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Dreams – Part 4

By Rev. Theodore Effiong
17 March 2019   |   2:33 am
“And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, NEITHER BY DREAMS, nor by Urim nor by prophets.” 1 Samuel 28:6. Why Do We Fail To Perceive? Note that the first thing God uses to speak to a man is Dreams. It is the first point of call. If your dream life…

Rev. Theodore Effiong

“And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, NEITHER BY DREAMS, nor by Urim nor by prophets.” 1 Samuel 28:6.

Why Do We Fail To Perceive?
Note that the first thing God uses to speak to a man is Dreams. It is the first point of call. If your dream life is blocked, you have a major problem. We might liken the URIM to receiving guidance from God’s word. Then, the third level of visitation from God is through outsiders- the Prophets.

Why was Saul cut off? He lived in disobedience. When God speaks to you through His Word and through the prophets, but you disregard and disobey, a time will come when He will no longer speak to you by your dream life. “For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the upright.” Proverbs 3:32 NKJV. These are strong and challenging words.

God told Saul through Samuel to wait for Him seven days, until He comes to offer the sacrifice. But Saul could not wait for Samuel. He offered up the sacrifice by himself. Similarly, when God told him to smite Amalek and everything in it including all animals, regardless of their value and worth, Saul kept the best animals for himself. God said something to and about the children of Israel. “The Lord hath not given you the heart to perceive, and eyes to see and ears to understand unto this day.” Deuteronomy 29:4.

Why was this so? You read again and again, God calling them a stubborn or stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33: 3-5, Deuteronomy 9:6, Deuteronomy 9: 13, Acts 7: 51) As a result their heart, ears and eyes were not given the needed grace to perceive spiritual things.

When one lacks spiritual perception, God can be granting you a powerful visitation in the dream, yet you fail to perceive it. That was what happened to Jacob at Bethel. He could not fully recall all that had occurred in that visitation. “Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not, he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.” Job 9:11. What a tragedy to have God visits you, yet you awake as one that has never had such an awesome encounter.

Sometimes, God gives us dreams with clear and definite instructions that we need to carry out, but we disobey. We do nothing about it. When God sees that you are not quick to obey Him, He withdraws your ability.Sin, flesh, carnality and compromise can cut us off from hearing God’s voice. Herod entered into an incestral relationship by marrying his brother’s wife, Herodias (Matthew 14). Herodias was highly annoyed that John the Baptist should dare speak out and rebuke them. John was the voice crying out, Repent!! Repent! A day came Herod was half drunk and ordered for dancers to perform on his birthday. Herodias’ daughter danced so well and mesmerised him that he offered her anything to the half of his kingdom. Her mother being present by the King’s side gave a signal for the daughter to meet her outside. Once outside, the mother told the daughter to request for the head of John. Once the head is off, the voice of conviction will be silenced. Herod removed John’s head. There was no more voice of conviction. Then, in Luke 23: 8 & 9, Herod had opportunity to meet with Jesus. “Then he questioned him with many words, BUT HE ANSWERED HIM NOTHING”. When the voice of your conscience and the voice of conviction have been killed through sin and compromise, your ability to hear God speak will be silenced forever.

How Do We Remedy This?
“Sanctify a fast…And I will restore to you…and it shall come to pass afterward…Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…And also upon the servants and the handmaids.” Joel 2:15, 25, 28, 29.Fasting and prayer is required for one to have perception of one’s dreams.

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared FOR HIM THAT WAITETH FOR HIM.” Isaiah 64:4.

Let me remind you, waiting on the Lord is the art of coming before the Lord in quietness and stillness of spirit, so that you might hear His voice speak to you. By the time you actually discipline yourself to be doing this regularly, wherever you were disconnected in your dream life from God, you will be reconnected.

So the ability to see, hear and perceive is a quality apportioned to a select people that WAIT on Him. The counterpart New Testament reference sheds more light still. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Whereas the Old Testament refers us to wait upon Him, the New Testament refers us to love Him. Perception is reserved for a class of people that loves God. When you love a person, you remain intimate with them. You spend more time with them. You do everything to please and satisfy them.

The next verse goes on to reveal another truth. “But God hath revealed them unto us BY THE SPIRIT.” 1 Corinthians 2:9,10. We must be in the Spirit to hear and receive from the Spirit. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice…” Revelation 1:10.
Rev. Theodore Effiong, Assemblies of God Church, Calabar Or Prayer To All Nations (PTAN), Prayer City, Calabar. CRS Email: theoeffiong@yahoo.com Phone – +234 9030012007, +234 7031921770

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