If someone has chosen to fully surrender to God, and do all things for God's glory, as they begin to receive more strength and grace from God to overcome fleshly desires or addictions, what would it mean if they suddenly dreamed of Colossians 2:23(a scripture they weren't previously familiar with) the same day they were able to resist a temptation after much prayer and worship to God(that they they were not able to resist before)?
I know that God can speak to us through dreams, but does Satan have this ability as well? Could this be a reminder from God, or a form of accusation from the Devil to make one doubt they are truly overcoming these things through the power of Christ? Thanks
Colossians 2:23 says: Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
2007-01-01 05:03:02 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
NOTE: This stands out to me, because this scripture was NOT previously familiar to me...so I'm wondering if there is a particular reason I dreamed of this EXACT scripture, at this PARTICULAR time.
Also, this is a temptation I've overcome after private prayer and reflection with God, not after publically speaking of it, or telling others what I'm doing and why. So I was concerned about the humility portion of this scripture.
2007-01-01 05:04:01 · update #1
If you've surrendered to God, and you have, and you dream of Colossians 2:23 , the Holy Spirit is teaching you that the gospel has freed you from attempting to gain heaven by self-effort. Heaven is assured and your elimination of fleshly desires, addictions and temptations will be taken care of. Whatever the Holy Spirit begins in us He is more than able to finish. You are being purified and refined daily and the Holy Spirit will teach you all things that you need to know and change.
Believe me when I tell you that Satan doesn't give you Scripture to help you. The battlefield between us and Satan is in the mind, but Satan accuses. Satan would have told you something like you can't overcome that addiction or desire or temptation no matter how much you pray.
God was telling you that you aren't subject any more to legalistic ordinances. Your eternal salvation is not based on your ability to resist temptations.
Verse 23 is better translated, "Which things do indeed have an appearance of wisdom consisting in self-imposed worship and false humility and in severe treatment of the body; but this is of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."
Legalism is outwardly impressive, but denies self-denials ability to harness the sensual appetite of man's sinful nature-flesh.
You are truly overcoming these things through the power of Christ, the Holy Spirit in you and not your doing at all. What the Holy Spirit starts He is more than able to finish. The Lord is trying to show you how easy His yoke is and trust Him to get it done.
2007-01-01 05:55:48 · answer #1 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok God and Satan both can get in your head. The only thing Satan can't do is read your thoughts. Thankfully. Oh and he doesn't know that whole future thing either. Anyway how I learned to discern these things is that if it Glorifies God it mostlikely is from God, if it doesn't even if it seems right it probably isn't from God. If it helped you overcome a temptation and you can share that with people it glorifies God, so I would say that this dream was from God. My friend had a dream of a scripture about being angered about the past and the next day he came across someone he used to hate and the dream reminded him to not get angry. So This isn't the first I've heard about scriptures in dreams.
2007-01-01 05:09:23 · answer #2 · answered by Blaize Pennington 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Friend Yes God can & will speak to his people in dreams & visions, But also Satan can give a dream or a vision, & the way to test that dream is go to the word of God, If anything is against the word of God, don't listern to it, & if something is according to the word of God & you don't understand it, the old saying is lay it on a shelf & when it is God's DUE time, he will reveal it to you. I know many Christians don't think satan can give a dream or vision, But satan took Jesus upon a high mountain in a vision & showed him all the kingdoms of the world, & as you study Jesus life, you will see satan using scriptures to a certain point try to deceive, But what did Jesus come back with, More Scriptures & that is where satan stop, Yes satan will use a verse or two out of context, But if you came back at satan with more scriptures, He will have to flee. So don't worry about your dream, If God gave it, & you don't understand, in God's DUE TIME he will reveal it to you, If satan gave it, you have nothing to fear, & even if God gave it to you, you still have nothing to fear, Because God does things to help his people & not discourage.
2007-01-01 05:20:20 · answer #3 · answered by birdsflies 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you have to look at the whole Chapter to get a sense out of what is being said in Verse 23. Basically what Paul is warning people about are "things that are based on human commands". In other words man made laws (rules, regulation and judgement). Christ's harshest citicism was for those who twisted Mosiac Law into something that no human being could ever possibly live up to.
Ask in prayer for discernment of what this message is saying to you.
And, yes God does speak to us in dreams and through other people. All we have to do is be open and receptive to these occurances.
2007-01-01 05:19:33 · answer #4 · answered by camel140791 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Gnostic heresy was affecting the church at the time which Paul was trying to get rid of. According to notes in my Bible, it included ceremonialism, with strict rules about permissible food and drink, religious festivals and circumcision; asceticism; angel worship; depreciation of Christ; "secret knowledge" and reliance on human wisdom and tradition.
The whole of this epistle concentrates on exposing the heresy for what it is. In this verse Paul explains that the asceticism of the Gnostics is man imposed and not from God and that the harsh practices which they indulged in and paraded before others were worthless in that they failed to control sinful desires.
I have no idea whether Satan can speak to us through dreams, but he has clearly got to you in giving you this niggling doubt after a victory in Christ which signalled a defeat for him. As you already know, he is the accuser of the brethren and never misses a chance.
These words were principally for the church of the day, although they contain a warning for modern Christians who set more store by rules and regulations which are largely man made than the truth of the word of God.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Cor 15:56).
May this be a year of victory for you in Him!
2007-01-01 05:33:50 · answer #5 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God has informed you that we are free and not to forget the meaning of the atonement provided. We are free from law and no longer powerless to overcome and we are not to live as if the resurrection is of none effect.Do not glory in following the law it is now your new nature not a law that you are overcoming Christ has overcome and he has fulfilled the law and you are made new by the power of the resurrection. It is not your glory that changes you but his. I agree with those that recommend Romans and would recommend chapter 6..Col 2 speaks of laws that were shadows and were to be practiced before the atonement such as the Sabbath eating pork clean and unclean things those things were made clean by the atonement and we have entered the Sabbath by faith when Christ was resurrected and we accepted his atonement we enter his rest.
2007-01-01 05:18:08 · answer #6 · answered by djmantx 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume you are a very young Christian. God gave to us His Word, the Bible to give us direction for our lives. We arre told to study and learn of God and His nature and live by the principles of life as He gives them. We do not walk by dreams or visions or feelings but by faith in God through His Word. The Bible says, and repeats four times, in the Old Testament and New Testament "The Just shall live by faith." If you follow any other method you will fall into error. If you want to overcome fleshly desires, try it the Bible way, read (better yet memorize) Romans 6-8 and you will have all the information you need on how to defeat the flesh.
2007-01-01 05:17:45 · answer #7 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keeping rules may make us look holy, but they really lead to self-pride. Mere outward regulations are never of value against the indulgence of the flesh. Unless our hearts have been changed, we can always find a way to keep the rule but disobey God.
2007-01-01 05:08:29 · answer #8 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sure the Devil uses scripture, he twists it to try to trip you up
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
if you were given a scripture in a dream and it has helped your walk, rejoice!
the Lord has given you a very special gift, be thankful and honor Him by continuing to grow in faith
and if at some later date you fail again in this area, confess to the Father, get up and dust yourself off, and return to being an overcomer
may God richly bless you
2007-01-01 05:12:07 · answer #9 · answered by SETFREEBYJESUS 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it means that you have to do it inside as well as without. It's trying to tell you that even though you are not doing the THING that you have to also not THINK about the thing as well, otherwise it means nothing. The thought and the physical action are not so separate from each other as you might think.
"As a man (or woman) thinketh, so is he."
2007-01-01 05:09:52 · answer #10 · answered by Charlamaine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋