Tag Archives: words

Intimacy with God, Prophetic Ministry

Dream for the Bride

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As I lay sleeping last night, towards morning I had a dream.

I was at a social gathering in the home of a friend, and I was introduced to a beautiful young woman. She had olive skin, was dressed very simply and modestly but I remember knowing somehow that she was a princess or some other very significant person, who was destined to fulfil some great purpose. She was very self-assured, but also quiet and calm. When I spoke to her, she paid attention to what I had to say as if it were of great importance. This was more than superficial politeness. She seemed to possess genuine humility along with confidence.

Almost immediately after being introduced to this beautiful young woman, I began to speak a message from God to her. Although we were in a social gathering it was as if I was speaking to her alone and had her complete attention. No-one else could hear, but she was hearing and taking in every word. It was as if Jesus was speaking directly to her through my words.

This was the message that I spoke to the young woman in the dream.

The word that is in you is a treasure. Treasure it above all things. Store it up and pay careful attention to it, for it is your life. It is alive, it is powerful, it holds the keys to life and death. It is more precious than gold or diamonds or wealth or fame or any other fortune. Do not let other voices distract you from this word. It is more important than anything else in your life. Days are coming when everything will be shaken, everything will shift, nothing will stay the same. In these days of shifting you will live from the word I have given you. It will be your anchor in the shifting and will keep you stable and secure. It will be your life, and you will feed on it and nourish many others. It will be your food and drink, it will give you life in time of famine and danger, and in the hidden place you will shelter many and give life to many because of the word that I have given to you – a word of life, hope, warning, direction and promise. Pay attention to this treasure, learn to know it well, guard it carefully, for nothing in your life is as important as this word that is in you.

After I had finished speaking to the young woman she went off to prepare for some sort of voyage. It seemed she was being taken somewhere in a car. At the time I didn’t know where she was going, but as I began recording the dream, I thought about the woman in Revelation 12:6 who was taken into the desert for a season to be sheltered in a place prepared by God, and I realized that this message was of great importance to the young woman because she was about to enter a season of intense testing.

There were a couple of older women present – I think they were guardians or mentors of the young woman – and they asked me what I had told her. I don’t remember answering them, but their question somehow alerted me to the power and significance of the message that I had spoken to the young woman. Although I was still asleep, in some way I also began to realize that this was a dream, not an actual waking conversation, and that I needed to communicate this message to the person for whom it was intended. So I asked the Lord (still in my dream, still asleep), “Who is the young woman in the dream? Who is this message for?” At first I was thinking that it must be a message for some specific young woman, and I saw the face of my own daughter, who is twenty years old. But then, one by one, I saw the faces of many other people who belong to him. Almost all of them were young, and I began to wonder if this was a message especially for young people. Then I saw the face of my wife, and realized that it was a dream for the Bride of Christ – for everyone who belongs to Jesus – and that I needed to communicate it to as many people as possible, but that it would be especially significant for the young.

Then I woke up.

 

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Reflections on Life

The overflow of the heart

Words are one of the main ways that we influence people and situations, for good or for ill.  The tongue has huge potential to serve the purposes of the Father and bless those around us.  And so, at times I am humbled to see how God has used my words to touch others with His power and love.  The trouble is, the same tongue also has huge potential to serve the purposes of the Enemy and curse those around us.   And so, at times I am dismayed to see how the Accuser has used my words to bring discouragement or confusion.

Jesus said that a good man brings forth good fruit out of the goodness that is stored up in his heart.  I have learned that my tongue inevitably reflects what is in my heart.  I seem to need to keep learning this lesson.  I know that words that bring blessing come out of a heart that is full of God’s grace.  In the words of a popular worship song, my goal is to be so controlled and filled by God’s goodness that His character comes out of me “from the inside out”.

We all deal with many concerns every single day.  We encounter many people who may affect us in different ways.  We are exposed to thousands of influences every day of our lives from friends, workmates, family, television, movies, the internet, and so forth.  But which influences do I actually allow to grab my attention?  Which ones do I cultivate and allow to affect my heart?

My tongue will ultimately always reflect what is in my heart, and the condition of my heart will be a reflection of the things to which I have given my attention.  And so I have a choice.  The more I allow myself to be distracted from the presence and goodness of God by other concerns, the more distant I become from Him, and the more my heart becomes dull to God and vulnerable to being weighed down and polluted by darkness in various forms.   In this condition, even when I try to do good with my tongue (give advice, encouragement, or whatever) my words are likely to do as much harm as good.   On the other hand, the more I choose to expose myself to the presence of God, the more His Spirit penetrates my heart and makes it soft and pliable and able to reflect His goodness, purity, truth, love and power, and this will be reflected in the words that come out of my mouth.

Am I going to bless or curse with my tongue?  Is my tongue going to be a reflection of the Father of lights  or the father of lies? The answer to that question lies ultimately in how I decide to use my time.  Am I going to devote myself to the pursuit of the presence and goodness of God,  the source of all goodness, or will I give myself to things that ultimately really don’t matter?   I am more determined than ever to invest my life’s energy in seeking the face of God.  What about you?

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