Why prophetic art?

This blog is dedicated to Judy Ross. Amazing prophetic artist and teacher!!!

I am a prophetic artist. God uses my creative process to reveal things to me personally but also uses my final pieces to speak to people as well. Many times when I share my paintings people are touched by them in powerful ways but other times people are surprised of how God can use the art to minister to others. This blog post is to provide some background and biblical foundation to the purpose of prophetic art.

First of all, we must recognize that the arts and creativity are important to God. We observe this all throughout the Bible. God made us in his image to be creative and through our creations give Him glory. He has given us talents and abilities for His pleasure and to reveal who He is to the world. He blesses the work of our hands (Deuteronomy 2:7) and the bible tells us that Whatever we do, we should do heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23)and art is not an exception.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29). This says to me that God created us to be skilled in what we do and to be noticed. We want to be noticed and our creativity must reflect God. I believe God loves creativity and creative people and if you want to learn more about this read my Blog post entitled "God Loves Creative People"

We see in the old testament the Lord downloading all the details about the design of Tabernacle, the priests' garments, colors of the fabrics and threads as well as the dimensions or all that was to be created (Exodus 25-31). This is a great example of artisans coming together after Moses received the revelation and creating what was revealed. The artist were inspired by the Holy Spirit (specifically the Spirit of Wisdom) to create the heavenly designs that will prophesy of things to come. All that was created had a purpose and a message. Every detail was a representation of what Jesus was going to fulfill later on. The Lord does not change. He is the same yesterday today and forever. Why then would we think we can't use our creations to reveal what we hear Him speak to us now? We do not add to the Bible but we can prophesy with our creations and ensure that all revelation we receive is consistent with the Word.

What then is prophetic art? In a simple statement, it is prophecy in an art form. We should all desire to prophesy as Paul instructed us in 1 Corinthians 14:39. We can prophesy using art to convey the message. The creative people in the Bible had the Spirit of Wisdom come upon them to create the designs that were revealed to them. When the Holy Spirit gives us revelation we can use our creations to manifest the Lord's power and expressions.
I do want to make a distinction of prophetic art and worship art. There are many artist that can create beautiful pieces in response to their devotion and praises to the King. They are expressing worship up to the Lord. The same way we sing songs to His name and exalting who He is. This we do from our heart as an offering to Him.
Prophetic expression on the other hand is ascending to be able to get revelation and hear what God is saying and them use artistic expression to express what was heard.

The art is the interpretation of the artist of what was revealed to him or her in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Art can carry the Lord's presence if you are receiving your inspiration from the Lord. We can be creative without the Holy Spirit because we are creative beings by nature. We can create things inspire by things around us, inspired by demonic spirits, or just create because we have the ability. I can take an art class and paint because the teacher said to paint an object. These forms of creation are unlikely to carry the presence and power of God because of the source of inspiration.
Imagine a dark picture of something demonic hanging on your wall. What kind of impact or atmosphere will that piece of art create? Likely, it will be a heavy atmosphere. We must understand that we can shift atmospheres with our creations. This is the power of art!! The same way if the Holy Spirit is the one doing the inspiring then we should expect powerful environments created when our pieces are revealed.

Like with any activity, we should test the spirit (1 John 4:1). Just because the artist says they are prophetic that does not make the piece prophetic. Our spirits must recognize and discern the Spirit of God. Discernment of spirits is important to know the source of the artistic expression. A lot of people react to my paintings and say the look like they are New Age. It is likely they are looking at it from what they know is familiar but if I ask them to look at them as if Jesus was speaking to them personally, I expect their hearts to shift and bring them to a closer encounter with the bridegroom.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says that God's ways are not our ways and most of the times when we receive a prophetic word it almost impossible to make sense of it but our sprits react to it. In the same manner, art has the ability to engage our right brain so we can access things that our logical part of the brain does not accept. If we create with Holy Spirit revelation, we should be able to communicate things that sometimes are difficult to grasp with logic.
I pray that for those that read this blog and feel a calling to use their artistic expressions for God's glory, this blog inspires you to be bold and change the world around you as you unveil your pieces.

My love for pomegranates drove me to design a pomegranate pendant that will be showcase in the launch of my website tomorrow (5/22/15).

God has always used pomegranates to speaks to me about His heart.

Pomegranates speak of promises of God as they were part of the fruits found in the promise land. The Lord included pomegranates to describe the goodness of the land He had promised (Deut8:6-8) and when the spies returned after scouting the land they brought pomegranates back to demonstrate the fertility of the land (Numbers 13:23).

The Lord felt the fruit was significant enough that He instructed Moses to embroider pomegranates in the priestly garment wore by the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies. The pomegranates were embroidered at the bottom of the robe (Exodus 28:33-34). The Lord revealed to me through this beautiful fruit that we bear fruit as a result of being in the presence of the Lord.

The Lord also showed me that engraved pomegranates were part of Solomon’s temple as a decoration above the pillars found in 1 King 7:13-22. These pillars were named by Solomon and their names are very significant. The name of one the pillars was Jachin which means "He will establish" and the other was named Boaz which means "In Him is strength". The Lord showed me that in His strength we are established and these hold the pomegranates that represent His heart, His promises and the fruitfulness as we understand what the Father is saying to us.

Also it is said that King Solomon designed His crown based on the crown of the pomegranate. We are royalty and we are the sons and daughter of a King. The pomegranates have inspired royalty and it should reminds us of our inheritance in the Lord.

Last but not least is the revelation found in Song of Songs! The Lord describes His Beloved's temples (mind) behind the veil as pomegranates. The Beloved finds strength and is established (just like the two columns in Solomon’s temple) in the Lord. We are established by the renewing of our minds. When our minds become like the mind of Christ we are fruitful and our minds are full of seeds we can spread to the world around us. Our minds are compared to pomegranates as our minds are renewed to think like Christ. It is really important that we recognize who we are in Christ to step into the amazing promises God has for us. A renewed mind is full of true thoughts of who God really is and the reality of who we are in Him. This is how we are able to defeat the arguments and lies of the enemy (2 Cor 10:4-5).

In addition to a symbolic representation of our minds , the Lord speaks in chapter 8 of Song of Songs of the nectar of pomegranates that we get to share with our brothers and sister when we are mature in Him. As we become established in His strength we have renewed minds that are going to be fruitful and as a result we get to share what He has revealed to us with others.

The pendant I designed is intended to remind us of His promises, that we are royalty, where our strength comes from, our fruitfulness is in Him, that we have the mind of Christ and that finally we get to share our nectar with the world.

I pray that you are as in love with pomegranates as I am and be reminded of the rich revelation the pomegranates carry!!

God loves creative people

As a creative person I have always looked for biblical principles to understand God's perspective regarding creativity. We read in the scripture how the Lord will choose people and filled them with the Spirit of wisdom to create (Exodus 31:3). There is a direct link between the Spirit of wisdom and creativity. The spirit of wisdom was present when God created the world. There is no accident that Solomon, who asked for wisdom was the one chosen to build the temple and show the world a powerful of God. The display of his wisdom was appreciated by many through the beauty of his kingdom. After the Queen of Sheba saw all he had built she said that the wisdom and wealth he possessed exceeded the report she had heard. Through our creativity we reveal the wisdom and nature of God to an unbelieving world. There is no doubt that God loves creativity, He is the ultimate creator and He loves creative people! We were made in His image therefore we are creative. One chapter the Lord has highlighted to me for some time as I study God's view of creativity is Jeremiah 24. In this chapter we see the exiles taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. One thing to notice is that part of the people listed to be taken into exile includes the craftsmen! I love that the scriptures list specifically this group as being part of the exiles. You may ask how is going into exile a good thing? This was part of God's plan to bring His people back to His heart and keep them protected. In addition, Nebuchadnezzar knew the value of the creative people as well. The true insight of how God sees these group is explained in the vision He gave Jeremiah in this chapter. He gives Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. One represents the people taken by Nebuchadnezzar into exile which includes the craftsmen. This fig basket is full of good figs and God describes them as good, ripe and of finest quality. God values his creative people so much that he chose to protect them during the captivity to ensure they were kept safe for the future of His plan.

The expression of a nation comes through its creative people. Through history you see the expression of art to define nations as they express their influences and inspirations. Through the arts we are able to appreciate what is in the heart of the people and if we are inspired by God we can show the world what is in the heart of God. We need a revival of the arts in God's people to show this left brain world the beauty and power of an amazing God!!! Go and create!!! The picture is a Mercedes Benz promotion ad.

The power of creativity!!

Creativity is very powerful. It is so powerful the Bible refers to is as a weapon. It is something that can defeat powers!!! In Zechariah 1:18-21 we find the Lord giving Zechariah a vision of four horns. The Hebrew word for horns is QEREN which figuratively means power. These horns or powers main goal was to scattered the people of God. The amazing part of this vision is that the solution to overcome these powers was the Lord sending four craftsmen. The root word in the Hebrew for craftsmen if the word CHARASH. This means to fabricate to be a craftsman, an artist, someone who creates. The fascinating part of this word is that it also means to be still and at rest!!! As an artist my best work usually comes from being inspired in the stillness of the presence of God!! The vision then starts to make sense. The power of creativity under the stillness and presence of the Almighty can defeat powers!!! Can you see this vision manifesting in the natural? Our creations have power. We find in Exodus that the artist that built and design the furnishing in the Tabernacle of Moses were under the influence of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Wisdom to make their creations(Exodus 31:1-7, 35:30-33). We can reveal the wisdom of God to the people that see our creations. The Spirit of wisdom was with God as He created the world. We are creative beings made in the image of God. We are the only species on Earth that can create. The angels are created beings but they do not create. You see how we have power over the enemy? He is a fallen angel and he can't create. He can corrupt, lie and deceive but not create. I believe that we can defeat the powers of the enemy with our creations. To create with power, we need the Wisdom of God. What is wisdom (not human wisdom but godly wisdom)? Wisdom is really seeing things from God's perspective. What if we start creating under the influence of the Spirit of God and create under the stillness (charash)and the mighty influence of the Lord almighty? I believe we can change the world one creation at a time because the mighty wisdom gets reveal to those that see our creations. Like in the case of Solomon, he asked for a very good thing "wisdom" and God was please at his request. Through his accomplishment and life we see all he accomplished through wisdom. Solomon was a man that never had to go to war!!! He revealed power by using his wisdom to build the temple and a kingdom of wealth and wonders that the Queen of Sheba was affected by it. In 1 King 10:6 she expresses that she had heard of his wisdom but did not believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. Solomon was a poet, a builder, a craftsman who was able to built what God had given his father David. All because he was a wise man. I am praying for a Revival of creativity. The type of revival where the craftsman are going to create under the influence of the Spirit of God with Wisdom to transform those that see or experience their creations. We can shift atmospheres with our music, art, photography, writings. If you doubt what I am saying look what Hollywood can do without God and the power it has to shape culture. Imagine now what godly people could create under His wisdom. Lets make this our goal. Lets create for His Glory!!!

I posted this last year for Valentine's. Worth reposting!!! Valentine's day is a beautiful day in which we celebrate love. But as Christians, we do not have to wait for Valentine's day to celebrate. Everyday we should remember what He did for us because of His love for us. So my desire for all of you reading this is that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.(Ephesians 3:17-19). One of the pendants I use to symbolize that beautiful passage is this red heart pendant covered by His wings. This symbolizes how His death on the cross and blood shed for us is and extraordinary expression of His love. That is His heart for us and continues through the ages. The wings are that protection we receive when we walk in His love. Under the shadows of His wings we find protection and provision for the storms of life. Give this pendant to someone that needs to be reminded of the love of Christ and security in Him! Happy Love day Beloved!!!

Did you know that jewelry was given to Rebekah as a sign of favor? If you are not familiar with the story, in Genesis 24 we see Abraham sending a servant to look for a wife for his son Isaac. The servant relied on the Lord's signs to find the right girl. As soon as he received confirmation from the Lord that Rebekah was the one, the servant placed bracelets on her as a sign of favor. I love the picture of being adorned as a signed of favor because we see in many part of the scriptures, the Lord adorning His bride. God adorns her as a sign of His delight and love for her (Psalm 45. Ezekiel 16:11-14). As a jewelry designer, I pray that the people that wear my designs can receive a revelation of how much God

loves and delights in them. I pray God speaks to them through the piece and reminds them of the promises they have in Christ. Most of the pieces are designed to encourage but also to be a reminder of God's word for them. Here is a bracelet with a powerful message which I call "Princess bracelet." This bracelet although simple is meant to remind us of our royalty in Christ. It is made of leather to reveal our common flesh that when adorned with rhinestones makes us special (chose, accepted, loved, redeemed, favored). In the same way God's favor was on Rebekah as the chosen bride for Isaac we are chosen in the beloved and made royal. The crown charm represents the crown of life and righteousness with which we are adorned in Christ! Visit my page www.facebook.com/paniyn designs

God's Gems

Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins but are sometimes the trials resulting from God's extraordinary gifts. God uses many sharp-cutting instruments, and polishes His jewels with files that are rough. And those saints He specially loves, and desires to make shine the most brilliantly, will often feel His tools upon them. R. Leighton