Prophetic Dream: New Tools of Authority Over Worldly Systems
A couple of years ago I had a dream in which I was playing tennis at a regional tournament, the Brisbane International.
It’s one of those tournaments that are played before a Grand Slam and, in this case, the Australian Open. Out on the court I looked up to see my opponent on the other side of the net was Roger Federer who is commonly considered to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
We were in a warm-up session, and although he was going easy on me, I just couldn’t keep up with the speed and strength with which he was hitting the balls. A little while into playing, he motioned toward his bag, inviting me to use his equipment. At first I thought he was suggesting we use his tennis balls. Being able to read my thoughts, he shook his head and motioned again. I then realized he was inviting me to use his tennis racket. Without hesitation, I ran over and picked up his Nike racket and woke up from the dream.
Immediately the Holy Spirit began to reveal the different symbolism in the dream and its interpretation to me. Roger Federer is considered the greatest tennis player of the open era—if not all time. In this dream, I sensed, he represented the Holy Spirit. In the natural, Wilson is the sponsor of Federer’s tennis racket, but in the dream it was Nike, which means victory.
The tennis court represents prayer and winning the battle in the courts of heaven—in the realm of the spirit. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “You have been playing in the semi-pro, regional tournaments, but I’ve designed you for the Grand Slams. Come, learn from My Holy Spirit, learn from the best, and I will give you the tools of victory to win battles at a global level.”
This is our role as sons and daughters—to rule, govern and legislate in the heavenlies. Here we release the word of the Lord to see unrighteousness overruled and justice prevail on the earth. The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher and He desires to show you how to most effectively operate in this place of governance.
Judges 4 is a great example of how we can position ourselves to do so. Verse 5 speaks of Deborah, a prophet, who sat under the palm tree between Bethel and Ramah in the presence of God to govern Israel in righteousness and justice. Bethel is translated as the house of God or seat of worship. Ramah is the hill. It is from the place of rest that we enter into worship and as the house of God, the house of prayer, are given the strategy to take the hill in our place of victory for the kingdom.
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:2-6 NIV).
This type of influence and authority is being revealed to us in ways we haven’t previously understood or experienced. The bride of Christ is coming into order and alignment with her groom, the man Jesus Christ, and as members of one body we are going to begin to operate at a level that shifts the powers of darkness and overthrows worldly systems that have set themselves up against the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The prophetic office is a place of service to the body of Christ as an equipper unto the nations to release the word of the Lord for a specific time. The Word tells us that the roles of apostles and prophets are foundational (see Eph. 2:20). Foundations are hidden, and it is in the place of prayer that I feel we can be of greatest service to the multitudes. You can’t separate prayer from the life of prophecy as we’re called to advance in the heavenlies and see its outworking in the earth. It’s important to remember, in our pursuit of seeing the kingdom increase, that our desire isn’t to dominate people or take over in the natural. If you don’t understand the Father’s heart toward people, you’ll interpret your assignment as a way to lord it over them instead of serving for the good of many. The Son of Man didn’t come to be served but to serve and seek and to save all who were lost (see Matt. 20:28). This points us back to the place of intimacy, because as we behold Him we become like Him.
Remember, as happy prophets connected to one another in community, one of our core values is service to others. It’s to champion and lead others into freedom, not to gain control over them. Then we’re able to use the healthy foundations the Father has established in us to share revelation that builds healthy foundations in others. This is where I believe the Father is moving us into in this time. I sense there is a coming of age for us, the bride of Christ. Just like turning 21 marks adulthood, I sense that in the coming years we are going to see the sons and daughters of God grow up into a place of maturity that enables us to run together and build long term for generations. There is going to be a recognition that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17), and through identity, sons and daughters will take hold of it and move in authority, love, and power in ever-increasing ways. This will be especially prevalent in the prophetic as we respond to the word of the Lord.
“Right believing leads to right behaving,” and as we understand who we are, good works will be carried out and divine strategies given us. Not only that, signs will follow those who believe. In Jesus’ name we will heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. And in freedom and joy they will give (see Matt. 10:8).
Recently I saw a picture of a beehive hanging from a tree. It was being repeatedly poked with a stick, disrupting a bee or two every time. Finally, the constant poking awoke the whole hive and the bees began to swarm and move as one. I sensed the enemy has tried to agitate and harass members of the body of Christ, and by doing so he has now awakened an entire army on a mission, ready for war. There has been a tremendous shaking in recent times, and it is producing a righteous indignation in the body. The enemy has overplayed his hand, and where he’s tried to afflict the few, he’s awakened an army ready to charge!
