT US. WE'LL ABIDE IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY. NOW, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT DREAMS. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING PROPHETIC DREAMS, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE, AND HOW DOES SOMEONE STEWARD THAT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, IT BEGINS WITH A PLACE OF HUNGER. I BELIEVE THAT DESPERATION IS A WOMB FOR TRANSFORMATION IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER.

WHEN WE GET TO THAT PLACE WHERE WE ARE DESPERATE FOR THE VOICE OF GOD, WE'RE DESPERATE FOR THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES. AND IT'S - THAT DESPERATION COMES FROM A PLACE WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT MY LIFE IS NOT MY OWN. JUST BECAUSE THINGS ARE WORKING FOR ME DOES NOT MEAN I'M IN THE THING GOD ORDAINED ME TO DO. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU REALIZE THE NEED FOR THE VOICE OF GOD IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE, IT ACTIVATES THIS PLACE OF COMMUNION WITH GOD, RIGHT.

SO IN THE BOOK I GO THROUGH THIS JOURNEY WHERE IT DOESN'T JUST DIVE IN, BOOM, TO DREAMS. IT STARTS OFF WITH WHY YOU NEED THE VOICE OF GOD. BECAUSE SO OFTEN WE GET COMFORTABLE, WE GET INTO OUR ROUTINES, OUR PATTERNS, AND THEN WE DON'T REALIZE, LIKE, I CAME FROM GOD. AND SO IF HIS VOICE IS NOT LEADING MY LIFE, WHAT AM I LIVING IN? YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT IN THE END IT LEADS TO DEATH, RIGHT.

SO WHEN WE COME TO THIS PLACE OF KNOWING WHY WE NEED THE VOICE OF GOD, AND WE HAVE THE FAITH TO BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN SPEAK TO ME IN THIS WAY, IT STARTS FROM THAT FOUNDATION. AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO DREAMS, I THINK DREAMS IS SOMETHING WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS. YEAH. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE - THAT'S WHY THIS BOOK IS SO GREAT. PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU, LIKE, I'M NOT A DREAMER, AND IT'S LIKE, YOU ARE. EVERYBODY IS A DREAMER. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EVEN SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN, WE DREAM EVERY NIGHT.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON'T REMEMBER OUR DREAMS. AND IF I HAVE THE ABILITY TO - I ALREADY DREAM EVERY NIGHT. NOW, HOW CAN I INVITE THE LORD INTO THAT SPACE, RIGHT? OR IS THE LORD IN THAT SPACE AND I'VE JUST NOT PERCEIVED IT? YOU KNOW, THE WORD OF GOD TALKS ABOUT WHEN THE LORD SAID, BEHOLD, I DO A NEW THING, RIGHT. AND HE SAYS ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL THINGS AND HE'S LIKE, BUT DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE IT? SO THERE'S ALWAYS GOD. GOD IS ALWAYS MOVING.

HE'S ALWAYS SPEAKING. THE PROBLEM IS ARE WE RECEIVING AND PERCEIVING YOU KNOW, THE MOVE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES? AND SO WHEN WE GET TO THE PLACE OF RECOGNIZING WOW, MY SLEEP CAN BE HOLY GROUND, RIGHT, AND THEN HOW YOU GO TO BED MATTERS. YOU KNOW, A DREAM IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS, IT'S A CONVERSATION. IT'S EITHER GOD STARTING A CONVERSATION OR CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION WITH YOU. THE DIFFERENCE IS, YOU KNOW, GOD HAS MANY WAYS TO SPEAK TO US. HE CAN SPEAK THROUGH IMAGERY.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE IMAGES THAT WILL FEEL LIKE A PARABLE, BUT IN THE PLACE OF INTIMACY YOU HAVE UNDERSTANDING OF IT, RIGHT. JESUS SOMETIMES WILL SPEAK TO PEOPLE IN PARABLES. BUT THEN HE WILL BRING HIS INNER CIRCLE AND EXPLAIN THE PARABLE. AND DREAMS ARE LIKE THAT, TOO. DREAMS CAN FEEL LIKE A PARABLE. IT'S LIKE ALL THESE IMAGES AND IT'S LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I WAS STANDING BY A FIRE TRUCK AND THEN THE CLOUD TURNED BLUE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHAT IS GOING ON?

BUT WHEN YOU START STUDYING ALL THE SYMBOLS AND YOU BRING IT IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, THEN THAT BECOMES - IN THE PLACE OF INTIMACY YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS. BASICALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A DREAM, WRITE IT DOWN. YES. AND THEN BRING IT TO A PLACE OF PRAYER. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH PROPHETIC WORDS AS WELL, AND I USED TO BE GUILTY OF THIS BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW, I WOULD RECEIVE IT AND THEN I'D BE LIKE, OKAY.

AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WRITE DOWN THE THINGS THAT THE LORD SHOWS YOU, THE THINGS THAT HE TELLS YOU, AND THEN BRING IT IN PRAYER AND STEWARD THAT, YOU KNOW, KEEP LOOKING BACK ON THOSE THINGS. YEAH. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES THERE'S AN INTERPRETATION YOU MAY GET RIGHT AWAY. THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT TAKE TIME. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THIS JOURNAL, THIS INVENTORY OF THE WORD OF GOD, THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN LOOK BACK ON AND SAY OH, MY GOSH, I UNDERSTAND THIS NOW.

THERE ARE DREAMS THAT YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND FOR 20 YEARS. I CAN ATTEST TO THAT. BUT THEN THERE'S A REASON GOD GAVE IT TO YOU BECAUSE WHEN GOD - GOD ALWAYS SPEAKS WITH PURPOSE. HE NEVER SPEAKS TO GOSSIP OR TO JUST RANDOMLY INFORM. EVERY WORD HAS PURPOSE AND THERE ARE TIMES THAT GOD WILL GIVE YOU A WORD AHEAD OF TIME SO THAT WHEN YOU STEP INTO THE SEASON OF THAT WORD, YOU'RE ANCHORED.

MM-HMM. AND IT KIND OF MAKES - IT GIVES YOU PEACE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OH, WOW, YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING AND YOU GAVE ME A HEAD'S UP. EXACTLY. BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT ME. EXACTLY. ONE OF THINGS YOU TALK ABOUT AS WELL IS THAT THE FRUIT OF WHAT, LIKE, WHAT THE DREAM PRODUCES HELPS INDICATE IF IT'S FROM THE LORD OR NOT. THAT'S RIGHT. CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT THAT? YEAH. BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW, LIKE, DIFFICULTY WITH RECOGNIZING, LIKE WAS IT GOD? WAS IT THE ENEMY? WAS IT ME?

YEAH. AND YOU WOULD KNOW IN THE NATURE - FIRST OF ALL, THE NATURE OF WHAT IT DOES IN YOU BECAUSE THEN YOU CAN NEVER SEPARATE A FRUIT FROM A SEED, RIGHT. IF YOU SEE - IF YOU SEE THE FRUIT OF A TREE, IT TELLS YOU WHAT WAS PLANTED IN THE GROUND, RIGHT. WATERMELON SEED CANNOT GROW ORANGES. AND SO IN OUR LIVES, THERE'S CERTAIN DREAMS WE HAVE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN SOMEONE IS LIKE HOW DO I KNOW A DREAM IS FROM THE ENEMY, THE NATURE OF WHAT IT PRODUCES IN YOU REPRESENTS HIS IMAGE.

BECAUSE AS WE KNOW JESUS, IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD, RIGHT. SO THE WORD IS A PERSONALITY. IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, WORDS. IT'S A PERSONALITY. SO WHEN GOD GIVES YOU A WORD IN HOW - IN WHICHEVER PLATFORM, HOWEVER HE DOES IT, IT COMES WITH HIS NATURE. SO WHAT IT PRODUCES IN YOU IS HIS NATURE. SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT MAY BE SCARY, BUT THEN YOU DON'T FEEL CRIPPLED IN FEAR, RIGHT. IT'S NOT THE SPIRIT OF FEAR THAT OVERTAKES YOU.

THERE MIGHT BE A CAUTION IN YOUR SPIRIT, RIGHT. THE ENEMY - THE DREAMS OF THE ENEMY BRINGS THIS TORMENT, RIGHT. GOD DOES NOT TORMENT US. YOU KNOW, IT BRINGS US ANXIETY. YOU KNOW, IT COULD CAUSE DEPRESSION. OR IT PRODUCES HIS NATURE WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE SOMETHING, AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE MAYBE YOU DREAMT ABOUT A PERSON IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT AND THE OUTCOME OF THE DREAM WAS YOU JUST GOSSIPING ABOUT IT. LIKE, OH, I SAW I HAD A DREAM ABOUT THIS PERSON. I THINK THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.

I THINK THEY'RE A WITCH OR SOMETHING. YOU DIDN'T - YOU NEVER PRAYED. YOU NEVER ASKED THE LORD CONCERNING THIS. YOU DIDN'T SEEK INSIGHT. YOU'RE JUST GOSSIPING. LIKE, IT LITERALLY ENDS IN GOSSIP. YOU'RE CALLING YOUR FRIENDS. YOU'RE LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, X, Y AND Z. THAT'S NOT THE NATURE OF GOD, RIGHT. AND SO IF THE LORD IS GIVING YOU A DREAM ABOUT WARNING YOU ABOUT A PERSON, THEN THERE'S ACTIONS THAT YOU WOULD TAKE, BUT YOU WOULD TAKE THOSE ACTIONS FROM THE PLACE OF LOVE.

YOU'RE RECOGNIZING, HEY, THIS PERSON IS NOT GOOD IN MY LIFE FOR THIS SEASON I'M IN OR WHATEVER IS GOING ON WITH THEM, BUT THERE IS STILL A LEVEL OF PROTECTION IN WHAT YOU DO. THERE ARE DREAMS FROM THE ENEMY THAT LITERALLY JUST STEALS TIME FROM YOU, RIGHT. YOU HAVE DREAMS WHERE SOMEONE MIGHT SEE SOMEONE AND BELIEVE LIKE, OH, I DREAMT ABOUT MY HUSBAND. BUT THAT PERSON IS NOT IN AN ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. THERE'S NOTHING THERE. AND THEY'RE LITERALLY LETTING OTHER PEOPLE KNOW

BECAUSE THEY HAD THIS DREAM THAT, MR. WHATEVER OR MRS. WHATEVER IS THEIR SPOUSE. AND SO WHAT THAT DOES, THE ENEMY'S STEALING TIME. HE'S DERAILING YOU. EXACTLY. HE WANTS TO STEAL YOUR YOUTH FROM YOU. AND SO HE HAS YOU WASTING TIME LONGING AND OBSESSING OVER SOMEBODY WHO IS NEVER - WAS NEVER YOURS TO BEGIN WITH, RIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE NATURE OF THE ENEMY IS TO STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY. SO YOU SEE THAT EVEN IN WHAT IT PRODUCES IN A PERSON. WE ARE ALMOST OUT OF TIME.

THE LAST QUESTION I'M JUST GONNA ASK YOU, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THE LORD HAS PUT ON YOUR HEART THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE AUDIENCE, OR AN ENCOURAGING WORD FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE HUNGRY FOR MORE OF GOD? YEAH. I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, HONESTLY, TO KNOW THAT GOD SPEAKS. OUR WALK WITH CHRIST IS NOT SOMETHING - IT'S NOT LIKE AN OUTFIT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE PUT ON, AND RELIGIOUS DUTIES AND ACTIVITIES. IT IS INTIMACY. IT IS A COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU GAVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS, YOU RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS GOD, GOD IN YOU. AND SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE KNOWING THAT GOD IS IN YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S NOT FOR US TO SHY AWAY FROM IT, BUT IT'S FOR US TO GET BACK TO A PLACE OF HUNGER AND DESPERATION AND KNOW THAT NOBODY IS SPECIAL, BUT WHAT ACTIVATES, YOU KNOW, A PERSON'S WALK IN INTIMACY WITH GOD IS HUNGER.

CAN YOU DO JUST A PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING THAT WANT TO HAVE THAT INTIMACY WITH HOLY SPIRIT? ABSOLUTELY. HEAVENLY FATHER, I JUST THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE LISTENING.

AND, LORD GOD, I JUST PRAY THAT EVEN FOR YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ARE SAYING THAT, LORD, I WANT TO HAVE THIS INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, LORD, I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD REVEAL TO THEM WHAT IS KEEPING THEM FULL, THE WRONG THINGS THAT ARE KEEPING THEM FULL, THAT THEIR APPETITE IS NOT GETTING TO THAT PLACE OF HUNGER AND DESPERATION. AND THAT, LORD, AS YOU REVEAL IT, O, GOD, THAT THEY WILL COME IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU FOR THOSE THINGS TO BE STRIPPED AWAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

AND SO, HEAVENLY FATHER, I THANK YOU. OUR LIFE ONLY HAS MEANING IN YOU. THE END OF OUR LIFE CAN ONLY BE CALLED GOOD WHEN IT HAS FOLLOWED THAT WHICH YOU WROTE EVEN BEFORE WE GOT HERE, THE COUNSEL OF GOD. AND SO I PRAY, LORD GOD, THAT YOUR CHILDREN WILL GET TO A PLACE WHERE THEY KNOW THAT, LORD GOD, THE ONLY WAY FORWARD IS KNOWING WHEN I HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT I'M WALKING WITH THE LORD IN ALL THINGS, AND I'M LED BY HIS VOICE.

AND SO, HEAVENLY FATHER, I PRAY THAT YOU WILL OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOU WILL LEAD THEM, IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. AMEN. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. YOUR BOOK IS,THE POWER OF YOUR DREAMS. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GET IT? EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD. AND IT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, ACTUALLY. WOW. THAT'S AMAZING. YEAH. YEAH. WELL, STEPHANIE, IT'S AN HONOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANKS FOR WATCHING THE REBECCA WEISS PODCAST.