DREAMS AND VISIONS?

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall shall see visions. Joel 2:28.
I want to write a little more about dreams and visions. I had already written about my vision on heaven the other month. I am not especially charismatic or consider myself a mystic, but I believe when we are obedient and humble in the will of God, God enjoys visiting with us. As the verse in Joel points out - He will pour out His Spirit, free for all to accept. I don’t think it is something we boast about, but it is something we want to treasure. God first wants obedience from His children and to that end we receive encouragement and grace from Him. As a young boy I have been fascinated with the Antediluvian world. The story of the garden, the story that there was giants in the land, and especially the story of Enoch and the story of Noah. Enoch walked with God and Noah had vision from God to preach to the people and build the ark. How is it possible to walk with God? I would marvel and still marvel. It becomes real when we have laid ourselves and our goals at the foot of the cross and say, “Thy will be done“. When the only thing we desire is God’s will in our lives- then when we see how he opens, shuts doors, and grants vision that give real purpose in our lives. When we try to again put our hands on the steering wheel the way becomes dim again. We must as Christians must look at ourselves as truly devoted servants that wait on the voice of God to do His bidding. When we have done that he can us and blesses us with unexpected blessings.
Christians in very trying conditions and persecution seem to receive very clear visions and dreams from God. Even unbelievers in countries that prohibit Christianity receive instruction and vision from Christ. In Turlock CA, I helped re-roof a house. The owner happened to be a missionary of thirty years in Pakistan. She was a widow and told us stories of how people that they have ministered to people that had already have met Christ through dreams. When they met the missionaries the dreams purpose and meaning became clearer. Reminds one of how Joseph and Daniel would interpret dreams. Anyway a year or two later I read a book called, She Dared to Call Him Father about a woman from Pakistan. At the end of the book I remembered the widow missionary. I drove around till I found her house and asked her if she knew that lady and she replied that the woman was baptized in their house! She related the story just as I had read it and said she had a picture of them together in the house. That book is real, inspiring, and underscores how God uses dreams and visions to people we believe are hard to reach.
My first experience relates with this verse:
When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; Then thou scarest me with dreams and terrifies me through visions….Job 7:14. My desire was not on the Lord and the World and it’s call was very alluring to me. It would have been quite a simple move to walk away from my Church. I was not a member and had a lot of connections that were not Christian. One night I had a dream where my friends and I were having a grand time. I was facing them and they could not see the large forest fire in the distance. At first it was like the glow, but I knew at once that it was the consuming fire of God and that the End was near. My friends would not look and I had started to flee. One of my friends also looked and also fled. The others lingered as the fire was racing towards us. Needless to say I woke up in a sweat. Five years later the scenario happened as in my dream. Though there was no fire, the ones that did not look fell away. My friend that also looked, reconsecrated his life. (Interestingly enough, he had a dream that changed his life). Another time as unconverted or backslidden I was watching a very distasteful movie with my Dad when I was seized with terror that the Lord was Coming. I looked out the window, just knowing the stars were about to fall. These happenings definitely caused me to take stock of my life and give my heart to God to flee the wrath to come to those that willfully reject their Creator and Savior.
The next dream I can recall happened after I was married. I had decided to live the “good life” after I was married. I wanted to continue a shallow life and focus more on living as worldly as we wished. One night God pointed at a clock and said “Time is Short, Redeem the Time for the Days are evil.” I woke up crying and told my wife what I seen. I took a look at my life and changed. My wife wasn’t always excited about my change especially when I asked her to get rid of some of her most flamboyant dresses.
Over a period of time I became curious what kind of fight we were really engaged in as Christians. Who was the devil? Etc. I asked God for vision on this matter. After I had forgotten about my request I received a dream one night. I was in a bus depot waiting on a Greyhound bus. It was so clear and real that I thought it was real life. There was a commotion by the soda and snack machines. A man started to beat on them and was very angry. He was cursing and intent on violence. A lot of people started to make for the door when it was rumored that he had a gun. I seen the exit sign and followed some people to make a get away before something happened. Somebody tapped me on the shoulder and told me, “Wait, watch what will happen”. I turned around and seen some security guards approach the man. I seen the man and looked at the mans eyes and sensed immense hate. The man’s flesh tore apart and he became a dragon. I realized at that point that he was the devil. The guard’s guns had no effect, but what affected me was the tremendous hate that I felt towards all that were created in the image of God. I awoke once again in a sweat and prayed. Now I know the difference between a nightmare and a vision. I have dreamed a fair bit and forget most of my dreams. A nightmare will scare me and then leave me. A dream of God is something I do not forget and it brings me closer to Him or bares good fruit. In this last dream I was struck with the thought that I still should not fear but rather Trust God. I went to work to carpool and knew I had to tell what had happened. As we sat in the truck waiting for the boss my co-worker was likewise eager to relate a dream that he had had the same night. In it God had told Him fear not what men shall do unto you, but fear Him that is able to cast your body and soul into hell. We were both impressed how God had spoken. My rule of thumb is similar to what Joseph’s brothers said:
…We shall see what will become of his dreams. Gen. 37:20. If it is from God it will bare good fruit and agree and line-up with His Word, the Bible. Too many have gone astray when they put so much on the vision even though that it does not line-up with God’s word. That is the way of seducing spirits. They twist and try to pry you away from the Word of God.
Just let us not run away from seeking prophesy and vision from the Lord. Life was meant to be rich to those that follow God. That is not to mean rich with material things, but rich in the love and mercies of God. When God visits you in the day, you feel like singing and are encouraged to press on. So we need it because another test will surely be around the corner. It is truly lamentable in our Christian life if we have a testimony as Saul: “God is departed from me, and answered me no more, neither by prophets, nor by my dreams…”(Saul) 1 Sam 28:15. Let’s be willing to share our Spirit led inspirations and visions while we live, and not only a testimony to be related after we pass….