Steve Lyston | High cost ignoring dreams and visions
Job 33: 14-18 says
"For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, he keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword."
These are wise words from a biblical billionaire, in terms of God's communication with man through dreams and visions. Many times, you will read in the various publications stories of what happens when adversity strikes a family; some will say that they saw it in a dream or vision but they didn't take it seriously. It tells us that God is always communicating with man to avoid adversity of some kind and to put us on the right path. Oftentimes, many in the media, politics, business and in the academic arena will ridicule the very idea of someone saying that God spoke or speaks to them in dreams and visions, and even quote medical terms to explain the persons 'condition' and ridicule them.
If many were paying attention to their dreams and visions, many would never suffer certain defeat and many other family members would be alive today had they heeded the dreams they received. Can you imagine the medical and economic breakthroughs we could have had if only some people would pay attention to their dreams and visions?
God has been speaking more than ever in this season, and even politicians (past and present), businessmen and members of the media and security forces have been experiencing such. It is their duty to document their dreams and visions if they don't understand them and seek holy man and women of God who are gifted in interpreting dreams and visions, because it may very well determine your life, your administration and your advisers, and even reveal wrong motives. So don't ignore or ridicule your helper, office attendant or neighbour when they get a dream or vision. Don't be so arrogant that you would say, 'If God wanted to talk to me, He would talk to me Himself'.
God wants a coming together of scientists, academia, politicians and His anointed servants - not theologians who don't believe in dreams and visions - to come together and solve global problems. God is speaking, but we need to listen.
A dream is what you see when you are asleep (Genesis 37: 5-8; Joel 2: 28). A vision is what the Lord shows you when you are awake. For some, they see something like a television screen before them and the different things playing out on it. Some may get ideas. Some even see things that are about to happen, even security-wise (II Kings 6). There are many who also have spiritual gifts of word of knowledge and word of wisdom (I Corinthians 12). Please take note, they neither have a medical condition nor a mental problem - and no, they did not eat late.
In Ezekiel 1-3 and Revelation 1: 9-10, we see there that they had open visions which brought hope and deliverance even when a person is in captivity, regardless of the market conditions and the political climate that exists. He often used dreams and visions to encourage them and show them the outcome of current conditions.
Jacob, who himself got dreams and visions, was the first one to disbelieve his own son's dreams and visions, and this is exactly how many people are today. (Genesis 28: 12-14 & Genesis 37)
Signs and symbols
God speaks to us in signs and symbols, and this is very important. Some people see things like:
- Broken tooth/teeth
- Water (Clean or dirty)
- Raven
- Broom and sweeping
- Bicycle and bridge
- Numbers
- Volcano
- Airports and aeroplane
- Dragon
- Dog/cat
- Bull & calf
They all have meanings - not for the purpose of gambling, but for the purposes of problem-solving and life-saving.
As stated in Job 33: 14-18, it carries six prophetic purposes.
- Provides God's answers to our question.
- Instructs us in the things of God.
- Warns us of unseen danger.
- Guides us away from wrongdoings.
- Keeps us from pride.
- Saves our lives.
So always sleep with a book and a pen near to you and record your dreams and visions. Get the interpretation and pray against any negative occurrence that might happen.
- Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of several books, including 'End Time Finance' and 'The New Millionaire'.