"The Time I Was Caught Up to Heaven"

I would like to share with you my personal testimony of how I was caught up into the third Heaven. This happened around the 2003-2004 time frame. My husband, Adam, and I were stationed at NAS Kingsville in Kingsville, Texas. He was the executive officer at the naval air station, and we attended a wonderful church there – a multi-ethnic, multicultural church. It was during this time that my husband really started walking in his spiritual giftings, and the pastor spoke to him about the fact that he had a pastor's heart, and Adam began to desire to pastor.

While I was busy with my radio and television ministry, I was also a Bible teacher and conference speaker. My heart was really for evangelism. I love the church; I love to teach in the church, but I wanted to get out and evangelize. My husband asked me if I would consider pastoring a church with him – to plant a church. I was very antagonistic toward that idea for a lot of different reasons. One of those reasons, just to be honest, was the fact that I was a female. I really wanted to do evangelism and I thought I wouldn't be well received if I was actually pastoring a church. That was a mental issue that I, myself, had to personally get over.

But that wasn't the total reason. I'm a free spirit. I love to travel to all kinds of places. I'm not one of those people who likes to take care of what's at home. That's just not me. My husband and I totally agree with that point about me. God has really had to train me in a lot of different areas, especially with pastoring. I absolutely love to pastor now, but it took a lot of years for that to happen.

During this time in our lives, my husband was away on a short military assignment trip and I was at home. One day, when our children were in school, I was worshiping the Lord and was completely in a quiet time with Him. I'd been fasting and praying for about three days and, at the time, was about in the middle of the fast. I had simply sat down to be in the presence of God. I just wanted to worship Him and get my thoughts straight and focus.

Total Peace and Wholeness

During that time, He literally caught me up to a different place (in the spirit) where there were a lot of colors. But it wasn't so much what I saw that completely transformed me...it wasn't like I had walked out into some great field, or opened a window, or did anything of the sort, as are some people's testimonies of being caught up in the spirit. It was simply that I was caught up to a place in the spirit where I had no sense of my own consciousness – no sense of consciousness at all. I was not even familiar with who I was as a person. Any weakness, insecurity, sin – anything earthly in my life – was non-existent. I was completely and totally at one with God and in union with Him; a place where I could only recognize Him – not myself.

It was a place of complete wholeness and beauty, and so completely overwhelming. I remember when I was there as I started to talk to the Lord, I saw a side of His face but I didn't see His total face. I said, "Oh, I love it here. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back." Even when I said this, I knew that I was married and that I loved my husband and I loved my children, but this place was so very wonderful that I didn't want to go back. I was so far gone from the earthly realm in this place of total peace and utter wholeness. I was consumed by God and consumed by His presence.

I said to Him, "I do not want to go back." And He said, "You have to go back. You have to go back and tell the people what you've experienced. You have to go back."

"Oh my gosh, Lord, I don't want to," I replied. Then I was back in my body, or at least that's the only way I can explain it. I was back into my own consciousness of self. I'm not sure if I was out of the body or in the body, just as Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4: "I know a man in Christ...who was caught up to the third Heaven..." (2 Corinthians 12:2). Many believe Paul was speaking of himself. He said he didn't know whether this "man" was "in the body or out of the body." He just knew that he was "caught up to paradise," and I did, as well, in my heavenly encounter. When I came back to my conscience awareness I immediately recognized, "Oh! I'm me again. I'm me. I can feel me."

I had no consciousness of myself when I was with Him in that heavenly place, but when I came back I had an instant consciousness of myself, and I just simply lay on the floor; I couldn't get up. It seemed like I was gone for hours, but when I looked at my watch I discovered it had only been about 45 minutes that I was gone. I just lay there and rested for a while, then I knew I had to get up because my children were coming home from school.

When they arrived, my oldest daughter, Alex, looked at me and said, "Oh, Mom, what happened to you? Something has happened to you. Where have you been? What's taking place?" I couldn't even talk.

She said, "You've encountered God. Some thing has happened." I was clearly in a daze and said, "Yes. Yes, I've had an experience, and I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Alex was very excited because she knew how much I loved the Lord, and My husband and I had been teaching them about Him for years, so she was familiar with God.

I made them dinner and then said, "Let's get ready. It's almost time for church." When we arrived at church, I was really a wreck. I didn't put on any makeup that day, and all I wanted to do was to sit in the back of the church and not be bothered by anyone or anything. But Alex had gone to the pastor and said, "My mom had an experience...something happened to her and you need to go talk to her. You need to find out what's going on."

So the pastor came over to me and said, "Alex seems to think that something has happened to you. Are you all right?"

I replied, "Well, yes, I had an experience with God. It's so hard to explain, but I got caught up somewhere, and I had no consciousness of myself. It's even hard for me to talk right now. I really just want to sit."

He said, "No, you must talk. You need to come before the congregation and tell them what you experienced because these kinds of things are life-changing and will transform people's lives."

"Oh no, not today!" I said. I just wanted to bask in His presence. But I ended up going up to the front when the pastor called me shortly after he started the service. He said, "Candice, come up and share." The whole congregation was seated, and after I spoke only a few words, people started crying and weeping. I hadn't even shared the whole experience, but the glory of the Lord had dropped on all the people; they were experiencing God's presence so intensely.

I began to cry. I cried because that's all I could do, even when I had come back from being in that place with Him. All I wanted to do was cry tears of joy as I was so touched by the Lord.

Then I could see that something had changed because the people were responding as though Heaven had touched them, literally touched them, because Heaven had touched me. I was deeply humbled.

"Feed My Sheep"

The next day I was still on my fast. I didn't want to eat; I had no appetite. I had been completely filled with my trip to Heaven, so I didn't even have a desire to eat. That day the Lord spoke to me. I heard Him loudly and clearly say to me three times, "Feed My sheep. Feed My sheep. Feed My sheep." That phrase is in John chapter 21, when Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep.

I thought, "I've heard that before!" Then I went to the Word and looked it up. "Oh my gosh," I thought. "This is exactly when Jesus asked Peter to feed His sheep. My God. You're asking me to feed Your sheep. You're asking me to pastor with my husband." Immediately I realized what He was saying, and after realizing this, I thought, "But Lord, that's not even fair. I mean, I don't wanted to do this at all, yet You took me to Heaven, and now You're asking me this. Of course, of course, I will do whatever You want me to do, Lord. When You take me into Your presence, yes, I will do whatever You want."

My husband came home the next day and I told him about my experience. I said, "I now know I'm supposed to pastor a church with you. I'm now ready to plant a church." I believed God would get me ready in due time. It was shortly after this that we received orders to go to Chicago, and it was there that we planted our very first church, Christ Cafe Church.

That's a whole other story of faith in and of itself. Our first church was planted all on faith. We leapt out with no money, signed a lease on a 1,800 square foot building, and simply started a church. We had a church planting consultant come and share with us how to plant a church, and we went and we did it. We sat under this consultant's leadership for a period of time.

Our church was filled with the glory of the Lord during every service, and there were many healings and deliverances. People came from all over the Grayslake, Illinois area to receive healing. We were even recognized by the Chicago Tribune newspaper as "the people who lived by crazy faith" in a few articles about us and our church plant. And of course, even still today, Freedom Destiny Church in Jacksonville, Florida, which is our second church plant, is the same way – full of faith and full of miraculous healings and deliverances.

I've had multiple heavenly experiences. Since the time God took me to the third Heaven and said to me, "Feed My sheep," I have been pastoring and teaching and sharing the Word of God from an entirely different perspective. Because I have encountered Heaven, now what I read, see and understand is totally from a heavenly perspective.

Knowing who I am in Christ and knowing that I am a glory portal for Heaven has made me realize that Heaven has come and deposited itself inside me. I know now that Heaven wants to be activated in supernatural environments through everyone who is ready and willing to receive.

One of the things we need to keep in mind when we hear about people being caught up to Heaven, or we hear about heavenly encounters, is that heavenly encounters always produce something. They produce a benefit here on Earth. Even for me, when I was caught up into that place. It was like Moses when he saw the burning bush and he said, "Here I am" (Exodus 3:4). As a result of the dramatic heavenly encounter with the burning bush, Moses was changed. Then the Lord sent him out to deliver the people.

Heaven's Touch

The same thing happened when Isaiah was touched with the coals and he said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) When Heaven comes and touches us, an action comes from it. God doesn't just catch us up to Heaven and expect us to do nothing. If we encounter Heaven, He expects, by faith, we will take actions that will change our environments.

I've studied this subject a lot, and even after I've had my heavenly experiences, I always wanted an understanding and a confirmation of what happened to me through the Word of God. Consequently, God has shared a lot of His Word with me to help me communicate to others that when Heaven touches you, you are changed and transformed, and you must go out and do something as a result of it.

You do not experience heavenly encounters so you can sit around and boast. Even Paul agrees; he doesn't boast except in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17). He even had a thorn in his flesh as a result of his heavenly encounter (2 Corinthians 12:7).

I have had multiple heavenly encounters and have seen amazing miracles happen. When I am in a place, things happen and things change, and I carry thorns and weights and have messengers – enemy messengers – that want to come and torment me as a result of what I know about the heavenly realms.

However, they don't stop me just like they didn't stop Paul, and they don't stop people who have been touched by Heaven. People who have truly been touched by Heaven keep going; they keep impacting their environments; they minister the Gospel and share with people the delight of knowing Jesus – knowing the fullness of Him, knowing His presence.

I say all this to encourage you. Yes, people do get caught up to Heaven. I was. I never physically died to access Heaven. I've talked to people with testimonies who have died and have seen so many marvels, then they come back to life and share the reality of Heaven.

I've also talked to people who have been caught up like myself. One truth remains: In all heavenly encounters, people's lives were radically transformed; they wanted to serve God more and go out and make a difference for the Kingdom. Action to see Heaven change environments is one fruit that comes from encountering Heaven. You'll know if you've encountered Heaven because of the change that is made in your life after you've returned from the encounter, whatever that is.

I say all of this to share about being caught up to Heaven and how it still happens today. There are people who will say, "Oh, well, that just happened to Paul." Yes, that did happen to Paul – in the New Testament. He revealed it in 2 Corinthians. We are part of the New Testament. We, the Ecclesia, the Church, are His Body today. There are many Believers who are living proof that "being caught up" is still happening today. You can present your request to the Lord and say, "God, I want to be caught up. I want to see You. I want to know You. I want to connect with You there." It is up to Him, of course, whether or not you encounter Him this way, but you can definitely ask.

God is looking for people with hearts who want to have heavenly encounters, who want to be connected with Him. He wants to reveal Himself, because when He reveals Himself and your life has changed, you're going to go and bring Him to other people, and their lives are going to radically change.

Fruit comes from truly encountering God and manifests in your testimony that touches others with the love and grace of God. Nothing is impossible for God; if you sow into the Spirit, you will reap from the Spirit (Galatians 6:8).

Candice Smithyman
Founder, Dream Mentors Transformational Life Coaching Institute
Email: info@candicesmithyman.com
Website: candicesmithyman.com

Dr. Candice Smithyman is the founder of Dream Mentors International, a biblical life counseling and coaching educational organization that teaches and trains educators and coaches in the specialty of life coaching. She is also founder of the Glory Road Show, where she hosts weekly interviews which are seen on Faith USA, internet TV, Facebook, and her YouTube channel. Her ministry website is available at candicesmithyman.com and dreammentors.org, where people people can become credentialed biblical or transformational life coaches and receive biblical and transformational life coaching for every area of their life. She is co-author of the book Soul Transformation: Your Personal Journey and co-founder of Freedom Destiny Church in Orange Park, Florida.

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