I rarely have bad dreams and typically
sleep quite well. It could be jetlag or too many nights in different beds than
my own due to travel, but last night I was awakened by a dream that alarmed me.
When I was a kid I would dream about
monsters under the bed or in the trees outside my bedroom window. I also had a
recurring dream of falling (maybe that’s why I used to have a fear of
heights?). However, since being robbed three times in three months in 2010, my
worst dreams are about being robbed. I awaken with a start, breathing heavily
and filled with anxiety. I have learned to calm myself, think on God and His
protection, and recognize that it is only a dream and fall back to sleep.
However, last nights dream was very
different, brought me to a place of prayer and asking God for a revelation of
its meaning:
I was at a conference with a speaker at the
podium demonstrating the latest & greatest gadget to an enamoured crowd of
people. A friend of mine was there and handed me a special I-phone. When I
clicked a button, a large screen magically popped-up from this tiny device for
projection purposes. Wow! It was pretty cool!
However, as I began to look around, I noted
that there were people stationed throughout the room on what appeared to
“lookout” points. I then noted that one of the men was walking around stealing
the various gadgets that lay about the room. The gadgets obviously belonged to
people in the crowd, but because they were so engulfed in the presentation of
the new gadget at the front of the room, they ignored the fact that someone was
stealing their current possession.
I approached the man and he just ignored me
and continued to steal the devices. The other men on lookout joined him and
they filled bags with the various devices. I began to yell for help, but
everyone was so distracted and focused in on the “latest and greatest” that
they did not seem to care that something very valuable was being taken right
before their eyes.
The next best thing was more valuable than
the last.
They were distracted by a ringtone, a device,
and a gadget.
I awoke breathing heavily and disturbed by
the images that I saw. At first I thought it was another of my robbery dreams
and planned to just ignore it. But this dream seemed different and I asked the
Lord why it was different and what it meant.
Here’s what I sensed the Lord say to me
about what I saw:
The valuables that were being stolen were
not gadgets, but something far more valuable: I believe the Lord spoke to me
that they were the next generation – our children and young people – those we
currently have in our possession, yet that are being ignored for what is next.
We have become so enamoured with having the next best thing that we have
neglected to see the valuables that are with us now. We have been blinded to
see how the enemy would like for us to be so distracted by something new &
flashy, that he could snatch them up without notice or care. We who are in
ministry can become so concerned with the next best way to reach or train or
disciple, that we sometimes miss the fact that while we are planning and
strategising, the enemy is on guard and waiting for us to become distracted and
forget the reason that we exist – to pass along the gospel to the next
generation.
Just this morning I read from Dick
Brodgen’s Live Dead Journal: “To be like Jesus is to love the nations of the
world. To love the nations is to proclaim to them the gospel. The gospel is
what God has done for us. I am not the gospel. You are not the gospel. What you
and I do is not the gospel. The gospel applies to all people everywhere, across
all ages and cultures. The gospel is what God has done, is doing, and will do
in Christ. A Christ-centred gospel demands therefore a Christ-centred
missionary. If we are to be faithful in proclaiming Christ, we must know him
intimately.”[1]
I sensed that the Lord also revealed to me
that although the robberies I experienced were not from God, he would use them
to allow me to be sensitive to the reality of John 10:10 “The thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full.”
If we are to fulfil the Great Commission,
we must not be focused on the next great strategy, device, book, or plan. We
must be focused upon what is most important: Him. And when we are focused upon our Creator, we will see
the devices of the enemy, yet we must stand up against them in God’s power, and boldly
proclaim the power of the Gospel that gives the life of Jesus to the next generation – to
all nations. The gospel truly does change everything. I pray that it changes us first, and then changes the world as we know it.
Keep your eyes focused on God, and he will focus your eyes on what matters most.
[1] Brogden, Dick, editor. The
Live Dead Journal: 30 Days of Prayer for Unreached Peoples, 30 Days of
Challenge. Springfield, MO. 2011.
3 comments:
I resonate with your analysis Shannon. Our priority must always be the Gospel as it pertains to individuals. What I've found is that no matter how many books I read or conferences I attend (and I will continue do these things), the crux of the matter is where the Gospel and the human heart meet. IOW, the essential power of the Good News isn't diminished or bolstered in relation to whether we're up with the latest trends.
Thanks for your comments, Blaine. I too will continue to read books & use gadgets & attend conferences, but not to the detriment of the individuals to whom I minister. I pray that we find the balance, and always fault on the side caring too much for the people God cares about.
I must agree. As I read your dream the same message came through. It is so so true, so true. It seems to be an ongoing theme: focus, pay attention to the right things! Our Womens theme this year is Redemption and I love it, my whole life testifies of the work. The thing about Redemption is you must be willing, which means you have to be aware of the opportunity. We have helpful tools, gadgets and other resources that benefit our ministry. They become a hindrance when our eyes are not focused on the prize, the goal of Jesus and the gospel. We need to, as you said, stop worrying about the next big thing and concentrate on THE big thing: the Gospel. I am sharing your post. You have my prayers friend.
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