The Shaking & The High Ground: A Dream & Prophetic Word to the Body of Christ

On August 17, 2023 I had a dream I was in an area by the ocean with lots of houses up on high stilts. These houses were connected by a lot of docks which were also on stilts. I’ll note that most people didn’t seem to be aware of how everything was elevated on stilts; what we/they were experiencing seemed normal. Cruise ships would stop there, there was sort of pleasure pier with amusements like a Ferris wheel and fair rides, and there was a sense that this was a vacation spot for lots of people although others lived there too. I could hear the screams of people on the rides like they were having fun.

I was in the bedroom on the top floor of my house praying. At one point, I walked out and it had started getting really windy. I thought it was strange that everything just kept going on like normal.

Soon I heard a noise and felt the house sway a little. I went back outside and saw that a chunk of a house flew by and I saw darkness in the sky. I looked around through the windows and saw that houses were falling apart and flying through the air. I said, “I didn’t know all this was going on.” Two ladies at a tall wooden counter said, “we tried to tell you.”

At first, I thought they were trying to warn me of the storm and danger. But then when I went outside, they were standing there with their hair, blowing around, wild and crazy, and even as things were crashing around close to them, as long as THEY weren’t physically hurt, they got some sort of sick thrill from watching it all happen.

Then they told me that if I go over by the rides (the first things truly getting affected by the wind) that I could find souvenir key chains below that people dropped in the wind and shaking. I saw a pile of empty souvenir key rings/chains under one of the rides and knew in the dream that these sort of piles could be found under any of the rides. I could see that many of them had the name of different attractions or locations they had visited. They had no keys on them. Like a key ring collector, it was more about collecting memories from places they went to than holding keys. When I saw them, I could hear the screams of the people still on the rides, no longer in fun, but instead fear and panic.

As I was taking in everything going on around me, I was thinking, “Why would I want key chains empty of keys?” At the same time, I felt shocked that in the midst of basically a hurricane, these two women were looking for ways to benefit from those who were being shaken.

I left the scene and returned to my upper room to pray and right about that time, the house started breaking apart and toppling. The house was turning, toppling and falling all at once and I was in a free fall for a few seconds before landing safely although the house was in a big heap. A lot of the framing was still there and it had the illusion of being livable but in today’s standards, it would be taped off as unsafe.

The Aftermath

Before the storm, everything looked super nice. Yes, it was made of wood but it was aesthetically pleasing and generally nice. The free-fall delivered me to the place where I could clearly see the flimsy stilts all around me that had been holding up the houses and structures, mine included. It was dark, dirty and the water was murky.

This is where I encountered the Leviathan. First, my eyes were scanning to see the best next thing to do to get out of the wreckage. I saw it to my left a small rowboat, but quickly noticed that it had water in the bottom of it and was not fit for use.

Right then, I saw a shape appear under the water that ended up being the leviathan. While submerged, it was a dark shadow, in the shape of what would look like an alligator, except much more beefed up, and down both sides of its body, it was shaped like huge, serrated edges. When it attacked, it was hissing and its body was covered in strong armor-like scales.

I looked around to see what I could use and I saw a gold bucket of old ancient weapons – a club, a battle ax and some swords. I grabbed the club but it didn’t injure the leviathan, only knocked it back. Then I grabbed the sharp battle ax and swung again. It would not penetrate its armor but I did knock it back in the water.

By then some people started to gather. I encouraged everyone to grab a weapon and we agreed that 1) we would not let the Leviathan advance in our midst and 2) that we would head to the high ground together. We knew we needed to go to higher ground. We grabbed the ancient weapons and became a company going after the same thing with one heart and mind. My heart was moved by the rallying together as we turned and strode toward the high ground. It was really beautiful.

What is God Saying?

This is a dream specifically for the Church, especially the Western church.

The wooden stilts are a picture of pride (propping ourselves up) and what has not been built upon the Rock of Christ, while the high ground at the end of the dream is a picture of the hill of the Lord, the firm foundation of Truth, consecration and living seated with Christ in heavenly places.

The pleasure pier indicates the aspects of the Church just seeking to be entertained and - knowingly or unknowingly - simply living for themselves. Jesus becomes an accessory - just like a key chain - and instead of holding the keys of the kingdom and holding the key of David (intimacy with Jesus), it’s become about collecting souvenirs of the past and the next thrill.

Notice that even though I wasn’t getting caught up in the “attractions” in the dream, my house still had stilts underneath. Just as the shaking revealed the vulnerable places under all of us, we are all in the place of refining

However, it seemed that my posture to be after God’s heart became a preserver for me when everything toppled. This should sober those who have been seeking God’s face, that in His goodness, He will reveal hidden pride that leads to a downfall. But be encouraged! Your heart to seek the Lord will cause you to experience the shaking differently than those who have not been in that place and though you will still feel it, God is filling our hearts with His love and heavenly strategy so that we can rally with others to lead those who don’t know what’s going on to the high ground.

Peace in the Shaking

The reality is, there is a shaking coming. And all that remains will be what is unshakable: the Kingdom of God.

“Whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:26-29

As a result many things will not look the same in the days ahead. The landscape is changing and what is laid on faulty foundations will not be able to stand. But friends, this shaking is not something to fear, but to embrace. God is giving us revelation so we can navigate the times we’re living in with peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:5-7)

A New Era and the Sifting of the Church

We have just entered a new era of the church and there is such a deep sifting regarding hidden “spiritual” pride in the Bride.

The two women in the dream represent false prophetic messages and voices that prophesy the downfall of people and then celebrate when they fall. They are puffed up in “I told you so” statements, they laugh at the shaking of others and they prey on calamity for their own personal gain. Watch out for their influence. They may make you laugh through their jabs or cause you to feel justified in your opinions. Cut off their influence because they are inspired by an enemy bent on a “key-less” Church.

The Aftermath

The area I landed in by the murky water surrounded by fallen stilts and toppled structures is a picture of the heart and condition of the Church being revealed. The murky water speaks to sin and mixture. It’s important to note that from that vantage point, one could no longer separate all the boundaries between houses and attractions. It was all mixed up together in the fall.

This informs our posture as we lean into what the Holy Spirit is doing in us and the Bride at large. I cannot separate myself from the Body of Christ that I am inexplicably connected to. It’s impossible to take into this era a narrative in which, “That’s not me, so that’s not my problem.” Christ is calling His Body to humility and a rally cry to ascend the hill of the Lord and it’s for all of us. It’s time to come up higher and mature into the fullness of the maturity of Christ together.

You’ll remember that my house still looked vaguely livable though in today’s standards it would be taped off as unfit and unstable. Many will be tempted to just try to stick it out in structures that are no longer stable or able to serve what’s functional for the time at hand. That doesn’t mean they weren’t functional or a blessing before. It simply means they can no longer sustain or empower what’s necessary in this hour.

There is a growing sense in the Body of Christ, “I can’t stay here.” For some, it’s just an internal reality such as a mindset they know they need to leave behind. For others, it’s certain relationships or agreements, physical locations or jobs. This is an era that will be marked by uncommon courage to leave behind the familiar and consider options that were never on the table before.

When I first came down and saw the water and wreckage, my first instinct was to scan for a way to get out of this mess. That’s when I spied the row boat. I had a momentary thought that I could row out around the mess through what looked like a possible opening in the wreckage. The row boat represents human effort and wisdom. I quickly saw that the boat was half-flooded and couldn’t take me anywhere.

It’s very tempting in a shaking to just want to find a way out of the mess, but God’s message to us is that the only way out is UP. Our human wisdom and striving is insufficient and can not - will not - lead to victory.

Ancient Weapons

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; then walk in it. And you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

God is returning us to the ancient paths - the simplicity and purity of what He always meant for us in Christ - and it’s directly connected to our effectiveness in the kingdom of God.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Leviathan

There are many resources about the Leviathan spirit. I will not attempt to address that here. But much about Leviathan is reflected by the serrated edge running down both sides of it’s body in my dream. Leviathan brings division and is an expert on being two-sided (playing both sides). This is a perverted counterfeit of God‘s word in our mouths like a double-edged sword. (Ephesians 6) The Word of God bringing forth life, and the other bringing forth death.

Also, I was mindful in the dream that the Leviathan’s body was shaped like an alligator, famous for the death roll they use to dismember their prey by pulling them down and twisting around until their prey is in smaller pieces. Leviathan wants to dismember the Body of Christ. That’s you and me.

The enemy is opportunistic. As we move into this new era and the body of Christ navigates this transition, he’s hoping that we’ll devour ourselves. Leviathan looks for the hidden hooks of pride and accusation to gain a foothold which is why God is so relentless about purifying our hearts and rooting us in HIM so that all that flows from us reflects our union with Him. God is addressing roots and hooks that will keep us from being effective, victorious and running with longevity. And God is unifying His bride - not around camps, methods or a statement of beliefs - but around Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

The Battle Over Narratives

The Lord has been talking to me for months now about the battle over narratives WITHIN the church. (A narrative speaks to the perspective or story we believe about what we are seeing, feeling and things that are happening.) As we cross over into the new, that battle over narratives will increase as the accuser vies for agreement and Leviathan looks for open doors.

It’s so imperative, that as the people of God, we find our narrative directly from the Person of Truth. That we live by the words that proceed from HIS mouth. And that we lean into the deep consecration that He is leading us in as ESSENTIAL to how we function going forward.

For leaders and emerging leaders in this new era, God is calling to the altar our propensities to pigeon hole people - individually or corporately - in static perspectives of them that are uninformed by God’s heart. In my own sifting (past and ongoing), my propensity to pigeonhole people comes out of self-protection because of previous wounding and/or fear. But the Lord is inviting us to exchange that cardboard armor for the armor of God, the “lean-to” of opinion for HIM as our strong tower. And His heart is to heal the places that have taught us to mitigate relational risk by putting people into categories that buffer our hearts artificially. This gets easier as we find Him again and again as our Great Reward.

SOME FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT

Take courage. The “heat” of refining is increasing and so much is coming to the surface. It can be disheartening to realize how much we’ve been part of the brokenness in the church. But I just feel to release a word of encouragement. The Father only chastens those He loves, those who are truly and authentically His. (Hebrews 12:5-6)

God is doubling down on our foundations.

Our righteousness is in Christ alone. Everything else is shifting sands, dirty rags, and stilts. And the blood, the finished work of Jesus is enough. This silences the voice of accusation both to us and through us when we’re submitted to Him and stay on the Potter’s Wheel (humility and childlikeness).

Forgiveness & Seeing Through the Father’s Eyes

This is the time to live wide open before the Lord. God, is there anyone we need to forgive? If so, we release them! Lord, we break agreement with any perspective of people that doesn’t flow from Your heart. This must be our posture again and again and again. And God’s heart for us is that we don’t become discouraged but confident that He is both the Author and Finisher of our faith and that He who began a good work in us will complete that work until the day of Christ. (Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 1:6)

Now let’s ascend the hill of the Lord together.