Awaken the Dawn

I am in a car. I feel dazed and confused. I look in front of me and I see my house. My Mom and Brother and in there. Thats weird. Dan just got married. Why is he at home? I see another car next to mine. It's full of what seems to be gang bangers. The driver takes a hit from a bong and follows it with a hit from a 40. What is going on? I overhear one of them mumble a reminder to get in and get out. I feel heaviness on my lap. I look down to find a fully loaded .9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Where did I get a gun? Why do I have it? I hold it in my hand. It feels like it weighs two hundred pounds. I look at the guys in the other car. They are still taking hits. I look at my house and see my mom go into her room. My brother throws himself on the couch. His day was done. It was time to relax for him. I am still dazed. I am still confused as to why there is a gun in my lap. I look over and see the gang bangers loading clips into hand guns and cocking them. They are going into my house to kill my family. Why am I sitting here doing nothing? I am armed. I can help them if I needed to. I sit in my car. I watch as the four men walk into my house and unload their clips on the brother I love. The men leave. They peel off and I am sitting there with a gun in my lap and my heart beating a mile a minute. I just witnessed my brother getting killed and I sat here doing nothing. I run into my house and find my brother on the floor of the living room. He is bleeding everywhere. My Mom runs out of her room. She was not shot, praise God. My brother stands up holding his head. Blood pours out from his skull. I keeping thinking: "why did I not stop them? i had everything I needed in order to stop them? i could have at least warned them!"

I wake up to the Lord prompting my heart to remember this: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

There are many in our lives whom we love. There are friends. There are family. There are church family members. We have so many people in our lives who we care for and they care for us. Would we use all the weapons that God has given to us to fight in order to see them safe? He has given us His Word. He has given us His salvation. Most importantly He has given us His Spirit. The Bible says that we were not given a sprit of fear but of power and strength and a sound mind. Jesus says concerning the church (of whom you and I are a part of) that the gates of hell shall not prevail over it. David declares in Psalm 27 that The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." The overarching theme of security in God is that we have victory over the enemy of the world.

This is not to say that we are not in this together. I believe in dreams and visions and I am confident that the dream that I was given was a stern wake up call. "Michael! Wake up! There are people hurting around you! People you love! You are armed with Truth. You are armed with Hope. You are armed with salvation. Would you awaken those who are broken? Would you awaken those who need healing? Would you awaken those who are hungry?"

Jesus is a man of much grace. We all know that. Afterall, the Bible says that it is by grace we have been saved and not by works lest any man should boast. Jesus was the perfect picture of grace. But He is also a man of much Truth. Read through the story in John 12 with the woman caught in adultery. We see the priests about to kill her and Jesus intercedes for her and says "he who is without sin may cast the first stone". Brilliant. They drop their stones and her accusers are gone. Jesus drops down to her level and says "where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She, most indefinitely shaken up, replies saying "Lord, no man" Jesus says "neither do I condemn you". A perfect picture of Grace. Romans says "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus..." After He says that, Jesus speaks Truth to her and says "go, and sin no more". Truth. Truth.

I believe that God is calling us to do just that. To lay aside the things that are putting us to sleep, in a sense. To cast away our distractions and lay ahold of Jesus Christ.

God spoke to me and I believe He has spoken to us all: Wake up. Remember my goodness. Wake up.

"O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth.." (Psalm 108)