reviveFLORIDA - Paintings & Testimonies | Setting the Sails | Catch the Wind
Wow, what a week we had 'setting the sails' in Sarasota, FL with reviveFLORIDA. I was so fortunate to spend last week down there taking part of a beautiful move of what God is doing. Many churches uniting to be equipped to go out and share the simple Gospel. People of all ages, walks of life, different denominations, all gathering to find their voice and love their community as ONE. It's a beautiful thing to see and take part in.
My role on the Time to Revive team is to use the gifts the Lord has given me through creativity, to express what the Lord is showing me and speaking to me about. There was an elevated anointing I felt in the Spirit this week. For those who are stepping out in faith, taking the risk to see God move, hungry for more, many are witnessing "firsts" in their life. I will explain what the Lord spoke to me about in the first painting I did, "The Launch."
01/18/16
A couple months before my trip to Florida, I had a dream in the night. In this dream, I was in a rocket ship with a team. We were ready to launch. I remember the rumble of the engines ignite with fire as the rocket launched. It was so real, the adrenaline, the excitement and anticipation of being launched into the unknown. I felt the Lord showing me the new missions that were going to be launched this year. Greater levels and heights of what's coming. I journaled the dream. A couple weeks before I left for Florida, I was brushing my teeth before bed and out of no where an image of a vintage toy rocket ship flashed in my vision. Immediately the Lord reminded me of my dream. Then He showed me a picture of the outline of the state of Florida and it zoomed in on a picture of a launch site. My immediate thought was, "is there an actual launch site in Florida?" Of course there is, Cape Canaveral. To make a long story short, I starting reading about Cape Canaveral and it mentioned that it was the site of many American's "firsts." The word "first" jumped out at me and I heard the Lord say how he is doing many firsts for people who dare to believe and step out in faith. I also felt Him say that this is a year of many launching into new levels.
Out of obedience from this word, I painted "The Launch" the first night I was at reviveFLORDIA. At the end of the evening, Laura Martin, wife to Kyle Martin, closed the evening. She had the coolest testimony of a friend who sent her an email that reads:
"I got this email from a friend last week and I think it's true of TTR (Time to Revive) as well: Hope you and your family had a splendid Christmas! So wanted to share I was praying for you and Amos and your ministry and I saw a red and white rocket ship with a big flame shooting it high in the sky. I believe that is your ministry moving fast and beyond."
Laura told her friend about the painting that evening of the rocket ship. This is the response of the woman who had the vision of the rocket ship:
"Oh my goodness. This made me smile SO much!!!!! God is SO good and SO faithful. This made my day. Thank you for sharing this with me!!"
I just love how God weaves confirmation of what He is saying to us! I also received another testimony of confirmation from a gentleman at reviveFLORIDA, this is what Evan Campbell sent me:
Rocket ship: 17 January 2016
(Word from the Lord Sunday night service to launch Revive Sarasota)
"Evan, you will see and do things this week you've never seen before and so will others. This is a week of launching...for you and others. Prepare for acceleration like you have not seen and ensure others launch as well.
This was confirmed by Mindi's painting of the rocket ship a few days later. In fact, while you were still painting the background, or what would become the sky and stars, my spirit knew that you would paint something about this vision this week. I didn't expect it to be right then but I thank the Lord for the confirmation."
Thank you Laura and Evan for sharing your testimonies! It's so fun to be a small part of the greater picture the Lord is doing. I also wanted to mention that Kyle spoke that evening on dreams and visions. Kyle mentioned 19 different verses in the Bible that tells of God speaking to people through dreams and visions. These are usually for direction, declarations to respond in obedience to what the Lord is saying. In this you will see the fruit. And they still happen today!
All week we heard testimony after testimony of "firsts" for people. Those who saw healing for the first time, received visions, shared the Gospel for the first time, had someone come to Christ for the first time, say YES to disciple a new believer for the first time! It was even the first time that many different churched came together in unity and went out on the streets all together. So awesome!
“They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:19)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
01/21/16
This was one of my favourite days, I went to Siesta Beach with a group to share the Gospel, experience the ocean and be part of witnessing an incredible baptism. It was a glorious afternoon that confirmed my painting that evening, "Open Heaven." The sky was so beautiful that day and looked as though it had an opening to the heavens. Sharing in the celebration of baptism, I was reminded of the new life and access to heaven we have through baptism. I kept picturing a ladder to the heavens. The access to the power in Christ we carry to go higher in the Spirit. Not just a ticket to heaven when we die, but the access to bring heaven to earth here and now.
“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18, NIV)
"During the evening service in Sarasota, FL, on 20 January 2016, there was a call to prayer in groups of 5-7. During the prayer my group prayed for repentance over this city and state. After being prompted to lie prostrate the Lord showed me, what I can only describe as Jacob's ladder. Far above the Earth was a hole in the firmament over Sarasota and Angels were freely coming down and going up to the Lord. Though the distance from the hole to Earth is great the Angels traveled the distance with such speed it was amazing. Christ could be seen through the hole looking down upon the city of Sarasota.
This was confirmed the next day when Mindi painted a ladder with, what I could only describe as light, shining down from above. The light reminds me of the Lord looking down upon His people in this city and the open heaven over this city. At first I thought the picture would be an artists easel but after Mindi painted the 3rd or 4th rung of the ladder from the bottom I knew what it was an immediately shared with a friend I had shared the vision with the night before."
01/22/16
This was a day of divine opening. A shift in the spirit over Sarasota that brought the announcment of the extension of reviveFLORDIA, all confirmed through prophetic words and visions. Originally revive was to engage in the community for 7 days, but now it shifted to 4 weeks. The local church is 'all in' to make this a LIFESTYLE rather than feel like an event. Praise the Lord for laying aside all schedules and rally together to share the Good News.
I went out that morning for a walk with our worship leader, Jon and his wife Amy. On our journey I saw a gorgeous wrought iron gate. I felt like the Lord was highlighting the gate to me that day. Then I saw a picture of a wrought iron gate on the wall at our lunch location. It looked almost exactly the same. I also had sketched a gate opening in my journal before I came as I prayed for what I felt the Lord showing me for this area. Maybe today was the day to paint it! I also texted my husband earlier that day and asked him to pray about my painting for that night, he sent me a picture of gates in the clouds. I felt the peace of God through all these confirmations of what I was to paint. "Wrought by His Hands" was what came out that evening.
“Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.” (Isaiah 62:10)
After the service was over, a woman named Fran came up to me with her testimony of the Lord speaking to her about the open gates. She had a vision of gates, partially open, with water coming through. In the middle of the gates was something that the Lord had to get rid of, making a way for the gates to open. She was so in awe of the visual confirmation of what she was shown in the Spirit. Thank you Lord!
01/23/16
Saturday evenings are always so full of energy and excitement during revive. I felt the prompting to paint a visual of setting sail. After all, Sarasota is essentially just getting going! "Catch the Wind" was painted that evening, full of colour and movement to display the wind of revival blowing through this area. That day I went out on a team and we ended up down by the pier near the sailboats. Just another confirmation of setting sail.
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)
I don't think walking by the Spirit and learning to listen to the voice of God will ever get old. It's the most exciting thing to live by. He guides our steps, gives us direction and is leading us constantly. We are never alone. I had the most amazing week at reviveFLORIDA full of adventure and pressing in for new levels. I'm excited to head back down there in a week. Stay tuned for more testimonies!
All glory to Him,
Mindi
**NOTE: If you ever hear the Lord speaking to you through my art or have a testimony to share with me, please email me. I would love to hear it.
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