Dreams - warnings or wisdom?

Dreams — Between Providence, Warning, and Wisdom

Over the years, I’ve noticed how certain ideas in the Christian world gain traction and almost become trends. Dreams and prophecy went through a phase like that — suddenly, everyone seemed to have a dream, a word, or a vision to share. It’s not that those who had them didn’t genuinely believe they were being led by divine intervention. Many were sincere, but sincerity on its own has never been the measure of truth.

We can certainly be tested in many different ways — by the Spirit, by our own flesh, and by the enemy who loves to mimic spiritual things. But I think the real lesson in all of this is simple and searching: will we come back to Scripture as the final authority, or will we allow our experiences to sit in that seat?

Dreams are, therefore, a subject that needs to be handled with care. There is far too much bandied about today, often without restraint or solid biblical grounding. I remember, of late, asking if someone was OK, and her response was, why, did you have a dream about me? Yet dreams are part of everyone’s life. We all dream — some pleasant, some disturbing, and sometimes outright frightening. Nightmares can bring real turmoil.

The question is not whether dreams exist, but why they exist and what weight, if any, they should carry in the life of a believer.

When we examine Scripture, we find that dreams appear at certain moments, sometimes influencing individuals and even nations. The temptation, however, is to take those accounts and press them beyond their biblical purpose, applying them loosely to our own lives. This is where caution is not only wise but necessary.

Dreams in Scripture Are Exceptional, Not Normative

The Bible records dreams primarily as part of the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan, not as everyday guidance for His people. Consider the account of Joseph, who interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, and later of Pharaoh himself (Genesis 40–41). These dreams were not sought out, nor were they self-interpreted. Joseph made this explicit:

“Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)

This single statement places dreams firmly under God’s authority, not human insight. Even Joseph — clearly used by God — did not claim ownership over meaning or direction. God revealed, God interpreted, and God fulfilled.

This pattern matters. Scripture never presents dreams as a skill to be developed or a channel to be pursued. They are shown as God-initiated, purposeful, and rare.

God May Use Dreams — But He Is Not Bound to Them

Job acknowledges the possibility of God speaking through dreams:

“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings.” (Job 33:15–16)

Even here, the context is correction and restraint — God humbling man and turning him from pride. This is not presented as a regular guidance system for daily decisions or as a method for directing others. It is God acting sovereignly, not man seeking revelation.

The danger arises when what Scripture presents as occasional and sovereign is treated as normal and authoritative.

Scripture Explicitly Warns Against Trusting Dreams

This is where modern enthusiasm often collides with biblical clarity.

“You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(Deuteronomy 13:3)

The warning is clear: a dream may occur and still not be from God. The test is not the intensity of the experience, but fidelity to what God has already revealed.

Jeremiah reinforces this with striking imagery:

“Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 23:28)

Scripture itself carries weight. Dreams are straw. God’s Word is wheat. They are not equal, and they are not interchangeable.

Many Dreams Reflect the Human Heart, Not Divine Revelation

Ecclesiastes gives one of the most grounded statements about dreams:

“For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.” (Ecclesiastes 5:3)

Dreams often arise from anxiety, preoccupation, fear, or mental overload. Scripture does not mystify this — it explains it.

A few verses later, we read:

“For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;
but God is the one you must fear.” (Ecclesiastes 5:7)

An obsession with dreams often reveals misplaced fear — not reverence for God, but fascination with experience.

Be Careful of Deception — Satan’s Primary Weapon

If dreams are not handled with Scripture in hand, they can easily become another doorway to deception. Scripture is clear that Satan’s chief weapon is not brute force but lies.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Those schemes are rooted in deceit. From the Garden of Eden onwards, the enemy has always worked by twisting what God has said, adding to it, or subtly shifting the emphasis. If he cannot stop us from being religious, he will gladly push us into an experience-driven religion where feelings and impressions sit above the Word.

Dreams are fertile ground for this if we are not careful. A dream feels personal, vivid, and emotionally charged — and because of that, it can feel authoritative. But Scripture warns us that Satan “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). That means deception will often feel spiritual, enlightening, even “anointed”.

Revelation gives us the bigger picture:

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world…” (Revelation 12:9)

Later, we are told of those whom he deceived and who share his final judgment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Deception is not a minor side issue; it is central to his work and central to their ruin.

This is why the “belt of truth” in the armour of God (Ephesians 6:14) is not optional. Truth holds everything else together. If we loosen our grip on the truth of Scripture and tighten our grip on dreams, impressions, or supposed revelations, we step into the very arena where Satan loves to operate.

The warning is simple but serious: treat dreams lightly. Treat Scripture seriously. Where dreams are allowed to carry more weight than the written Word, deception is never far away.

“In the Last Days” — Clarifying Dreams in the Book of Acts

At this point, some will rightly point to the book of Acts, where Peter quotes the prophet Joel.

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)

This passage must not be ignored — but it must be rightly understood.

Peter describes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, marking the inauguration of the church and the new covenant era. “The last days” in the New Testament refers to the period between Christ’s ascension and His return. Yes, we live in those days — but that does not mean revelation continues in the same manner or with the same authority.

Even in Acts, dreams and visions are:

• God-initiated
• Rare
• Confirmatory rather than contradictory
• Always tied to the spread of the gospel

When Peter receives a vision in Acts 10, it does not introduce new doctrine. It confirms what Christ has already accomplished — the inclusion of the Gentiles. The vision submits to Christ’s finished work; it does not compete with it.

The book of Acts is descriptive, not prescriptive. It records what God did in a pivotal moment in history; it does not command believers to chase dreams or build doctrine from them.

The same Peter who quoted Joel later wrote:

“We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…”
(2 Peter 1:19)

He does not point believers forward to new dreams for direction. He points them back to the confirmed Word.

Final Anchor — God Has Spoken Fully and Finally

The New Testament gives us the final anchor point for all of this:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.”

The Word of God is the Final authority. Praise the mighty name of Jesus now and forevermore, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Trial of Life

What Truly Works to the Benefit of the Christian — Fruit Now, Glory to Come

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” — Romans 8:31 (ESV)

This verse is often quoted as if it guaranteed a trouble-free road. It does not. The very passage it comes from speaks of suffering, weakness, groaning, endurance, and hope under pressure. Being “for us” does not remove all resistance — it secures the outcome.

I have lived among Christians long enough to say this plainly and carefully: We often miss the fundamentals. We speak of faith yet walk in the flesh. We confess surrender yet still chase recognition. We say eternity matters, yet structure our lives around temporary measures. Scripture cuts through that confusion with a simple test — fruit.

A tree is known by its fruit — not by its claims, not by its vocabulary, not by its associations, but by its fruit.

If we strip away the noise and let Scripture interpret Scripture, we reach solid ground. What truly works for the benefit of the Christian — not only in eternity, but also in this present life?

All Things Are Put to Work — Not Just the Pleasant Ones

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28 (ESV 

Not some things — all things.

Trials, delays, losses, exposure, correction, waiting, pressure — even our failures, when brought under repentance and grace. Not all things are good, but all things are made to serve God’s good purpose for the believer.

Scripture clearly defines what is good — that we are conformed to the image of His Son. The primary benefit is not comfort. It is a transformation.

The Flesh Competes with the Footsteps

Much of our instability comes from trying to walk with Christ while still being driven by the flesh. It shows in what we pursue and what we celebrate — status, security, applause, visible success. We put more effort into worldly acknowledgement than into spiritual persuasion.

Then, when life tightens its grip, we either cry out only when desperate or drift into a victim mindset.

But Jesus made the measure plain — fruit reveals the root.

The fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — are not decorative virtues. They are practical strengths and present benefits.

Peace steadies the mind.
Patience slows destructive reactions.
Self-control prevents regret.
Faithfulness builds trust.
Love restores and sustains relationships.

This is not theory — this is lived advantage formed by the Spirit of God.

Scripture does not teach empty endurance now, with reward only later. It teaches present value and future glory.

Scripture teaches that present benefits are real—just often mismeasured.

“Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” — 1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

Present benefits include a steadier inner life, a clearer conscience, sharper discernment, greater restraint, healthier relationships, and deeper fellowship.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you.”

— Isaiah 26:3

That is not only future — that is now.

Pressure Is Not the Enemy — It Is the Revealer

“Count it all joy… when you meet trials… for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” — James 1:2–3

Pressure exposes foundations. Without testing, much of what we believe about ourselves would remain untested. Testing turns confession into substance — or exposes it as imitation.

Discipline also belongs to the category of benefit when understood correctly.

“For the moment all discipline seems painful… but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” — Hebrews 12:11

Discipline is not rejection — it is training. Its outcome is righteous stability with peace.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping Still Operates

“Whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” — Galatians 6:7

Sowing to the flesh produces corruption and instability. Sowing to the Spirit produces life and durability. There is often a delay — but there is always a harvest.

The fruit itself is part of the reward. Peace is fruit and reward. Joy is fruit and reward. Self-control is fruit and protection. God does not merely command qualities — He grows them, and they bless the one who bears them.

Moses — A Living Example of the Tree and Its Fruit

If we want a clear biblical example of a tree known by its fruit, we can look to the life of Moses. His life was neither easy, celebrated, nor comfortable. It was stretched across obscurity, pressure, resistance, and responsibility — yet the fruit is undeniable.

He spent forty hidden years before forty visible years. Shepherding sheep prepared him to shepherd people. Silence prepared him for authority. Humbling prepared him for usefulness. God grows roots before branches. His delays are often rooting work.

Under pressure, his fruit showed. Scripture records his meekness — strength under control. He endured complaint, interceded for those who opposed him, obeyed difficult instructions, and repented when corrected. Fruit proves itself under strain, not in ease.

He also experienced present benefits—nearness to God, clear direction, and recognised spiritual authority. Presence, not position, was the great reward.

And what he left behind measures the tree even more clearly. A formed covenant people. Revealed law. Worship patterns. Leadership structures. A prepared successor. Written testimony still feeds generations. He did not leave monuments — he left a movement. Not comfort — but covenant.

He also reminds us that fruitfulness does not remove accountability. Even faithful servants are corrected. That, too, is a benefit when received properly.

The Anchors That Should Steady and Stir Us

The Christian life stands on three steady realities: calling, conformity, and glory.

We are called by mercy, not merit.
We are conformed through process, not comfort.
We are headed toward glory, not mere survival.

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” — 2 Corinthians 4:17

When the reward is seen clearly, the road is understood correctly.

Final Reflection

If God is for the believer, opposition cannot cancel God’s intention — but it will often be used to carry it forward.

The benefit is not the removal of the fire, but the formation within it.

Not ease — but endurance.
Not applause — but fruit.
Not comfort — but conformity.

And not empty in the present — but filled with real, Spirit-worked benefit along the way.

Fruit now.
Strength now.
Formation now.
Glory later — beyond comparison.

A tree is known by its fruit — and fruit is known by what remains when the season changes.

Rooted in obedience.
Proven under pressure.
Measured by what remains.

Signing off

 Tyrone

 

Thy Will Be Done

 Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will Be Done” — Heaven’s Rule on Earth

There are phrases in Scripture so familiar that they are often spoken without reflection.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:10

The prayer taught by Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 — commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer and often referred to as “Our Father” because of its opening words — has shaped the lives of countless people over centuries. For many, it has become a recitation in parrot fashion: words spoken repeatedly as a form of penance, prescribed by a man in a collar and measured by the perceived weight of one’s sin.

If one pauses to truly unpack this practice with even a little discernment, the conclusion is uncomfortable but unavoidable: much of it is window dressing. Deceit once again runs riot. Yet Scripture has always done one thing consistently — it exposes the lie.

This is precisely why I love my Saviour, who is the Word made flesh. He was never afraid to confront error head-on. Truth was never negotiable with Christ, and by the grace of God, truth will remain a priority here as well.

A Sobering Responsibility

Scripture’s warnings are not light. James writes plainly:

“Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

That verse should sober anyone who handles the Word publicly. I confess that it sobers me. I have, in the past, approached Scripture loosely, without the careful handling it deserves. I suspect I am not alone. We all carry a default self-button — something we instinctively reach for, often subconsciously.

Yet growth often comes through correction.

I do not claim to be the best teacher. What I do claim is this: what I have received and handled carefully, I will, by the grace of God, pass on. There is too much truth at stake to remain silent, whatever the cost. And there is always a cost — sometimes from without and sometimes from within.

Every believer will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Our works will be tested. I cannot shake the parable of the wise and foolish servants — it plays on repeat in my mind like a film I cannot switch off.

Back to the Mirror

Are there areas in my life that need addressing? Absolutely.
And this is precisely where verse 10 of the Lord’s Prayer lands with force.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Billions have prayed these words over time. But how many have stopped to weigh what they are truly asking?

When I wake in the morning, do I consider my Father God’s will? Do I ask how my choices, my speech, and my obedience — or lack thereof — align with heaven’s order? Or do I default to routine, comfort, and self-direction?

Back to the mirror I go.

What Is the Kingdom of God?

 Is a place of rule.

Where God’s will is fully obeyed without resistance, the Kingdom is present. Heaven operates in perfect alignment with God’s authority. There is no negotiation, no delay, no compromise. God speaks — and it is done.

Earth, however, has always struggled with competing wills.

From Eden onward, sin has been rooted in resistance to God’s authority, not merely disobedience but the insistence: “I will decide.”

When Christ teaches His disciples to pray this way, He is not offering poetic language — He is teaching surrender.

A Dangerous Prayer (If We Mean It)

This is not a prayer to be prayed casually.

If God’s will be fully done on earth:

• Pride would be dismantled
• Compromise would be exposed
• False authority would collapse
• And sin would lose its hiding places

Including us.

This is why many are comfortable praying for provision but uneasy about praying for God’s will. Provision sustains us. God’s will transforms us — often painfully so.

Christ Himself prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”
The Kingdom came through obedience, not avoidance of the cross.

Living Before Provision

Only after this surrender does the prayer move on to provision:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

That order matters.

Only when God’s will becomes our intent does provision take its rightful place. Life, of course, often unfolds in reverse — we seek provision first and alignment later. Yet Christ teaches us a better order.

It is crucial that we unpack this verse with seriousness and humility, because it exposes our priorities with brutal honesty.

Final Reflection

Thy kingdom come is not a demand for heaven on our terms.
Thy will be done is not a slogan.

It is a call to live under God’s authority — beginning with our own hearts.

Not someday.
Not only globally.
But here.
And now.

And yet, Father God, we know that resolve and intent are no good unless we are covered by the grace of God. Without your help in our lives, we can achieve nothing.

I just want to say thank you for your grace in my life. All hail King Jesus. I pray for all who have been covered by the blood of Christ.

Signing off,
Tyrone

Lost in Translation

 

Getting Lost in Translation — Life Only Begins in Christ

This is not a comfortable read, and it is not meant to be. Eternity is too long, truth is too important, and deception is too deadly for soft words and half-measures. What follows is not opinion, philosophy, or religious noise — it is a wake-up call rooted in Scripture, written out of concern for your soul and grounded in one unchanging truth: life begins only in Christ.

It is easy to get lost in translation. That phrase alone can be unpacked in many ways, but at its heart lies a sobering truth: life truly begins only after our encounter with Jesus Christ the Lord.

By default, we all pursue what we call “life.” We plan, strive, build, worry, and survive. Scripture reminds us how limited this pursuit is: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labour and sorrow” (Psalm 90:10). Three score and ten — and whatever we can squeeze out beyond that — and then our mission, as the world defines it, comes to an end.

If I look honestly at the latter part of my life, the questions become painfully practical: How do I make time for this? How do I survive? Without Christ, those questions would leave me panicked. If I did not have a Saviour in my corner, I would have no anchor.

Thank You, Jesus.

I genuinely do not know how people face tomorrow without the assurance of heaven and the bliss that comes with it — the prize after the struggle. This hope enables me to press through the daily grind of life. As Paul writes, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Yet our hope is not limited to this life. It is rooted in the finished work of the cross.

Scripture speaks plainly of the day when we will finally put off this body of death. Paul cries out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” and answers his own question: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25). One day, this perishable body will be exchanged for a glorified one. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

The truth, whether people like it or not, is that we will all receive eternal bodies. This is not up for debate. God has instituted it. “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). He is the Creator; we are His creation. The question is not whether eternity awaits us, but where and under what judgment.

Scripture leaves no room for comfortable ambiguity. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Toe the line or pay the price — and remember, the price is not merely a struggle for a season, but eternal.

Yet we are surrounded by affirmations, universe worship, self-exaltation, and endless spiritual noise. Frankly, it is garbage dressed up as enlightenment. It grieves me to see how many are embracing these lies. God warned us long ago: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires… they will turn their ears away from the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

There is only one solution. One truth. One substitute.

“Jesus in my place.”

I believe it is time to take off the gloves. No more tiptoeing around sensitivity as souls drift towards destruction. Scripture does not whisper this message; it proclaims it. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). True repentance is not intellectual agreement — it is brokenness, crying out to Jesus with tears and absolute sincerity. When that happens, the penny drops. “For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

There is no other way. Period. Jesus Himself said it plainly: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Yes, there are many voices promoting many different paths, but hear me clearly — they all lead to death. Not just death in this life, but eternal judgment. Scripture calls it “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). This is not a metaphor to be softened or ignored.

WAKE UP and hear me clearly, please.

I am writing this because I am concerned for your well-being. What do I gain from your conversion? Nothing. So why do I keep beating the same drum? Because salvation is free. “By grace you have been saved through faith… not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Having received it freely, I now desire to pass it on freely.

This is about eternity.

This is about truth.

This is about Jesus — in your place.

 

Signing off

Tyrone