Dreams not only give valuable personal insights but also have given many creative insights. Some inventors, for example, have received profound ideas from dreams. I recall reading how the inventor, Elias Howe, designed the first sewing machine. He was having great difficulty in conceiving a workable needle. When he was close to running out of money, he had an unusual dream. He dreamt that he was about to be executed because he failed to design a sewing machine for the king of a strange country.

In his dream he was surrounded by guards, all of whom held spears that had been pierced with holes near the tip. Howe woke up and immediately rushed to his workshop. The perfect concept for the sewing machine needle came to him in this dream. Within a few hours the first sewing machine was well on the way to being designed.

I have heard it said that the theory of relativity came to Einstein in either a dream or a vision. Apparently he saw it on a beam of light. I have also read that the design for the first radio tube came to the inventor in a dream.

Was it time for these discoveries to come into the world and did God give them to the persons who were trained to understand them and put them to use? Or did they just happen by chance? I prefer to think the former.

So whatever we think about dreams, as we said yesterday, they are a God-given gift in that he gave us the ability to dream. Whether we repress them as many do, ignore them as most do, or use them for creative purposes as some do is entirely up to each individual.

To remember dreams it can be very helpful to keep a pen and pad at your bedside and record any dream that makes a strong impression on your mind. Speaking personally, dreams have given me many valuable insights for growth and recovery.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, whenever I have a dream that is meant to help me grow, resolve an issue, do a good deed, help someone in need, or gain a valuable insight, please help me to interpret it correctly and use it for the purpose for which it was given. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joel 2:28.

Dreams. Do they have meaning and purpose? Does God still speak to people through them?

Technically speaking, dreams are the right or creative side of the brain communicating to the left or logical side of the brain. They are often visual symbols representing what we are feeling deep inside. Clinical tests have shown that we all dream every night even if we don’t remember what we have dreamed.

Dreaming is one of nature’s ways to relieve tension. In one test, sleepers were monitored with electronic equipment to show when they were dreaming. As soon as they started to dream, they were awakened and the dream stopped. The test had to be discontinued after several nights as the people in the test were becoming too emotionally distressed.

Some dreams can be caused by an emotional upset; others by stress or physical pain. For several days, following an operation on my Achilles tendon, which I snapped twice in three months, I kept dreaming over and over that I was falling and snapping my tendon. These were more like nightmares!

At other times dreams can be very insightful. For instance, some dreams have clearly shown me conflicts from childhood that I needed to resolve.

When we have repeated dreams on a theme—such as when we are trying to run from something but can’t move, or when we are being chased but can’t get away, or falling and can’t catch ourselves—it may indicate an unresolved fear or conflict from the past. It’s nature’s way of notifying us that we need to resolve some long forgotten memory.

But does God ever speak to us today through dreams as he did in Bible times to the patriarchs and prophets?

At times I think God still uses dreams to communicate to us. On one occasion when my organization (ACTS International) was facing a severe financial crisis, I was feeling very afraid and discouraged, and fell asleep during my morning devotional time when I had a fascinating dream. In the dream I heard a voice that said very clearly, “Philippians 4:18 makes sense to me.”

Immediately I woke up, opened my Bible to that passage and read the following: “I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied!” I had never memorized that Scripture verse so it didn’t come from my memory bank! That certainly encouraged me and, by way of interest, we did survive that crisis.

Some dreams may be from God. Most aren’t. However, the ability to dream is. And we have been given them for a purpose—at least to relieve stress and to gain insights for personal and spiritual growth. The difficulty can be in interpreting them correctly. However, through prayer and practice we can learn to do this and use these dreams creatively.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the God-given ability to dream. Help me to recognize when my dreams are telling me that I have an issue that needs to be resolved, or a responsibility I need to take care of, and then lead me to the help I need to do this. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

To be continued. . .

1. Philippians 4:18.

Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

True, we could call a rose by any other name and that wouldn’t change its characteristics. We would just get to know it by whatever name we called it, and it would still live up to its name.

Names are significant in that they describe what an object is and what its characteristics are. They also identify places, people, positions, and processes—as well as innumerable other things.

The early followers of Jesus Christ were first known as Christ-ones and soon were named Christians. Thus, a true Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ.

But when it comes to name-calling, or labeling, that’s a different issue. As another has said, “If you label me, you negate me.” This is especially true if the label is a negative one.

For example, if you label a politician as either a rank liberal or a rightwing conservative, you will automatically negate him/her to those who hold the opposite position. This is destructive when used falsely and maliciously as a political ploy seeking to destroy the reputation of a particular politician who happens to be opposed to your point of view. Or if you take a stand against abortion, homosexuality, or gay marriage, you will immediately be labeled by many as being a narrow-minded, behind-the-times, politically incorrect ultra-rightwing bigot.

Because I include psychology in some of my writings, my writings have been labeled of the devil by at least one person who claimed that psychology was of the devil. I have also been labeled by some as a psycho-babbler. And, if I am so labeled to others, this will negate me and my ministry to some. Actually, as theology applies to the understanding of God, psychology applies to the understanding of the human mind and personality. This makes Jesus both the Master Theologian and the Master Psychologist par excellence.

While we don’t want to close our eyes to evildoers, the important thing is that we don’t maliciously label others and use such labeling as a form of destructive gossip. For if you label me with a false, negative label, and I do the same to you, we negate each other and in so doing can seriously hurt each other’s good name.

Trying to take back such labeling and gossip is like trying to un-ring a bell.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of gossip by falsely labeling another in an attempt to destroy their good name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 22:1 (NIV).

As Charles Colson in BreakPoint said, “When J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan, the story of a boy who refused to grow up and lived in a place called ‘Neverland,’ he was writing fiction to amuse children.”

Today, however, apparently more and more adults are seeking to model themselves after Peter Pan—not wanting to grow up. As Colson also reported: “A recent article in the New York Times chronicled the emergence of a new cultural trend. Known variously as ‘Peterpandemonium’ or ‘Rejuveniles’ that is characterized by ‘grown-ups who cultivate juvenile tastes in products and entertainment.’”

And says Colson, “‘Peterpandemonium’ extends beyond the mall. A surprisingly large part of the audience for children’s television shows like the Teletubbies are ‘young adults.’ And more people between the ages of 18 and 49 watch the Cartoon Network than watch CNN [news reports].”²

Certainly Hollywood and the media have popularized and glorified the youth culture. And yet at the root of this “madness” is a growing lack of personal responsibility. Too many of us adults play the blame-game refusing to accept responsibility for the mistakes we make and what we personally contribute to our failures, especially in the area of relationships.

Then there is politics and their blame-game seeking to get votes at pretty much any cost. If business is bad, it’s the other party that’s to blame. If people are not getting the handouts they want, then again, it’s the other party’s fault. It’s a sad state of affairs when the politicians who offer the most handouts get the most votes—instead of the politicians who stand for justice, right, personal responsibility, and the good of all the citizens and the nation as a whole.

And if we adults don’t accept personal responsibility and grow up, what can we expect of our kids?

The reality is that I and only I am responsible for my life. True, I was not responsible for a less than perfect upbringing, but I am totally responsible for what I become. I may even “have been a victim in the past, but if I remain one, I am now a willing volunteer.” Furthermore, while I am not responsible for the circumstances that are out of my control, I am totally responsible for my attitude and for what I do about my situation.

Blaming others for the problems I have, and expecting others to resolve my problems for me, is a handy excuse to hang on to if I don’t want to grow up.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to grow in maturity, emotionally as well as spiritually, and accept responsibility for every area of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Colossians 1:28 (NIV).

2. BreakPoint with Charles Colson, www.breakpoint.org/bp-home. Commentary #030916 – 09/16/2003

“Dr. Alfred Adler, the great psychologist, had an experience when he was a young boy. He got off to a bad start learning arithmetic, so his teacher became convinced that Adler was stupid when it came to mathematics. The teacher told his parents that the boy was dumb, and also told them not to expect much from him. His parents were convinced that the teacher’s evaluation was correct.

“Therefore, Adler passively accepted the assessment that they had made of his abilities. And his grades in math proved that they were correct. However, one day he had a sudden flash of insight and thought he saw how to work a problem the teacher had put on the board that none of the other pupils could solve. He raised his hand and announced that he would like to do the problem. The students, and even the teacher, laughed at this. He became indignant. He strode to the blackboard and solved the problem perfectly much to everyone’s amazement. And at that moment he realized that he could understand mathematics. He had been handed an unreal, negative self-evaluation, and he had believed it and performed on the basis of that assessment.

“Many of us have done the very same thing. Someone has told us that our abilities are limited, or that our dreams are unreachable. We have accepted that without question, and we go through life unhappy and unfulfilled. We become estranged from ourselves simply because we believe what others people have told us about ourselves.”²

Every one of us—young and old alike—needs encouragement. To encourage someone is to put courage into them. To discourage is to take courage out of them. It costs nothing to put courage into another … to speak a kind word … to let them know you appreciate them … to tell them you believe in them … that you admire them … to thank them and so on.

So, today, make a point of putting courage into your spouse … your children … your boss … your employees … and the clerk at the local store. Go out of your way to do it. And in blessing others you will be blessed yourself.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you love, believe in, and encourage me. Please use me to encourage and put courage into my loved ones and the people you bring into my life today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: See the poem, “Unsung Songs” at: http://tinyurl.com/songs-unsung.

1. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV).

2. Cited on www.sermons.com.

Most people are aware of who Moses was—the leader of the ancient Israelites who, when leading this young nation out of slavery in Egypt, faced many a battle when conquering the Promised Land given to them by God. In one battle God told Moses that as long as he held his hands heavenward, God would give the Israelites victory over the enemy. If he lowered his hands, the enemy would gain the upper hand. You can imagine how exhausting this would have been for Moses. So, “When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.”²

What was true for Moses is also true for you and me. We all need encouragement and support. This is especially true when we are going through tough times; we need the support of loving friends to hold up our hands.

“Therefore,” as God Word says, “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.^“3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a sensitive and understanding person and always ready to give a helping hand and word of encouragement to a loved one or friend in need of such. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John C. Maxwell, Encouragement Changes Everything, p. 25.

2. Exodus 17:12 (NIV).

3. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV).

Michael Josephson tells about an experiment where “pigeons were put in cages with one green and one red button. In one cage, if the birds pecked the green button they got food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to get enough food. In both cases, pecking the red button did nothing. Both sets of birds thrived, learning what they had to do to survive and ignoring the red button that yielded no food. But when the birds that were used to getting a reward every time [when they hit the green button] were put in the cage that fed them only occasionally, they failed to adapt; they hit their heads against the cage and pecked wildly at everything in sight.

“The pigeons were smart enough to learn quickly how to get the benefits they wanted by hitting the green button and avoid hitting the red button which did nothing for them. Sadly, for some of the pigeons, who had been spoiled by getting rewarded every time they hit the green button, were unable to adapt to the new situation which only worked occasionally.”²

How like human beings! Kids who are spoiled by their parents by getting everything they want can find it exceptionally difficult to adapt in the real world when they have to start fending for themselves. Furthermore, they can have major conflicts in marriage if and when they expect their spouse to continue giving them everything they want—be it realistic or otherwise—with little or no effort on their part.

And then for the rest of us, if we would just learn to stop hitting red buttons, we would find that life would be so much more enjoyable and satisfying.

As Josephson said, “Part of being responsible is learning from experience to appreciate the benefits of tenacity and the wisdom of avoiding useless, harmful and self-defeating patterns of behavior.”³

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to always be responsible in everything I do, and have sense enough to avoid self-defeating patterns of behavior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV).
2. Michael Josephson, Character Counts. http://www.charactercounts.org/.
3. Ibid.

I once asked a class I was teaching what, in their opinion, was the number one weakness in today’s church. One humorist answered, “Apathy, but who cares?”

If I were asked this question, I’d say that in many instances we have become program centered rather than people centered. Some are even too Bible or too doctrinally centered. Now, before you write me off as a heretic, let me explain what I mean.

True, in our relationship to God we need to be Christ-centered. In our doctrinal teaching and manner of living we need to be Bible centered, but when ministering to people we need to be people-centered—whether it’s from the pulpit or among we lay people in our one-on-one relationships to others.

The majority of religious leaders in Jesus’ day were doctrine centered. That is, they loved their doctrinal teachings more than they loved people—and used their teachings to control and condemn people. Some religious leaders still do this today. Other leaders love their programs and use people to support and work their programs. Not good. Instead of loving people and using programs, they love programs and use people.

In ministry Jesus was never program-centered, but rather, was always people centered. That is, he started with people’s needs and applied his message and what he did to meet those needs.

To Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector, the little fellow who climbed a tree to get a good look at Jesus when he came to town. Jesus, sensing his need for acceptance, didn’t preach at him or quote Bible verses to him. He simply said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Upon entering his home, Zacchaeus began confessing his sins. Amazing. When Jesus met his presenting need for acceptance which was a social and emotional need, Zacchaeus then became aware of his deeper spiritual need. To the blind man, and other needy people, Jesus’ basic question was, “What do you want me to do for you?”

If our churches and you and I are to be as Christ to others, whether we are leaders, teachers, or lay persons, we, too, need to be aware of people’s presenting needs and seek, in Christ’s name, to minister to those needs. Little point in preaching the gospel to homeless, hungry people without trying to first feed them and find them shelter. Thank God for the missions who are seeking to do this. Furthermore, there’s little point of telling hurting, lonely, disappointed people, that God loves them if we do little or nothing to help meet their present need. True, there is a need to tell the gospel, but before we tell it, we need to live it and demonstrate it in what we do much more than in what we say.

At that point, though not discernable, when we change from being people centered to becoming program centered, we begin to lose our effectiveness and begin to die.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be understanding and Christ-like in reaching out to others and seek to minister to their presenting need. Help me to love people and use programs to meet their needs, and never use people to promote my personal programs to meet my needs. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 19:4-6 (NIV).

Chuck Swindoll in his book Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns, tells about “a little girl who lost a playmate in death and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother.

“‘What did you say?” asked her father.

“‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her.’”

What did Jesus do when his friend Lazarus died? He wept.

Rare is the friend who knows how to weep with those who weep.

Also, know when to be silent. In the same book, Chuck tells about Joe Bayly, who lost three of his children. He quotes from Joe’s book, The view from a Hearse. Joe writes: “I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.

“Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask me leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.

“I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”*

This visitor and the little girl were being as Jesus to hurting people. May God help us all to be and do likewise.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a tender and sensitive heart and help me to be as Jesus to hurting and sorrowing people. Help me to be silent when I need to be silent, speak kindly when a tender word is needed, and to weep with those who weep. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 11:33-36 (NIV).

*NOTE: Today’s Daily Encounter is taken from I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications, by Dick Innes, pp. 82-83 (2010 edition). Available at: www.actscom.com/store.