About four months ago from this writing, I had a dream.
I was outdoors at a park called Garden of the Gods with fantastic rock formations that jut out heavenwards. I went up to what looked like a white concession stand. Instead of serving hotdogs, hamburgers, or ice cream, there was a chef with brown hair and dressed in a white apron, cutting up an onion to serve by itself. Of note, the counter where the onion was being served was “eye-level.”
This was a very curious dream. I usually can work out the prophetic significance of dreams, but this one remained unaccountably hidden to me, and I “forgot” about it. However, a friend of mine who is gifted in dream interpretation just recently shared the following with me:
“You are being ‘served’ (fed) heart-level revelation of an important truth—truth that can ‘stand alone’ (stand on its own like a rock of revelation). This truth is easily accessible in new and fresh ways. The dream also highlights the duality of this truth—the two aspects of it both with equal significance (note: the duality of the onion is the sweet and the spicy).
For myself, this was a confirmation that (boom!) went off in my spirit regarding the revelation of what the Holy Spirit revealed to me as I dove deep into Scripture about His/Her masculinity and femininity, and the timing for it to be released was indeed of Him/Her.
God had told me, “I want you to teach on My dual feminine and masculine nature. I AM above the gender issue, and it is important that My kids grow in seeing Me rightly. I AM neither male nor female but engender both.”
My friend had no idea about the book, nor the nature of it, nor its release date. She had sat with the interpretation of my dream for four months and was not sure if or when to send it to me. Isn’t God perfect in His/Her timing?!
I am so blessed with this for me, but I saw the Lord grab a football and run with it to make more yardage. As an important aside, I am always amused when God gives me imagery that is outside my wheelhouse. I am not a football follower—American or otherwise (sorry, sports fans!). I believe He uses things we are not familiar with because we are completely dependent on Him from start to finish, and we have to step out in faith and risk looking like an idiot.
He has given me numerous sports pictures, musical technicalities, chemical formulas, electrical and construction analogies, farming imagery, and even some rocket science to name a few! I have learned to roll with it, and you can too. Let yourself have fun in the process! You will be so blessed how God will partner with you in this.
Back to the football imagery: God is taking this word from the yard line of “this is for Catherine and those drawn to her work” to further yardage in order to encourage and help you as you grapple with how to handle dreams and prophetic visions.
So, this part is for YOU to do just that! A few pointers:
First, value your dreams, visions, or what you have received prophetically—no matter how small. The Bible says do not despise the day of small beginnings (Zech. 4:10).
Write them down. Sit with them and ask the Lord what they mean, and revisit them at times if the picture is not complete. But do not obsess!
Realize that no matter how prophetically astute you are, there are times you will not be able to figure things out for yourself.
The Lord has called me a prophet, but there are honestly times when I am baffled and stymied. So I am grateful to receive from others, including baby believers or non-believers sometimes. (Yes, God speaks through them too!) This is part of the beauty of remaining humble, encouraging others in their gift, and recognizing that what has worked in the past may not be how God wants to reveal something to you now.
So, let me reiterate: stay humble. Be willing to receive through whatever vessel God will use.
Next, RELAX! Now that is great advice. It is very hard to “hear” from the Lord when we are intense and rigid. Holy Spirit is represented as water and wind because He/She flows and won’t be pigeonholed into any box—no matter how elaborate and well thought through it is. Be willing to flow with the what, where, when, how, and who He/She has. Because God is Love, you can relax. He/She is Truth and all goodness and is relentless in leading you into ALL Truth.
Another helpful piece of advice if you are not getting the meaning of a dream or prophetic word/vision right away is to hold what you are getting loosely. Like a dove in your hands, hold it gently. Let it fly around a bit or perhaps perch on your shoulder. Perhaps it will visit a friend or stranger.
What does that look like practically? Ask others about it. Put it on the shelf for a while and revisit it later. Sometimes, the meaning won’t be apparent for months (as in this case) or even years. But God never forgets or “drops” something. He/She will often remind you of something He spoke or showed you “way back when.”
Be open to hear and see the meaning from unlikely places—even ungodly avenues. Listen, if God can really speak through ungodly leaders, false prophets, donkeys, prostitutes, etc., He can probably squeak through your “unsaved” relatives or through “non-Christian” media. Humility comes into play here too. Ask for discernment and the eyes to see what is of God and what is not.
Finally, be patient. God reveals everything in its time. We are on an “as-need-to-know basis.” God often does not reveal things because we are not ready, we would rush out before it’s time, or we rush ahead in ways He/She did not lead. Perhaps we would be unduly burdened and would try to make something happen with our own bright ideas or in our own strength.
You can simply ask the Lord, “Am I supposed to know this now?” You might be surprised how many times He/She says, “Not yet.” Trust Him/Her. God is smarter and kinder than we are. He/She denies us no good thing and is not withholding from us (Rom. 8:32). It is often for our protection or others’. Remember, the sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God, and God is masterful in this, even if we can be pretty clueless (Rom. 8:14).
I hope this has been a help to you! And by all means, if you are open to honest and meaty exploration, pick up a copy of my newest book, God, Male & Female?. You will be so blessed!
Much Love,
Nice information. Thanks for sharing
I am so glad it blessed you – good to hear from you!