Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Dreams that I believe will come true

Not long ago I preached a message on dreaming with God.  I'm not going to detail the content here, but it is time that I take the personal step of faith of publicly declaring what I believe God gave me in dreams, so that my dreams might take root in this realm.

The most potent dream was about 2 weeks ago, I dreamed that I was in our church, and it was packed to the brim.  There were some well known people there as well.  I was holding a microphone and going around asking people to share testimonies and words from the Lord.  (the way I know it was our church was that the wireless microphone kept cutting out).  When I awoke, I felt that God was showing me that the future would be better than our best past, that He would fill the empty seats with hungry souls, people who are seeking an encounter with the Living God.  

The latest dream was last night.  It was more personal.  I was talking with a familiar man who was wearing a military uniform (a symbol of authority).  I was enjoying my conversation with him, when another, older man, in a navy uniform, of high rank, came up.  I sought him out because though I knew who he was, I had never gotten to know him.  But before I could really engage him in conversation, he began to yell at the first man, dressing him down in such a way that the first man fell to the floor in curled up position to protect himself from the verbal onslaught.  When I awoke, I puzzled over it, until I got  into the shower, and realized that the first man was my father, and the other man, the navy guy was his father.  All of the abbreviated stories my father had shared about his bitterness toward his father, all of my father's actions suddenly became understandable and explainable.  And then many of my own attitudes, grumbling, my own passive aggressive approach to relationships became clear.  They were generational curses, passed down from one generation to another.  [My grandfather had been 'disowned' by his own father for impregnating and marrying the daughter of a saloon owner while he was attending the Naval Academy.]  So while dripping wet in the shower, I spoke the words of breaking the generational curses passed down from the sins of my father's fathers.  

More dreams God!  

Claiming what God has promised

This week we called our church to a week of fasting and prayer to seek God for supernatural provision for our church finances.  On Sunday, as I shared the call to this, I explained that a family whose regular gifts which made up about 30% of our church budget had moved onto another church in May of this year, and that we were running short of funds to meet our obligations.  So as an act of faith and dependence upon God, we would seek God's face...like the kings of Judah when faced with a crisis, and ask Him to provide according to His promises.  The next day I got a message from one of our members who was touched by our choice to seek God instead of trying to manipulate our members into just "giving more."

Now I have a disclaimer in this blog...it wasn't my idea to call for a fast.  It was my godly wife, Jennifer who heard God and had the courage to suggest it by faith.  So as this week unfolds, and God speaks, reveals and provides, I can only say "wow God...it was all you!"

Today, as I met with one of my elders, I shared how in the Lord's prayer we were instructed to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."  I was struck by the way Jesus told us to pray.  Not beg.  Not ask.  Not beseech.  Not grovel.  Not Plead.  He told to to say, "Give us..."  It isn't even a request.  "Give us" is a statement, similar to a declaration, almost a demand, like a withdrawal, like a hand out to receive what is already offered, already promised to us.  So when we come to Daddy, we come with the boldness that a child comes to their Father who has the resources he needs, and knows he will receive what he needs.