A Teaching Dream

     About a year ago, God gave me a dream with a poignant message that I believe is important to share. My dream is as follows:

I was in my apartment getting ready for work. Suddenly, I had an urge to pray for my safety and protection. As I was leaving to go to work, I opened the door and a large man was standing there. I recognized him and remembered seeing him around the apartment complex and knew he was a resident. We had even exchanged friendly hellos at one point. Hanging outside my door I had some pictures of myself and some friends. I watched him looking at the pictures before he turned to go. He did not see me. As I watched him walk away down the stairs, I thought to myself how foolish it was to have left my picture outside my door for anyone to know where I live. I realized that the urgency I had felt to pray was over this. This man had been stalking me and was literally about to break in, but my prayers kept him out.

     This dream was followed up with a second one very similar and with the same message, so I really knew God was trying to get His point across. The message to me was very clear. At that time, I was engaging in sin and I had been struggling with it for a while, failing over and over again, knowing what I was doing was wrong. It came to a point where I hardened my heart over the matter and adopted the attitude of "why even try? Jesus will still forgive me." 

     That attitude is very dangerous, and the Lord revealed to me why. Through this dream, He showed me that when we are living a lifestyle of sin (knowing something is wrong and doing it anyway without trying to turn from it) we are exposing ourselves. It's just like posting my picture outside my door for an enemy to find me.  However, when we are living a life of repentance, inviting the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our sin, we are completely protected by the blood of Christ.

     This helped me to understand even more the character of God. He is a loving father who wants the best for us, not a dictator who doesn't want us to have any fun. The Bible is given to us to show us the path that leads to life, and also reveal the path that leads to death. When we live our lives doing whatever feels good, sounds fun, etc. without regard for Biblical morality, we open ourselves up to the consequences that sin evokes. That is simply the way God created the earth--there are consequences for our actions, good or bad, and we have the free choice which consequences will apply to us. However, when we live our lives following Jesus and repenting after we do inevitably sin, we are covered by His blood and entitled to all life's blessings. It is His delight to bless us!

      As for you who may be reading this--try not to wonder what my sin was because that isn't important, but instead consider if there is any habitual sin in your life that is opening you up to an attack from our enemy, Satan, whose only goal in your life is to steal, kill, and destroy. I pray you choose abundant, beautiful life with Jesus--walking in every blessing He has for you.

Scripture for Reference

The character of the devil vs. Jesus: 

John 10:10 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

 Do not make a practice of sinning:

1 John 3:1-10 (NLT)
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Hebrews 10:26-31 (NLT)
Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said,

“I will take revenge.
I will pay them back.”

He also said,

“The Lord will judge his own people.”

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Identifying the difference between the things of the Spirit and the things of the flesh:

Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The destructiveness of sin:

James 1:12-15 (ESV)
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

How to escape sin:

James 4:7 (ESV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Transformation through Jesus:

Romans 12:2 (NLT)Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.


Ephesians 4:22-23 (NLT)
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.