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A Dream Interpretation Journey
<page 54>On an evening in February of 1974, I was introduced to the Charismatic Movement. Art Katz came to the church I attended and asked the question, “Is the church today like the church in the book of Acts?” I had never considered the possibility that it could be.
I listened with curiosity as Art shared one fascinating story after another. It took over an hour for him to arrive at his conclusion: “No, the church today is not like the church in the book of Acts.” With a sense of resignation, I agreed. We lacked the spiritual reality, power, and zeal of the early church. I didn’t feel a great sense of loss about this, however. It just seemed to be the way life was; there wasn’t much any of us could do about it.
I will never forget the next words that came out of Art’s mouth. He said, “And I think it is one of the greatest reproaches against the church today.”
There are moments in a person’s life that can shift the direction of their entire future; this was one of those moments for me. For the first time, I entertained the idea that the book of Acts showed what Christianity should look like. If we weren’t at least pursuing the sort of Holy Spirit led lifestyle we read about there, we were missing God’s best.
I have spent the years since 1974 seeking that sort of lifestyle. The book that you are reading has been a glimpse into my journey. Although I can’t claim the sorts of public signs and wonders we see in the book of Acts, I have found God’s supernatural reality that has brought heaven’s power and wisdom into my life.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
Jesus has filled my life. He has led me into a relationship with Him that is worth counting everything else as rubbish (Philippians 3:7-8). His work has saved me from a nightmarish psychological condition that could have destroyed me. Though some might not consider that to be a great miracle, for me personally, it is more valuable than a thousand outward signs and wonders ever could be.
How did He bring this about? A part of it came through dreams. They provided pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t figure out on my own. Their images spoke to the situations in my life and helped me to discern a path that was tailor made just for me. In them, Jesus met me right where I was and took me step by step out of my darkness into His light.
Dreams also provided powerful tools for working through the deep issues of my heart. I don’t believe my emotions would have responded to logic alone as well as they did to the symbols in dreams. For example, logic told me that it was good to gain wisdom, but the symbol <page 55>of Jesus walking into my heart, filling me with an amazing heavenly sensation, and telling me to go on a mission to wisdom touched me in a way that reason alone could not. It helped turn the intellectual work of studying and practicing into a fulfilling spiritual and emotional quest.
Later, logic told me that I had made progress in my ability to handle my inner life, but it couldn’t tell me whether I was ready to face the threats brought by a fragmented heart. Then a dream pictured me as Indiana Jones with credit cards running into a razor wire cage. This image gave me a way to visualize what was happening as I faced my deepest fears. It put a confusing time into perspective.
Then as I was writing this book, when I needed to face another difficult inner struggle, the dreams I have shared in the final three chapters helped awaken me to the nature of what was happening. I found myself with enough insight to move ahead of a potential crisis and find God’s answers.
Many events like these have shaped me over the past twenty-two years of dream interpretation. Some were dramatic; most were less so. The overall effect, however, has been deeply moving. A stream of images in the night has challenged me, comforted me, and helped me find healing. For someone who has had as much trouble making sense of life as I have, this has been priceless.
The Bible contains many examples of God using symbols in similar ways: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 18:2), “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1), “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5). These sorts of pictures have inspired and guided God’s people for millennia. We are built to respond to symbols, and God speaks to us through them often.
Dreams work by this principle, and God can use them to touch our deepest parts. We, of course, need to judge symbols by good doctrine and logic. There are plenty of ways for symbols, by themselves, to lead us astray. Nevertheless, when combined with the written word of God, they can play an important role. They can help bring together our emotions and our logic so that we can live truth from our whole hearts.
I hope this book has helped you to find this balance. I pray it has also encouraged you that God is speaking in many ways. I wish you much success and joy as you hear from Him!
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