Any time we hear from God, it is so valuable. I think our dreams are more powerful than we have ever realized. They are of great value, for they are one of God’s ways of speaking to us.
How are they valuable? In our dreams, we often receive strategies. We receive a heads-up from God concerning a situation. It might be a situation where the enemy is involved. God is all knowing but the enemy is not. So we have a great advantage over the enemy—specifically, our God is able to show us things ahead of time in our dreams, so that those things can change. We change the outcome through prayer. This is calling ‘flipping’ a dream. There are many kinds of dreams. God reveals strategies to war against the enemy in our dreams by giving us spiritual warfare dreams. There are cleansing dreams, calling dreams, healing dreams, soulish dreams; the list is long. The ones we should value and pay close attention to in our personal lives are what I call self-condition, correction or warning dreams. These dreams reveal our spiritual condition; the condition of our heart, and show us where a change is needed. They are so valuable because they reveal our blind spots; the things we don’t want to know about ourselves. Job 33:14-18 For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it.15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, 16 then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. 17 In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man,18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. I love the Message translation: God always answers, one way or another, even when people don’t recognize his presence.15-18 “In a dream, for instance, a vision at night, when men and women are deep in sleep fast asleep in their beds—God opens their ears and impresses them with warnings to turn them back from something bad they’re planning, from some reckless choice, and keep them from an early grave, from the river of no return. In the night while we are sleeping God shows us true pictures of what is happening in our lives and in our hearts. He shows us how to keep us from making wrong choices, He reveals pride in our hearts, and He keeps us from death! That’s valuable, right? It’s like having a close friend, who gives you hidden secrets. We can’t argue with God when we are sleeping, so it is a good opportunity for Him to show us what we might not want to see. When we wake up, if we value His words, we will repent. We will seek Him for His Help. What are some things He can show us about ourselves? So glad you asked! He wants to show us hidden things in our hearts that might be blocking us from being fruitful, or from hearing Him. Some of these things could be pride, selfishness, rebellion, jealousy, rejection, unforgiveness, deception, etc. These dreams cause us to come closer to the Lord. They invite us to engage in intimacy with God. They can bring the fear of God in some cases. They also cause us to repent. They are there to aid us. They should be something we value and cherish. It’s like having our own personal life coach. The Holy Spirit does four things in the life of the believer, according to John 14 and John 16. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 16;13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He teaches us, leads or guides us, reveals things He already told us and shows us things to come. This is so wonderful; it covers the past, present and future. Didn’t Jesus say that He is always with us? He is with us on a daily basis through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. But it doesn’t stop when we go to sleep! We have access to His help 24/7! A good example of this from Scripture is the dream interpreted by Daniel of King Nebuchadnezzar. This dream is found in Daniel 4:9-16. I highlighted a few verses in bold. “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.11 The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. 12 Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it,the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches. 15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth. 16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him. Basically, the dream is about the King; it is exposing the sin of pride. The King had a huge empire, which was represented by a huge tree. But he did not help the poor, nor did he try to acknowledge the Lord God; he did not acknowledge that God was his source. In the dream, he is even warned of the consequence of his sin—that he would be chopped down, and his kingdom would be taken away. And that he would be changed into a beast for seven years— until he comes to know: Daniel 4:25 “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” God gave him this dream to expose the pride in his life. Daniel even exhorts the king to repent: 27 “O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.” One year after the dream the King said: 30 “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” Whoa, Bessy! It looks like he didn’t repent for his pride—yet. Sometimes people can be stubborn! They can’t seem to soften their heart. It would take a bit more for the king to see the folly of his ways. Read on: 31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” 33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. Did you see what happened? This is no science fiction story! Because the king did not repent, he was transformed into some kind of animal for seven years! I can imagine that during that time he probably thought about the folly of his ways. But never fear, this story has a good ending. 34 And at the end of the [k]time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: The King came back to his senses. He also had a change of heart: 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. Notice the last words: . And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. Wow. He humbled himself; he repented of his ways. He learned that "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He choses". He has "been there, done that and got the T-shirt"! What if the King had not been warned in a dream? What if Daniel hadn’t been there, to interpret the dream and to encourage the King? Because of the dream, the King did repent of his sin of pride. And his kingdom was restored. And he learned the fear of the Lord; he learned not to mess with the God of the universe! Of course, we are not in a position of being a King. However, the Lord is able to show us our sin of pride in a dream. Hopefully, we won’t wait a year to change our ways. Hopefully, we will be quick to repent. And hopefully, we won’t have to be changed into an animal for seven years! We can see how valuable that dream was to King Nebchadnezzar; he was shown his sin of pride and he repented for it. But, we are so blessed in that we already know the Lord. We have that 24/7 relationship with Him. So now, when He gives us a dream, it is so wonderful, because we can just repent and move on. We would certainly want the Lord to show us ahead of time—just between Him and us—so that we don’t have to have our sin exposed, like the King did. That is only one example of many where God invades our sleep to show us what is really in us. I for one have experienced this and I am sure you have, too. I welcome those dreams. Indeed, they are so very valuable. Showing us our blind spots. Very kind of you, Lord, to put us in a sleep mode to show us the things we probably would deny if we were awake! But as we know, we can’t argue with God in our sleep! So, let’s pray: “God, I give you permission to reveal to me the things I can’t see that are hidden in my heart. Thank you for giving me dreams that reveal my blind spots. I value them and I value you in my life. In Jesus Name, Amen”. Sweet dreams!
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I found this article concerning Donald Trump’s connection to the Hebrides Revival- and I am copying it for you to read. The author is TC Kim. This article was originally written in September 2017. (Hebrides islands are by Scotland)
In the late 1940’s a small cottage In Scotland on the Island of Lewis by in the village of Barvas lived two elderly women, Peggy and Christine Smith. They were eighty-four and eighty-two years old. Peggy was blind and her sister almost bent double with arthritis. Unable to attend public worship, their humble cottage became a sanctuary where they met with God. To them came the promise: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground,” they pleaded this day and night in prayer. One night Peggy had a revelation, revival was coming and the church of her fathers would be crowded again with young people! She sent for the minister, the Rev. James Murray MacKay, and told him what God had shown her, asking him to call his elders and deacons together for special times of waiting upon God. In the same district a group of men praying in a barn experienced a foretaste of coming blessing. One night as they waited upon God a young deacon rose and read part of the twenty-fourth Psalm: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord.” Turning to the others he said: “Brethren, it seems to me just so much humbug to be waiting and praying as we are, if we ourselves are not rightly related to God.” Then lifting his hands toward heaven he cried: “Oh God, are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?” He got no further, but fell prostrate to the floor. An awareness of God filled the barn and a stream of supernatural power was let lose in their lives. They had moved into a new sphere of God realization, believing implicitly in the promise of revival. Among those converted the following night was a fifteen-year-old boy who became an outstanding helper in the revival. This lad became a “frontline” prayer-warrior. The preacher, Duncan Campbell, called at his home one day and found him on his knees in the barn with the Bible open before him. When interrupted he quietly said: “Excuse me a little, Mr. Campbell, I’m having an audience with the King.” Some of the most vivid outpourings of the Spirit during the revival came when he was asked to pray. In the police station in Barvas he stood up one night, simply clasped his hands together, and uttered one word – “Father.” Everyone was melted to tears as the Presence of God invaded the house. In Callenish, he prayed until the power of God laid hold on those who were dead in sins transforming them into living stones in the Church of Jesus Christ. But the most outstanding example of God’s anointing upon him was in Bernera, a small island off the coast of Lewis. Duncan was assisting at a Communion service; the atmosphere was heavy and preaching difficult, so he sent to Barvas for some of the men to come and assist in prayer. They prayed, but the spiritual bondage persisted, so much so that half way through his address Duncan stopped preaching. Just then he noticed this boy, visibly moved, under deep burden for souls. He thought: “That boy is in touch with God and living nearer to the Savior than I am.” So leaning over the pulpit he said: “Donald, will you lead us in prayer?” The lad rose to his feet and in his prayer made reference to the fourth chapter of Revelation, which he had been reading that morning: “Oh God, I seem to be gazing through the open door. I see the Lamb in the midst of the Throne, with the keys of death and of hell at His girdle.” He began to sob; then lifting his eyes toward heaven, cried: “O God, there is power there, let it loose!” With the force of a hurricane the Spirit of God swept into the building and the floodgates of heaven opened. The church resembled a battlefield. On one side many were prostrated over the seats weeping and sighing; on the other side some were affected by throwing their arms in the air in a rigid posture. God had come! Between 1949 and 1952 a wide spread revival swept through these islands in answer to the prayers of God’s people. This revival became knows as the Hebrides Revival. Mary Anne Smith MacLeod , niece of the two intercessors of the Hebrides Revival, cousin of Donald Smith the 15 year old converted at the revival emigrated from the Hebridean Island of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland, from where she emigrated to America and met a gentleman named Frederick Trump. Mary Anne Smith MacLeod is reported to have met Frederick Trump at a dance where they fell in love. They married in January 1936, the wedding reception for the 25 guests being held at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. On April 5, 1937, she gave birth to their first child Mary Anne Trump Barry, a United States Federal Judge, followed by Fredrick Jr. (1938–1981), Elizabeth (1942), Donald Trump 45th President of the United States (1946), and Robert (1948). Coincidence or Holy Ghost? God used two elderly sisters who desperately wanted to see God move in their church in a small fishing village on Lewis Island. Not only did the revival reach their Island in Scotland but the Hebrides Revival became known around the world. Little did they know that their nephew would one day become the President of the United States of America and bring change and a move of God to the Nations. It is time to rise up and intercede for our President and for our Nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. God has appointed Donald Trump for such a time as this. It is time to rise up and unite and do mighty exploits for the Kingdom of God ! https://www.theguardian.com/uk/gallery/2008/jun/09/scotland.donaldtrump https://www.theguardian.com/uk/gallery/2008/jun/09/scotland.donaldtrump Mary Anne MacLeod Trump – Wikipedia Mary Anne Trump (Scottish Gaelic: Màiri Anna; May 10, 1912 – August 7, 2000) was the Scottish-born American mother of the U.S. President Donald Trump. enwikipedia.org Have you gone through any trials in your life? If we have lived for very long, yes of course we have. Some have had trials in relationships, with marriages and children, some in their health, some in their finances, etc. Right now, the whole world is in a huge trial. No one is immune—from the richest to the poorest—we are all being affected by this pandemic. It is a great test of faith for us. But, how should we, as believers in Jesus, respond to this hardship?
James speaks about what our posture should be when facing various tests and trials: James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ... Why should we count it all joy? That seems hard, right? We count it all joy because it produces patience in us; it shows how much you trust God. If you never get to use your faith, how will you know its strength? I love what it says in the Passion translation; when your faith is tested, it stirs up power in you to endure: James 1:2-4 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! 3 For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. 4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. He goes on to say in the Passion translation: James 1:12 If your faith remains strong, even while surrounded by life’s difficulties, you will continue to experience the untold blessings of God! True happiness comes as you pass the test with faith, and receive the victorious crown of life promised to every lover of God! So if we stay strong during these tests, we receive the blessings of God, and the joy of God. You could compare it to using your muscles. When you use them, you become stronger. If you don’t build up your muscles, then you won’t have strength when you need to use them. It’s the same with our faith. It only grows when we use it. And, the tests and trials in life are there to help grow us in our faith. If we never have any tests, then we remain stagnant in our faith—it doesn’t grow. So the tests are actually producing something in our lives. I remember watching a movies years ago—the young man was in training, and the older, experienced man was his teacher. He told the young man: “Everything is a test”. We can say the same thing; everything is a test in our lives. What is being tested? Our faith! We see in the Bible that many were tested in their faith. Here are some examples of the testing of faith; let’s see what their report card looks like, if they passed the test or not. 1. Abraham was tested in his faith, but he passed the test: Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Report: 10/10 Abraham passed the test. 2. In Moses’s time, the people were being tested: Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. Again: Exodus 20:20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (whether they would believe God) Deuteronomy 13:3 ..for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Report. Moses and Joshua passed the test, but the Israelites did not, generally speaking. 0/10. 3. Job was being tested: Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Report: Job passed the test. Eventually. 4. What is said about Joseph, as he was tested: Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him. Report: Joseph passed the test. 10/10 5. We are being tested; God tests the sons of men: Psalm 11:4 The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. Psalm 11:5 The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Psalm 17:3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. So you can see how are you doing in this test. We haven’t had to offer up our only son, like Abraham, and we haven’t been put in prison like Joseph. But our faith is being tested during this virus outbreak. How are you doing? What is your report card? I’m sure many of us are in peace, praying and believing God. But if that isn’t you, I want to give you some words of hope, and what you can do during this time. 1. First, this too shall pass. This won’t last forever- there will be an end. Probably soon, since we are in Passover, and it is backing down now. Things will come back to ‘normal’, although it might be a "different time". 2. It would be a great time to spend more time with the Lord, building your faith. Read the Bible and see how others went through storms. This will build your faith! Let Him speak a scripture to you that you can stand on. Spend time than in His presence, just waiting on Him, letting Him speak to you. 3. Be a doer of the Word; that is, speak forth your faith. Declare and decree the promises of God over you and your family. Speak bold words of faith! 4. Pray! Pray for healing—pray for salvation for your family and friends. 5. Ask the Lord what you can be doing to help strengthen others during this time; through acts of service, or prayer, or giving, etc. And, count it all joy.... knowing that your faith (and the faith of the body of Christ in general) is being tested, but we are growing through this..... it will make us all stronger on the other side of this. |
AuthorJackie and her husband Bob have been blessed to raise four sons, all Eagle Scouts. Jackie loves the study of dreams, visions and prophetic language. Archives
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