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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 8:59PM EST on September 24, 2008
Hello myCCM ppl ^_^
I am so excited about the new features on the revised site.
Fred has put together a team of Beta site testers to check it out, and I
absolutely love it!!! The new format is so much easier to use, with so many
new, very cool features. For example, when you want to add a friend, you just
click the add link and a pop-up note appears confirming the invitation. It
never moves you from the page you are focused on. That way simple pop-ups
replace having to deal with several links and page changes to get back to what
you were working on. Similarly, you can check your inbox and friend requests by
a simple click. A pop-up appears at the top of the page, so you never have to
leave the page ur still working on or reading. I luv the convenience and the
speed gained when I’m buzzing around my profile or chatting with friends.
The new music player is also a major plus. I can’t wait for
the launch so I can add more artists to my player. I also love that the bottom
right corner has a mini-chat box live… so you can chat with ur friends while
never leaving ur main page. It’s like the best features of myspace, facebook,
and myCCM all rolled up into one... with new additional bonuses even. Haha.
I’ve added some pics already, customized it with my pretty pink flowers and
black background… and I’m in the process of moving my blog to the new site as
well. Right now, I have it scattered across four different sites and have been
waiting for a good place to settle it all in one. It’s looking like this may be
it.
So yeah, just wanted to put the word out there about the new
format so you can be watching for the launch. I think ur gonna love it as much
as I do. VERY convenient and lets you create a page that really expresses who
you are and what ur about. Can’t wait for you to see it. Be sure to send me a
friend request when it’s launched. I look forward to hearing from everyone.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:59PM EST on February 29, 2008
In light of my recent blogs, it floored me yesterday as we began
to read a new chapter in our US history book. THE GREAT AWAKENING was
the topic. The situation of our nation then seems to be a mirror image
of today. Have we come full circle in our faith? Is it possible that we
are on the verge of a new awakening? I am undone concerning the
similarities of the church then and the church today in our nation.
Here is an excerpt:
As
the American colonies grew and prospered, they gradually fell into a
state of spiritual decline. By the 18th century, many churches
practiced a cold, formalistic Christianity. Most people claimed to be
Christians, but few had ever accepted Christ as personal Savior. Even
many ministers remained lost in spiritual darkness. Colleges founded to
train young men for the ministry, such as Harvard and Yale, contributed
to this decline by turning Christianity into a mere intellectual
exercise and combining theology with the pagan ideas of ancient
philosophers.
The spiritual decline was especially
noticeable in New England. In the past, only those who had given
evidence of personal salvation could become full members of the Puritan
Churches, but by the 1660's few of the younger generation met this
qualification for church membership. To solve the problem of dwindling
congregations, many New England churches in 1662, adopted the HALFWAY
COVENANT, which provided that descendants of church members could be
admitted as members with full privileges, except for participation in
communion. The Puritans hoped that this covenant would extend the
influence of the church and encourage more visible conversions in the
future. Instead of the church changing sinners, however, sinners began
changing the church. A historian of Connecticut described the
situation: The forms of religion were kept up, but there
appeared but little of the power of it... It seems also to appear that
many of the clergy, instead of clearly and powerfully preaching the
doctrines of original sin, or regeneration, justification by faith
alone... contented themselves with preaching a cold, unprincipled and
lifeless morality.
... Gilbert Tennent attacked the real
problem with America's churches when he preached a sermon, ON THE
DANGERS OF AN UNCONVERTED MINISTRY, in which he expressed the damage
done by the preaching of unconverted ministers.
... The
most powerful evangelist of the Great Awakening was the English
evangelist George Whitefield ... after trying asceticism, denying
himself all but the worst sorts of food and clothing, he began reading
religious books and seeking the advice of friends. Slowly, he began to
understand that there was no way he could earn his salvation. He wrote
in his journal:
Above all, my mind being now more opened
and enlarged, I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying
aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and
word. This proved meat indeed and drink indeed to my soul. I daily
received fresh life, light, and power from above. I got more true
knowledge from reading the book of God in one month than I could ever
have acquired from all the writings of men.
... although
Whitefield quickly became the most popular preacher in England, the
ministers of the established churches disapproved of his evangelistic
messages and barred him from their pulpits. Undaunted by opposition and
determined to spread the gospel, Whitefield began preaching outdoors.
... Whitefield used his abilities to reach all kinds of people -- rich
and poor, educated and unlearned, upper class and lower class. He
preached to black slaves in the colonies and wrote a gospel tract for
American Indians. He founded an orphanage in Georgia and showed a
special interest in reaching children with the gospel. His influence
indirectly prompted the founding of some 50 colleges in the US. He is
remembered as the most powerful voice of the Great Awakening, and his
influence on American history lives on.
My
disturbing experience in the contemporary, trendy churches of today
greatly reflects the state of the church just before the US fought for
her independence. It was on the heels of the Great Awakening that God's
favor rested on this nation once again.
You can feel the
level of evil rising as the heart of our nation pulls itself away from
the shelter of his presence. He has promised that he would never leave
us, that nothing can pluck us from his hand... but our nation is
choosing to walk away from him. And a step in any direction out of his
presence moves us (and those we love) closer and closer to chaos and
misery. Look around you in America. It grows darker every day in this
post-Christian nation. It will only grow worse, the further we move
away from God and his principles as the church remains distracted with
navel-gazing.
The church then, is the church today. Ungodly
leaders ripping apart the lives of good and Godly people, teaching
ridiculously insane idealism which only serves as chains to weight
people down with eccentric forms of Christianity. They have become
EVERYTHING they have complained about in the traditional church. They
claim to free people from religion but in reality they use well devised
strategies to manipulate them into bondage. They claim to be working
for the Kingdom of God but their idea of the kingdom is their own
selfish ambition to wear a crown that labels them as trendy and
cutting-edge. False Humility... blah! don't even get me started. No
wonder it makes God want to vomit.
Godly people forbidden
to teach in the churches, silenced, stripped of their calling and
pressured to leave the church and wander the streets. Pulpits and
Sunday School teachers teaching a LIFELESS MORALITY rather than the
fundamentals of the faith and the Word of God. Disregarding the
commands and principles laid out by God himself as being out-dated and
as irrelevant as last year's clothing fashions.
yes, we are in trouble. you... me... the church... our children... our nation... the Christian world.
The battlelines have moved from the streets outside the church's front
door to among the pews and the pulpit. You can't be popular with the
world and you can't be popular with your leadership... you better be
concerned and ONLY concerned with pleasing God rather than man.
Jesus warned you would be put out of the church. In the desperate hour
of the church then, Whitefield was put out of the church. Today, many
other saints of God are being put out by ungodly leadership... it's not
a time to be popular with the ungodly... it's time to devour the Word
of God, to press hard to search out Truth, to be merciful and just and
wise ALL THREE... and to refuse to be silent whether in the church or
in the streets.
Who will be the voice of the Church in this hour?! Who is willing to let their ministry/title die for Christ? Who is willing to let their popularity among the leadership/congregation die? Who is willing to pull the plug or flip the switch themself?
Can you let go of everything and everyone you love and die to all that
you have built and served and ministered to for Christ? Can you entrust to God what was his all along? Can you trust him to not forget you in your nothingness?
Can you continue to testify of his goodness in the face of injustice,
in the face of so much evil (even from within the church)?
to die...
to have nothing to be nothing to empty yourself of everything
that's what we were called to. that's our common bond. that's how we reflect Christ. that's what it is to truly live.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:06PM EST on February 28, 2008
Is so much separation in the church a good thing? When we
separate children and teens and the elderly, is that a good thing? Yes,
it would seem wise to offer venues where each group can enter into
discussion and ministry that is relevant to their age/gender needs. But
what of unity, what of nurturing relationship, and teaching respect for
one another in their age or in their youth. It is necessary for all to
be honored and respected, old and young.
How can parents come to understand their child's spiritual struggles
and growth if they are never in a small group setting with them? When
is there truly opportunity for teens to unburden their heart and to
share what they have gleaned from their parent's testimony and the
testimony of the entire world around them (Christian and secular)? Such
things need to be discussed in mixed settings as well as peer-group
settings. Otherwise, parents fail to train and over-see their child's
spiritual growth. Getting them vaccinated, taking them to the dentist,
getting them insured to drive... physical mandates by the laws of men.
But what about the spiritual mandates in light of the law of God? We
don't set them loose in their physical needs, why should we believe a
secular world that tells us to neglect their spiritual needs? We
protect them from sexual perverts that seek to rob them of their
innocence... why would we subject them and give them over to moral
perverts?
We need to wake up! We are killing our kids. We are passing thru the hands of Molech.
Being afraid of appearing unkind by secular standards has made us
afraid to protect those most precious to us. Not making waves, has
allowed the ungodly to drown our children in a sea of moral decay!
What if there was a small group where people encountered their peers,
and another group where they encountered relationship and understanding
beyond age? We coddle our youth to think that they should always be
entertained, and then we complain because they are unable to sit in a
mature group atmosphere and listen/participate/grow. Every intimate
teaching setting.... we send the children off to classes, we send the
teens off to the youth building, we sit in our adult classes... and we
all remain divided and non-communicative in any real and relevant way.
We are afraid to gently guide teens from off the wall tangents back to
a solid core of belief. It's just not politically correct or
humanistically accepted or nauseatingly kind. We smile and say,
"hmmmm... that's an interesting thought, tell us more. Okay, good for
you, I can see your point, that makes sense, that's one way to look at
it, there are people that would agree with you, good for you that you
have loved people in their sin and made excuse for their sin, you are
so kind and merciful, yay young person that you are saying anything at
all, that you are in church at all, that you feel good and positive
about the off the wall tangent that you have embraced as Christian,
that you have heard this abstract thought from God for yourself or at
school and it makes total sense to you -- even though it totally
contradicts the Word of God and the very character and goodness and
holiness of God."
And we adjust the Bible to become a book
of stories and myths based on ancient cultures that are more or less
irrelevant unless they somehow emphasize some warm fuzzy that has
tickled their fancy. Only what caters to the eccentric seems relevant
to much of the contemporary church. It sure wins them favor from a lost
generation, and puts warm bodies in their cool foldout chairs and
livingroom style sanctuaries.
what?
I sit
baffled by much of what I am seeing and hearing in every church I enter
into lately. The so-called cutting edge, culturally relevant churches,
the emergent church.... There is no standard of Truth in the church.
Being eccentric and creative are more important that being like
Christ... The Bible has been chucked out the window or buried under
self-esteem books by trendy gurus calling themselves Christian leaders
and experts. They know little about Christ or what he said or taught,
yet they claim to speak for him and to know his heart. Christ actually
warned about such false teachers springing up everywhere in the last
days, along with gross deception and manipulation thru the
words/speeches of arrogant men and greedy movements.
You
can study the Bible all day long with Satan by your side reading aloud,
but you can miss God just as surely. When you see the Bible as words on
a page, as another text book, as a Christian reference source that
people are free to give or take... you will never grasp the character
and person of Jesus Christ. The Bible is alive, it has a Spirit that
pervades it and that causes it to breathe and literally speak. Not like
some electronic voice reader on a computer... it speaks with passion
and conviction and anointing because it is God that speaks. It is his
Word, what he has said and is saying. It is alive. The Bible is not
inanimate no matter what seminary scholar or trendy Christian cult
teacher claims that it is. It lives, it speaks, and the Spirit of God
interprets. Word and Spirit cannot be separated or it becomes a dead
faith. Both are required to hear from God.
I had a dream
that the academic world had been taken over by werewolves. Everyone was
mingling in a block party and small groups were being called into a
frat house one by one and brutally attacked with much blood. They were
given drugs and told that it would make it easier to bear by the people
that were about to devour them. Then in packs they would jump on each
group of three or four and infect them with their evil until they
became one of them.
No one was fighting back, no one was
objecting. There was a secret fear among them but they all chose to
deny it and not to speak of it. They played the game and pretended to
enjoy the party (all the while dreading their turn). They went
willingly when called, knowing it was the end for them, that they were
about to join themselves to evil. I could see everyone and everything
that was happening and I was whispering to a group of teens that I
knew, how to move thru the crowd to avoid being called forth. But the
fear and danger were great.
The dream jumped and we were
all in a very large church. A few of these werewolves walked into the
church, then more and more and more trickled in. No one objected, no
one acknowledged their presence, so their numbers continued to enter
and increase. The congregation was in denial, though you could feel
their fear level rising.
I was in disbelief and was angry
that the people of God seemed so cornered and helpless against the
attack that was coming. I knew that they would transform into evil at
any moment and lunge upon the people of God. In my anger I stood and
began to yell, "you will not touch the people of God. You have no power
here. No right to be here. Leave in the name of Jesus." I began to call
upon God. I began to declare how wonderful and all-powerful he is. I
began to see him clearly instead of the situation around me until I
forgot where I was for a minute as I was caught up in worshipping Him.
When I once again became aware of where I was, all the werewolves, all
those evil people were gone. I was amazed at the power of the name of
God. I stood in shock and kind of laughed in surprise. I had cried out
in my fear and anger, and claimed the authority of God over the
situation. And the presence of God rushed in and drove the evil out. I
woke so fascinated and awe-struck by our God. It was a good dream.
But thinking on it, the congregation never changed. They never moved,
they never joined in, they never responded in any way. Even after the
evil had left, they continued to stare straight ahead and not even
acknowledge what God had done. No thanks was given to him. Nothing.
Just a hint of relief that their fear level had come down a notch.
Something is wrong in the church of today. I can't put my finger on it,
but God is busy setting all things in order. He will not let it
continue for much longer. His mercy is great, but he will not let
injustice prevail any longer than absolutely necessary. Grace has a
time limit, and I fear that we are nearing the end of it.
The church is divided on many levels. Perhaps by sheep and goats.
If so, we had better begin to make up our minds who we want to be
because neither can balance on a fence for very long. We must pick a
fold to call our own which defines who we choose to align ourselves
with... or we will fall hard and face the consequences of a lukewarm
faith.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 2:42PM EST on February 16, 2008
a friend of a friend (whom I've never met) just sent me a dream
and asked for my thoughts about the symbolism and anything I felt the
Lord might be speaking. It was a dream about her disdain at being
required to take a shower with several people that she knew were really
gross in sin, mixed with other people including her husband and several
Christians she knew. She couldn't bring herself to do it.
She ended up being run all around by people on van trips and across
fairies to participate in mundane details of ministry. She was very
frustrated with everyone and everything because she was supposed to be
getting ready for her wedding day. Thru all of this she was making
arrangements for the wedding, the cake, ect... but she ended up with
not enough time in the natural to get her shower and get herself ready.
She woke up very panicked and frustrated and afraid of missing the
wedding altogether.
The thoughts that came to my mind were...
-----------
The dream seems to strongly expose what that unpreparedness involves,
partially at least. The church has separated itself from the very
people that it is supposed to be here to minister to. Traveling on
faries and in vans is riding along with a form of godliness (a Pharisee
spirit, Matt 23) but not really doing much for God. Again, as in the
other dream, we have let the busyness of a religious (Christian) life
tie up our time and frustrate our peace. And time is running out. The
wedding day is approaching, the Bridegroom could come at any moment.
The church has wasted too much time with trivial things while the
broken-hearted and hurting continue to cry out for food and
relationship and hope. Jesus wouldn't bother with 80% of the things the
church currently holds as necessity in ministry. Measuring the church
today to the example Christ set for ministry in Scripture is like
comparing an apple tree to a piece of apple artwork. One lives but one
is dead. No matter how pretty it appears. It is time for the church to
clean up and hear the leading of the Spirit as he brings all things
back into alignment. The vision of the church has gone a little eskew,
but God has come to discipine if necessary (always with love). But a
trip to the woodshed is in order for much of the church ^_^
The shower scene just seems to emphasize this whole thing. It is
distasteful to be in intimate fellowship with the unclean, and yet that
is where Christ lived most of his life while on the earth. It is a
place of fear and tempation and attack and injustice and yuck. But.....
when that place is a place for all of us to come clean -- then it may
actually be something God is requiring and commanding us to do (he
never promised us comfortable relationships and 4-star accomodations --
he promised the opposite during our time on this earth). We all need a
bath, daily, no matter how clean or dirty we are. In the presence of
God, in the church, in ministry, among the family, with the people of
God... that's where that cleansing takes place because that's where God
is.
If we want to be prepared and on time, we're gonna
have to be unafraid to be in personal, intimate, and vulnerable
situations with the unclean. Our hearts must remain separated, and
yet... our hearts must reach out to theirs. We can't hold them at arms
length, they can smell the stench of fake love and so can God. We must
be wise as serpents, but we must be about the Father's business --
genuine love. It is a delicate balance. But just as Christ came to us
and embraced us and ate with us and fellowshipped with us in community
despite our sin and our ugliness... the church must do the same. We
were them once, and we would be the same again were it not for Christ.
The church has better get real about loving God and loving people ... or she will not be ready when the Bridegroom comes. Many of us may just miss our own wedding.
just my thoughts as I read over this in the presence of Jesus. I pray the Lord would confirm only what he is speaking. Love in Christ <3
------
one other thought. Your spouse is sometimes symbolic of your physical
man, while you represent your spiritual man. Since your husband was in
the shower, but you were not.. it simply emphasizes the fact that many
in the church are going thru the motions in the physical (for
appearance sake, again, Matt 23)... but their heart is unwilling to
come clean and to truly love the unlovely.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 2:52PM EST on November 5, 2007
(from C) Battling Demons
...a
whle back, like a few years ago, I did have a dream I remember quite
vividly. Most of it anyways. It starts out with me and three friends
are walking around, and me feeling incredibly mischievious. So, we go
up to this large white house, an ordinary house, nothing out of the
ordinary. As we walk around it, I spy a small window at the foot of the
house that has a view of the basement. We peer inside and see a legion
of demons plotting and scheming like in somekind of underground lair.
Me being the adventureous and noble type, I grab a sword out of nowhere
and convince my friend to commence dstroying all them. I was completely
fearless at this point. So, that's what we did. We broke through the
window and I started hacking and slashing them all to death. They were
screaming in pain and agony as they fell to my blade. All seem fine as
me and my friends were easily killing all of them when, out of no
where, Satan himself appears. He was a giant creature, a moster
straight out of any horror movie. He had spikes growing out of his
shoulders, and three clawed fingers for each hand. His head was like
that of a cow, with a long snout and two horns petruding from his head.
It was at that moment that I knew true fear. My friends and I dropped
our weapons and ran out of the place. We split up, but, just as my
dreams go, the demon followed me. I couldn't out run it. I ran as if I
were in water and it gained quickly.Ahead of me there was a chain link
fence and I proceed to climb over it, hoping it would by me some time.
Suddenly, again out of no where, this paul bunion type character comes
and tackles the monster, saving me from an otherwise inevitable death.
How insane is that?
-------------------------
(selahgirl)
sounds
like wars and warfare, much like the videogames that draw your
attention, are a language that you relate to. The whole dream contains
alot of symbolism. Whether it's just a junk dream or whether God is
wanting to give you some direction for your life is something you have
to discern personally.
Prayer and a regular time of reading
your Bible are key to hearing from God. Just being committed to it and
actually desiring it so that it's something positive in your life and
not a chore -- will open a door to encountering Christ that just can't
be explained.
I think your dream is saying just that. I also
think that God is revealing a call on your life (a gift of influence)
to lead others into battle, spiritual battles, specifically prayer. To
fight for people (especially your leaders and the people you love) by
praying for them.
The house is a Godly ministry of some sorts,
could simply represent the church in general. It's no secret that the
enemy is constantly attacking people in the church and ministry itself.
These creatures are hiding in the low places, the hidden places, within
the church itself. That's also no secret, think back to the many
rebukes in Scripture about sin in the churches and church leadership.
Here
is the catch, the battle is not in the physical as much as it is in the
spiritual. Consider Ephesians 6. We can wear the armor all day long and
strut around in it, but we aren't really warriors until we get dirty in
the battle and actually pray. The focus of the armor is just as much
what you do when you wear it... as what each piece represents. It's a
spiritual armor, but here is the focus once it's in place:
16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for
all the saints.
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given
me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it
fearlessly, as I should.
I kinda feel that the three
people in the dream that are walking with you are the Trinity, but
later they represent other people that you are to lead/teach/encourage
(or set the example for) in committing to prayer and studying the
Scriptures. That mischievous feeling may simply be the call and gifting
of God upon you to war against spiritual darkness. Some people call it
an anointing, much like what Samson felt.
Looking thru windows
is often (not always) symbolic of having a good discernment, or being
called to operate in spiritual places (prayer and intercession).
Praying into spiritual matters, declaring things and petitioning the
throne of God, is something all Christians are to do, but some people
are extremely gifted at it and have an intuitive sense of what to pray
-- and often Scripture will come to mind that emphasizes what/how to
pray.
Looking thru the window is symbolic for looking into the
spiritual and seeing what needs to be covered in prayer. It is a small
window, so I think God is stressing to not get caught up with the
spiritual side as though it were a big thing. Don't lose site of the
heart of the matter... prayer to minister, to restore people to Christ,
and to bring about the will of God in the lives of people. The Holy
Spirit draws people to Christ. That is the heart of praying in the
Spirit, praying with the Spirit, agreeing with Him, declaring it on the
earth.
The sword, of coarse, is Scripture, reading and studying
the word of God. Without that, you will without doubt step off into
error and arrogance. Everyone does. It is the Word of God that brings
all things back to focus because life itself seems to pull us all in a
gradual drift from solid Truth. That Sword is our greatest weapon, and
just like in your dream, the enemy fears it and will freak every time
when we pick it up. Speaking the Words of God to ourselves or to others
is actually like waving a sword at the enemy and obliterating him just
like you and your friends were doing. It truly butchers them and their
grip on our lives. That part of your dream was an excellent picture of
it.
At this point of your dream, there is a shift. As though God may be saying 1. Up your prayer life and your study of Scripture. and 2...
(Ill finish this in a second message, this one may be too wordy to send already. haha).
*** I
meant to also mention about the breaking thru the window. It just might
be that God wants you to break that barrier that kind of keeps our
prayer life separate from our real life. Perhaps, as you make it more
of your real life, it will influence others to do the same. Breaking
thru something often runs a risk of some small cuts and bruises to our
pride (not that you've got any more pride or arrogance than the rest of
us ^_^), but it all depends on how bad we want to see the lives of the
people we care about affected. People can't be forced, but the Spirit
of God can convince them to remain in His perfect will when we pray for
them.
So back to point 2...
Satan is not representing
Satan per se'. He is representing whatever it is that is holding you
back or trying to. Perhaps, there is something that you fear or that
absolutely saps your courage and zeal to sell out to whatever it is
that Christ is asking your to do in ministry or in your walk. Only you
would know what that is. The dream gives no clue. Only that it is
something that makes you feel hopeless, as though you just can't
overcome it or defeat it or escape it. It's like the ultimate enemy, or
at least is makes you feel that way.
Your confidence
influences those around you. Influence is a mark of a call to be a
leader. People will follow you, not all people, but some will. And as a
Christian, you must lead them to Christ or into a relationship with Him
that is more real than they now know. Not just the unsaved, but other
Christians as well, your peers, your friends, your generation and the
generations surrounding yours.
When you are courageous, they
will follow you anywhere. But when you become afraid or you give up,
they also follow your lead and give in to fear. You cannot lose site
that your walk, your courage to serve Christ in the midst of any
attack, will influence many others that are looking to your example for
strength. It will never just be about you or any other one person. We
are all connected and we all draw our strength from Christ and the
family of God. We are One in Christ and that Truth affects everything.
Jesus prayed this for us in John 17
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am
in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you
have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let
the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have
loved me.
Notice that not only did your drop your weapon
(your prayer life and Scripture study), but you and your friends became
divided and went their separate ways. The enemy loves to scatter us,
because we are easier to pick off when we are alone.
The demon
following you symbolizes that not only does the enemy want to destroy
the things/people in our lives, he wants us dead. Running will never
bring escape, he will always pursue. Running in water is symbolic of
fear of failure or lack of confidence. Everyone dreams that same thing
at some point in their life. Either they run in slow motion or they
can't scream or they try to do something and their strength is just
gone. Often times they are things that don't even relate to the thing
that you are struggling with in real life. It's more about the emotions
that are in your heart or in your thoughts.
Often, as you gain
confidence in what you are fearing or lacking, your dreams will reflect
overcoming things. Being able to actually yell back at your enemy or
calling on the name of Christ to help you -- or flying with great speed
rather than struggling to run.
Jumping over the fence, trying to
buy some time, putting things off for just a moment to get your breath
and think clearly, are all instinct. Some see it as negative, but it's
actually a natural response. Although, we must eventually realize that
such attempts to save ourselves simply won't work. We must look to God
or to the resources/people that he put in our life for advice/wisdom.
We need help sometimes and can't always do it alone.
Paul
Bunyon... much depends on what exactly your impression is of that
character. Is he like a savior figure, a patriot, invincible, strength?
He could easily represent the strength and boldness that are the key to
saving you from whatever it is that is causing fear or discouragement
or lack of confidence in your life. Or he could be a friend or family
member or someone that is praying for you or influencing your life for
Christ. Kinda like they are a glimpse into who Christ wants you to
become in the lives of other people.
Or it could be Christ,
who comes from no where and saves you when you feel cornered, hopeless,
or without options. Maybe he wants to assure you that you will never be
too far from his presence, never to far for him to make himself known
and to watch your back when you feel overwhelmed. Or maybe he
represents all of these things. idk.
2. There is something that
is holding you back. Something that causes you to feel powerless when
you face it. God has your back covered, but he wants you to get to a
place where you can face this thing and fulfill whatever it is that he
is calling you to do or be. It could be some huge issue that you're
dealing with, or it could be something so small that you didn't even
notice it. Or it could just be God calling you to step up for the first
time, so he can tell you what to do next.
A place to start might
be something at church that has been in the back of your mind but you
just haven't committed to for whatever reason. Has some obscure or
unnoticed opportunity opened up that would challenge you to pray more
or study the Bible more or serve people more. Not like seminary school,
but something that just keeps coming up or weighing on your mind that
maybe you should get more involved in at church or for Christ?
Like
I said, all of this is up to your own interpretation. If God is saying
anything, then something will jump out at you and become clear.
Otherwise, be careful to not read anything into what I've said. I'm
going strictly on my understanding of the symbolism in your dream. But
it could mean a hundred different things or nothing at all. Pray about
it all, and find someone in the church that seems solid and ask his
thoughts on it. Then go with whatever God puts in your heart based on
His Word. Seek wisdom and counsel from people, but always let God be
God and every man a liar if they contradict Him.
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there
in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been
entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify
God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar.
As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." (Rom 3)
Hope this helps. If
any of it seems too crazy or confusing, then just disregard it all.
Pray and seek God's direction, and he will reveal his heart to you. He
never ignores the requests of his kids. Sometimes dreams are just our
brain rummaging thru our thoughts from the day.
