I have a disturbing dream. Urgent message from the Lord!

I had a dream the other night. This may not be comfortable to some of you, but it is necessary for me to share this. Why? Because the Lord tells me to do so. I just want to obey God's instructions. 

In the dream, I saw a group of believers of Christ in a building. A commotion then broke out. Some gunmen broke into the building and kept shooting at the believers to kill them. It was not a good sight. Like everyone else in the building, I ran to look for cover. While I was doing that, the gunmen kept shooting and killing the believers of Christ. 

It's actually a long dream, but for this prophetic message today, it suffices to only share this part of the dream. Upon waking up, I asked the Lord why this dream. This dream isn't necessarily literal, but this dream can be symbolic in nature. As I woke up from the dream, I prayed in the spirit. I prayed in the spirit for some time. 

The Lord then said: 

"Tell My people... Be alert and be vigilant. For the enemy has begun coming out in full force against My people. It may even be done in a very subtle way. The aim is to destroy My people's faith and trust in Me. The aim is to confuse and to cause losses to My people. The enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. This is not the Lion of Judah. This is a counterfeit. This is the enemy of the Lion of Judah. And he is on a 'mission' to destroy My people who have been caught unaware spiritually. The intention is to assassinate My people's faith and My people's walk with Me." 

Speaking of 'roaring lion' here, 1 Peter 5:8 says, 'Be sober, be vigilant (i.e. be watchful and alert in your spirit), because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' 

The expression 'seeking whom he may devour' here shows that the enemy actually cannot 'touch' you or devour you, if you don't allow him to do so. The enemy is just seeking whom he may devour. You see, the Scripture never says the enemy will surely devour you. But the Scripture says 'seeking whom he may devour'. This means you can take the necessary steps to prevent the evil and to overcome the evil. And if God is with you, and with God's Spirit with you, you shall triumph over whatever that's being conjured up by the enemy against you. The truth is your God is infinitely greater and wiser than any plan, conspiracy, or strategy conjured up by the enemy. 

And then, one verse later, 1 Peter 5:9 says, 'Resist him, steadfast in the faith...' This is the solution that the Scripture gives us. Resist the devil. Turn away from the devil. And stay strong and steady in your faith and in your trust in the Lord. How? Keep receiving from God. Keep hearing God's Word. Keep receiving from the Holy Spirit. Remember, Word and Spirit, Spirit and Word. Keep worshiping the Lord. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Keep praying in the spirit. Never underestimate the power of prayer. And as you pray, heaven comes down. God's kingdom come, God's will be done. 

The Lord then said further: 

"This is the time to deepen your walk with Me, and walk ever closer with Me. Wash your heart. Wash your hands. Clear away what is unholy in your life, and begin walking in purity and holiness. Because the enemy cannot 'touch' what is holy. Keep receiving from My Spirit, for My Spirit is the Spirit of holiness. Let it flow into your life, and let Me cleanse what needs to be cleansed in your life. Present your life to Me all over again. And fear not. Because I am with you to help you. See My blood covering you. See Me covering you with My blood that has been shed for you on the cross." 

So beloved of God, fear not! God has a solution for you! 

How to triumph over the evil plans of the enemy? How to prevent those evil? How to overcome those conspiracies of the enemy? 

1. See yourself coming under the covering of God! 

Jesus has become your covering! Psalm 91:1-4 says, 'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.'

The word 'cover' here is interesting. It is 'sawkak' in Hebrew. It can mean 'to shut up (the enemy), to defend (you), or to hedge (you)'. Like the parent eagle that spreads the wings to protect the eaglets. It can also mean 'to join together (with you) in the face of the enemy'. And that's what 'sawkak' means here. He is your covering. He is your defender. He is your hedge. He joins together with you against the enemy. He shuts up the enemy, and shuts out the enemy! 

And then, Psalm 91:5-6 says, 'You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.' 

So, fear not, people of God! If you look to the Lord, the Lord will know how to fight for you. The Lord will know how to shield you. The Lord will know how to lead you and guide you to be at the right place at the right time. Amen!

2. Walk in purity and holiness! 

Why? Because the enemy cannot 'touch' you if you walk in purity and holiness of the Lord. 

1 Peter 1:15-16 says, 'But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."' 

So, be holy in all your conduct. It means inwardly and outwardly. Not just a facade and for show in the outward to impress others. But holiness in the inward and also holiness in the outward. It means what is in the inside of a person is what is on the outside of that person. It means being consistent when the person is in the private and when the person is in the public. That's what God means here when He says, 'in all your conduct'.

So, right now, beloved of God, allow the Holy Spirit to wash you clean. Allow the Holy Spirit to clear what needs to be cleared in your life. Now, that takes humility on our part. That takes laying down our pride on our part. Present yourself to the Lord again. Re-dedicate yourself to the Lord again - spirit, soul, body; mind, will, emotions. 

Let your eyes be cleansed. Yes, spiritual eyes and even physical eyes. There is power in walking in purity and holiness. And you know what? Everything is going to be so clear in your spirit. You will begin to see and understand many things in the spirit. There will be clarity. You will begin to make right decisions in your life. Why? Because there is clarity in your spirit.

3. Walk ever closer with the Holy Spirit! 

You know why? As you walk closer and closer with the Holy Spirit, you become so in tune with the Holy Spirit, and you can 'catch' what the Holy Spirit wants to tell you or even warn you. Yes, the Holy Spirit can warn us. Why? In order to prevent evil, dangers, or pitfalls in our lives. 

The Holy Spirit can give you promptings. The Holy Spirit can give you dreams to tell you in advance what to go ahead and what to avoid, who to associate with and who to dissociate with, and when to move on and when to let go. In other words, when to go ahead and when to stop.  

In my personal walk with God, I thank God that He has helped me so many times in every season of my life through dreams He gives to me to show me my direction in life. At times, I do say this to Him: "What? Time to let go and move on again?" And then I would seek the Lord for further confirmation, and the Lord would show me further confirmation till I am convinced. Till I say: "Okay. Yes, Sir! I will obey, even though I don't fully understand yet why You do so." 

But as I look back in my life, I'm glad I obeyed Him all these while. And by the grace of God and by the help of God, I want to continue to obey Him every step of the way, going forward. 

That's why it's so important to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Walk closer and closer with the Holy Spirit. And that's when you'll be led by the Holy Spirit. That's when you'll be guided by the Holy Spirit. Not led and guided by your flesh, or by your own mind. 

And sometimes, when you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, it may even be illogical to your mind. But you know what? The Holy Spirit will not go wrong. He is all-knowing and all-wise. He sees farther than any one of us can. And He can lead you to be at the right place at the right time, every season of your life. You will not end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Romans 8:14 says, 'Those who are led by the Spirit of the Lord, these are sons of God.' 

You see, true sons and true daughters of God are those who are led by the Holy Spirit in every area of their lives. It means they allow the Holy Spirit to lead them in every area of their lives. Not just one area. Not just two areas. But in every area of their lives. These are the people who would bare their souls to the Lord. They will not keep anything from the Lord. They will not hide certain compartments of their lives from the Lord. They bare it all to the Lord. They worship the Lord in total surrender.  

In cross-reference, Ezekiel 36:27 says, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." 

This is prophetic of our times now as believers in Christ. The word 'cause' here is 'awsaw' in Hebrew. It can mean 'to bestow upon (you), do a work in (you), bring (you) forth, or lead (you)'. So, the Holy Spirit can do a work in you and can lead you to walk in God's ways. That's what 'awsaw' means here. The Holy Spirit does all this inside of you, so that you will begin to walk in all that the Lord has spoken, instructed, and commanded you. That's what 'cause you to walk in His statutes' mean here. When He says so, you say so; when He says no, you say no. When He says go ahead, you go ahead. When He says let go and move on, you let go and move on. Yes, even at times you don't fully understand yet why He does so and so, or why He says so and so. But one day you will understand. He knows better. He sees further. Because He is God, and we are not. 

And you will also keep His judgments, as you can see in Ezekiel 36:27 here, "You will keep My judgments and do them." This can also mean you discern what is of God and what is not. You judge what is of God and what is not. You know how to differentiate and separate between what is of God and what is not. Amen! 

Prayer:

"O Lord God, sensitize our spirit to be so in tune with Your Spirit. Show us any area in our lives that hinders us from receiving and hearing from You. Let there be no hindrance anymore. Purify us. Sanctify us. Wash us white as snow. We want to be a people who are walking so close with You. We thank You for Your words today. In a time like this, lead us to be at the right place and right time. Teach us to be watchful and alert to our surroundings, both in the spiritual realm and physical realm. We want to be a people who are overcomers. We want to be a people who triumph over whatever plan, conspiracy, or work of the enemy. In Jesus' name. Amen."

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Nothing shall by any means hurt you!

Luke 10:19 (NKJV): "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

These were some of Jesus' words to the disciples as He sent them out into every city and place (Luke 10:1). The word 'authority' (or 'power' in King James Version) here is 'exousia' in Greek, which actually means 'the right, privilege, mastery, force, or ability'. In other words, Jesus has given you (the believers) the right over all the power of the enemy! Notice the word 'all' here, and not just 'some'. Praise God!

And as you take this 'right' He has given you, He also assures you that 'nothing shall by any means hurt you'! In Greek, the words 'hurt you' here can also mean 'be unjust (toward you), do wrong (against you), injure you, or harm you'.

Isaiah 54:17 confirms it by saying, 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn'. You know what this means? When the 'enemy' forms his 'weapons' against you, they can never prosper (or succeed) and they can never hurt you! Why? Simply because you have a 'big brother' with you. In other words, you are in Christ! So, it's not about who you are, but whose you are! You are His! You belong to Him, and that makes a whole lot of difference!

In Acts 28, Luke wrote an account of how the the serpent (a picture of 'the devil') could not harm Paul. 'Now when they had escaped (from the tempest), they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live." But Paul shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god' (Acts 28:1-6). Now of course Paul wasn't a god, but he had Someone whom those natives did not have at that time! Paul then went on to heal all those who had diseases on the island (see Acts 28:7-9).

In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Note: Of course, you don't ask for the serpent to bite you, or to drink anything deadly to prove a point here, but Jesus meant 'if the serpent comes or if you drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt you'.

Notice the words 'those who believe' here? Jesus Himself said, "As you have believed, so let it be done for you" (see Matthew 8:13) and "According to your faith (i.e. as you have believed) let it be to you" (Matthew 9:29).

In a world that's full of 'fiery darts' every where, the same Paul had this to say, "...above all, taking the shield of faith (i.e. believing heart) with which you will be able to quench (extinguish, put out the fire) all the fiery darts of the wicked one' (see Ephesians 6:16).

You see, these 'fiery darts' can even come through people, e.g. "Well, I think you are never meant to prosper in life. Maybe you are fated to be poor!", or "Your grandparents had cancer, your parents had cancer, well, there's a high likelihood that you will have it too!" 

Take your authority and rebuke the 'fiery darts' in Jesus' name, because these are definitely not what the Word of God says about you! 3 John 2 says 'you shall prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers', and Galatians 3:13-14 says 'you are blessed with the blessing of Abraham because Jesus has become a curse for you on the tree (cross)'.

No wonder Paul wrote 'above all' (i.e. 'of foremost importance'), take the shield of faith! That's how important your faith (or believing heart) is! People of God, never allow the devil (or anyone) to pull down this 'shield of faith' that's yours! Because if this shield of faith is down, fear and doubt will most definitely creep in.

Psalm 91:3-6 says, 'Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler (small shield). You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday'. And Psalm 23:4 says, 'Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me'.

So, people of God, fear not because He is with you and He has also given you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19) in this end-time. As Paul put it, 'Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil' (Ephesians 6:10-11). Amen.

No 'plague' shall be on you to destroy you!

Exodus 12:13 (NKJV) says, "...when I (the Lord) see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you..."

This blood is a 'picture' of Jesus' blood shed for you on the cross, and the word 'plague' here in Hebrew is 'negeph', which means 'infliction (of disease), hurt, strike, hit, beat, put to worse.'

It seems there's really no safe place on earth anymore nowadays (even in some of the safest of nations to live in), and with the increase in natural disasters, uncertain weather conditions, political turmoils, economic woes, terrorism, new viruses, etc, the only safe place is to come under the covering of the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus not only saves, but protects you.

When the Lord spoke to Moses to take a census of the children of Israel, He told him that 'every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord', so that there may be no plague among them. See Exodus 30:11-16. The word 'ransom' here in Hebrew is 'kopher', which means 'cover, redemption price, atonement, reconciliation'. The Israelites still celebrate Yom Kippur (means 'Day of At-one-ment') even till today, and this word 'kippur' comes from the same word 'kopher' here. It is 'the money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner/slave' (for their release from bondage/captivity).

The Bible says Jesus came to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45).

In Moses' days, it was also an obligation for everyone (20 years old and upwards) to give half a shekel as offering to the Lord. Whether rich or poor, they were to give the same amount, no more and no less, i.e. a fixed sum (see Exodus 30:14-15). This offering was binding on all those who were numbered (i.e. counted as part of God's people). You only 'count' what you 'own'. For example, when you own a business, only then will you have the right to do the counting of your business' assets (or tell your accountant to do the counting for you). Likewise, today, as a believer in the New Covenant, you too are 'counted' as His own, His redeemed people, righteously forgiven, i.e. not only you are forgiven, you are also made righteous through Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).

This half a shekel, the fixed sum, actually speaks of Jesus' blood. Whatever your background or past, He paid the same price for you on the cross. And He paid it in full, with His own life. Money (i.e. the ransom money) here speaks of 'buying and selling'. For God demonstrated His love for you, that while you were still sinners, He died for you (Romans 5:8). He paid it with a price, His own life. That's how precious you are to Him, and that's how much He loves you. He gave up all in order to 'buy' you back! Yes, with His blood! The Bible says you have been 'purchased' with His blood! (Acts 20:28)

In 2 Samuel 24, David's own mistake (of calling for a census for his nation) led to the death of 70,000 of his men (see 2 Samuel 24:14-15). This was an example of a 'plague' that came by one's own doing, and David was very sorry for his people, and a shepherd's heart David was, he did sincerely try to mediate for his people (2 Samuel 24:17). One would wonder why David in such a matured and advanced age by then (and having seen so many battles won by the Lord) still made a mistake that affected so many lives. Well, just as David, we are all human, and who has never made a mistake before? But God in all His mercy saw his heart, and that's when He spoke to him through the seer, Gad, to 'erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah'.

What is a 'threshing floor'? That is where the 'beating of sheaves (with the rod)' takes place. This speaks of Jesus as well. Some 2,000 years ago, He was 'beaten' at the Mount of Calvary for you and me, and He paid it all in full, so that the 'beatings' on you would stop (and in this case, for David and the nation of Israel). Jesus also became the 'burnt offering' and the 'peace offering' (see 2 Samuel 24:25), so that all the anger of the Lord against sin was fully satisfied through Him (Jesus). And by the way, 'Araunah' in Hebrew means 'strength'. The Bible says Jesus is your strength and shield (Psalm 28:7). In times of plague ('beatings'), David came to Araunah. Today, Jesus is also inviting you to come to Him as well, no matter what happened, because He is your strength and song, and in Him (Yeshua) you'll trust and not be afraid (Isaiah 12:2).

And just as in David's situation, the 'beating' stops when you begin to look to Jesus, your burnt offering and your peace offering. The Bible says He will not leave His righteous forsaken (or deserted). He calls you His own, He has paid the price in full for you on the cross, and He has given His life a ransom for you. So, take heart, and because He calls you His beloved, He will also surely recover you. Amen!