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Dreams are
simply night visions. And night or day, visions are one way God speaks to us.
Daniel 1:17 tells us that “Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all
kinds.” And we know that God gave Joseph big dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9) and that
he later interpreted dreams for others (Genesis 40).
Hebrews 13:8
tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Therefore, the same power of Jesus Christ that was present when He walked the
earth is the same power that we have living inside us today. Jesus still does
miracles, and the Holy Spirit still speaks to us through dreams and visions.
I know plenty
of people who have dreams and visions from the Lord on a regular basis, my
mother being one. God has spoken to my mother in dreams to comfort her after
loved ones have passed, to awaken her to the enemy’s trap (so she can pray and
avert danger) and to help her understand difficult circumstances that she and
loved ones experience. God gifted my mother to interpret dreams—hers and
others’.
Asleep, God
has our full attention .
During the day, we are usually more distracted. So He often impresses images in
our minds and hearts in a profound way while we slumber. And we usually remember
the dreams because they are so impactful.
God frequently
speaks to me in day visions, more so than in night dreams. But I have
experienced a few profound visitations while sleeping. Here’s one:
Several years
ago, I was very ill and required surgery. Three weeks before my surgery date, I
saw a vision of Jesus in a dream very early one morning. He walked up to my
bedside and reached for my hand. He never said a word. I instantly knew the
figure I saw was Jesus, and I was not afraid. From the moment I saw Him, I felt
pure, perfect, overwhelming love.
In this dream,
I arose from my bed and took Jesus’ hand. We walked over to an escalator-like
device, but it didn’t have actual steps; so, it was more like a conveyor belt.
Side by side, we stepped onto the conveyor belt and ascended to the top. There
were no words spoken; only pure, perfect love consumed me. There was nothing
else around us except a doorway, right at the top of the conveyor belt. Jesus
and I stood in the threshold of the doorway and turned around. At that moment,
I saw my body lying on my bed below.
At first, this
didn’t bother me. I only wanted to be with Jesus, and nothing else mattered.
But then seconds later, I felt concerned about the condition of my body; and I
stepped away from Jesus towards it. At that moment, I woke up.
I realized I
had had a dream and that I had seen Jesus. So I decided to drift off to sleep
again in hope that I could experience His love all over. Sure enough, Jesus was
there waiting for me.
After awhile,
I woke up again, fell back asleep and saw Jesus a third time. Each time, I felt
overwhelmed by His pure, perfect love.
After I woke
up the final time, I nudged my husband and shared what had just happened. I
could hardly find the words. I was captivated, overwhelmed by God’s presence.
A little
later, I phoned a close friend, and as I shared the dream with
her, she began to cry and promised to pray for me. We hung up, and she called
back about an hour later, still crying. She said that she had been praying for
God to not take my life on earth. I was surprised to hear this because I didn’t
think it was my time to go home to be with the Lord. She said that God told her
that I wouldn’t die.
Sure enough,
shortly after we hung up, the worst pain I had experienced occurred. Then on
the day of my surgery, my vital signs were not stable, which caused my surgeon
to tell me she couldn’t perform the operation because I wouldn’t pull through.
At this point, I asked her to leave the room, and I laid my own hands on my own
body and commanded the vitals to be normal. Five minutes later, the surgeon
returned and rechecked my vitals. They were normal, and they wheeled me into
surgery.
I awakened
after surgery and was taken to a room. That night, about 2:30 a.m., my vitals
began to diminish again. At this point, I was tired of fighting, so I whispered
aprayer to God, reminding Him of what He had
spoken to my friend a few weeks earlier. Suddenly, my numbers returned to
normal and I was completely healed once and for all.
I believe my
dream with Jesus was a catalyst that prompted life-saving healing prayer. I believe God wanted me to know it was serious
and wanted to give me deliverance and a testimony from the brink of death. So
the dream was a kind of forewarning.
I believe God
will give us profound dreams if we ask Him. And I believe we can receive His
dreams, as He wills, if we remain close to Him.
How are some
of the ways God speaks to you? Has God ever shown you a vision or a dream?
Then Jesus
said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and
carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
Jesus calls us
to carry the burdens he has especially prepared for us. If we stay close to him, he will help us carry
the load however weary we are. “But I’m
sinking,” you say. “I can’t carry any more.” Yet the burdens he asks you to
bear will never sink you! How could they? He made you able to bear them. If we
are experiencing that sinking feeling, it may be because we have taken on a
load that has no resemblance to the load he specifically planned for us. Jesus
promises that the load he asks us to bear for him will be light (Matthew
11:30). This is because his big shoulder is shouldering the main weight of it
already. If we stay close to him, we will find that our load is not only light,
but even a delight.
We don’t have
to carry everything alone, you know. Sometimes when we are groaning under all
the responsibilities we have taken on ourselves, someone else comes along and
shoves his or her own problems on us. This can happen on the home front or the church front!
The secret of discerning which particular burdens God wants us to bear lies in
Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble
and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.” When we are yoked to Jesus,
he will teach us what to take on and what to leave for someone else to carry.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit, but in humility,
consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3, NIV - See more at:
http://backtothebible.org/selfish-ambition#sthash.3dmD0ckr.dpuf
“You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of
blessing on my head.” Psalm 139:5 (NLT)
Isaiah
61:11 The Spirit of
the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good
news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners,
Galatians 5:11 It is for
freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and
do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
1 The
wise woman builds her house, but with her
own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2 Whoever
fears the LORD walks uprightly, but those who despise him are devious in their
ways.
3 A
fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Where
there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come
abundant harvests.
5 An
honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness
pours out lies.
6 The
mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to
the discerning.
7 Stay
away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
8 The
wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools
is deception.
9 Fools
mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
10 Each
heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
11 The
house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will
flourish.
12 There
is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it
leads to death.
13 Even
in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.
14 The
faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for
theirs.
15 The
simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.
16The
wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
17 A
quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes
is hated.
18 The
simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 Evildoers
will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the
righteous.
20 The
poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
21 It
is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the
needy.
22 Do
not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love
and faithfulness.
23 All hard
work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The
wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
25 A
truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
26 Whoever
fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a
refuge.
27 The
fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of
death.
28 A
large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
29 Whoever
is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays
folly.
30 A
heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
31 Whoever
oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the
needy honors God.
32When
calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous
seek refuge in God.
33Wisdom
reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be
known.
34 Righteousness
exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.
35 A
king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant arouses his fury.
proverbs 14
1 A
wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to
rebukes.
2 From
the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an
appetite for violence.
3 Those
who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly
will come to ruin.
4 A
sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully
satisfied.
5 The
righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.
6 Righteousness
guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7One
person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet
has great wealth.
8 A
person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to
threatening rebukes.
9 The
light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed
out.
10 Where
there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
11 Dishonest money dwindles
away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
12 Hope
deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 Whoever
scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
14 The
teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of
death.
15 Good
judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.
16 All
who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly.
17 A
wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18 Whoever
disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction
is honored.
19 A
longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
20 Walk
with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
21 Trouble
pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.
22 A
good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s
wealth is stored up for the righteous.
23 An
unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it
away.
24 Whoever
spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is
careful to discipline them.
25 The
righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes
hungry.
proverbs 13
1 In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 And
the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and
the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And
God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And
God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the
darkness.
5And
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day.
6 And
God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it
divide the waters from the waters.
7 And
God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament
from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And
God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a
second day.
9 And
God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place,
and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And
God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called
he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And
God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, [and] fruit-trees
bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth:
and it was so.
12 And
the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing
fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was
good.
13 And
there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 And
God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from
the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
15 and
let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth:
and it was so.
16 And
God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the
lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.
17 And
God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 and
to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the
darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And
there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 And
God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds
fly above the earth in theopen firmament of heaven.
21 And
God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth,
wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its
kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And
God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the
seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.
23 And
there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 And
God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle,
and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so.
25And
God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their
kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw
that it was good.
26 And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.
27 And
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them.
28 And
God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon
the earth.
29 And
God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the
face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding
seed; to you it shall be for food:
30 and
to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to
everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given]
every green herb for food: and it was so.
31 And
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there
was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
genesis 1
1 Now
it came to pass after the death of Moses the
servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses'
minister, saying,
2 Moses
my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all
this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of
Israel.
3 Every
place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I
spake unto Moses.
4 From
the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the
going down of the sun, shall be your border.
5 There
shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I
was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause
this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only
be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which
Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the
left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest.
8 This
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate
thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have
not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither
be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
10 Then
Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
11 Pass
through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you
victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to
possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it.
12 And
to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake
Joshua, saying,
13 Remember
the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your
God giveth you rest, and will give you this land.
14 Your
wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses
gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed,
all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them;
15 until
Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as [he hath given] you, and they also
have possessed the land which Jehovah your God giveth them: then ye shall
return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the
servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising.
16 And
they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and
whithersoever thou sendest us we will go.
17 According
as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only
Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
18 Whosoever
he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy
words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong
and of good courage.
joshua 1
1 From
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Timothy our
brother. To God's church in the city of Corinth and to all God's holy people everywhere
in Greece.
2 Good
will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!
3 Praise
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is
compassionate and the God who gives comfort.
4 He
comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we
are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God.
5 Because
Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him.
6 Besides,
if we suffer, it brings you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, we can
effectively comfort you when you endure the same sufferings that we endure.
7 We
have confidence in you. We know that as you
share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
8Brothers
and sisters, we don't want you to be ignorant about the suffering we
experienced in the province of Asia. It was so extreme that it was beyond our
ability to endure. We even wondered if we could go on living.
9 In
fact, we still feel as if we're under a death sentence. But we suffered so that
we would stop trusting ourselves and learn totrust God, who brings the dead back to
life.
10 He
has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in thefuture. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us,
11 since
you are also joining to help us when you pray for us. Then many people will
thank God for the favor he will show us because many people prayed for us.
12 We
are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have
lived in this world. We have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity,
especially toward you. It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by
God's kindness.
13 We
are only writing you what you already knew before you read this. I hope you
will understand this as long as you live,
14 even
though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as
you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Jesus.
15 Confident
of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice.
16 My
plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia.
Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have
you support my trip to Judea.
17 You
don't think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I
make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true
when it isn't?
18 You
can depend on God. Our message to you isn't false; it's true.
19 God's
Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not
false. Because of him our message was always true.
20 Certainly,
Christ made God's many promises come true. For that reason, because of our
message, people also honor God by saying, "Amen!"
21 God
establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also
anointed us.
22 In addition, he has put his seal [of
ownership] on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
23 I
appeal to God as a witness on my behalf, that I stayed away from Corinth
because I wanted to spare you.
24 It
isn't that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want
to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly
established in the Christian faith.
2 cor 1
1 I decided not to visit you again while I
was distressed.
2 After
all, if I had made you uncomfortable, how could you have cheered me up when you
were uncomfortable?
3 This
is the very reason I wrote to you. I didn't want to visit you and be distressed
by those who should make me happy. I'm confident about all of you that whatever
makes me happy also makes you happy.
4 I
was deeply troubled and anguished. In fact, I had tears in my eyes when I wrote
to you. I didn't write to make you uncomfortable but to let you know how much I
love you.
5 If
someone caused distress, I'm not the one really affected. To some
extent--although I don't want to emphasize this too much--it has affected all
of you.
6 The
majority of you have imposed a severe enough punishment on that person.
7 So
now forgive and comfort him. Such distress could overwhelm someone like that if
he's not forgiven and comforted.
8That
is why I urge you to assure him that you love him.
9 I
had also written to you to test you. I wanted to see if you would be obedient
in every way.
10 If
you forgive someone, so do I. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven
anything, I did in the presence of Christ for your benefit.
11 I
don't want Satan to outwit us. After all, we are not ignorant about Satan's
scheming.
12 When
I went to the city of Troas, the Lord gave me an opportunity to spread the Good
News about Christ.
13 But
I didn't have any peace of mind, because I couldn't find Titus, our brother, there. So I
said goodbye to the people in Troas and went to the province of Macedonia.
14 But
I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ. Wherever we go,
God uses us to make clear what it means to know Christ.
It's like a fragrance that fills the air.
15 To
God we are the aroma of Christ among those who are saved and among those who
are dying.
16 To
some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a life-giving
fragrance. Who is qualified to tell about Christ?
17 At
least we don't go around selling an impure word of God like many others. The
opposite is true. As Christ's spokesmen and in God's presence, we speak the
pure message that comes from God.
2 cor 2
1 We
don't become discouraged, since God has given us this ministry through his
mercy.
2 Instead,
we have refused to use secret and shameful ways. We don't use tricks, and we
don't distort God's word. As God watches, we clearly reveal the truth to
everyone. This is our [letter of] recommendation.
3 So
if the Good News that we tell others is covered with a veil, it is hidden from
those who are dying.
4 The
god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. As a result, they don't see the light of the
Good News about Christ's glory. It is Christ who is God's image.
5 Our
message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are
your servants for his sake.
6 We
are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of
darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge
about God's glory which shines from Christ's face.
7 Our
bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them.
This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't
come from us.
8 In
every way we're troubled, but we aren't crushed by our troubles. We're
frustrated, but we don't give up.
9 We're
persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're captured, but we're not killed.
10 We
always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus
is also shown in our bodies.
11 While
we are alive, we are constantly handed over to death for Jesus' sake so that
the life of Jesus is also shown in our mortal nature.
12 Death
is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 The
following is written, "I believed; therefore, I spoke." We have that
same spirit of faith. We also believe; therefore, we also speak.
14 We
know that the one who brought the Lord Jesus back to life will also bring us
back to life through Jesus. He will present us to God together with you.
15 All
this is for your sake so that, as God's kindness overflows in the lives of many
people, it will produce even more thanksgiving to the glory of God.
16 That
is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we
are renewed day by day.
17 Our
suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that
is greater than anything we can imagine.
18 We
don't look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be seen.
Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can't be seen last
forever.
2 cor 4
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