I feel dizzy.
I feel faint ...as if I may fall.
I have just left the living room, and am about to enter the dining room, but I don't know if I can go on.
I better lower myself to the floor, then if I fall it will only be a few inches.
Okay, I'm on my knees now ...and on my elbows, out in front of me. This seems to help.
I hear a voice, "Yes, take a few deep breaths ...that will help."
I take a few more deep breaths and it does help.
I feel a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Here, I'll help you up ...it's much better if we can talk face-to-face."
As he helps me stand, I do feel a bit better. He gives me a hug, "Are you okay now?"
"I'm starting to feel a bit unsteady again."
"That's because you forgot to breathe when we hugged."
"Why did you hug me?"
"I'd think you would rather ask why am I here ...and how did I get in here?"
"No, I just heard the dog begin to pace. He probably needs to go outside. He would have barked up a storm if you were actually here ...so, this must be a dream."
"Okay, go let the dog out. It's still early in the morning, so you could stand some more sleep ...and you've had this experience before, where you can go back to sleep and the dream will continue."
I let the dog out, then soon let him back in. He quickly goes back to his bed ...seemingly still tired too. When he dreams, he has this excited sound ...and I imagine he is dreaming of chasing a rabbit or squirrel. Of course, I really don't know ---it's just that squirrels and rabbits seem to excite him the most while he's awake, when it's quiet and nothing is going on ---until that happens.
I'm thankful mine aren't like the dog's dreams ...if they were, I'm sure my family would laugh and tell me about it. We are a close-knit family ...and we often laugh together.
Anyway, I'm a bit curious where this dream will go ...and I'm eager to see if it will continue. Yes, I did mention that this did happen in the recent past ...and I'm hoping it will happen again, so I will go back to bed and see what happens. Or dream what happens next.
I feel relaxed, and begin to recall the peaceful feeling I was previously in ...while I was dreaming ...am dreaming.
"I could have appeared to you in person ...but you would have probably have been overwhelmed, and would have had too many questions. Yet, this way I speak for you ...and you hear more that way, as I present in your dream what I want you to share. And another point ...if I had appeared to you in person, you would be sharing this as I want you to, but there may be those who you share it with who would perhaps want to build a church where I appeared to you. And I don't want that. I build My Kingdom in the hearts and minds of people. They become the present Kingdom ...and they will inhabit My future Kingdom, which I promised I would prepare for them. I came to you because I want you to write this. I know you feel what you are going to write will not be received well by many people. Yet, you were named after a person mentioned in the Book of Acts who was not received well either ...and of course, that person you well know was named 'Stephen'. They got angry and killed him, but have no fear, they will only censor you ...so, no need to worry. And they can't censor the Holy Spirit. Once a person receives the truth of My sacrificial love for them, they can withstand the falsehoods and misrepresentations which the world is continually saturated with. Yes, an increasing number of people feel they don't know what to believe, but the Holy Spirit comes to each person's mind when they are open to Me, and those seeds which were planted grow within each of them spiritually ...bringing them to an understanding of more and more truth."
"Who wrote the Book of Acts? The authorship is not really that clear."
"I see you are having a hard time focusing here. After all that has been said, that's the best you can do? I know I said you ask too many questions, but of course, I want to encourage you. Really, no questions are bad questions ...just some of them often take us off on a tangent. But, there is another reason why I am not going to answer that question. If I told you, it would in a way be perceived sort of like a new revelation ...and that's been a problem lately. People are too quick to accept new revelations. If that new revelation involves reinterpreting, and finding new truths ...then the person making the claim adds something to My truth which makes it often not an understanding given by the Holy Spirit, but makes it less true. One person adds something, then another adds something ...and that's why I told My apostle John that nothing was to be added, as the documented truth about Me would be so much more extensive and so very wrong. And the people are already confused enough with all the seeds of doubt sown ...less and less people see Me for who I am. Or they may not believe in Me at all."
"Wouldn't that which I'm going to share be perceived the same way? And wouldn't it confuse people even more?"
"I am not saying people should not give their testimony. And I've given you the mind to organize thoughts, and of course the Holy Spirit keeps that straight. When you are led by the Holy Spirit, there is never a discrepancy between that leading and My Word. I know you've read My Word ...and believe it's My Word. My apostle Matthew had a mind for detail, and he wrote about My story of the sower in his 13th Chapter. Your dog is barking again, so you are awake. See what the dog needs, then you can read again what Matthew wrote."
There was a rabbit in my yard, and that is what the barking was about. The rabbit was being as still as possible, thinking it couldn't be seen. But, no dog would fall for that ...so, I felt I'd better approach the rabbit to get it to safely exit my yard.
It's quiet again, so let's see ...Chapter 13 of Matthew's writing: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Well, I'm not going back to sleep today anymore ...so, I'll just let the Holy Spirit give me understanding. And the best way to do that is by reading forward from where I left off, beginning with verse 10: "Then beginning in verse 10: The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
Well, this doesn't register in my mind quite right, as it doesn't feel right that the secrets were given to some and not others. And saying that whoever has, will be given more sounds like the rich people in my society getting richer. And worse yet, it says that those who don't have, will have what little they have taken from them. That sounds like a dictatorship.
But, with those kinds of thoughts trying to penetrate my brain, I definitely need to read on ...and I trust the Holy Spirit will dispel those errant thoughts. Yes, reading on.
"This is why I speak to them in parables:
'Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’"
Of course, it's not talking about monetary riches. It mentions the 'heart' and also 'healing' ...so, it doesn't appear to be physical healing, but healing of their hearts which have been calloused. So, those who care to understand will understand more ...more 'given' them, as in more understanding.
But, the difficult understanding is when it says those who don't have ...what they do have will be taken from them. Wouldn't we want them to understand? Isn't that what we attempt to do ...to reason with others to help them understand?? In the first Chapter of Isaiah, it says "Come now, and let us reason together ..."
It is a difficult thing to understand, though that is what we should always be compelled to do, why does 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2 say a strong delusion will be sent, so they will believe a lie?
And the first Chapter of Romans says " ...when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise ...And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man ...Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator ..."
Well, that explains much ...but some of you may still ask why God would not reason with them. And God very often has us extending our love in bringing forth the conversation.
If we can for a moment picture in our minds when Jesus was speaking to the multitudes of many who were eager to hear what He had to say, there were often those in the crowd who opposed Jesus. It was even more intense if the large crowds were not in the countryside, but in the city. It doesn't mean the city dwellers are bad, but there is usually more government and more leaders there ...and those leaders are not always so open to a new leader. And many of them did not like the people embracing the new leader ...named Jesus. Also, with more power and authority that they attempt to wield in the city, it doesn't have to be a majority, it often becomes a loud number of people ...and they shouted in favor of crucifying Jesus.
Today, people can gather together in a society where there are freedoms ...let's talk about the United States of America, where it is stated in the 1st amendment of the Constitution that we have the freedom of speech, the press, and of assembly.
But, sometimes peaceful assemblies turn into unreasonable gatherings. Even with the guidelines of laws, there are times where reasoning is of no concern or motivation. The Supreme Court of the United States, a little over a year now at the time of this writing, ruled that each state should decide by their own voting how to handle abortion, yet people were allowed to go against federal law and protest outside a Supreme Court Justice's home. Reasoning is not very possible when people are allowed to break the law ...as the lawbreakers garner to themselves undue authority. The previous year the infamous January 6th riots took place at the Capitol. And it is in question as to how that all began, but it should not have.
In Matthew Chapter 12, Jesus presents this parable, " ...Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?" Well, many are trying to bind the truth about Jesus.
protest and screaming
(my Mom, my Dad, Losens////
Matthew 13 ....beginning in verse ----
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
