DREAMER!
Here comes that dreamer! . . . . Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams!” –Genesis 37:19-20
Joseph was called the ‘Dreamer’ and his brothers tried not only to kill the dreamer but also his dreams. The devil will try to do the same to people who have great destiny before them which God sometimes narrates to them in the form either dreams or vision. So in order for people to better understand the subject DREAMS, I hereby expound the subject with scriptural references.
FAKE DREAMS: Before I delve into the subject, we need to also be aware that the evil one can manipulate your dreams, plant thoughts in your head and do many tricks, so discernment is key here. I used to go to one particular village, stay in the pastor’s house and minister in that village, they did not have any children. Slowly I saw the pastor’s spiritual life deteriorate and that of the wife too, very dangerous. That particular pastor’s wife was telling about her dreams almost every day, the pastor was sick and tired of hearing nonsense from his wife who neither prays nor reads the Bible. So there are people who keep blabbering, you can identify them by the fruits in their life. God warned: Jeremiah 23: 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD.”
MANIPULATION OF THE DEVIL: The devil can misguide you by putting wrong thoughts and give you dreams as well, therefore, it is very essential that you need to discern the spirit and rebuke it, if it is from the devil. When a serpent comes in the dream, that is a clear sign of satanic attack, likewise the ‘deceiver’ can deceive you in many ways, so be alert and cautious!
God promised the following: Joel 2: 28"It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.”
Acts 2:17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Numbers 12:6 he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.
God has promised to speak to us through visions and dreams; therefore let us eagerly expect God to do so and when He does speak, please do not blow the trumpet and announce the dreams to every Tom, Dick and Harry, be silent about it and pray for revelation rather than sabotage the dream by wrong advertisement. Are you hearing me?
Personal testimony: I saw visions and dreams of the new city that we would be moving shortly and also of the free SCHOOL (new project) that we would be starting in the new City. In the vision, I saw myself moving on a dusty mud road to a particular location where they were speaking different language. I was almost telling myself during the vision, “I better remember all this clearly because I have to narrate it to my husband.’ I woke up and gave a neat, clear picture of the vision and I also wrote it down in my diary . I also saw the alphabet ‘A’ of the board, color of the uniform and also the kind of people who will be joining our school. When God gives you symbols and signs, we need to note it down, keep the record and pray about it,
When God commanded us to relocate our ministry and family to a different city with different language and culture after serving in a city for around a decade, we moved and our children were around 17 and 8 respectively. My husband, my son Joshua and I had gone to visit the new city to explore, pray and fix the school and house in advance. We visited the school first, completed the admission process, during the conversation I shared my testimony with the school principal and she was moved and she offered to give her new palatial duplex house for us for rent. As we went to see her house in her car, “ I saw myself travelling on the very dusty mud road that I saw in my vision earlier.” I was shocked, amazed and stunned, I whispered to husband, “ this is the place I saw in my vision.” Our jaws dropped! Further we also saw the exact location where I saw people speaking different language. I identified it immediately. Today in that same location, we have started a church, ABIDE SCHOOL, ABIDE ANGEL HOME (I obeyed the vision and named the projects as per God’s dream and vision) Within 10 years most of the dreams had been fulfilled, there are few yet to be fulfilled though.
I just gave details of fulfilled dream so that you understand how we should pray and understand a dream. We need to understand that God speaks to us through minute details, we should not ignore it as insignificant, but pray about it to God.
The alphabet ‘A’, age group of children that I saw in the dream, category/kind of students that God showed me, colors, all this helped me in taking decisions. When God gives you a dream, remember it is not going to happen the next day, you got to patiently pray and wait for it.
THE DREAM IS MEANT FOR YOU:
People are never going to understand what God spoke with you or revealed to you; so therefore quit trying to convince people or don’t get discouraged if they do not get awed or they don’t understand. People would give myriad of advices and thoughts that would confuse you, so stay silent.
Listen, the brothers of Joseph never got to understand the greatness of the dreams revealed to Joseph over which they got jealous with Joseph and they threw him in the pit. Never did they come to a spiritual stage as to say, ‘this Joseph is divinely chosen by God and that’s why God gave him the dreams much in advance.’ No, instead even after their father’s death, they were planning and manipulating methods to convince Joseph: read:
Genesis 50:15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!"
16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father charged before he died, saying,
17 'Thus you shall say to Joseph, "Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants."
19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place?
20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
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They felt safe when Jacob was alive, now that he was dead, they feared the worst from Joseph. How could they still not understand Joseph??
THE DREAMS WERE MEANT FOR JOSEPH : When you get a dream from God, then it is only for a purpose of guiding you. It is like a road map! When in prison for 13 years, what kept Joseph motivated, alive and driven were his dreams! When he meets his brothers for the first time, he remembered the dreams, read:
Genesis 42: 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."
8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.
9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land."
DREAMS FULFILLED:
Genesis 43:26 6 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.
28 They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." They bowed down in homage.
Genesis 44:14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.
Genesis 50: 18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants."
God will bring it to fulfillment!
