katWe all have regrets and dreams. I think they are both very similar. One is a thing we wanted and wish we’d fulfilled. The other is along the same path. There is still hope in fulfilling a dream, but you know if you don’t do it, you will be full of regret. On the other hand, regrets are trashed dreams, no longer able to be fulfilled.
We all have regrets and dreams. Sometimes our dreams can be fueled by our regrets even. But why am I choosing to talk about regrets and dreams so much this week?
Well after going to church last Sunday my dreams have been on my mind often. The preacher delivered a sermon about how when we live with God he makes our wishes and hopes come true. I can definitely attest to this. There are times we wonder if things will come true as we wish, especially when things aren’t working out. The preacher firmly reminded us, “Everyone, things take time.”
In case you forgot in this crazy fast-paced world, things do indeed still take time.
Yet we wonder, “Why is it taking so much time?” I can definitely relate to this. I can be quite impatient and have often asked myself this when faced with rejection. I’ve experienced rejection plenty throughout my life and there are dreams I hope to fulfill that I can’t help but wonder if they will ever happen. The anxiety fills my heart sometimes to the point where I become paralyzed and stop taking action. The preacher talked about anxiety too and I felt God was acknowledging me, “When you are deeply anxious thinking it will not work out, things will finally be fulfilled one by one, and they will ultimately be fully fulfilled only when you go to the end.” So I have faith God will do things for me at the right time just as he fulfilled things for me in the past.
However, the preacher gave us hope by saying, “One by one those things you hope for will be fulfilled ONLY (caveat here) if you go to the end, when the time comes,” AND the unmentionable- if it’s within God’s Will because God runs according to order and very rational principles. Some things God will grant immediately, but in most cases they must be fulfilled while solving a problem of the counterpart (meaning us). A lot of time is really needed and comes true only when time passes.
The preacher continued explaining something very interesting about the nature of God. God can transcend time and space but human beings need to go according to time. God does things through people, so they take time, and He fulfills it through them when the right time comes. The preacher gave a funny example that pertained to our current church situation.
You see the a/c at our church doesn’t work and has been going in and out, even after repairs, for the last month or so. The preacher goes, “If it were up to me the a/c would be fixed but I don’t know how to fix it so we have to wait for the repairman to come and fix it.” Even in our world, human beings have to work through particular people. Even small tasks can sometimes take a long time too, but we have one promise in God: God will help us as He did in the past and it will work if God has a will. God absolutely gets things done when He sets His mind to it- he fulfills things one way or another.
Then the preacher continued to share something that blew my mind more than it’s already been blown.
“Even for non-believers things work out if they do it. However, for believers things will work out if they do it according to God’s will.”
It’s shocking right. Yeah so even in this world non-believers in God can accomplish great things. They can accomplish a lot if they really put their mind to it. They don’t really need to believe in God to accomplish those things. Interesting right?
“There are many cases in which you achieve certain things by putting in the hard work yourself even if God doesn’t do it for you. That is why people who don’t believe in God think that they live fulfilling their wishes by putting in their effort and think that they can do it by themselves. On the other hand, the people who live believing in and loving God live thinking that ‘God does it for them.’ Both are correct.”
So you might wonder- what’s the point of believing in God then? Isn’t the whole point that he’s supposed to bless you and make life easier? Why is it that non-believers are sometimes even more blessed than the believers? Why is it that they have accomplished more than believers in Jesus?
Check this out, check this out. The preacher goes, “The problem of the spirit (salvation) will be resolved for believers. What’s done by God cannot be done by you alone.” “You must know, however, that for someone who takes action while believing in God, the most important problem, which is ‘the problem of the spirit,’ will be solved. If your spirit receives salvation, you will live forever in Heaven with the Trinity. What absolutely must be done [for man] by the Absolute God cannot be done by man alone. What requires God’s help can never be done by you alone.”
So the difference between believers and non-believers is that believers entrust to God and because they do so- they not only resolve the problem of the physical body of the spirit. Non-believers can work hard and accomplish a lot but it ends in this physical world- it is not eternal.
“On the other hand, if you entrust it only to God when it is work you are capable of doing on your own, it will not work out even if time passes. It will work out only if you do it.”
“Those who live believing in God he helps even more. God helps people who don’t believe in God even with basic things even if they don’t believe in God but the issue of salvation still can’t be done.Sometimes God will accompany His beloved with even small work. Sometimes God will do it for them if there is something His beloved has forgotten and is not doing. People who don’t believe in God and don’t believe in the Lord think everything is a coincidence or think things will happen if they take action. If that is the case, did everything turn out the way they wanted? Can they fulfill salvation on their own too? Salvation is achieved only when God gives the Word of life through the Lord, we believe in the Lord, repent and be forgiven for sins, and take action being united with the Lord. God lets things come true absolutely only as much as we take action while loving God and the Lord, and only as much as appropriate. No matter how much you want to do something, it will not work if God doesn’t grant it.”
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So the preacher then began talking about dreams. Specifically dream revelations. What are revelations? Revelations are big realizations you may have that come specifically from the divine. They help you realize something deeper about yourself, faith, and God.
For example, the other day I saw a tree that had fallen during one of the storms here in Houston. It fell right across one of the busiest streets in my neighborhood, it’s so close to the freeway. My mom and I drove past it the other day and I said, “Wow, this tree is so big, how could it fall!?”
“Well the problem isn’t that the tree is big. The problem is that when a storm comes and it rains that much, water gets stuck and stays there loosening the roots. So eventually the roots become so loose and with the wind the tree starts to shake and tilt over until it falls.”
I sat there in awe, contemplating what she said and suddenly feeling that God was trying to teach me something through this tree. Human beings are like trees. In times of tribulation, when the storms hit, it’s very easy to fall over when your roots are not deep. Our roots in the Lord must be very deep, or else we will lose our faith.
So then what are dream revelations? They are revelations given to you through dreams. What is revealed to you is a parable, or metaphor shown to help you understand something.
For example, the other day I had a dream that I had gone to an evening church service and my friend asked me if I wanted to go eat and I refused because I was tired but she insisted it was a really good place so I caved and we went together. When I got there there was all kinds of asian food and I love asian food. I was grabbing everything; a little bit here and a little bit there. I remember telling my friend that I was glad we came because the food was so good.
I later realized this was a revelation for my life of faith. I must admit I live a very fervent and busy life of faith. I practically live at my church haha. My friends and family always tell me, “Why do you go to church so much?” They really don’t understand me.
The reason why I go to church so much is not because of a person or for my friends or food. I go because I love Jesus and because there I receive strength- the words of life I know I could not receive anywhere else.
I take my relationship with God very seriously and I aim to treat Him as my counterpart, my beloved, my bridegroom. Just as girls have boyfriends and treat them as their counterparts talking everyday and spending so many waking minutes with them- I have chosen to live like that with God. It is not something most human beings understand because we live in a generation that thinks physical love is greater than the spiritual love God gives. We live in a generation where sex, money, relationships, and all kinds of temporal physical things are believed to be greater than loving God. I learned through my life experiences this is not true.
In addition, I think different people need different things so they live their lives of faith at different levels. I could not live a lukewarm or mediocre life of faith because then I would die, quite literally. If I do choose to have faith in something or someone, I’m the type of person who goes all in.
I need to live this kind of ‘extreme’ faith to live loving Jesus in the most fiery, passionate way. I’ve found my purpose- so I love Jesus with all my heart, will, and life.
Though I love Jesus in this way it is very easy to lose my first love sometimes. There are times I don’t want to get up to pray and meet Jesus in the morning. There are times I forget the things God did for me in the past- all the ways he helped me- and get discouraged disbelieving that He will help me in the same way now.
My friend once told me- in my early days of my faith when I was so set on fire I started telling all my friends and family the good news of Jesus- she said, “I feel like we all have that season when we find Jesus we are so set on fire, but overtime, you come to develop a more realistic faith. The difficulties of life do that,” I didn’t understand why she said that. Was she trying to say that my zeal was cute but that eventually I would inevitably tone it down?
I came to have a very deep realization. That is what most people think, but that isn’t how it has to be. She isn’t the only friend who has told me this. The other day my friend asked me if I planned on getting married or if I will be one of those people who says Jesus is her husband.
I laughed and I didn’t take offense to it because it wasn’t offensive, I knew what she meant.
I think losing your first love for Jesus is natural. We all have highs and lows through our life of faith. However, I think love can be resurrected. I once had no faith in Jesus and then He helped me come to know him.
It’s about continuously reigniting your first love, that’s what my church taught me and that is how the people of my church live their lives. We’re extra for God. We do a lot. We do the MOST. More than most people do but we do so out of extreme, sincere love, and dedication. We push our limits simply because we love God and wish to give Him glory.
We don’t lower the standard of what God has called us to do, just so it fits our standard, just for the sake of our comfort. No, instead we push the limits of our humanistic tendencies and thoughts so that we can unite with the divine, almighty, al knowing God of love- taking heed to his instruction.
God rebukes and expects more of those He loves because we love Him. He doesn’t expect much of those who don’t.
Anyway, I went on a bit of a side tangent there, but my point is I had that dream and I came to realize it’s actually about faith. The food in my dream was representative of the Word of God. There are times I don’t feel like seeking the Word of God but when I walk in obedience I don’t regret it. So trusting that whatever Word God has for me each day will be delicious, valuable, and feed my spirit well- I should seek it fervently day and night.
When you have dreams you are the best person to interpret them because no one really knows you better than you. Sure you can ask others, but you know your heart and mind’s state the best.
The preacher then continued to share about various figures in the Bible who received dream revelations; they appear countlessly.
Take for example King David who received many dreams and wrote many proverbs, psalms, songs, etc.
Or Joseph the man who interpreted dreams even for the cupbearer and the baker. His dream interpreting ability when given the opportunity, and at the right time, allowed him to interpret even Pharaoh’s dreams. Through that Pharaoh saw value in him, he was freed from prison and became the Prime Minister of Egypt saving his family during times of tribulation.
Joseph, Jesus’ father, also had a dream telling him to move cities because Herod would try to kill his son. The magi too received dreams about Jesus and even a dream telling them not to keep their promise to go back to Herod because he had evil intentions. Pilate’s wife too had a dream revealing Jesus’ innocence. “ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him” (Matthew 27:19-24).
However, Pilate still failed to do the right thing.
So we too, as figures in God’s history, have dreams. We must pray to realize what our dreams mean. If they are hazy, my pastor said it’s important to pray to receive spiritual power. It’s because our spirits are weak that we fail to remember them. Sometimes I have very deep dreams but I only remember a few parts so then I’m unable to interpret them fully.
However, discernment is important and that is why we must pray. Don’t go running around telling everyone Jesus appeared in your dream and told you to do something crazy lol. Pray to receive true wisdom and discernment from God. Empty yourself of your own thoughts and perceptions.
Lastly, do not get discouraged. Even as believers, things will never be handed to us on a silver platter. There are certain things we have to take action on, conditions we have to set for God’s will to be fulfilled.
Even the Old testament and New testament talk about this principle in the Bible.
2 Cortinthians 9:6 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Numbers 35:8 “The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few.”
About these scriptures the preacher said,
“You’ll gain much if you do much, and little if you do little.
If you want to gain a lot, don’t be lazy. Follow the will in the Lord, learn a lot, and work hard.
If you want to live with big hope, then take big actions.”
And the preacher addressed jealousy too, “Do not be envious or jealous of others who do a lot and gain a lot. Instead work hard and make an effort so you will gain too.”
It’s very easy to feel discouraged when others around us seem to be doing better than us. Comparison is indeed the thief of joy.
The other day I went to the Perry family’s podcast show here in Houston. In their podcast they poured out a lot of great words and testimony, but the one that stuck with me most was about jealousy. They said something along the lines of when we feel jealousy, it’s a very sincere feeling that we shouldn’t feel bad for feeling it because God made us in his image and likeness so of course we have emotions like anger and jealousy. However, those feelings become sin when they are directed incorrectly, or stem from an incorrect place. God also felt jealous and angry but when He did so it was always justified. Whereas for human beings our emotions aren’t always rooted in truth. The heart is deceitful, it is fickle and our perspectives are limited.
When we feel an emotion, if we instead of going to the Lord and entrusting our troubles to him, continue holding on to it- it is because we hope that in that there will be vindication or that justice will be made. It is an idol in itself because we are failing to put ourselves down and trust that God will repay everyone according to their deeds and truly help us when someone does us wrong. In the case of jealousy I think it’s hard to let go of that emotion because as the Perry’s said it stems from shame so instead of holding ourselves accountable we get to claim unfairness/injustice and put the blame on someone else.
My pastor said a person’s heart is wrong if we feel jealous when other people win or receive good things.
We can talk more about this topic another time, cause I have plenty to say, but for now I pray you will trust that God will be with you and fulfill your wishes at the right time. Pray that they are according to His good, perfect, pleasing Will for you. Your dreams might just change.
And lastly, remember, just as He helped you in the past He will surely help you in the future.
