It's a strange place to start a blog, but sometimes I wonder if I share too much. You know, like saying stuff people really don't want to hear or read, but then I get an inner knowing or confirmation with subtle words of affirmation day after day in multiple ways that whispers to me, "you're on the right track, someone needs to read this, do it anyway." So after weeks of starring at my words, re-reading things I've said and changing thoughts that I have put down, I am just going to continue posting for the "someone" who I know needs to read what is said.
For many in the world, there is a misunderstanding about hearing the voice of God. Most would say that they do not hear the voice of God but I believe that is said through an understanding that hearing from Him must be done with an audible voice to our natural ears. God can and has talked to His children with an audible voice, it is recorded many times in the Bible. However, I believe hearing His actual voice with our natural ears is more of a rare occurrence, or is it? If you think about it, you have to ask yourself a question. What does the voice of God sound like? If those who are speaking to you do so in love, they could be agents of His message and we hear Him through others. So then technically, He could talk to us and we could hear Him with our natural ears. If you really want to get wild, then understand that God can even speak to us through other things like an animal, yes, even a donkey! Read Numbers 22:22-30
God's voice is described as a still small voice. What does that mean? Well, it is a voice that is not chaotic, angry or shouted at you and sounds like the voice of a good father, with words said in gentleness, patience and love. On the contrary, the rest of the world is screaming at you for attention to steal your focus, distract you or attack your identity. No matter how we hear from God, whether it be through others, by reading the Bible, through visions, dreams, prophecy or an inner knowing which the Holy Spirit assists us in, one thing is consistent, what God says will always line up with His will and word. How do we know His will and word, by reading scripture and having a relationship with him. An important fact to know is the entire Bible is the inspired word of God. God talking to us through others.
2 Timothy 3:16 "God has transmitted his very substance into every Scripture, for it is God-breathed. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness."
A good "check and balance" to consider with the words spoken to you are, is what was said good, beneficial, healthy and said in love? My Pastor often teaches, "What is your spiritual plumb line?" In other words, what are you using to gage or measure the truth in what was said, read or heard? Does it line up with scripture or does it contradict it? God is speaking to us all but are we listening? He is sharing what is best for us and gives us the best direction in every situation. I personally believe that God won't tell us what we must do because He gives us free will to make a choice of our own, the same way that we have the choice to receive Jesus as our Lord. I believe He simply presents us with opportunities to give us the "full life" or "abundant life" which He has always intended for us. We have to examine if it lines up with Him or if it is the enemy, the thief who wants to steal, kill and destroy who we are. God is good, He wants all His children to hear His voice and to know Him on an intimate level. If we seek Him, we will find Him and we will hear His voice!
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"
As promised, here is another dream, in a series of dreams that God spoke to me through. The dream I am sharing with you today is the second dream in which God used to prepare me to make a decision that was presented to me. Some dreams might be easy to interpret while others may require the help or wisdom of others you trust. My wife, spiritual parents and others who I trust will often help me in this area. This dream however, was the first dream that I had with a clear interpretation the follow a day.
The Dream: Heaven's Warehouse
I was in a large warehouse that had some of the characteristics of a Lowes or Home Depot on a very grand scale. It seemed that I was all by myself in this massive space that had much storage room containing many things. The warehouse had several levels, with rows and rows of numerous items being stored on it's shelves.
At one end of the warehouse there were four very large bays doors that faced an equally large parking lot space, which was also empty. One of those bay doors was opened and it was a grey sky evening before the sun set so it was still light enough to where you could see the everything out there.
I walked out into the empty parking lot and as I did five things, followed me out. One of the "things" was a king sized bed on a rolling frame, another was a rolling shelving unit, there was a ladder, a flatbed trailer and I cannot recall the fifth "thing". I don't know where I was going because there was nothing out in the large empty parking lot but it didn't seem weird that these things were following close by, on their own as if they were living things. It was almost as if I expected them to be there, friends if you will, but it was not unusual at all.
After I got a decent way out in the parking lot, a man, who seemed to be a co-worker, came running out of the opened warehouse bay yelling at me "get these things back inside because there is a massive storm coming". As I looked to the horizon sky just above the warehouse, there was a large, deep dark blue, intimidating storm looming over the area. It was moving ominously in our direction and just at that moment it began to sprinkle. The coworker was not a person I recognized in the natural but I appeared to know him in my dream and I could tell he was very concerned about how the two of us would get these items back in the warehouse before the storm hit. I, on the other hand, was not concerned because I knew that though this storm was massive, exhibited much power, was visually intimidating and approaching rapidly, it was a good storm. I knew this much, it was a storm that God was sending and I was looking forward to this storm coming as if I were expecting it and anticipating its arrival. It would certainly change everything around me.
I woke up and started documenting the dream. I was prepared to do so based off of what my Pastor said during a previous Sunday morning service. He challenged the congregation to keep a pen and paper at the bedside to record dreams and visions. So with that thought in mind, I decided to take the time to write down what I remembered. Luckily, I was able to recall it all as I usually don't remember my dreams, so that alone was out of the normal. Because of the unusual occurrence I shared it with my wife Rachelle and emailed it to others as I was curious in hearing the feedback they might have. My wife, gave the advice to ask God what the five items meant. I believe it is important that we asks God questions, its a part of being in a relationship with Him and true communication isn't just a one way street.
The Interpretation: Heaven's Warehouse
The strangest thing happened to me the next morning. I went to my home office to start work for the day not intending on giving any thought to the dream I had the day prior. I just wasn't focusing on it as other things were on my mind. I answered an email that a customer set and then my thoughts shifted to something my wife, Rachelle asked me earlier in the morning just prior to going to my office. She asked me with a smile "So what did God say this morning?" Nothing else just that. She was referring to my dream and the five items, my reply was, "No, I didn't ask yet". Soon after that a text came in from a friend that read "I plan on sending some thoughts to you later in the form of voice memo's that I recorded in response to your dream."
Despite the things that were trying to shift my attention back to my dream, I attempted to go back to work however, immediately the King sized bed came to mind which I knew clearly meant "Rest". I mean, I did not purposefully pause to think of that, but what happened right there caught my attention because the meaning came as if it wasn't even a thought of my own. It came as if it were spoken to me but it wasn't spoken. It seemed so obvious, appropriate and fitting. I prepared myself with a pen and paper to start writing if more came. I addition to that, I text the friend who was going to send me their thoughts and asked them to hold off on doing so. I didn't want outside words or ideas to hinder or influence what was happening. Sure enough, as I was writing down the part about the King sized bed, more just flowed out on the paper, as if I were recording a conversation taking place. I could barely keep up so I made bullet point thoughts and as time allowed I jotted down my own thoughts as well. Here's how it went.
"The king sized bed not only means "rest" but it meant rest in my presence"
I thought, that is why it was specifically a King sized bed. Rest in the presence of the KING!
So I said "OK but what does the shelf mean?"
"The shelf is a place for you to put your fears and concerns, we'll just leave them there for now"
I remembered that the shelf was on wheels and those worries would just be rolled away somewhere else, I don't need to hold on to them or carry them anymore.
I thought to myself, there are two remaining items that I knew of. A ladder and a trailer. As I took a moment to decide which item should be next the words "higher and taking things places" was said in my mind. Without hesitation I wrote down
"I am taking you to new places"
Which made perfect sense to me because a trailer is what you use to carry many things from one place to another. If one was moving to a new destination a "new place", you would have to take the things you love with you somehow.
The ladder was the last item left that I could remembered and it came out so quickly that I didn't even have time to consider it.
"I am moving you higher"
Before I could process any of those, I proceeded to write down;
The storm is how powerful it will all be to everything and everyone around you
The urgency of the co-worker is the feeling of how fast it will all happen
The concern of the co-worker is how others will not understand it all
That left me with in a position of wonder about the fifth item that was there and that I could not remember what it was. Without asking,
He called it the "unknown"
He said "don't give any thought to the unknown", "Oh and the reason those things were following you is because I am always with you."
Taking in all that was said, I wrote down a summary of what I concluded from my dream and interpretation:
"Take your fears and concerns of the plans I have for you and give them to me. "Rest" in My presence while I take you to new places and as I move you higher in what I have planned for you. Don't give any thought to the "unknown" because bad imagination will only give you more things that you will have to put on my rolling shelf. Remember that I am always with you."
As I recovered from being totally wrecked, I asked the following questions below
What was the warehouse?
The warehouse was Heaven
The things that filled the warehouse was God's solution for every situation
What were the four doors? I did not get any for this, so I moved on.
What was the parking lot?
The world
Was the storm your power?
It is the Kingdom of Heaven
What was the sprinkling of rain?
My blessings coming down upon you
Needless to say I was empowered and lifted on high with what happened. I messaged my friend to and let them know it was safe to send what they had already recorded and I would see if there were any similarities. At the same time I sent them what I had written down. Their interpretation was ironically accurate to mine and almost one hundred percent similar to what I heard from the Lord, you can only imagine the emotion that coursed through my body at that moment.
I believe that you are starting to see a theme of how I was prepared to make a decision that would change the course of my life for the better. The intention of sharing these personal dreams is to give example of how God speaks to us. I think the mystery and the delivery method He chooses to speak drives us closer to Him as we seek Him and converse with Him in the process. Looking back on some dreams you may have had, do you think God was speaking to you in them?
Here are a few things to help develop a two way relationship with God if you struggle in that area.
Clear your busy schedule
Spend time in scripture to know the God you are talking too
Ask Him for a sensitivity to His hear voice
Talk to Him as if you were talking to anyone else
Purposefully set aside distractions and spend time listening, not always talking
Remember God's words will line up with who He is and said in love. His words will not hurt you.
Begin writing, just start with what is on your mind and watch what happens
Be open to other forms of hearing other than with your ears and you will begin to identify God's voice in more ways than you could have imagined