Can new believer receive visions from God?

Heavenly Father,

You are the ultimate Creator, the One who spoke the universe into being and filled it with beauty, wonder, and imagination. I come before You now, asking for a fresh outpouring of Your creative Spirit upon me. Let everything I create point others to You and bring glory to Your name.

In the name of Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Amen.

So in talking with a few people I began to get looks and hearing comments off in the corner. Not from just one person but there were several of the elders in the church and not in the church but from other Christians. Their belief was that I was too new to my life with God to have had a vision from God and to be doing the will of God and opening a Bookstore for God. It really weighed heavy on my heart. I prayed about it so many times and continued to ask “God is this your will, was it you that has put this Bookstore on my heart? So many times he responds with more responses of guiding me to people who want to help. How can it not be his will if doors keep opening for me. So I started looking toward scripture and found so many passages of visions of God and his plans that he gives his children. It didn’t exclude his new children. He led me to the right passages. So he began to give me comfort. He let me know that he is true in what he does and that there will always be those that will test the will of God and followers of Christ. I must remain strong in my faith and true to my beliefs of my Father in Heaven and to the Holy Spirit in my heart and continue to let them lead the way. Their timing is the right timing.

The Bible addresses visions from God in several places, primarily in the context of divine revelation, prophecy, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. While it doesn't explicitly single out "new believers" as a distinct category for receiving visions, Scripture indicates that God can communicate through visions to anyone who receives His Spirit, which includes those new to the faith. This is rooted in passages like Acts 2:17-18, where Peter quotes the prophet Joel: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost and extends to the New Testament era, suggesting that visions can occur among believers regardless of their maturity level.

Examples in the Bible show God giving visions to relatively new or unexpected recipients. For instance, Saul (later Paul), who was a recent convert after his encounter with Jesus, received a vision from God instructing Ananias to visit him (Acts 9:10-12). Similarly, Cornelius, a Gentile who was devout but new to the full Christian message, had a vision directing him to seek out Peter (Acts 10:3-6). These cases illustrate that visions can serve as guidance, confirmation, or calls to action for those early in their faith journey.

Regarding how to handle such visions, the Bible emphasizes discernment, caution, and alignment with God's Word to avoid deception. Key principles include:

• Test the vision against Scripture and the nature of God: Visions from God will never contradict the Bible. As 1 John 4:1 states, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Prioritize Scripture as the ultimate authority—if the vision promotes something unbiblical, it should be rejected.

• Pray for wisdom and confirmation: James 1:5 encourages believers to ask God for wisdom generously: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." New believers should pray for clarity and seek confirming signs, such as alignment with circumstances or further revelation.

• Seek counsel from mature believers or the church community: The Bible warns against isolation in spiritual matters. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, Paul advises, "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil." Sharing the vision with trusted, biblically grounded individuals can help verify its source and provide guidance on next steps.

• Act in faith but with humility: If confirmed, respond obediently, as seen in biblical examples like Ananias acting on his vision despite fear (Acts 9:13-17). However, avoid rushing—Proverbs 19:2 notes that "desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!" For new believers, this might mean starting small, like journaling the vision and watching for fulfillment over time.

Overall, the Bible views visions as a potential gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), but they are not the primary way God speaks today—His Word is foundational. New believers should approach them with excitement tempered by wisdom, focusing on growing in biblical knowledge to better discern God's voice.