Connecting To God’s Creativity as John Did in Revelation

One of the keys to connecting to God’s creative flow is switching from the typical western, left-brained, rational based thinking to an intutional thinking which is based in the right side of the brain. There are several internal triggers which can help one shift from left-brain thinking to right-brain thinking.

Looking for Vision as John Looked For Vision:

One can begin by looking for vision. Since vision is a right-brain function, this will immediately shift one to the right side of his brain. Perhaps the apostle John is painting or imagining the first scene in Revelation 4:1. His first vision is over in Relation 3:22, and he is ready for a second vision to begin. Revelation 4:1 says that "he looked" and that he "saw a door standing open in heaven."

The next verse (Rev. 4:2) says that "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold...." Now, what John sees once he gets in the Spirit is the throne room of God, and for 18 chapters he describes his experiences while there. However, it is interesting to me that before John gets "in the Spirit" (i.e. sensitized internally to Holy Spirit flow), he appears to have painted a picture in his mind of a door in the sky which he chooses to walk through. In doing so, the flow within him opens up, the river of God takes over the scene, and takes him in this particular instance directly to the throne room of God where he views what is going on and dialogues with angels and eats books and does many other interesting things.

Triggering Vision:

I suspect that John had learned that one trigger he could use to help connect him with the river within was to quiet himself down and to picture (or paint) an opening scene, after which he invited the Holy Spirit to take over. The painted scene positions one in the right hemisphere of the brain. This is the place where divine visions can be picked up and registered within the individual. Then, as he takes his hands off the painted picture, invites the Holy Spirit to take it over, and yields control to the Holy Spirit (i.e. yields to flow), he will find that the Holy Spirit indeed takes over the scene, which comes alive with the life of the Holy Spirit and begins flowing and moving and changing "on its own," with no guidance from the individual. Actually, it is not "on its own." It is the life of God granting an ongoing series of pictures, or music, or creativity in response to the prayerful and positioned heart of the believer.

In order to connect to God’s creative flow, one must start by shifting to right-brained thinking. This can most effectively be done by quieting yourself down and using a visual trigger, creating an image in your mind and then inviting the Holy Spirit to take over.

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is a Christian University and Online Bible College offering Christian education including Christian counseling and Christian theology seminaries and offers certificates, undergrad, Masters, and Doctorates in the various Christian colleges of CLU.