Chris Vonada's Blog, page 3

The Seer: Visions, Dreams, and Open Heavens

Have you ever experienced the seer: visions, dreams, and open heavens?

If you read my last post, you’ll recall that I promised to tell you about the new gift that God has revealed to me. It’s a seer!

A seer is a type of prophet who has visions, dreams, and may experience open heavens. The seer is a particular type of prophet who receives specific prophetic revelation or impartation.

The Bible describes two types of seer’s: The Ra’ah, which means to see, especially in the sense of seeing visions; and the Chozeh, a beholder of vision, or stargazer.

Here’s a Bible verse that includes the two types of seer’s along with a prophet (nabiy’):

Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer (ra’ah), in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet (nabiy’), and in the chronicles of Gad the seer (chozeh). 1 Chronicles 29:29

 Are there Seer’s today?

Read around about this, and you will find this isn’t just Old Testament stuff. It’s in the New Testament as well, and the gift of being a seer is alive and available today to those who pursue it.

It appears that I’ve had this gift for some time and didn’t realize it.

You may recall from my last blog post here that I wrote about Ezekiel. Well, he was a seer. When God directed me to Ezek, I started to put two and two together. In Chapter 37, Ezekiel found himself through a vision in the valley of the dry bones. God told him to prophesy to the dry bones. And so he did:

“So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.” Ezekiel 37: 7-8

Words from the wise Spurgeon:

“Since, apart from the Spirit, we are powerless, we must value greatly every movement of his power. Notice, in this account of the vision in the valley, how the prophet draws attention to the fact of the shaking and the noises, and the coming of the sinews and the flesh, even before there was any sign of life. I think that, if we want the Spirit of God to bless us, we must be on the watch to notice everything he does.”

Next verses 9-10: Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”‘” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

“In this vision, Ezekiel had already proclaimed God’s word to the dead and dry bones, and had seen a remarkable work done. Yet it was not enough; there also needed to be a work by the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel was commended to pray – to boldly prophesy to the Spirit – calling on the Spirit to come upon those upon whom the word of God has worked.” David Guzik from the blueletterbible.org

First came the preaching (the bones come together), then came the praying (the Holy Spirit fills them with the ruah of life!)

How is the Lord leading me at this time?

I have a lot of dreams. I don’t think they’re all tied to God, but I’m convinced that some of them are. One of the things we have to be careful of in dealing with visions, dreams, and open heavens is to discern their origin.

The Scriptures tell us that spiritual revelation can come from one of three sources:

The Holy Spirit is the only valid sources of revelation.


Our human soul or being is capable of its own thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. “out of their own hearts… Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. Ezekiel 13:2-3


Evil spirits from the father of lies, satan. Get back, Jack!

A lot of my visions are tied to nature. That’s no great surprise as I am a geologist and love to learn more about the earth. Yes, as a geeky scientist I’m into this stuff!

I have never experienced open heavens other than those related to the firmament, or sky. According to James Goll, who wrote a book that I’m reading called The Seer, there are three heavens referred to in the Bible:

The first is our atmospheric sky; this is the firmament.
The second is the stellar heaven that we call outer space. It’s the place of the moon, planets, sun, and other stars.


The third is the center around which all realms revolve. It’s paradise, the abode of the Trinity and the angels and saints.

What’s a seer supposed to do?

So what’s a seer supposed to do? In Jeremiah 23:22, it tells us that we are to announce our gift to God’s people. So, here you go, that’s why I’m writing here again! But it’s not about me at all. The purpose is to produce fruit in the lives of God’s people and to grow in intimacy with Him. This happens by the power of the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And to accomplish God’s will. It’s all about Jesus.

Well, all of this certainly gave me a CRAVING!!

Craving, for what?

For more of Him!! God wooed me in. This is the kind of stuff that will get you drunk… on the Holy Spirit!

Stop by next time, and I will share with you what I believe the double rainbow was all about! It’s an urgent message from the Lord.

The Seer: Visions, Dreams and Open Heavens.

Maybe you’ve had these experiences too? Let me know; I would love to hear about them!

The post The Seer: Visions, Dreams, and Open Heavens appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

A New Gift from God

Nearly ten years ago, I had several friends encourage me to write a blog. My reaction? Who, me?? I got a new gift from God that I didn’t even recognize.

Well, fast forward to today. I’ve written over 400 blog posts and four books. Grammarly says I’ve written over 800,000 words in their app just since 2015. Pretty crazy!

I had stopped writing on my blog, I’m Just Thinkin’, about two and a half years ago. There were some distractions. Not particularly bad, just in a different season in life.

God showed up again! This time with a new gift. Here’s how it all went down…

We’re in the midst of a Daniel fast. One Saturday a couple of weeks ago as I was spending time with the Lord, praying and seeking Him, he directed me to Ezekiel.

I had never read much of the Book of Ezekiel but knew he was a prophet. As I read the information in my Bible about Ezek, I learned that he has visions. Lots of them! As I skimmed through his book, Chapter 37 caught my eye; “The dry bones live.” God brought the dry bones together, put flesh on them, and the Holy Spirit breathed the ruah, or breath of life into them. This was life-changing to me!

So I head over to the blue letter bible website. There are commentaries by wise people there, and I needed some insight. I read something by Spurgeon. He explained how the vision Ezekiel received from God led the prophet to first prophesies to the bones (preaching), and then he prophesies to the four winds (praying). The preaching does its share in the work, but the praying achieves the result.

Ok, so here’s the earthshattering part: This was a work of revival! And, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that our church is going through the Daniel fast leading up to an event that we call Saturated. It’s all about revival!

If that news flash wasn’t enough, I found out through this process that I had received a new gift from God. Once again, a gift that I didn’t even recognize.

So what’s the gift?

Ha! Got your attention there, right? I’ll leave that a mystery for now. But, if you used to read my blog, it goes back to a post I wrote about three years ago about a double rainbow. Come back next time, and I’ll share it with you.

This is crazy stuff!

I am head over heels, doing cartwheels and a 3-second handstand excited!!

Well, that’s it for today…

God bless and thanks for reading here at I’m Just Thinkin’!!

The post A New Gift from God appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Why “Guard Your Heart” is for Everybody

Guard your heart. It’s from the Bible verse, Proverbs 4:23.

Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

The subject of my book, The Wellspring of Life. The verse came to me several years ago through a sermon delivered at a church I didn’t normally attend. It was timely, immediately following one of the most challenging weeks one could imagine. And the message came with an overwhelming feeling of peace. Very surreal. I can only attribute it to God.

So I’ve been stuck on this topic ever since. And, I think this is a message for everybody.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Who’s heart are we talking about? I think God is referring to all of us.

Think you’re exempt?

Think again.

Read Matthew 15:19 – For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Still wondering if this isn’t for you? Sure, I wouldn’t approach some of the overflows of the heart mentioned above, even under the most tempting circumstances. But haven’t we all had a derogatory thought once in a while? Or talked badly about such and so?

Good. Glad to hear you’re onboard with this one.

And the “who can know it” part from the Jeremiah verse? I think it’s a reminder of how deceitful our hearts can be.

Can you go a week without something from the Matthew 15:19 list showing up? I think the evil one has something for everybody here.

The Bible calls us to guard the heart because it’s incurably sick when left unattended.

Thoughts vs. words. The preceding verse says that the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and that these things defile a man.

Defile… to shame, tarnish, degrade, dishonor and disgrace us.

So that’s what our heart does for us?

It doesn’t have to be this way… that’s why we have to “guard the heart!”

Be vigilant about it.

Change the thought before it’s spoken as a word. This will change your heart. That’s guarding your heart. (Click to Tweet)

It’s an ongoing thing…

The post Why “Guard Your Heart” is for Everybody appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

A New Way to Think About Charging Into the New Year!

New Year’s resolutions… we’ve ALL made them, right? A recent article in Forbes suggests that just 8% of us actually achieve these goals. That’s discouraging from the get go. Consequently, many people just give up on making them in the first place.

That said, it’s time to make New Year resolutions a thing of the past. Forget these goals and charge into the New Year in a new way. Let’s start doing something that works. Instead of focusing on what you have to give up think in terms of what you have to gain.

Here are 4 keys to making week #52 a keeper  and charging into the New Year that’ll work.

Next year.

And every year after that.

Engaging the senses. Wait, what what?? That’s right, get out and enjoy life! This to-do is all about experiencing simple pleasures. And gratitude.
Plan Something Fun and Exciting. Stampede into the new year by planning a road trip or long weekend vacation. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Many times the new year is depressing as we get the credit card bill for spending that we didn’t budget for. Suck it up and move on to a brighter future by vowing not to get into this situation next year – and stick with it!
How do your goals match up with your skills, gifts, and talents? Are you just dreaming the dream or are you focused on achieving it? Maybe your wants or needs have changed. Reflect on this one. Marinate in it for a while. Then, put your game plan into action.
Lifestyle change. The 2 most common resolutions are to get fit and healthy and lose weight. It’s no secret that gym memberships and attendance skyrocket after January 1.Why wait? Start this week, and you’ll feel less stressed out, sleep better, and beat the crowd. The old way: I’m going to go to the gym every day starting January 2nd. The new way: Just do it. Make it a priority. Starting today!

This year, forget about resolutions and think in a new way about charging into the New Year. Make 2017 the year of the major breakthrough by focusing on these 4 tasks. You’ll be glad you did!

The post A New Way to Think About Charging Into the New Year! appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Connecting the Dots in Real Time

Connecting the dots. It’s easy to connect the dots in a coloring book. Simply follow the numbers and the image is revealed. It could be a sailboat. Or a dog. It’s so easy any 6 year old can tackle the assignment.

The trail of this metaphor reveals something more. It’s the big picture of life. It’s sort of like putting together two puzzle pieces – they only fit perfectly in one specific way. It’s like finding your purpose.

The irony here is that while we can easily connect the dots in the coloring book, the idea is more complicated when trying to figure out the future here on earth. In real life, the dots can only be connected after the fact. It happens in real time.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” Steve Jobs

How do we get there?

Well, like Jobs said, you have to trust in something. Where should we place our trust?

It’s amazing to me how God opens and closes doors in our lives. Sometimes this seems to coincide… like it’s out of our control, but perfection. When we connect the dots things happen in sequence. There’s truth to that: many times when we’re hanging on to the wrong thing we can’t move forward. It’s only when we let go that God’s plan proceeds.

The end product of connect the dots is an image revealed. To me, today, that doesn’t look like what I anticipated. It’s better than I would have ever imagined.

But what if the story ends before the image is complete?

Ha! That’s where the metaphor differs from the coloring book.

If it’s dinner time and the child is called away from the puzzle before completing it, the image is truly incomplete.

It’s God’s timing that matters in real time. So if we trust in Him, the image is completed. Perfectly, every time. The answer to connecting the dots for us lies in the present…

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

That’s connecting the dots in real time. Through God, and for His purpose.

The post Connecting the Dots in Real Time appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

What’s Your Best Day Ever?

The snow covered peak of Mauna Kea

What’s your best day ever?

Investing topic that came up recently with a few friends. They rattled it off without hesitation. I had to think about it a bit…

If you’re a frequent reader, you know that I love making memories. I call them “keepers” – those special moments in time that bring us great joy to think about.

Joy is so uplifting…

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

So when it was my turn to share the best day ever I was lost in thought. Can I narrow it down to just one? There are so many…

Driving around the big island of Hawaii and seeing both the active Mauna Loa lava flows and then arriving at the dormant, snow-covered peak of Mauna Kea…

Skiing the back bowls of Vail on a powder day followed by dinner at the Game Creek and live music at 8150…

Hiking past the eons of geologic history from rim to river to rim of the Grand Canyon in a single day…

Or maybe it’s when God shows up?

I’ve had some golden days, too, just in the past month

The Beauty of Second Chances

I believe in second chances. Where the heck would I be without one? Nowhere. Exactly.

Maybe whatever happened the first time around was out of your control. For instance, say your spouse passed away. Does that mean God wants you to be alone? Of course not! It’s simply a season of change, albeit a difficult one.

Sometimes relationships end for the wrong reason. You shared the same values and dreams but, for whatever reason, someone gave up. After careful consideration, you realized that you blew it. Hey, we all mess up at times. You may have to rebuild trust or communicate better. Is that worthwhile? If you still have feelings and there is an emotional attachment and attraction, maybe it’s time to give it another go.

Whatever the reason or circumstances we all deserve a second chance. God only wants the best for us. Is your heart prepared to receive the blessing?

God gives us a second chance… and then some! That’s why He sent Jesus, right? We’re all hopeless without the second chance offered through the blood of Christ.

When life doesn’t work out the way we anticipated it’s often how we react that says something important about us. Do you believe in second chances?

How to proceed with a second chance?

– Focus on forgiveness. Whether it’s God or someone else that we need to forgive, this is likely an element. Maybe you need to forgive yourself too? We can forgive since God first forgave us.

– Be committed to openness and don’t be afraid to express your feelings. Respect? Sure. Humbly show respect. Have the kindness to suck it up and get back in the ring. That’s called teamwork.

Giving someone or yourself a second chance may be the best decision you’ve ever made, and provide the best that life has to offer. Don’t be afraid of second chances… the response and results may just surprise you!

Image by CarolinaJG on Morguefile.com

The post The Beauty of Second Chances appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Forrest and the Fruit Stock

Forrest Gump invested early in “the fruit stock” – Apple. Did that wise decision change him? Not really…

I learned an invaluable lesson in high school from a teacher who taught us the basics of investing. Over a school year, we picked and tracked stocks. That experience paid off.

I also learned along the way how to protect myself from the ones looking to take advantage of my generosity – those looking for something of this world.

Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies. Proverbs 20:15

You see, there is something quite different about someone who cares for me for just who I am vs. someone who does so for what I have.

My inherent nature to be generous became an impediment at times. And so I made a few changes…

Forrest, like the real world role models who I learned from, lead a very simple life. He wore the same hat whether he was mowing the grass at his mom’s place or meeting with the President.

I like that. That doesn’t mean I haven’t bought many Tahitian pearls and David Yurman jewelry for those of my affection. I have. And I enjoy that pleasure. However, I don’t lead with that anymore.

What to do with all of those rocks…

Likewise, when life becomes too personal to write about, what do I have left to say? As you know, I often write about what’s happening in my life with careful consideration of the other people who are involved. That said, it’s a challenge when life gets gritty.

How do I meet God’s current challenge for me, to encourage and serve others? These are very selfless tasks. I go back to my role models… including, of course, Jesus.

“And that’s all I have to say about that.” FG

The post Forrest and the Fruit Stock appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Psalm 19: The Perspective of Life with God

The first full rainbow.

A couple of weeks ago the Lord laid out the perspective of life with God by placing Psalm 19 on my heart. Specifically, verse 1:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

I read it a few times and thought, hmmm, that’s a beautiful verse.

Then the rays of God’s light shined brighter. God showed up.

I was hanging out at the marina a week later and “coincidentally,” there was a full rainbow in the sky. I didn’t put 2 and 2 together just yet. Amazingly, the very next day another perfect rainbow showed up… exactly the same place in the sky. Now that got my attention as I’ve never had that experience before. After thinking about it for a while, I felt that God was communicating with me. Shazam!!

At that point, I went back to His word…

Psalm 19 is relatively short, just 14 verses. It puts a life with God into perspective. This comes into play because the passage of scripture, in its brevity, rolls out how we live a life in God’s presence. There are 3 parts to it:

Recognizing the majesty and glory of God
A celebration of the perfection of the word of God
Contemplating life with God in light of our imperfections

And so I’ve been stuck on these verses…

Perspective. Yes, this is a powerful concept. It’s relevant. Perspective is everything…

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

Life here can be a hot mess when we portray an image of having it all together, when in fact, we live in a state of disarray. That’s easier than ever today with the connectedness we feel from social media. We tend to portray the good, and leave out the downside.I’m not referring to a total train wreck here…

“When a train goes through a tunnel, and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie Ten Boom

In fact, life with God here on the third ball of wax is not intended to be perfect. We all go through it. Think of it as a call to action to be closer to Him.

Actions speak more than words. What do your actions say about your life in the presence of God and other people? Are they pointing toward Him or something else?

Interestingly, this past weekend I was on the sailboat just leaving the mooring in St. Augustine. This is an interesting place. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a stop by to see the Castillo de San Marcos, the Spanish colonial outpost and oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S., among many other points of interest.

We woke up early, well before dawn, hand breakfast and decided it was time to cast off on our offshore journey back to Jacksonville. It was going to be a full day and no need to burn any daylight.

As I was sitting on the deck and enjoying the serenity of sunrise, the rainbow came to mind again. Why was this so persistent? I said a prayer, thanking God for always being there and for His determined pursuit of me.

The third partial rainbow

Amazingly, I turned around and there He was again… Another rainbow, but this time only a portion of one.

What’s the significance of that?

Well, I had to ponder on that idea too and came to the conclusion that it relates to my verses. It leads me back to perspective again. I believe the partial rainbow ties up the passage. The first two rainbows were perfect and complete. They represent the first two parts of scripture:

Recognizing the majesty and glory of God
A celebration of the perfection of the word of God

And the third, partially complete rainbow?

Contemplating life with God in light of our imperfections

We’re so imperfect. Through the lens of the firmament and the blood of Jesus we have hope.

I know, crazy message. Just wanted to share that today as it’s been on my mind and in my heart lately. God works in amazing ways! We just have to keep our eyes open and pay attention

Building Your Relationship with God and People Through Patience

Patience is a virtue we should all pursue

Have you ever prayed to God for something and felt Him telling you to be patient?

Patience is powerful stuff. It’s a fruit of the Spirit and an essential key to better relationships with God and other people.

We typically want things our way and in our own timing. What do you do when that doesn’t work out? Recently I had one of these experiences. I prayed a lot about it and God’s answer: Be patient. Repeatedly, those were His instructions.

So I waited. Here are 2 things the Lord has taught me through my experiences:

Sometimes when we’re patient, He will reveal that what we wanted wasn’t the right choice for us or His will for us.

When I’m patient, I make better decisions. I’ve made some pretty poor decisions when I was hasty. Unfortunately, we don’t get a do-over.

Paul points out in Romans 8:28 that if we obey and serve God as we should that everything will work out for our good.

More recently, I’m so glad I followed His instruction. You might say I woke up one morning with a bit of an epiphany. God revealed to me details that I didn’t know about me… and about other people. His instruction became clearer, and I feel at peace. His way is better than my way any day!

Often it’s also a matter of timing.

His timing, which is perfect. God doesn’t promise that He will answer our prayers right away. In fact, He may not answer them in exactly the way we desire.

Practicing patience as a virtue shows God that we trust in Him and have faith. (Click to Tweet)

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” James 1:2-3

So there is a direct correlation between faith and patience.

Patience with other people shows love and respect.

This can be a challenge at times. Remember, though, somewhere along the line, someone had to be patient with you too!

1 Corinthians 13 is described as “The Way of Love.” An essential component of love in these verses is “long-suffering,” or patience.

Patience with others is a sign of honor, respect, and integrity. When someone asks us to be patient, we should. Following our agenda is not doing so, in our relationship with God or other people.

“Patience serves as protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.” Leonardo da Vinci

So true, being patient is also a good way to guard your heart, mind, and soul.

Therefore, have faith, and be patient. When we follow His will we find joy and peace whatever the circumstances.

Photo courtesy of Mike Barwood on flickr.com

The post Building Your Relationship with God and People Through Patience appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.