Dreams

Someone told a story of a person who doesn’t hear from God in dreams.
If God gave you a dream, would you consider it could be God?  If not, then why should God waste a good dream on you?

As I’m trying to understand and embrace the prophetic, I’m trying to pay attention to my dreams.  I found this story very inspirational.  I recently had a dream that seemed really significant, but soon forgot it.  This drove me to download an app to journal my dreams.  These apps seem to be rather New-Age oriented, particularly when driving towards Lucid dreaming, which is often embraced by spiritualists – see https://www.gotquestions.org/lucid-dreaming.html. However, writing down our dreams aka. Dream journaling is a useful means to pay more attention to our dreams and open the possibility for God to speak to us through them.

Last night, I had a dream, for which I journalled, “Started worship for tonight, at a different church.  [Apostle] Ezenete [happened to be there and] told me we should let in some young ballerinas [into the building].  I tried speaking in Portuguese – really badly [with her]”.

So, apparently a typically random dream, linking an eclectic mix of current and random preoccupations.  I wrote it down anyway and contemplated what this could mean if God were talking through this.  As I was writing, at 12:21 am, a message came through FaceBook from Nicole Anderson,
“Please pray for our World Hope Ops team re Vietnam Dec 2018 in this critical time: Myself, (Mr) Chris – Gen Manager, BNE and Ps Daniel & Ps Kathryn! The stadium permission got withdrawn & the minister for Religion sacked!..high-level stuff! Seeking permits for 4-5 smaller Christmas Festival events now & will submit medical clinic requests in 1 week”

This reminds me of Peter’s dream about unclean animals.
Acts 10:9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
14 ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.’
21 Peter went down and said to the men, ‘I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?’
22 The men replied, ‘We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.’ 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

This opened the way for non-jews to be restored to God as Christians.

In preparing for tonight, I’ve had no time or space in my life to put anything together.  I had a vague idea, from which God could wing-it through me.  I’d told the others the principle of using what’s in your hand:

Exodus 4:1 Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you”?’
2 Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’
‘A staff,’ he replied.
3 The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’ So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 ‘This,’ said the Lord, ‘is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you.’

With that simple stick, God brought ten plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and lead millions of Jews to the promised land.

Last night, God placed this prayer topic in my hand and my heart.  I have no idea what this has to do with my dream, except it drew an expectation to pay attention to what God is showing me.

You are invited to join Daniel Zelli and Katherine Ruonala (Glory City Church) for a missions trip to Vietnam in December. Find out more information at www.worldhope.com

Posted by Daniel Anthony Zelli on Sunday, 23 September 2018

“Details are sparse. North Vietnam is still pretty communist. Permission has been granted by the minister of religion. Confirmed booking with stadium was then applied and denied.  The Minister of religion has been sacked. Now they’re seeking to get permit for some “smaller” regional Community Xmas “Festivals”.  The associated medical mission permit is being applied for in 1 week.”

Please pray for this outreach, that God will multiply his resources to bring many into relationship with Jesus and a restored life.