Day Dreaming!

Were you ever called a DAYDREAMER when you were a kid?  I don’t remember anyone ever accusing me of that… mainly because I was too active to stop and DREAM away my playtime!  But at night, after the lights were turned out, well… it was a different story!  I can remember DREAMING up all kinds of far-fetched adventures of which I was usually the HERO of the story!  Which, now that I think about it, is probably one of the contributing factors to why I almost instantly went into the HERO mode as Piper’s guardian and protector when she got sick! 

In fact… I still find myself thinking or reacting in those terms when I have a memory of her.  For example, I have some vacation pictures of Piper wearing shorts and a T-shirt hanging above my workbench in the garage.  And you know… almost every time I go out there in the winter and see her in that summer attire… I immediately want to run in the house and get her a jacket!  Weird huh?

An opposite reaction is detailed in the Biblical book of Genesis, when Jacob’s sons responded negatively concerning the DREAMS that their younger brother Joseph had.  It is written in Genesis 37:19-20 that,

“They said to each other, ‘Look, here comes that MASTER DREAMER!  Let's kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and say that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what happens to his dreams.’" (God’s Word ©)

The original Hebrew word translated “DREAMER” speaks of two different kinds of DREAMS.  It simply describes “an ordinary DREAM” or a “DREAM with prophetic meaning.”  The Greek translation narrows it down by declaring that “in the New Testament the word DREAM describes a supernatural suggestion or impression received during sleep, a sleep-vision” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew definitions/Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary)

So first of all, we understand that a DREAM can… well… just be a DREAM. A vivid or pictorial image in your subconscious mind that can most likely be traced back to something you recently saw, experienced or even thought about.  I’ve even heard it joked that some DREAMS can be caused by spicy foods!  These are the DREAMS that you tend to forget all about when you wake up!

The other kind of DREAMS are the ones that should be considered more seriously as they are God-led, supernatural suggestions or impressions that can give direction, impart wisdom, answer questions or impart words with prophetic meanings.  These are the kinds of DREAMS that you might want to take to heart and consider.

In my personal experience, as well as with many people I know or have read about, with whom I would characterize as being leaders in the faith, DREAMS can also occur during your waking hours and are, as mentioned above, referred to as DAYDREAMS!

A DAYDREAM is defined as “a series of pleasant thoughts that distract one’s attention from the present.  A state of DREAMY mediation or fanciful musing.  A fantastic, visionary and/or (what the accepted norms may refer to as an) impractical idea.”  (Oxford Online Dictionaries/Dictionary.com)

That’s the way that most of what I would consider to be my Spirit-led DREAMS have come to pass in my life… and they usually occur when I find myself in an atmosphere when I am attentive to the things of God during my private Bible study or prayer times as well as in church services.  For me they are not usually visual presentations, but impressions of specific words, or spoken directives. 

The majority of the time they are also only the beginning of the directions that God has for me and will entail time… usually hours of prayer and Biblical and natural research in order to confirm and further refine what it is the Lord is directing me to do.”  When I felt the Lord’s directive to move to Oklahoma and attend Bible College while attending a church conference out here in 2003, Piper and I prayed about it for a year before we made it known to anyone else… including our children.

As I mentioned in my last post, these Spirit inspired, God-led DREAMS should always agree with the written Word of God.  A God-given DREAM will never contradict the written Word complied within the pages in our Bibles.

Another important truth to understand, is that pursuing a faith-filled, Spirit led, supernatural suggestion or impression, is a lot more difficult than to NOT pursue it… and stay within the safety of the STATUS-QUO!  But let me tell you… The results of the battles you’ll face and fight throughout your personal journey, are much more rewarding and satisfying!

So, you can see why I have always felt that being called a DREAMER is not such a bad thing after all!  And I can’t help but think that God would FULLY agree, for why else would the Apostle Paul tell us to,

“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. (for) He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, YOUR MOST UNBELIEVABLE DREAMS and exceed your wildest imagination! (and then) He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” (Ephesians 3:20 – TPT) 

That particular verse of scripture is one of my favorites and makes me want to stand up and shout every time I read it!  Wouldn’t you agree!

We’ll talk more about DREAMS in coming blog posts… but until then, think about it, pray about it and stay in an atmosphere where you are attentive to His leadings!  Have a terrific weekend, be free to DREAM… and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s BEST!