CLASS ASSIGNMENT: 
INTERPRETATIONS TO THE GUM VISION

Hi Class

As a wrap up, here is my interpretation to the boy chewing the gum as it was quickened to my ears.  I wrote this prior to sending the vision out for your input.  Thank you to each who participated, you made this a very rich meal.

Your interps and applications were very insightful and inspired.  It was as though the Holy Spirit quickened them to your own personal tuning forks.  It is like a parable that when the Word of God comes in close proximity to you, it comes with a certain vibration in the Spirit that makes you vibrate and hum just like a tuning fork and you release the interpretation that is quickened to your ears!

SANDY VISION 8/25/09:

I saw a vision of a boy. He was walking in water that was about waist high and he had a huge wad of gum in his mouth. He had a fist full of gum and kept pulling the sticks out and adding them to his mouth and the gum wad kept getting bigger. He was chewing and chewing and chewing. 

He was chewing as he was walking in the river, and for a while I watched his feet underwater.   The river bottom was completely covered with rocks and most of them were much larger than his feet, and he had to overstep them and make sure he did not stumble over these stones. He maneuvered them really well because the water made him buoyant and he just kept walking and chewing.

Finally he reached the other side of the river, and stepped up onto a sidewalk. At the sidewalk was a storefront that was a school on how God speaks and I saw that he had a headgear earphone on where he was listening in one ear to someone speak to him at the same time he was chewing this giant gum wad. Somehow what he was listening to was connected to him chewing. At the door, someone told him that if he wanted to go any further in learning about how God speaks, he could no longer add any more pieces of gum to what he was already chewing. He had to be willing to let go of his gum wad before he could go any further. 

{end of vision}

SANDY INTERP:  ASK YOUR QUESTIONS AND RECEIVE COUNSEL

The gum represented chewing rhema questions that are pondered and mulled over but never resolved or swallowed. 

Prov 1:5-7 NKJV

A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,  to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles .   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Stepping over the rocks is passing over stumbling stones that can cause someone to be offended or get tripped up and fall in their faith.  These stones are related to the unresolved questions that are causing the person to have to step over them in order to move forward.  These are not resolved because of lack of counsel.

Isa 57:14 NKJV

And one shall say, "Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, take the stumbling block out of the way of My people."

It was later quickened to me that many of the rocks were very lovely, as though laid out in a river bed.  They could have been memorial stones of generations of teachings and promises.  Some of these can leave us with unanswered questions that we have to step over in order to move forward..

Josh 4:7 NKJV

Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."

Letting the gum wad go, is either asking the questions so they can be resolved or putting them aside and no longer considering them.

Isa 43:18-19 NKJV

"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.  19 Behold, I will do a new thing , Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness  And rivers in the desert.

Walking through the river is receiving corporate rhema from the river of God that has progressed to waist high level. 

Ezek 47:4-5  NKJV

Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.

Listening through the earphone in one ear is listening to the voice of God spoken from a teacher. 

Isa 30:20-21 NKJV

And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.  21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand  or whenever you turn to the left.

CLASS RESPONSES AND INTERPRETATIONS
TO THE GUM VISION

He is moving forward in the river of life on the Rocks (Jesus), chewing on the Word of God. 

The only problem with chewing gum is you just get the flavor, it has no nutritional value.  In fact as I get older if I chew gum more than a minute or so, it upsets my stomach.  There is more he has to do than just listen and taste and that is what the school ahead is for. 

What I am hearing in this, is the operation of the Word and Holy Spirit.

The Water here being the Holy Spirit and the gum chewing (to meditate on the Word)

In today's world there are so many words being spoken by people and to people, in churches and outside of churches but a lot of them are empty words without meaning or truth that the true believer that's in search of a real relationship with God is having difficulties understanding what's being said, and they have a lot to chew on, because of their uncertainty they do not know yet how to eat, separate, and spit out. 

So God is speaking in their ears as others are also, so I believe God is beginning to do a real separation, he is setting those aside that he has chosen to teach the real truth of God's word to,  and he knows that the way is very rocky but he is leading and guiding them and he has sent help to them in the form of very wise, and full of wisdom, mentors to help them in their journey, he knows if they are ever to full fill their God ordained destiny  they can no longer be lead by too many teachers.

They will hear God speak to them saying "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left, Isa 30:21.    

If they trust and believe in God and his leading he will bring them over safely to the other side, the side where he will perfect them and the words that they have in their mouths will become words of exaltation and words to edify the kingdom of God, for he is seeking out Kingdom builders today,

"But the hour cometh,and now is, when the true worshipper shall worship the

Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23)

I think the gum is something we are just "jawing on". 

I also see a connection with our staying on track in class discussions.

I also do see the separation that has too, and is occurring.  We leave behind the candy of this world so we can focus on the higher plain we are moving into. 

Boy – generic term for Christians

walking in water – Christians who are saved and walking in the river of God’s love

walking in the river-  Walking in the Holy Spirit   Acts 2

waist high – Ezekiel  47:3….When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles.

gum in his mouth – the word, the logos is in the mouth of his heart…

Romans 10:8  …The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith which we are preaching…

gum wad kept getting bigger – he keeps his mind on the word Isaiah 26:3  He was able to keep walking because His mind was stayed on God and His word.  

Jer 15:16

Thy words were found and I ate them, Andy Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name.

chewing as he was walking in the river – he meditates on the word as he walks in the river ankle deep

Ezekiel 47:3

When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles.

feet underwater – hidden, shoes of the gospel of peace…Eph 6:15

rocks – larger than his feet – acts of the apostles, miracles…

 Acts 2:42-43  And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.  Larger than his feet had ever walked before –

stones – hindrances, with angelic help and that of the Holy Spirit he was able to avoid the stones and stay on the rocks. Psalm 91:11-12…lest you strike your foot against a stone

water buoyant – helper to keep him joyful, John 14:16  I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…

other side of the river – the Promised Land Joshua 18:3;  Abrahamic Covenant

Gen.  15:7-8

storefront- school on how God speaks  -  marketplace is God’s school for teaching how he is speaking

listening - was connected to him chewing –Listening to the heart of God through the word

At the door – listening connected him to God’s heart and brought him to the door, where he is given the keys of David. 

Revelation 3:7-8 …He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this ..I know your deeds.  Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Can’t go any further on how God speaks until willing to let go of gum wad

Matt 9;17 Nor do men put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.  Mark 2:22 

It seems we the children of God who are purposefully walking in faith, listening to His heart, willing to let go of the old messages, good as they may be, but some can be the winds of every doctrine that we have picked up in the past, some can be the vain traditions, of family, church, friends or mentors.  When we let go of these we are going victoriously through the river to the other side and enter  the Promises of God’s

Dream for us for eternity.  We will have all the HELP to do the works  of Him who sends us to the market place.

The things that have been difficult and of our own strength, will surrender to Him and the things that have externally been in opposition to us will lose their power to hinder God’s glorious purpose coming forth in our lives.   BUT it is conditional on us longing, longing and longing for His revelation of His affections for us, His wisdom toward us, His Precious Promises will become a reality to our hearts through the New wine of HIS PRESENCE AND THE GOD OF HOPE WILL FILL US WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING, THAT WE MAY ABOUND IN HOPE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  Romans 15:13

I Cor 2:9 

Eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

I feel this person is still immature in their walk with the Lord (in the vision he is depicted as a boy with childlike/immature behavior).

Chewing gum and tiring of it so quickly that he wanted to put a new piece in his mouth over and over again makes me think of being very shallow – with no little or no depth.  He did not take the time to truly meditate, enjoy and receive what the first piece of revelation and truth had to offer, before he was adding yet another.  That kind of behavior would always keep a person immature in their faith with little or no real growth.

Perhaps his fistful of different sticks of gum represents teachings/ revelations/ belief systems from many different camps, some of which may have been right on, and some of which may have held error and religion, being void of any real depth or truth. 

As he progressed in his walk with the Lord he kept adding more and more different teachings and belief systems, and as he mixed the good teaching (real truth and revelation), with the bad (false teaching/error/deception/religion), the bad was tainting the good, and causing him to skewed in his thinking and belief system.

Have you ever put a piece of gum in your mouth and kept chewing and chewing?  Before long the gum loses its flavor, and so you add another piece, and for a moment or two you enjoy the experience again as you taste the sweetness of the new, but to keep it a pleasurable experience, you have to keep adding new gum every few minutes.  What I have noticed is that it seems the old and tasteless gum quickly "robs" the sweet taste right out of the new gum, and in a very short amount of time they all taste the same, (bland, boring, empty and tasteless), even though you may have added many different flavors and colors, they all quickly meld into one.  The gum chewing experience then just becomes an empty exercise without any real taste or pleasure and it becomes very tiresome for your jaws (it becomes an empty ritual with no real purpose or value).

The true revelation never had a chance to take root before he would add more on top of that without any true understanding of what he had already heard - it seemed what was being put in was going ("in one ear and out the other").  He had heard the truth at different times along his journey, but he did not have the understanding he needed to truly grow and mature in his walk with the Lord.  As he stacked up more and more of these different teachings, one on top of the other, without truly receiving the good that they may have had to offer, they became more like stumbling blocks and hindrances to him that were keeping him from truly progressing in his walk with the Lord – he was stunted in his growth.

If a person only chewed their food and never swallowed it, their body would lack nutritional value and would become very weak and sickly.

To grow in maturity, faith, and trust in the Lord he had to be willing to spit out all that he had been gathering in his mouth that was causing him to be stunted in his growth by going round and round (round ball of gum), but not really getting anywhere.  To receive new, FRESH REVELATION and TRUTH (FRESH MANNA), and to PROGRESS and GO FORWARD with the Lord, he needed to spit out the old manna, (which held some truth and some error, and thus was becoming a stumbling block for him).

What comes to mind is the story of the children of Israel and how they could only gather enough manna to last for one day (except on the day before the sabbath, they were to gather enough manna for two days).  If they tried to hold onto the manna for longer than a day, it would get worms and rot. 

It was time for this boy to begin a new and fresh daily walk with the Lord and receive fresh manna every day for himself.  It was time for him to come into a place of intimacy with the Lord where he would begin to develop his own personal relationship with the Lord instead of living off other people’s revelation and experiences, (other people’s “manna”).  It was time for him to fully trust God and rest in Him, knowing that He would provide for his DAILY needs, and that he did not have to try to run here and there trying to get his needs met, but he could go straight to the Source himself DAILY and gather what he needed to sustain him for that day, and then do the same the next day.

The Lord quickened to me that the Rocks were Jesus. 

The chewing gum represented  the Word of God; but he kept adding more gum and chewing it – always keeping it to himself and never sharing with others (witnessing). 

He had to remove the earphones (listening other people’s interpretation of the Word of God) so that he would receive from the Holy Spirit what the Word of God was telling him personally. 

Sometimes we need to let-go of our comfort zones and step out to receive God’s blessing.

I believe that sometimes, in their hunger, a new believer will take in so much new and often contradictory information from different teachers that they become

confused and unable to digest and absorb it.

I feel the boy was chewing on (pondering) different teachings on the Word of God,  while also walking cautiously in the River of the Holy Spirit. 

The many rocks he was stepping over could have been other people who were slain in the Spirit in the floor.

 The "different flavors" could represent these different teachings or philosophies that the boy in the vision had sampled in his searching for the lasting flavor of Jesus Christ.

1. We are the child. With God, we have to be child like...first and foremost.

2. As children, we always do child like things like chewing gums...We are so addicted and distracted into doing "normal" things that we think are important when in fact it wastes out time, effort and resources,

3. Amazing is the discernment in us, the children, in being able to maneuver the obstacles God allows us to go thru" as in your vision.

4. Lastly, we as children have to take out what is in our mouth to be able to eat and digest what God has given us to do.

5.  We have to empty our mouth with what we feel we should munch or chew or drink or eat.  We have to eat Gods Word and drink from the River of Life to be able to be strengthened for the mission we about to be given wherever and whatever it is with whomever.