August 12

I’m back from vacation and looking forward to the final leg in our journey. I would like to invite you to a picnic dinner at my house on Monday, August 17th. We will gather at 7:00 PM to talk about our questions and encourage one another as we begin the last 4 months of our reading.
Let me know if you can attend.

What about Dreams?

Jeremiah 23:25-26 "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?

Here are some interesting facts about dreams.

1. One third of our lives are spent sleeping and on average we will spend about six years of it dreaming. That is more than 2,100 days spent in this area of dreaming.

2. Everyone dreams. Simply because we do not remember our dream does not mean that they did not occur.

3. On average we can dream anywhere from one to two hours every night. We can have four to seven dreams in one night. If you are awaken from a dream you have a 99% change of remembering that dream.

4. We usually are not awakened and therefore don’t remember what we dream. Five minutes after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten. After 10 minutes, 90% is lost.

5. If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming, which makes the Men’s Retreat in the fall the most unlikely place to have a dream.

6. The Bible is filled with dreams. Joseph had several dreams. We just read about Daniel and his ability to interpret dreams. Dreams will be a part of the end times as our young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams. (Joel 2:28-29). Today 80% of the Muslims coming to know Christ are being visited by Him in dreams ahead of time. So the Bible speaks clearly in favor of dreams being used as a tool in God’s hands.

So what is the big deal about dreams? Dreams are never to be placed as more important or superior to the Word of God. You can dream one dream 10,000 times and if that dream contradicts the word of God it is a lie. Satan seems to also be able to use dreams for his kingdom of darkness. That is the danger of dreams.... they are non-verifiable in their origin. If you had a dream it might be from God, it might be from Satan, it also might be from the pepperoni pizza you had the night before. Every dream, and the content of that dream, must be placed under the truth of God’s word to verify its authenticity.
The prophets in Jeremiah’s day were teaching more about their dreams than the Word of God. This is another reason why reading through the Bible this year is critical. In the last days all sorts of weird spirituality will appear in our culture. It is only those who know the Word of God who will be able to discern the truth from the lie.