Recently an intercessor I know shared a dream with me to interpret. I’m sharing it here because it is a word to the body of Christ, and I believe, specifically to ministry leaders. There were three different dreams, or segments of the same message. In the first one, iron cuffs were slapped on the wrists of the dreamer, and as she looked up she saw John the Baptist leaving the church. There was also a dresser with clothes inside (some were intimate garments). She heard herself saying that she couldn’t take it with her. The second portion of the dream dealt with cleaning out a refrigerator,and all that had been inside was old food and pastries. One woman whom she knew as a pastor’s wife tried to eat one and the dreamer stopped her and said, “Don’t eat that, it’s old and not good anymore.” The third part of the dream showed this pastor’s wife with eye makeup on that seemed to outline the iris, making it appear very small. This same woman commented that she felt suicidal.
As I prayed over this information I started getting pieces of revelation that the dreamer said resonated with her. I shared my interpretation with another intercessor and my pastor, they both felt the interpretation was accurate. That is why I am sharing it as a word for the body of Christ. Here is my interpretation:
Dream #1 - John the Baptist
This is a warning. Actually, all three of the dream sequences are a warning and should be treated as such. John the Baptist represents the Spirit of Repentance. In the first portion of the dream, John the Baptist, or the Spirit of Repentance, left the church. The clothes and dresser represent both the condition of the heart (the dresser) and the individual’s identity (clothing). Some of the garments were intimate negligees` which represents intimacy and relationship with Holy Spirit. But, the dreamer indicated that she couldn’t take it with her. I believe this has a dual meaning. When a person loses touch with their relationship with God, a lack of repentance is sure to follow. The next order of downward progression is a falling away, disobedience and a lack of repentance, which puts people in “irons,” or captivity. True repentance involves obedience, and is the only thing that opens the door to freedom from captivity. The other aspect of revelation regarding the dresser is that the dreamer commented that ‘she couldn’t take it with her,’ I believe this indicated that we cannot take our old identity with us. We must choose our identity in Christ, for we can never enter into our promises if our conduct and attitudes do not reflect our new nature in Christ. This indicates a need for a changed mindset.
Dream #2 - The Message is Changing, and Beware of Ungodly Peace Treaties
In the second dream, the focus was on cleaning out the refrigerator. All that was inside was old pastry. One person, who again was represented by a pastor’s wife, attempted to eat what was no longer good. Surprisingly, she did not see anything wrong with eating what was clearly no longer good to eat. Pastries represent junk food without any nutritional value. They were old, stale and it wasn’t wise to try to eat what was no longer fresh. This ‘food’ needed to be thrown out. The food that we eat represents doctrine, or the message. God is saying two things: Watch what you eat, and use wisdom. If the message is fluff without substance; if it sounds like a feel good message but does not convict towards change, it may not be good doctrine. If the messages aren’t fresh revelation, be careful. The message, or the word, has to change to fit the times we are in now, and where God is leading His body. I am also reminded of Joshua being misled by the Gibeonites when they attempted to deceive him with old, moldy bread and old wineskins. They wanted to make a treaty with him and say they were his brethren, when clearly they were simply trying to appear to be something they were not. (Read Joshua 9). We need to understand the heart and motives of those among us. Old bread and old wineskins represent a religious spirit that will not accept a message of reformation and change. They may want to try to appear as if they believe and want the kingdom of God on earth, but their actions will prove otherwise.
Dream #3 - Restricted Vision and a Spirit of Suicide
The third dream represented a pastor’s eye made up with makeup that appeared to focus on the iris. It was outlined with dark makeup that made the eye appear quite small. This represents limited or constricted vision. The woman with the eye makeup also said she felt suicidal. Scripture tells us that without a vision people perish. They go back to living in their old ways. Without revelation, people feel hopeless and desperate.
For over a decade we have heard messages about restructuring, ‘a shift’ and God doing a new thing. It is the difference between the church age and the kingdom age. There will be trials by fire. This is a time when God will ask us to lay our Isaacs on the altar and surrender it all. There will be trials and testing to see whether what we have built is wood, stubble and hay (works of the flesh), or if they have eternal value in the kingdom. There are good people that cannot tell the difference between building God’s kingdom and building their own. The difficulty with some is that God may just unravel everything and let all their good efforts fail. Failure and hopelessness are the ultimate tests of the heart. This will lead many into depression, despair and hopelessness. There will be ministry leaders that will have to look for a different type of work rather than place their expectation on others to support them. All of these changes MUST come to pass in order to make room for God’s kingdom on earth. Those that are afraid of change, individuals that get a sense of identity or self worth from their works, and those that are in it for selfish gain will have a sense of despair when everything comes unraveled. This is where a spirit of suicide will try to overwhelm people who are going through a difficult transition.
After I analyzed and interpreted this intercessor’s dreams, God gave me one of my own. What I saw was pastors and leaders that were affected by fear of change. They brought accusation and slandered the messengers, rejecting both the message and the messengers. Fear makes people suspicious of others, and causes people to question the motives of others. These leaders reacted with suspicion, anger, and defensiveness. There are some people that will claim that the messages of change are not from God. Messengers of reformation are often persecuted because of those that are unable to adapt to change. These are the people that are often controlled by religious spirits.
Ultimately, these dreams and the messages contained in the dreams are both warnings of what is to come as well as a call to intercession. Far too many people are trying to be fruitful within the 4 walls of the church without success. Competition divides. There is room to grow and be fruitful in the kingdom, where there is no need to feel confined or competitive with others. Some may or may not agree, but I believe the church must return to a kingdom model of fruitfulness as it is displayed in the Book of Acts. The church must be emptied out into our cities and communities. Many ministry leaders will feel threatened by that thought because they may feel their livelihood is at risk. Don't give in to panic. Many are about to enter a time of completely trusting God. They haven’t walked this way before, but it’s ok. God is trustworthy, and He has people that have already gone through these sort of changes. They have gone through the fires of adversity, loneliness, fear of financial loss and worked through trust issues with the Lord. They have the testimonies to prove it. The church as we’ve known it must change in order to make room for people to be planted and become fruitful in the kingdom of God. God has called and arranged for a change of garments in this new season. He has new mantles and new assignments to help people get through times of transition. Ministry will take many different forms in the days ahead, and many of these changes will come swiftly. We first started hearing about ‘restructuring’ and ‘paradigm shift’ about 12 years ago. Twelve is the government of God, and it’s time for these words to come to pass now. The Lord has leaders that are ready to help comfort, guide and encourage those that are walking in unfamiliar territory so that they do not have to feel alone and afraid. This is a time to ask the Lord for clarity, divine connections and strategy. As we lean on Him, we will once again discover His unwavering faithfulness and grace to navigate through troubled waters.
Prayer Points:
Pray against offense, fear, and despair.
Pray that people would surrender to necessary changes and not resist them.
Declare the Spirit of Repentance would not leave the church.
Pray that people would have a change of heart and bear fruits worthy of repentance.
Pray for wisdom and discernment to guard people from being deceived by religious spirits.
Pray for discernment to understand the motive of people’s hearts and not to make ungodly peace treaties.
Pray for fresh revelation and increased vision.
Pray against the spirit of suicide.
Pray that God direct you to the right platform to share His message with others.
Pray for an unoffendable heart, and to overcome wounding from persecution.
Pray for divine connections, open doors and strategies to reach those God wants you to reach.
Pray for God’s will and His kingdom to manifest in the earth and for kingdom fruitfulness to increase.
