journal

"In the last days, God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.'"  -Acts 2:17

Dreams are simply night visions. And night or day, visions are one way God speaks to us. Daniel 1:17 tells us that “Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” And we know that God gave Joseph big dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9) and that he later interpreted dreams for others (Genesis 40).

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Therefore, the same power of Jesus Christ that was present when He walked the earth is the same power that we have living inside us today. Jesus still does miracles, and the Holy Spirit still speaks to us through dreams and visions.

I know plenty of people who have dreams and visions from the Lord on a regular basis, my mother being one. God has spoken to my mother in dreams to comfort her after loved ones have passed, to awaken her to the enemy’s trap (so she can pray and avert danger) and to help her understand difficult circumstances that she and loved ones experience. God gifted my mother to interpret dreams—hers and others’.

Asleep, God has our full attention. During the day, we are usually more distracted. So He often impresses images in our minds and hearts in a profound way while we slumber. And we usually remember the dreams because they are so impactful.

God frequently speaks to me in day visions, more so than in night dreams. But I have experienced a few profound visitations while sleeping. Here’s one:

Several years ago, I was very ill and required surgery. Three weeks before my surgery date, I saw a vision of Jesus in a dream very early one morning. He walked up to my bedside and reached for my hand. He never said a word. I instantly knew the figure I saw was Jesus, and I was not afraid. From the moment I saw Him, I felt pure, perfect, overwhelming love.

In this dream, I arose from my bed and took Jesus’ hand. We walked over to an escalator-like device, but it didn’t have actual steps; so, it was more like a conveyor belt. Side by side, we stepped onto the conveyor belt and ascended to the top. There were no words spoken; only pure, perfect love consumed me. There was nothing else around us except a doorway, right at the top of the conveyor belt. Jesus and I stood in the threshold of the doorway and turned around. At that moment, I saw my body lying on my bed below.

At first, this didn’t bother me. I only wanted to be with Jesus, and nothing else mattered. But then seconds later, I felt concerned about the condition of my body; and I stepped away from Jesus towards it. At that moment, I woke up.

I realized I had had a dream and that I had seen Jesus. So I decided to drift off to sleep again in hope that I could experience His love all over. Sure enough, Jesus was there waiting for me.

After awhile, I woke up again, fell back asleep and saw Jesus a third time. Each time, I felt overwhelmed by His pure, perfect love.

After I woke up the final time, I nudged my husband and shared what had just happened. I could hardly find the words. I was captivated, overwhelmed by God’s presence.

A little later, I phoned a close friend, and as I shared the dream with her, she began to cry and promised to pray for me. We hung up, and she called back about an hour later, still crying. She said that she had been praying for God to not take my life on earth. I was surprised to hear this because I didn’t think it was my time to go home to be with the Lord. She said that God told her that I wouldn’t die.

Sure enough, shortly after we hung up, the worst pain I had experienced occurred. Then on the day of my surgery, my vital signs were not stable, which caused my surgeon to tell me she couldn’t perform the operation because I wouldn’t pull through. At this point, I asked her to leave the room, and I laid my own hands on my own body and commanded the vitals to be normal. Five minutes later, the surgeon returned and rechecked my vitals. They were normal, and they wheeled me into surgery.

I awakened after surgery and was taken to a room. That night, about 2:30 a.m., my vitals began to diminish again. At this point, I was tired of fighting, so I whispered aprayer to God, reminding Him of what He had spoken to my friend a few weeks earlier. Suddenly, my numbers returned to normal and I was completely healed once and for all.

I believe my dream with Jesus was a catalyst that prompted life-saving healing prayer. I believe God wanted me to know it was serious and wanted to give me deliverance and a testimony from the brink of death. So the dream was a kind of forewarning.

I believe God will give us profound dreams if we ask Him. And I believe we can receive His dreams, as He wills, if we remain close to Him.

How are some of the ways God speaks to you? Has God ever shown you a vision or a dream?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and
carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28

Jesus calls us to carry the burdens he has especially prepared for us. If we stay closeto him, he will help us carry the load however weary we are. “But I’m sinking,” you say. “I can’t carry any more.” Yet the burdens he asks you to bear will never sink you! How could they? He made you able to bear them. If we are experiencing that sinking feeling, it may be because we have taken on a load that has no resemblance to the load he specifically planned for us. Jesus promises that the load he asks us to bear for him will be light (Matthew 11:30). This is because his big shoulder is shouldering the main weight of it already. If we stay close to him, we will find that our load is not only light, but even a delight.

We don’t have to carry everything alone, you know. Sometimes when we are groaning under all the responsibilities we have taken on ourselves, someone else comes along and shoves his or her own problems on us. This can happen on the home front or the church front! The secret of discerning which particular burdens God wants us to bear lies in Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.” When we are yoked to Jesus, he will teach us what to take on and what to leave for someone else to carry.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3, NIV - See more at: http://backtothebible.org/selfish-ambition#sthash.3dmD0ckr.dpuf

“You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.” Psalm 139:5 (NLT)

Isaiah 61:11 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

Galatians 5:11 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. 

2 Whoever fears the LORD walks uprightly, but those who despise him are devious in their ways. 

3 A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. 

4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. 

5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. 

6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. 

7 Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips. 

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. 

9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. 

10 Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. 

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 

12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. 

13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. 

14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs. 

15 The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. 

16The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. 

17 A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated. 

18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 

19 Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 

20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. 

21 It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. 

22 Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. 

23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. 

24 The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly. 

25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful. 

26 Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. 

27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 

28 A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined. 

29 Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. 

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. 

32When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God. 

33Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. 

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people. 

35 A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant arouses his fury.

proverbs 14

1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. 

2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. 

3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. 

4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. 

5 The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. 

6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. 

7One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. 

8 A person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes. 

9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. 

10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. 

11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. 

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. 

13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. 

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. 

15 Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. 

16 All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly. 

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing. 

18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 

19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil. 

20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. 

21 Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. 

22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. 

23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away. 

24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. 

25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

proverbs 13

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 

11 And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, [and] fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 

12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 

13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. 

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: 

15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 

16 And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. 

17 And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, 

18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 

19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 

20 And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in theopen firmament of heaven. 

21 And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. 

23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so. 

25And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: 

30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, [I have given] every green herb for food: and it was so. 

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

genesis 1

1 Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses. 

4 From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. 

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 

6 Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 

7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. 

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 

11 Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it. 

12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 

13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God giveth you rest, and will give you this land. 

14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them; 

15 until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as [he hath given] you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising.

16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. 

17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. 

18 Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage.

joshua 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Timothy our brother. To God's church in the city of Corinth and to all God's holy people everywhere in Greece. 

2 Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours! 

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. 

4 He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God. 

5 Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him. 

6 Besides, if we suffer, it brings you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, we can effectively comfort you when you endure the same sufferings that we endure. 

7 We have confidence in you. We know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort. 

8Brothers and sisters, we don't want you to be ignorant about the suffering we experienced in the province of Asia. It was so extreme that it was beyond our ability to endure. We even wondered if we could go on living. 

9 In fact, we still feel as if we're under a death sentence. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn totrust God, who brings the dead back to life. 

10 He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in thefuture. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us, 

11 since you are also joining to help us when you pray for us. Then many people will thank God for the favor he will show us because many people prayed for us. 

12 We are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have lived in this world. We have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity, especially toward you. It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by God's kindness. 

13 We are only writing you what you already knew before you read this. I hope you will understand this as long as you live, 

14 even though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Jesus. 

15 Confident of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice. 

16 My plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia. Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have you support my trip to Judea. 

17 You don't think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true when it isn't? 

18 You can depend on God. Our message to you isn't false; it's true. 

19 God's Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true. 

20 Certainly, Christ made God's many promises come true. For that reason, because of our message, people also honor God by saying, "Amen!" 

21 God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us. 

22 In addition, he has put his seal [of ownership] on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee. 

23 I appeal to God as a witness on my behalf, that I stayed away from Corinth because I wanted to spare you. 

24 It isn't that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly established in the Christian faith.

2 cor 1

1 I decided not to visit you again while I was distressed. 

2 After all, if I had made you uncomfortable, how could you have cheered me up when you were uncomfortable? 

3 This is the very reason I wrote to you. I didn't want to visit you and be distressed by those who should make me happy. I'm confident about all of you that whatever makes me happy also makes you happy. 

4 I was deeply troubled and anguished. In fact, I had tears in my eyes when I wrote to you. I didn't write to make you uncomfortable but to let you know how much I love you. 

5 If someone caused distress, I'm not the one really affected. To some extent--although I don't want to emphasize this too much--it has affected all of you. 

6 The majority of you have imposed a severe enough punishment on that person. 

7 So now forgive and comfort him. Such distress could overwhelm someone like that if he's not forgiven and comforted. 

8That is why I urge you to assure him that you love him. 

9 I had also written to you to test you. I wanted to see if you would be obedient in every way. 

10 If you forgive someone, so do I. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did in the presence of Christ for your benefit. 

11 I don't want Satan to outwit us. After all, we are not ignorant about Satan's scheming. 

12 When I went to the city of Troas, the Lord gave me an opportunity to spread the Good News about Christ. 

13 But I didn't have any peace of mind, because I couldn't find Titus, our brother, there. So I said goodbye to the people in Troas and went to the province of Macedonia. 

14 But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ. Wherever we go, God uses us to make clear what it means to know Christ. It's like a fragrance that fills the air. 

15 To God we are the aroma of Christ among those who are saved and among those who are dying. 

16 To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a life-giving fragrance. Who is qualified to tell about Christ? 

17 At least we don't go around selling an impure word of God like many others. The opposite is true. As Christ's spokesmen and in God's presence, we speak the pure message that comes from God.

2 cor 2

1 We don't become discouraged, since God has given us this ministry through his mercy. 

2 Instead, we have refused to use secret and shameful ways. We don't use tricks, and we don't distort God's word. As God watches, we clearly reveal the truth to everyone. This is our [letter of] recommendation. 

3 So if the Good News that we tell others is covered with a veil, it is hidden from those who are dying. 

4 The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. As a result, they don't see the light of the Good News about Christ's glory. It is Christ who is God's image. 

5 Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake. 

6 We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God's glory which shines from Christ's face. 

7 Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't come from us. 

8 In every way we're troubled, but we aren't crushed by our troubles. We're frustrated, but we don't give up. 

9 We're persecuted, but we're not abandoned. We're captured, but we're not killed. 

10 We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies. 

11 While we are alive, we are constantly handed over to death for Jesus' sake so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our mortal nature. 

12 Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 

13 The following is written, "I believed; therefore, I spoke." We have that same spirit of faith. We also believe; therefore, we also speak.

14 We know that the one who brought the Lord Jesus back to life will also bring us back to life through Jesus. He will present us to God together with you. 

15 All this is for your sake so that, as God's kindness overflows in the lives of many people, it will produce even more thanksgiving to the glory of God. 

16 That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day. 

17 Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine. 

18 We don't look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can't be seen last forever.

2 cor 4