Where is God Amidst All This Chaos?
Special: Counseled by God Free Video Event and up to 50% off!

Christmas & the Dreams That Saved Jesus' Life

Charity Kayembe's picture

As Christmas approaches, we read again the timeless story of the Son of God’s entry into our world. It is amazing to me what we are told, and also what we’re not told.

What We Don’t Know

For example, consider Joseph, the man chosen by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. What do we really know about him anyway? Does Scripture tell us about Joseph’s faithful Temple attendance? Does the Gospel of Matthew record his impressive knowledge of the Law and the Prophets? Did Luke bother to mention how often he fasted or how much tithes and offerings he gave?

While these are all wonderful attributes that I expect were fully on display in Joseph’s life, curiously, God didn’t let us in on any of this information. You would think the Lord might want to highlight some of the traits about Joseph that made God choose him to be the earthly dad of the Savior of the world. Out of everyone else, why was Joseph favored with this most monumental assignment? What qualified him for such an important calling?

What We Do Know

Incredibly, out of all the things God didn’t feel necessary to mention in Scripture, there is one thing He did tell us about Joseph. And He stated it not once. Not twice. Not three times. Four times God revealed one fascinating quality Joseph possessed.

He listened to his dreams.

Clearly, this characteristic played a role in Joseph being chosen for such an awesome responsibility. In case we never noticed it before, four times in two chapters God tells us how He communicated with Joseph through dreams.

  1.  Joseph was encouraged by an angel in a dream to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-25).
  2.  Joseph was instructed by an angel in a dream to move to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).
  3.  Joseph was directed by an angel in a dream to return to Israel (Matthew 2:19-21).
  4.  Joseph was warned by God in a dream to avoid Judea (Matthew 2:22-23).

Two significant surprises immediately stand out. Not only do we see God doing all His communicating with Joseph (that Scripture records) through dreams, but He is also delivering those night messages through His servants, the angels (Heb. 1:14). It is so important for us to see that this is how God works - through the medium of dreams and the ministry of angels. The Lord knew that Joseph listened to his dreams and honored angelic messengers. And God trusted Joseph to wake up and act in obedience to the revelation downloaded to him while he slept at night.

As we meditate on these Scriptures, we see God is giving Joseph direction about marrying the mother of Jesus and how to protect baby Jesus from the evil men out to kill Him. Remember that at this point in our historical timeline, Jesus is on His rescue mission from Heaven to save humanity from their sin. Obviously if Jesus dies as a baby, He will never grow up and be able to die on the cross. He will never be raised from the dead. Holy Spirit will never be poured out. Everything hinges on Jesus' safety in this moment.

Knowing that, you would think God might want Joseph awake when He provides these critical strategies for avoiding Herod and his murderers. Or, at the very least you would think God might want to speak to Joseph personally, since the stakes were so high.

Instead God chose to use dreams and angels to deliver His messages, and He still does the same with us today. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and everything He was doing in Scripture He wants to do in our lives as well (Heb. 13:8). The Bible is not a book of old stories; the Bible is meant to be lived. These things were written as examples for us to model (1 Cor. 10:11). We can be confident about meeting with angels and receiving Heavenly messages while we sleep because Scripture demonstrates this is indeed God's modus operandi; they have always been a powerful part of His communication with us.

The life of Joseph is an extraordinary testament of how the Lord sees dreams and how much He appreciates when His children see them the same way. We can also learn from his example how to partner with the hosts of Heaven in accomplishing Father's purposes. Through these verses the Bible reveals God’s perspective and His heart: He chooses to use dreams and angels and they are important to Him. Therefore, they are important to us. Because God honors dreams and angels, we choose to honor them as well.

May we all be found as faithful as Joseph in receiving God's messages - and messengers - through our dreams!
 

Our Christmas Gift to You!

Our FREE worldwide video event for December is Hearing God Through Your Dreams. Discover the meaning hidden in ALL your dreams – even the crazy ones! Learn to honor these messages from Heaven and become fluent in the language God speaks at night. Anyone can watch the entire video series from December 5-12, so invite your friends and sign up free today!

Register Now: www.cluschoolofthespirit.com/video

Don’t forget to take advantage of our sitewide Christmas Sale. Just use coupon code CHRISTMAS25 to receive 25% off everything in our store – including already-discounted items like packagesdownloads and our brand new USB flash drives.

And if you live in the Western New York area, I'll be ministering at What's the Point? Ministries in Lewiston this Thursday, December 6th at 7:00pm, as well as i61 Church in East Aurora this Sunday, December 9th at 10:00am and we'd love to see you there.

Merry Christmas!


Christmas photo courtesy of Charla Virkler and CharmBox Studios

Related Resources: 

Dream Your Way to Wisdom   

Related Blogs: 

Christian Dream Interpretation   
Add new comment

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 441 - 450 of 479

Pages

Healing Waters MP3

Soaking music by Jim French | 37 Minutes

If you enjoy soft soaking music in the background as you journal or throughout the day, you will love the Healing Waters MP3 by Pastor Jim French. Jim is an anointed musician, and this music is pleasant to the ears and soothing to the spirit. As a matter of fact, there is a short clip to listen to at the bottom of this page. See if it doesn't minister healing to your heart!

Price: $4.95

Heart Physics EFT - Biblically-Based EFT Training MP3s

By Charity Kayembe and Jim Richards | 22 Audio Sessions + 2 Video Downloads

Scripture tells us that we comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received (2 Corinthians 1:3–5). To the degree that we are healed and comforted, we can offer those same gifts much more freely to others.

Price: $74.00

How Could I Have Been So Wrong? MP3s

Mark Virkler | 16 sessions of MP3

This is my story of how my cardiac event was resolved by combining the best in medical care, Christian spirituality, and nutrition. 

I was NOT supposed to have a cardiac event. I ate a healthy diet, exercised several times a week, consumed lots of great nutrition and sought to live destressed by abiding in Christ. This story contains the lessons I learned in the months of healing after having emergency surgery which involved five heart bypasses.

Price: $14.95

How Do YOU Know? MP3 Downloads

by Mark Virkler | 12 Audio Sessions

How do you know? What is the process you use to discover truth? I did not ask that question during the first 25 years of my life. I used eleven different methods for discovering truth including: if my parents said so, then it was so. If my teacher said it was so, then it was so. If my pastor said it was so, then it was so. If my theology said it was so, then it was so. I have discarded them all and adopted a twelfth method, which is in harmony with what the Bible teaches. We teach you this method in this series.

Price: $59.95
How to Build a Winning Team MP3

How to Build a Winning Team MP3

by Mark Virkler | 1 Session

Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don't have the gifts necessary to do something great?  The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, "Yes, Lord" to the destiny He has prepared for them!

Price: $6.95
How to Receive Revelation Knowledge MP3

How to Receive Revelation Knowledge MP3

by Mark Virkler | 1 Session

Knowing God's thoughts! It is possible. His thoughts are not our thoughts; His ways are not our ways. However, we can learn how to "reason together with God" (Isa. 1:18), and receive His insights and His revelations on each and every area of our lives. The process really is quite simple.

Price: $3.60
How to Speak in Tongues MP3

How to Speak in Tongues MP3

Speaking in tongues involves a miracle wherein you yield your vocal cords to the flow of the Holy Spirit, trusting that God is forming the syllables you speak into a language. It may be a language of men or of angels (1 Cor. 13:1). You choose to speak (Acts 2:4) but you choose not to form the syllables consciously, and instead let the Spirit give the utterance (Acts:2:4). The goal of this short teaching is to help people understand the part they need to play and the part the Holy Spirit plays when it comes to the miracle of speaking in tongues.

Price: $3.60
How to Walk by the Spirit MP3s

How to Walk by the Spirit MP3s

by Mark Virkler | 12 Sessions

Are you like many western Christians who have been taught little about how to sense their spirits? Do you have trouble even defining what spirit sensations feel like within you, much less recognizing them? This training was birthed from Mark’s passion to live out of his spirit, and thus release the anointing of God. The problem he faced was lack of clear biblical definition as to what his spirit felt like. So Mark looked up every verse in the Bible on heart and spirit.

Revised & Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition

Price: $59.95
Mountain-Moving Faith MP3

Mountain-Moving Faith MP3

by Mark Virkler | 62 Minutes

God is our Dream Maker! He has placed a dream within the heart of each of us that only He can supernaturally bring to pass. God gave an impossible dream to Abraham, our Father of Faith. In this powerful message, Mark will show you how God filled the five senses of Abraham’s spirit with His truth and birthed a miracle out through him. And you will learn how you can walk in the same faith while you hear, see, ponder, speak and act out of the Father’s initiative, allowing Him alone to fill the senses of your spirit.

Price: $3.60
Naturally Supernatural - 30th Anniversary Edition MP3s

Naturally Supernatural MP3 Downloads

by Mark Virkler | 13 Sessions

BRAND NEW Revised & Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition Audio Teaching Series!

A step-by-step guide on “abiding in Christ” or how to let go and let God live naturally and powerfully out through you. Disarmingly simple. Mind-blowingly powerful.

Price: $59.95

Pages