Are you seeing visions, or dreaming dreams…? May 11, 2010
Posted by pastormarlow in Uncategorized.trackback
By the time I hit 40 years of age…and very soon will reach 46 years of age, I began to have serious conversations with myself regarding my life’s journey to the present, with it’s successes and it’s (my) failures. It seemed as I looked back, the failures outweighed for me the successes. All I could visualize was the pain and sorrow in lives of people I had either pastored or befriended in these 40+ years. It was suffocating to my spiritual life, my emotional well-being and even drove me into a self-examination process whereby I began to dislike many things about… ‘me’. And, although many of those thoughts were actual events in my past, with the Holy Spirit’s help, I began to focus on the successes (those all were His) in my life’s journey, the many people who had trusted Christ as Savior, the many families who I had counseled and were now living for God, the many church members who were living the Christ life – the many pastors who our Lord has allowed me to touch in mentoring and to my surprise, His work in me outweighed all the negative failures I had caused in my life. Amazing…
Yet, when a man (or woman) reaches those magical years between 45-55 and they begin to examine (look back) as much as they look forward. Acts 2:17 informs us of this Truth: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.” NKJV Old men and young men…those older in age and those younger in age – this doesn’t apply to spiritual maturity.
What is the application? How can I know if I am seeing visions or dreaming dreams? I’m not sure there is a ‘master key’ to that lock, but I do know this; IF (and that’s a big IF), IF I am willing to ask Almighty God to help me surrender/die/throw in the white flag of my life and willingly be crucified with Christ (daily – and sometimes moment by moment), He will live His life through me. And, when I get to that place, that place of Calvary, His life is all that matters – and if He wants to dream dreams or see visions…it’s all up to my Savior!
Don’t look back, don’t look forward….rather, look up for your redemption draweth nigh. Praise Him, Praise Him!
Pastor Todd-God placed you on my heart today, out of the blue. This May 11 blog speaks to my heart-jaw-droppingly. Failures…suffocating spiritual life..my own spiritual desert since moving from the beach. I feel that focusing on the positive is what God wants me to do…as difficult as it may seem with so many questions and emotions. Thank you for the encouragement. Now I know why God placed you on my heart today.