Excerpt
The Power of Your Dreams
One
God Speaks to You In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —
John 1:1 During my teenage years, God spoke to me so intensely that I questioned whether I was truly hearing His voice. Everywhere I went, I heard Him speak. He spoke to me about the people around me—friends and family and strangers He prompted me to pray for, talk to, or encourage. Regardless of the positive impact those conversations had on people, I wrestled with the idea that maybe it was coincidence rather than God. I wondered, Is this really the voice of God? Does He always have something to say?
At one point, the church I attended hosted a youth retreat with a guest minister, the late prophet E’vann Walker. My friends and I were excited for the retreat—but for the wrong reasons. We hoped to spend time together and with the boys we had crushes on. Despite all the distractions, that retreat had one of the greatest impacts on my life.
The retreat opened with a worship night. There were over fifty of us seated on the floor in a conference room. When the minister began to worship, he looked at me and said, “Get up!” I looked around, wondering if he was speaking to someone else. Then he said, “You! I’m looking at you. Get up!” As I got up, he continued, “God wants you to know that He speaks to you. The voice you’ve been questioning is God speaking to you. It’s the same voice you’ve known for most of your life. You don’t need to doubt it. You just need to know Him.”
As he was speaking, I felt a power come over me like an electric shock that knocked me to the floor. I missed the rest of the message, and my friends had to fill me in later, but I wasn’t harmed, because the power that came over me was the power of God, confirming the message.
In the following days, I pondered that message, especially the words, “You don’t need to doubt it. You just need to know Him.”
“To know Him” is a weighty statement. It has many layers. For one, there will never be enough time to fully know God. He is the beginning of all things, yet He is not bound to a beginning or an end. He just is. To know Him is the journey of our eternal life.
Knowing God is to study what He embodies. John 1:1 describes Him as “the Word.” Everything created was made through God. Another way to say that is, all things were made through the Word. According to A. W. Tozer, “A word is a medium by which thoughts are expressed.” Hence, creation is an expression of God’s thoughts; creation speaks of Him. In God’s true essence, He speaks. He speaks through creation, He speaks through His Holy Spirit, and He is forever speaking.
Throughout the Bible, we see that God speaks in many ways. Although the Bible is the foundation for knowing His voice, it doesn’t limit His communication to you. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “He will guide you into all truth.” God desires to lead you into truth. He speaks, and He speaks to you.
God speaks to us in various ways, and although dreams are one of those channels, I first want to lay the foundation by examining the four primary ways we experience God’s voice: feeling, knowing, hearing, and seeing. In a similar way to how our five physical senses allow us to experience humankind and the world around us, our spiritual senses allow us to experience God’s voice. When it comes to these senses, it’s common to feel a stronger connection to one over the others. Some people might identify as “feelers” more than “seers.” Yet, if you were to consider your physical senses, you wouldn’t say you’re more of a taster than a toucher, right? You’re aware of your ability to use both. Likewise, we have access to each of these spiritual senses; we just need to learn how to tap into them.
Humankind was created in the likeness of God. In Genesis 1:26—a passage from the creation account—God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (ESV). How we experience God’s voice and receive His word is also a reflection of bearing His image. We have the ability to see like He sees, to feel like He feels, to know like He knows, and to hear like He hears.
So let’s dive into a better understanding of these senses, because it’s pivotal for us to recognize the richness in the diversity of our spiritual senses and their connection to what happens when we dream.
Four Ways to Experience God’s Voice The Feeler Feelers are those with a heightened sensitivity to the emotions of God that are connected to our decisions, goals, ideas, plans, and environments. Reading this statement, you might wonder, Does God have emotions? John 3:16 is an anchor to our faith, and it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” The key word to highlight in the context of emotions is love. Because of God’s love for humanity, He gave us Jesus. The Scriptures are filled with different expressions of God’s emotions. We read of anger, compassion, hate, joy, and much more. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that God’s emotions are all rooted in His love for humankind and that He never acts unjustly or makes mistakes.
So how do we experience His guidance through our emotions? You might’ve heard the saying, “I don’t feel peace about this.” Maybe you’ve said it yourself when something looks perfect on paper, yet there is an unrest in your spirit. Though you may not understand the sensation, it represents a sensitivity to God’s emotions nudging you to recognize that not all that glitters is gold.
In a similar way, there are decisions that seem ridiculous to make, and yet there’s a peace you can’t explain that reassures you everything will work out. That feeling is an expression of God’s voice directing you to move toward that path.
Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV). In other words, the peace of God doesn’t negate what you may be experiencing, but it transcends the natural perception of the situation and communicates His leading.
Peace is the feeling of calmness, which can quiet negative emotions like anxiety, anger, stress, and frustration. It’s a directional emotion that speaks to the safety and security of God’s guidance in our lives. The absence of His peace, however, could speak to being misaligned with your purpose. It could be a signal for you to pause on proceeding with a life-altering decision and to seek Him for clarity.
But notice there’s a difference between peace from God and the peace that comes from the world. According to John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Although Jesus reveals the extension of His peace, it is still followed by the command to not be afraid. Regardless of the manner we experience God’s voice, it doesn’t compel us. We still must make the decision to embrace and live by it.
This gives us a clue for how to discern between God’s peace and false peace. False peace isn’t the presence of calmness but the drive to quiet our fears instead of following our faith. Although we may be emotionally troubled about making a fear-based decision, we’d rather hold on to what brings us perceived comfort or instant gratification.
Scripture tells of “the rich young ruler,” who lived an honorable life, but there was something missing, and it propelled him to inquire of Jesus, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus instructed him to “go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Jesus wasn’t seeking for the man to be poor; rather, Jesus discerned that the man’s finances were his safety, he identified himself by them, and they would always pose a threat and be a barrier to submitting to God’s leading because he valued financial security above everything else. Scripture implies that this man chose to hold on to his riches despite being “deeply dismayed” and “grieving” about his decision. The man’s dilemma brought much sorrow, yet he allowed his fears of discomfort and insecurity to drive his decisions.
The peace that comes from Jesus is different. It’s not always about the absence of difficulty, because a difficult situation can reveal God’s purpose; hardship can reveal what God intends for you. The peace of God is anchored in truth. That’s why David said in Psalm 23:4, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.” The shadow of death speaks to things that are within proximity of death like disappointments, betrayals, denials, delays, sickness, loneliness, and so on. Yet in the heat of it all, David recognized that because Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was with him, he would make it through.
In embracing the peace of God, there are foundational truths you must know to change your perspective of difficulty.
• First, regardless of your mistakes, you are loved by God.
• Second, God is for you.
• Third, the circumstance is not working against you; it’s working for you.
