It is now 4:30 a.m. and I am wide awake; largely due to a very vivid dream I had earlier. I have not been able to get a very good night's sleep since I returned from Operation Desert Storm while in the Army. When I do sleep it is usually inundated by dreams of the war or some type of activity involving my being back in the Army. The dreams are so real that when I awake I almost immediately thank God that I am actually in my bed and in my home and far from anything military.
Although serving nearly 24 years in the Army has afforded me and my family security my recurring dreams often remind me that success is not free, but rather comes at a cost.
This morning my dream was not of a military nature at all, but in a church setting. (I suppose sometimes dealing with "church folk" can be considered a battlefield, but that is another story). I will give a brief synopsis of my dream so as not to bore you:
In my dream I seemed to have held some sort of a position in the church. I recall walking into a large room where the men of the church were gathered for some sort of service or meeting. I did not see any of the women of the church. As I entered the room I immediately noticed a man; a stranger, standing at the head of the room addressing the men of the church. After listening to him for a brief time I noticed that he was spewing some sort of new doctrine which he attributed to a great "woman of God". Although he spoke of worshiping and traditions and activities that were totally contrary to biblical teachings he was very compelling and the silence within the room was evidence that he had captured the attention of the men in attendance.
I approached the stranger and asked him if he had actually seen any of the "miracles" he described. He said that he had not. I asked him by what authority did he come before this group of men and to lecture them. He said it was by his own authority that he addressed the group. I then told him to cease his questionable oration and to have a seat. He did so.
Later, the Bishop of our church came into the facility and sat down in his seat in the center of the pulpit. Before the Bishop could utter a word to the group of men and women, (at this time the room was filled with the women of the church as well), the stranger stood up from where he was seated and walked towards the front of the church to where the bishop was seated; spewing out the same ungodly message he had been speaking earlier to the group of men with every step he took. The stranger got down on both knees before the Bishop and said, "Bishop, my sword had been taken away from me earlier, (referring to my sitting him down), but that's okay because I decided to bring my own sword". He stood up, faced the congregation and without permission proceeded, once again, to speak his "doctrine" to the church. The Bishop was noticeably very patient but soon politely smiled and gently motioned for the church security to remove the man from the building.
Later, it was learned that the man was making his rounds among the single women of the church; living off of them until he could no longer drain them and then moved on to another woman. He was even able to seduce the Bishop's daughter. Attendance of the younger church women became noticeably scarce but the church remained calm and continued on with its duties. By next Sunday all of the single women who had previously left the church under the stranger's influence had returned to the church. No condemnation was spoken to them by the Bishop or the other members of the church. The stranger was never seen again.
Note: I will not attempt to convey my thoughts on this dream. Instead, I will allow you to formulate your own understanding if, indeed, it means anything to you.
I also do not apologize for being so candid concerning myself. In the past some have stated that I am too transparent. I believe God still speaks to His people in visions and dreams; however, in this day and age we fear being ridiculed and labeled as crazy by friends, family and strangers. And you are right to feel this way because that is exactly what they said about all of the prophets and preachers of old, but you shouldn't let that stop you.
Am I the last man who does not fear being considered a fool for Christ? I don't think so. If we were more willing to share our visions and dreams with others we would soon learn that God is still speaking to His people and that He has never ceased to do so. A dear friend of mine, Colon Jones, recently shared this:
"God's blessings are not to end with you but, instead, they are to flow through you".
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death".
-Revelation 12:11
I love you all.
Dennis
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