Aspire Ministries
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Aspire To Be All That God Created You To Be

Dreams and Visions

 
Sandra Bontemps


“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.” Acts 2:17

“In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men.” 
Job 4:13

“For God may speak in one way or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds...
Job 33:14-15

Since Abraham, God has spoken to mankind through dreams.  At nearly every turning point in history, God has guided His children by dreams.  Entire nations were led to know the Lord, when prophets called by God interpreted dreams and visions for kings and rulers.  God changed nations and the course of history forever in this way.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever more.  He never changes!  And He wants to communicate with us today, both by day and by night.
 
The reasons and purposes for dreams are for divine plans, for Kingdom acquisitions, for revelations of God’s Son, and for angelic instruction.  Jesus spoke in parables and dreams are God’s night parables.  Dreams are very symbolic.  And they transcend seven dimensions. Height. Spirit. Depth. Time. Breadth. Light. And Soul.  God wants to show us our need for the Holy Spirit and He will never remove that need.
 
 You will spend a third of your life sleeping.  By the time you are 70 years old, you will have spent 23.6 years of your life in dreamland.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made!  Isn’t it awesome to think not only did God create our bodies to need rest and sleep for restoration and health purposes, but just think, He has a multitude of purposes for all things.  So do you think that God would want us to spend one third of our lives asleep, just for the one purpose of rest?  In His infinite wisdom He wants to speak to us in our sleep, in dreams at night!  I don’t know about you, but I stay so busy and occupied sometimes by day, that nighttime is the only time that God has my attention as I sleep away from the cares and distractions of the day!
 
One third of Scripture recounts or relates to dreams or visions.  In Scripture, 224 references to dreams or visions can be found.
 
 Since I was a child I have had vivid dreams and sometimes these dreams would come true.  I had a keen deep perception and discernment of things and awareness “ a knowing” of things that I could not possibly have known.  I also had a very vivid imagination and a highly keen, sensitive, creative, artistic mind and abilities, which were not always encouraged nor understood.
 
I was raised in the South, with very deep and substantial roots as Southern Baptist, and love the truth and principles I was taught, and how deeply my roots go, and how firm a foundation I was given, so I am greatly and richly blessed.
 
Although I was taught to believe in the Triune, the God head, the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, I was never taught anything about the supernatural empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit.
 
Not until I reached mid-life did I start asking and seeking God’s wisdom and revelation on dreams, visions and prophetic revelations.  This was after Ann Platz, a powerful and gifted writer and speaker, and now my spiritual mentor and special friend, gave me an impartation three years ago.  I had never heard the word “impartation” either.  I had never before had anyone speak a word of knowledge into me, given from the Holy Spirit to them.  I did not have an open mind or believe that such a thing even existed!
 
I was attending a women’s conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Ann was the guest speaker and at the end of her powerful stirring message, she had women come forward for blessings and impartations.  Ann spoke into me and said, “God is raising you up a Deborah, a mighty prophetess and powerful prayer warrior, woman of God!”  I was totally shaken and undone.  I felt the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon her, which I also did not understand.  But I knew that I was caught up into God’s love and light, and that something powerful had happened, and that somehow I would never be the same again.  Ann did not know that I had always related to Deborah, as a singer, songwriter, poet, speaker, teacher, mentor and counselor.
 
After this Ann and I shared our vision for mentoring ministry that God had given to each of us individually.  This encouraged me greatly to go forward with this calling on my life with expanded vision, purpose and renewed passion.  I attended several conferences Ann led and taught on mentoring which further encouraged me for this higher calling God had placed upon my life.  Ann presented me with her book, Guardians of the Gate, and I read her description of a spiritual mentor, and these specific words, “She will be filled with so much wisdom, knowledge, truth and grace.  She is a seasoned veteran of life, a warrior woman who knows God intimately and is willing and able to interpret His ways to you.  She will help unlock your spirit and stir up the gifts within you.”
 
 This was exactly how God used Ann in such a powerful way in my life!  I knew about the creative artistic talents God had given to me, but I understood nothing about the gifts of the Holy Spirit!  I began to seek and search God with all my heart, soul, mind and spirit, and ask Him to reveal to me more what this impartation meant.  I knew this fresh new anointing was from God.  And so I began to search God’s Word on the meaning and use of prophetic gifts.  And I also prayed, “Lord, I have never been a mighty warrior woman for you!  I have had so many fears and doubts in my life.  I need more courage and strength from You.  I want to overcome all fear and doubt, because I know that has been the enemy’s way of keeping me from my rich inheritance in You.”
 
 And so this awesome new journey into the heart of God and understanding of His supernatural ways of His Holy Spirit began!  God began opening doors and sending other people into my life.  I was so hungry and thirsty to know MORE!  God began to open up my spirit heart, mind, eyes, ears and began to give me new wisdom, knowledge, counsel, understanding, faith and might, and removed my worldly and fleshly fears, and replaced them with the fear which is awesome reverence of Who God is!  And who I am in Him!
 
I attended a new Dream Ministry meeting in my church, and shared with the team how God had always spoken to me in dreams and visions.  But I had been afraid to share this with anyone, because of what they may think.  And I had never been encouraged to study or learn of these things, which were not considered important.  I had also been taught that all of the things in the Bible, on dreams, visions, miracles, signs and wonders, were only significant in Bible history.  I had been taught and was also confused, by Baptist theologians who believed and accepted the five fold ministry, but they only embraced the Evangelist, Pastor/Teacher and Missionary gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Nothing was taught nor was there any training on the gifts of Apostle and Prophet.  Yet all five are needed to facilitate and equip the Body of the Church. (See ASPIRE MINISTRIES “Holy Spirit Gifts” for my message for further teaching).

Imagine my astonishment and amazement when I attended two of John Paul Jackson’s “Streams Ministries” seminars, “The Art of Hearing God” and “Dreams and Visions.”  How excited I was to learn that God wants us to have close intimacy with Jesus. He yearns to walk and talk and to speak powerfully into our lives each and every day.  He wants us to spend time and soak and bask in His Presence, and learn to hear His voice!  And yes to learn to distinguish the voice of Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

He gives us visions, which are His way of making Himself known to us!  Visions are picture languages of God.  He gives us prophetic visions.  Sometimes in our dreams and sometimes in the daytime.  In our Western culture, we lost the significance of dreams many years ago.

“Communion With God” by Mark & Patti Virkler was also a life-changing study for me, which I also had the privilege to teach.  I will be including this study in my teaching also.  This lays the foundation so well and gives principles of the Spirit.  This study gives the strong and immense difference between what we as Christians covered by the blood of Jesus and guided by Jesus believe, versus the new age movement.  The Christian who has decided that the Bible is no longer for today, and that the Spiritual experiences found therein can not be experienced by the Church of Jesus Christ sometimes relegate all and any spiritual experiences to Satan.  The Bible is for today and is to be lived in its fullness.  Many churches are coming to reject dispensationalism and are coming to the full knowledge and acceptance of all of the Holy Spirit gifts.

We need to restore the spiritual aspect of prayer.  We need to pray, with faith and no doubts, and allow the Holy Spirit to pour revelation into us.  Many of the greatly anointed prophetic messengers are claiming that the year 2007 is a year that God will pour out of His Spirit as never before as He promises in Acts 2:17.  This year is proclaimed to be the Prophet’s year when the prophetic anointing will grow.  We can expect dreams and visions! So be watching!  Expecting!

This is a new season of fresh hope.  Prayer begets prayer, for the believer in whom Christ’s love is bringing the fullness of God will learn to ask and expect great things from Him!  Pray and expect the unexpected!  I will be sharing more on the art of hearing God and communion with God, and dreams and visions in further messages to come.
 
Prayer:

Dear Father God,

I am praying and expecting the unexpected!  Help me to walk in holy anointing.  Show me the distractions and difficulties that hinder my progression.  I declare that this is a new season of fresh hope.  I want to yield to Your leadership, guidance and direction.  Help me to hear and understand Your voice, Father.  I want to allow the supernatural flow of Your Holy Spirit to open up my senses.  Open up my spirit, heart, mind, eyes and ears to help me more fully understand dreams and visions.  Help me to be willing to receive revelation of Your truth.  I want to be able to hear and heed You in my dreams.  I know that You long to have a closer relationship with me, and want to speak to me by day and by night.  Help me to press on, and upward to Your call, my divine destiny, so I may see, hear and touch the promises in You.  Thank You Lord for Your promises.  I want to trust You fully.  To obey You implicitly. And to follow Your instructions faithfully. My fervent prayer is just to know You more.  The fullness of Your love and grace.  The supernatural power of Your resurrection.  I thank You for who You are Lord, and want to receive the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit in my life to help win the lost to You and to help further Your Kingdom.  I pray this in the sweet Name of Jesus.  And as He taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come.  Thy will be done.  On earth as it is in Heaven.’"I know that You are calling me to a new level of prayer.  Faith.  Devotion.  And service.  Help me to live a remarkable life of faith to Your glory and honor.  And help me to show Your abounding love in all I do.  Amen
 
Blessings and Grace,
Sandra Bontemps
 




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