A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (September 21, 2016)
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (Joel 2:28)
I guess I must be getting older because I am dreaming more and more. When I first started writing a daily devotional I wondered how and if I could actually come up with enough topics to write about. Silly me!!! God can still speak to His people on a daily basis in a myriad of ways. What I have found is that all we have to do is pay attention and listen.
I had a dream last night that went something like this. I was standing in the middle of the first floor of a big expensive two story home. That home was being renovated and the first floor was basically gutted except for the flooring, ceiling, room dividers, and support beams. The contractors that were supposed to do the renovations had done a terrible job and had left the work undone. An unexpected group of new contractors came to the door and said they could fix the situation. They pointed to one major beam that was weak that had been eaten away by some sort of insects and said if that beam wasn’t fixed the whole house could come down.
I told these new contractors I would need to talk to the owner who lived on the second floor. When the owner came down and talked to these new contractors they learned that they had met before. After some discussion the owner gave the new contactors permission to proceed with the repairs.
Now, what does all this mean? There are three major things that I want us to learn from this dream.
- Regardless of how bad things look, God will always provide you with a way of escape. He knows exactly where you are and He has people ready to help. Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out. (1 Cor. 10:13, GNT)
- Change is not always bad. When something is not working (like bad contractors, a bad business decision, a bad employee hire, etc.) it may be time to look for something new.
- That critical beam that keeps the house from falling is your relationship with Jesus! The enemy will try to chip away at that beam through such things as disappointments, offenses, unforgiveness, anger, etc., but you have to know how to repair that beam through forgiveness, love, faith, humility, and a stubborn determination to forget those things that are behind and move forward. One minister put it like this, “If you are going through Hell, don’t stop. Keep moving. ”
We all go through stuff! The key is to remember where your support comes from and always keep that beam healthy and intact. Jesus will be your rock and firm foundation if you just let Him.
