Earlier
this year, I had quite a dark dream. The
entire dream was in black and white. A
sense of chaos…fear…and loss were highly prevalent. The dream was centered in some sort of
post-apocalyptic era. There were
numerous deaths and missing persons. Buildings
were torn down. Streets and businesses
were cluttered with litter and trash. It
looked as though an explosion or tornado had swept through the city. To sum it all up, the entire scene was very
dreary, sad, and chilling.
In
the dream, I was standing on a sidewalk and noticed a sign that read: “12/1/1996: AWFUL LIVING HAS BEGUN.” I was puzzled after reading the sign, so
I began talking to God. I said, “But
Lord, you did not call me to live an awful
life. You called me to live a good
and victorious life (1 Corinthians 15:57).” As soon as I spoke those words, I
was instantly pulled (yes, literally PULLED!) out of that scene. Then, I woke up.
I
believe God used this dream to illustrate and remind me that death and life is
in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).
As soon as I spoke God’s promises, my environment/situation changed. My
words unlocked my freedom! The Word
of God declares that The Lord has good plans for us - to prosper us, and not
for harm. He desires to give us hope and
a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Therefore, in
my dream, when my situation did not line up with God’s promises, I knew
something was off. Although my
circumstances and atmosphere appeared horrid and hopeless, I had faith that
God’s word would prevail over my life.
This
leads to my second point. Faith without
works is dead (James 2:17)! We can
believe God and remain steadfast in hope.
However, we need to accompany that faith with action. In the dream, not only did I have faith that
God desired better for me, but I acted on that faith by boldly speaking
God’s promises over my life. Even though
my situation seemed hopeless, I did not behave like a hopeless person. I did not sit and have a pity party; nor wait
for my own demise. No! I prayed about
the matter and took my concerns directly to God! I spoke or reminded God of His
promise to me. The words I spoke, my actions, my attitude were driven by a
desire to live an abundant life (John 10:10) because that is what God promised
me.
So,
are you currently in what appears to be a desolate situation? Do you feel depressed, worried and/or
confused about what is going on in your life? Are you functioning in life…going
through the motions day by day…but not truly enjoying life the way God intended? If so, I wonder what would happen if you
spoke God’s provision…His peace…His love…His healing…His joy over your life? I
bet it would set you free. I bet you
would feel a release from the bondage or place of desolation. Go ahead and try it. Defeat the enemy by speaking faith-filled words!
DECLARE God’s Promises! I dare you…
#BreakOut
