Gary Carpenter - The Map Room
"This was February of the year 2000. I was in another one of those seeking times; I was praying. I was spending a lot of time with the Lord, and a vision opened up in my spirit. This one was closer to one of those... Still it wasn't like the one Peter had on the rooftop, where he fell over in trance, and everything goes away. I was still conscious of my surroundings, but boy this one was really strong.
And suddenly, I'm in this room, like in Heaven. I know Jesus is right there. People say, "Well, what did He look like?" I couldn't tell you. I just know it's Jesus. I just know He's right there. And He's standing there as I enter into this chamber. And somehow you just know things. You know how dreams are, and visions. You just know things. Somehow I knew that I was standing in the Lamb's Room of Fellowship.
Y'all ever seen a Rand McNally map? Especially a pretty detailed one? It's got the big red lines, maybe are turnpikes; or they're usually big green lines, because you've to pay money. The major highways are one color, and they're thicker. And then the smaller highways, they're thinner, and they're probably black; and then you get down to the little roads, you know, they're maybe gray, just a little line. You get a real detailed one, boy they can look pretty confusing. Well that's the way this was. It was as if... it looked kind of like a roadmap like that. But it was very detailed. I mean, it was as if you included every single road in the whole world, not just the interstates and the major highways, but also the little two lane roads, the asphault roads, the gravel roads, and even the little dirt roads. If you can imagine a map... and the walls... every wall. There wasn't just four of them, there was like a big, giant museum type place, and these little walls would come out even from the side, and they had maps on them. I mean, I've never saw so many maps in my life. And I'm looking at this, and the Lord began to explain to me. I heard His voice and He said:
"Welcome to the Map Room of Life. These maps depict for your soul, the perfect plan of the Father for each believer's life. Each path represents their hundred-fold walk, if they followed precisely the leadership of their shepherd. These paths of life are not to be seen as being fatalistic, nor predestined by sovereignty. No, they simply represent the hundred-fold walk which the Father planned for every believer before the foundations of the world.
You would call these paths the mind of Christ for each believer if they both heard and fully obeyed My instruction every day of their life. You would also describe these pathways as being the narrow way for each believer, if they were to fully walk out their individual calls during their lifetime on earth.
Now get this. None are forced on to these pathways. The Father has ascribed choice to all of His children. Most believers live and die in areas far away from these paths, yet they are received lovingly by their Father upon their arrival in Heaven. They suffer loss of reward, but never loss of love.
As the Good Shepherd, know and understand that I am constantly aware of the location of every one of My Father's sheep; both those that are on the path for their life and those that are not. I am aware; precisely aware of where they are; what they're doing; how far away from the hundred-fold path they are, and what is required to get them back on that path again.
For those that come aside from the world to seek Me, praise Me, and fellowship with My Spirit, the direction back toward their path of light is set like a compass within their spirit. Little by little, My Spirit directs them from their present location back toward My Father's perfect will for them. For most, this is a long and tedious process, and the majority do not endure the journey.
Many additional side journey's are usually made along the way as the lure of unmortified flesh pulls them toward the bobbles offered by the enemy. Still, even this wayward journey back toward the hundred-fold walk is productive, even if it is only done in seasons sporadically, because the end result is a walk closer to the hundred-fold than they would have obtained otherwise. And their reward in Heaven is increased by every step taken closer back toward the hundred-fold walk."
