I had a dream about the aftermath of my battle with religion.

I was in an abandoned section of the house where I live. It was like an attached apartment. In the kitchen was a lot of canned and packaged food sitting on a big table inside the oversized pantry. A visitor came through, someone I knew, and he needed dinner for his family. I invited him to help himself and he chose 3 items that would make a complete meal for him and his family. He was pleased and I was happy that I could be generous.

After he left, I began going through the apartment shadow boxing evil entities as I saw them. I’d say out loud “Ka-pow! Ka-pow!” as I punched them. And they were cleared out one at a time. After they were gone, there was movement in the corner which I attributed to Angels and let them be.

This apartment is not a place I like. It is old, dusty and outdated. But it’s still mine and I want the evil out.

As I talked with Father about this dream, it unraveled. This apartment is my platform. It’s where I share my experiences and revelations about The Kingdom. Over the years, I’ve accumulated plenty of food on the table for anyone who wanders through and wants it. But I don’t want to live there because ugliness keeps coming through along with the people. So I’ve taken a sabbatical to clear out the ugly buggars they leave lingering in the air.

Where did the ugliness come from? Well, some people might say that I’ve been a bit naive over the years. In my excitement about revelations from The Kingdom, I’ve shared freely with abandon.

And last year, there were some battles. But no worries, I survived. And I have cleared out the buggars of pain and woundedness from my heart. But I don’t want to actually occupy the apartment right now.

So, I’ve left Angels, hoping they will refresh the air. Then I may slap on a fresh coat of paint one day.

This article isn’t to request your sympathy but to share my journey. Many of you experience this need for sabbatical too. It’s a quiet time to clear out the lingering effects of the battle of religion.  Sometimes we don’t like the area where it happened, for a while anyway.

It’s a conundrum really. How the most beautiful and exciting revelations can cause such turmoil in folks. It doesn’t seem like that should be a result. But it is.

We don’t begin with intentions of insulting people. But it appears to be an inevitable reaction. Sharing new vision exposes the shortfall of the old vision. It doesn’t make the old vision worthless because it was the stepping stone forward. But, for people who love the old and have set it on a pedestal, the new is a threat to their idol.

But we all know this. Right? Yeah, well, we may share as gently as possible and we may learn to discern. But there will always be those that will be angry.  This is the cross Jesus told us to take up as we follow Him.  It is the one that produces persecution.

Idols tend to crash when they come down.  They never get off their pedestal quietly and easily.  And unfortunately for them, it’s the nature of new vision to be born. It is time. And regardless of the screaming and fear of a mother who hasn’t prepared herself, the birth will come. It will happen. And it won’t wait.

Usually, sometime after the birth, she will embrace the child and experience the joy.

In the meantime, Father calls us to learn more, and He loves us the same if we refuse. I’ve become OK with leaving well enough alone. It’s “well-enough” that doesn’t want to leave me alone. Religion taught us to pursue those who we perceive as lost on the path of theological error.  Millions of martyrs lay at the feet of this teaching.

So, that was my dream. And I have moved out of this section of my house. Although I pop in now and then to share the food on the table. But for the most part, I live in the family section where it’s warm and loving.

It’s a good place to live while clearing out the ugly buggars.

Thank you for sharing my journey. Blessings on yours.

Faith