February 4, 2018
DREAMS
Tribe Recap of February 4, 2018 | Gen 20| Psalm 105 | Num 12 | Acts 2
Throughout Scripture, dreams have been used by God to communicate to man. King Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, allowing Abraham’s destiny to go forward, after talking to God in a dream. Jacob, Isaac’s son, saw a stairway to heaven in a dream and was greatly encouraged that God was with him. Joseph had dreams that foretold and informed him of a future in leadership; Joseph also interpreted dreams for two other men in prison while God was making a young arrogant Joseph into a humble and wise ruler of the Egyptian empire.
Gideon’s faith was boosted because of a dream and interpretation of some enemy soldiers. He went on to a great victory because of that dream. King Solomon received his wisdom through a conversation with God in a dream - and the list goes on.
Even Jesus’ earthy father Joseph had to listen to a dream to keep the messiah from being murdered as a child. And what does the scripture say about dreams and visions in our time?
As Peter declared in Acts 2:17 at Pentecost, quoting from the prophet Joel, “And it shall be in the last days, God says, That I will pour forth My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
We have been in the last days since the time Peter said this. All mankind has been in a season of dreams and visions because the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us all. In these days, you don’t have to be a Jacob, Joseph, or King Solomon to be filled with the Spirit and have communication with God in a dream.
The days that were told of us by the prophet Joel are the days we’re living in now. Are we laying hold of our birthright to accept and operate in dreams? Do we take our dreams seriously? Or do we chalk them up to undigested pizza?
As it says in Psalm 105, Joseph’s very soul was laid in irons until the time that his ‘word’ came to pass, that is, until the time that the word God gave him in a dream was fulfilled. Our dreams are ‘words’ from God, they are messages that can foretell, inform, warn, and encourage us. In Numbers 12 we see that God often speaks prophetically in ‘dark sayings.’ These dark sayings are riddles, puzzles, or parables (Thompson & Beale, 2011).
Our dreams may seem like a puzzle to be solved, or a parable to be compared to real life situations because this is how God often speaks to us. God wants to speak to you in dreams. He wants to give you a word. Your dreams may need to be decoded or interpreted, just as Pharaoh’s dream needed to be interpreted by Joseph. But once the message from God was made clear, many lives were saved.
I have had dreams that told the future, gave warnings, and encouraged me that great victories were ahead of me. I have heard the voice of God in dreams. One dream I had recently was a picture of being in a ring with a bull. I saw that if I took the bull by the horns I would have victory, but if I ran from the bull he would overcome me. My wife also had a dream we had twins. Some months later, she started Bloom Dance Studio and Tribe Church was launched. We both had a baby to nurture and take care of! Because of that dream I see Tribe Church as a precious gift from God that must be carefully stewarded.
Are dreams a gift that we are taking care of? Do you believe God wants to speak to you through dreams? Are you writing them down, praying over them, and trying to decode what God is saying? It’s time to join the ranks in the Kingdom of the Spirit of Jesus that understand he is always talking to us. Even in our sleep, we are taught by God (Psalm 16:7). Do not turn the Spirit away when he speaks to you through dreams. He is a God who is intensely interested in speaking to you, even when your mind is unaware of his presence.
(most all of the content in this piece taken from the book The Divinity Code, To Understanding Your Dreams and Visions by Adam F. Thompson and Adrian Beale. Published by Destiny Image 2011.) This book is an excellent resource!
The Divinity Code
Check out this book to reference information about dreams and visions!