[Excerpt from Heaven is so Real by Choo Thomas, a book advertised on China's Christian Library but is soon to be taken down due to lack of interest.]

THROUGH A PROPHETIC utterance given by a pastor named Larry Randolph, God spoke directly to me on December 3, 1995. Pastor Randolph prophesied:

I saw the blessing of the Lord in the realm of prophetic ministry and the Lord opening your spirit in a great way to prophetic ministry, dreams and words of knowledge...I saw the Lord speaking to you in the night seasons, between 11 P.M. and 3 A.M....[He will] begin to awaken you and visit you, give you dreams, visions and insight...God told me that you’re one of the daughters that He’s put His Spirit upon to prophesy.

Pastor Randolph spoke these words over me during a special Sunday service at Puget Sound Christian Center in Tacoma, Washington. As he did, the familiar anointing of the Holy Spirit welled up deep in my spirit, and my body began to shiver and quake under the power of God.

I began to weep tears of joy and gratitude as I realized that God had chosen me to be one of His servants in these last days. The Lord flooded me with His loving warmth, and the heat of His presence made the experience seem as if I were resting on a feather bed on a summer day.

[long Bible quote]

Could it be, I wondered, that these prophetic words were being fulfilled here and now? Was I to be one of the Lord’s special maidservants who would see wonders in heaven and earth?

What an honor to be selected as a vessel of the Lord’s love, grace and power in these last days. Certainly this prophetic calling of God was not something I would have chosen for myself, because I am ordinarily a very shy person. I soon learned that all the shyness and bashfulness vanishes when I am experiencing the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

[long Bible quote]

Clearly, God was choosing me to go forth in His name in order to bear lasting fruit--fruit that would remain. He was showing me the power of prayer and the importance of getting close to Him.

[long Bible quote]

The overwhelming excitement and burning anointing of the Holy Spirit continued to intensify as the pastor went on with his prophetic utterance. I literally felt as if I were on fire for God. Pastor Randolph continued:
There’s been a misunderstanding at times in the way you respond to God or the way you connect with God. The Lord says He’s going to remove the misunderstanding...they won’t say, “She’s an enigma.” They’ll say, “She’s just different.”...It’s a godly difference...God has given you a uniqueness. He’s going to minister to you in a unique way. He’s going to speak to you things that only friends would tell friends. He’s going to give you secrets in the night seasons.

To be a close, personal friend of God’s, as Abraham was, has been my heart’s desire since I became a Christian. I treasure moments alone with the Lord. I know His voice, and when my heart is quiet before Him, He is able to speak to me: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

Through this compelling message from God, I knew the Father was answering the cry of my heart--to get to know Him better by building an intimate personal relationship with Jesus. My heart was soaring like an eagle while I listened to Him speaking to me through Pastor Randolph:

It’s not showing off what God gives you; it’s keeping secrets. God’s going to tell you things about people that you’ll never tell people. You’ll pray for and intercede [for them], and hold them up in prayer because you’re going to be a friend of God--and that’s a true prophet. It’s just a friend of God. A friend of God.

He’s going to tell you secrets about other people’s lives and about things He’s doing in the earth. So, get ready in 1996 for a fresh anointing of the prophetic to come upon your life. And in the new year, as you wait before the Lord, God’s going to put a fresh Spirit upon you, an anointing of prophecy is going to come upon you.

I knew the words were beautiful and deeply meaningful even though I did not understand all they implied. I felt as if I were clay in the hands of the divine Potter, and He was shaping me, molding me and forming me in preparation for a special ministry that would begin in the very near future. As I spun on the Potter’s wheel, under a mighty anointing of the Spirit of God, I sensed that major changes were already taking place deep in my spirit.

A tinge of fear was soon extinguished by the oil of the Spirit that seemed to drip over every part of my being. My mind tried to find its way into the old channel of questioning, because I felt so unworthy to receive such a wonderful personal message and calling.

How can God use me? I thought. I am a Korean-American, and my use of the English language is not as proficient as it should be. Why would God pick me to be His friend? Why me?

It was all so surprising, but even though I was a young Christian I had already learned the truth of Jesus’ words, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). I decided right then and there to accept the Lord’s message by faith, and in my heart I prayed: Father, thank You for giving me this word. I will always say yes to You.
This was my commitment even though I did not fully understand everything the Lord was saying. One thing I did realize, however, was that He would have to prepare me for the ministry He was leading me into.

[long Bible quote]

Little did I realize where those paths would lead me, but I was firm in my resolve to trust the Lord without leaning on my own understanding. After all, isn’t this the essence of the spiritual life? We’re spiritual beings on a human journey. Our true essence is our spirits. Heaven is our true home, and as I’ve discovered, heaven is so real.
Since the moment God called me to a prophetic ministry I have learned that many believers don’t truly believe. Some are not sure that heaven even exists. Others don’t seem to care. Too many go through life as if this world is all there is.

God has shown me an entirely different picture. He has taken me to heaven seventeen different times, and He wants me to let everyone know that heaven is so real! When we truly understand this, it changes everything about us--our motives, attitudes, values, relationships, dreams, plans and perspective. My prayer for you is, you will catch more than a glimpse of heaven as you read and that you will be changed--as I was--and experience the security of knowing Jesus has already prepared a place for you and your loved ones.