The senior chaplain told me, "Before you go on this mission, you need to drink some special water." He said, "I have just the water you need in this pitcher. Let me pour some for you." There was a beautiful crystal clear vase,it was extravagant. He handed me a crystal clear goblet, and said, "Hold this while I pour." I was observing how delicately, meticulously, he poured this water, he was very careful with it. I marveled at how pure and clear the water looked as he poured it from the pitcher. As he poured, I noticed that he did not slow down as the water approached the top of the goblet, which caught me off guard because of the way he had previously treated this water so carefully. The water began to overflow from the goblet, and started running onto my left hand that held the glass. I was absolutely shocked by what happened next.

The flesh started falling off my hand! I felt this incredible burning on my hand where the water made contact, and saw that the flesh was simply dissolving and falling to the ground. There was right in the middle of the palm of my hand a large hole, as though someone had driven a large spike through the flesh of my hand and then pulled it out. I found myself fearful, and attempted to shake off the water, believing that the water was capable of completely dissolving all the flesh on my body, something I was not prepared for.

This combination of shock and fear began to propel me into a higher state of consciousness towards waking up. As I was leaving the scene, I heard the very audible voice of the Lord say, "All flesh is as grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord abides forever."

The words seem to have a reverberating...echo effect, and they were still ringing when I woke up.

I prayed about the interpretation of this dream, and the Lord had some very clear things to say about the flesh and the Spirit. "People want my Spirit, but they do not want to pay the price of crucifying the flesh that must come with the Spirit. You saw that you wanted to drink of the living water, but when you saw the flesh falling off, you were frightened at your loss of control. My people must trust the when My Spirit overflows in their hearts, I come to destroy the flesh, that the spirit within them might have new life. Holes in the flesh bring wholeness! When you looked on that hole in your hand, you saw emptiness ... but because of the nail that has been pulled away, you truly have fullness in the Spirit! When you looked at flesh falling off your left hand you saw weakness. Instead, in the Spirit, you had true greatness. The place in your life that is touched by My cross and My living water are places of fullness, wholeness, and greatness!"

The Lord then showed me this was a picture of the struggle Paul described in Romans chapter 7 and 8. Romans 8:5-8; 12-14 sums it up this way:

5) For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

12) So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - 13) for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14) For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.