Season 4 Genesis 41:1-8 (Joyelle Lee)
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Genesis 41:1-8
”Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. (The same river Moses was placed in & the longest river in the world) In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up. But he fell asleep again and had a second dream.
This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams.
So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.”
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Numbers:
biblical numerology,
"the belief that God reveals hidden meanings through the numbers written in the Bible.”
S E V E N: was a symbol that this WAS a “God-dream.”
significance of #SEVEN!
54x seven is mentioned in Revelation
700x in bible
Seven = not a number but a theology
Seven= HOLY (7th day) =sabbath
PERFECTION
COMPLETENESS
Finished (JESUS!)
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the NUMBERS (3 & 7) were hidden meaning in the BAKER, BUTLER & PHAROAHS dreams that they were : GOD-DREAMS
not every dream is a God dream! (Some are just about burnt chicken nuggets:)
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G O D - D R E A M S :
Matthew 1 & 2 (5 dreams!)
1/3 of life SLEEPING
6 years of life are dreaming!
share my dream (locked door and knife)
BOTH in Acts 2:17 & Joel 2:28-32
“In the last days, God says “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, BOTH men and women, will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
⁃ Dreams are a way the HEAVENLY REALM speaks to the HUMAN REALM
GOD-DREAMS=
To warn
To call people back
To alert
Give counsel
Give caution
Give identity
Give understanding
Give conviction
Give invitations
Give warning
Give direction
Give foresight / forthsight
Give knowledge
Dreams are a CHANNEL how God communicates with you!
How do you know it’s a GOD dream?
Only in the presence of God will you discover if it’s from Him
Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out. (‘To examine thoroughly, investigate, examine, find… to DIG!’)
Jesus spoke in parables— it was up to the disciples to INQUIRE (examine, find, investigate, DIG) truth behind the “story.”
Matt 13:10-13 “His disciples CAME TO HIM and ASKED him, “WHY do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
Luke 8:9 “His disciples ASKED HIM (not others, themselves, google, physchics) what this parable meant.”
Mark 4:34 “In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was ALONE with his disciples, he explained everything to them.”
1. Come to Him
2. Ask Him WHY
3. Get alone
4. He’ll explain everything
Look at your sleep as “Holy ground”
NIGHT—Pray over Jamie to have “God dreams” each night!
MIDDLE OF NIGHT— write down the prayer!!!
MORNING— honor God with the start of your day.. let Him unravel truth behind your dream. (Share more)
Forgotten dreams — may indicate a lack of intimacy with God.
But too much focus on dreams also indicates a lack of intimacy !
⁃ He speaks also- in His Word, journaling, praying, still small whisper
⁃ Someone Always having dreams/visions may be looking for the supernatural EXPERIENCE more than the SuperNatural BEING.
• One dream from God can alter the entire trajectory of your life!
⁃ write down EVERY detail of your dream!
If not, details begin to diminish
Write down & share w/ someone about the dream — to draw the details (make it clearer)
What color was the door?
How many locks ?
What did the knife look like?
What was i feeling?
Pay attention to your emotional -posture in the dream!
Anxious?
Peaceful?
Fearful?
Worry?
Joy?
The “dream” may not match your emotional-posture
Dream-Interpretation.com CANNOT tell you what you FELT. — only God!
Pharaoh ran to the phone before the THRONE—
(“The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams.
So…. he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.”)
What about you?
Who’s your “magicians & wise men?”
A Ted talk
A Self help book
A Friend
A Parent
A Sibling
A Therapist / counselor
Taro cards
A psychic
GOOGLE?
Articles, people, podcasts, books CANNOT interpret your dream!
“INTERPRETING DREAMS IS GOD’S BUSINESS” (Gen 40.8)
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1. Ezekiel’S DREAM/VISION ~ Ezekiel 8:7-8
“Then he brought me to the DOOR of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall. He said to me, “(Ezekiel), now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a hidden DOORWAY there.”
Ezekiel’s standing at a cross road
a large open door on one side & a small hole in a wall on the other.
You been there? Me too.
Matt 7.13,14 -“the door is WIDE and the way is EASY that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the DOOR is NARROW and the way is HARD that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
God doesn’t have Ezekiel walk through the WIDE & EASY open door.
Nope.
Instead, He tells Ezekiel to go to the wall & DIG till he finds a hidden narrow small DOOR.
God directs him to the wall… NOT the wide open door.
⁃ One led to familiarity; The other to mystery
⁃ One led to comfortability; The other to uncertainty
⁃ One led to visibility; The other to humility
⁃ One led to easability; The other to difficulty
⁃ One led to self-adjusting; The other to God-trusting
⁃ One led to complacency; The other to destiny
⁃ “….So I dug into the wall and saw a hidden doorway there.” (Ez 8:8)
It’s time to dig my friends.
Luke 13:6-9 NIV
parable of FRUITLESS fig tree (us!)
“Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll DIG around it and dung it (KJV-get messy!)
9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Bearing FRUIT= REQUIRES digging & dunging
(Digging into my soul— excavating ALL rocks= MESSY BUSINESS)
—> it’s the messy tears that fertilize the soul!!!
Digging & Dunging (the messy)
REQUIRES being on knees
(HUMILITY REQUIRED)
Luke 10:17,20– “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “(But I say-) Do not REJOICE because evil spirits OBEY you — but REJOICE that your names are written in heaven.”(REJOICE: GLAD, EXCITED, HAPPY, GIDDY)
(A common way satan gets in a persons life— REJOICING in a miracle done through them ; more than the miracle of being in Lambs book of life!)
Matt 7:23
“many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord!
We (1)prophesied in your name and
(2)cast out demons in your name and
(3) performed many miracles in your name.’
But I will reply, ‘I never KNEW you. Get away from me— you who break God’s laws.’
“KNEW” (eyvwv)= to be intimately connected
• God’s much more interested in us DIGGING & DUNGING (FIRST)— then He is us DELIVERING out devils.
RIGHT ORDER!
James 3:16-17
“For wherever there is jealousy & selfish ambition, there you will find DISORDER and evil of EVERY kind.”
— pharaoh was OUT OF ORDER he let evil-of-every-kind in!
So…… DIG !
Dig into God’s alive Word that offers rest; Dig out performance based Christianity.
Dig into God’s immeasurable grace & dig out inordinate affections.
Dig into God’s pure love & dig out toxic bitterness.
Dig into God’s majestic glory & dig out counterfeit comforts.
Dig into God’s boundless peace & dig out crippling anger.
Dig into God’s anchored security & dig out poisonous jealousy.
Dig into God’s unfathomable kindness & dig out relentless regret.
Dig into God’s tailor fit calling & dig out demonic shame.
Dig into God’s chain breaking freedom & Dig out harassing addictions.
Dig into God’s established promises & dig out echoing worry.
Dig into God’s mighty power & dig out buried impossibilities.
Dig into God’s still small voice & dig out the constant need for the supernatural experiences
Dig into God’s matchless holiness & dig out paralyzing fear.
Because it’s in the divine beauty of the digging— you WILL find Gods “hidden doorway”
⁃ A doorway echoing a gentle whisper, saying…
“Yes, I am the door. Those who come in through me will be saved (rescued, healed, delivered, protected.) They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.” (John 10:9)
STORY- bought a 1890 farmhouse in 1999.
demo / digging day (MESSY!)
We found treasures in our kitchen!!
We don’t come to His word as an ORPHAN digging for food IN the DUMPSTER …
But as an ARCHAEOLOGIST digging (excavating) for treasures! (Excited & EXPECTANT to find treasure!!!)
LUKE 6:47-48 (NLT)
“I will show you what it’s like when someone (1)comes to me, (2)listens to my teaching, and then (3)follows it.
It is like a person building a house who
(1) digs deep &
(2) lays the foundation on solid rock.
“When (not “if”) the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”
A person who
Seeks (comes) to God
Listens to God
Follows God …
Will naturally DIG DEEP & LAY FOUNDATION on His solid rock!
we canNOT build our life on Rock; without first DIGGING DEEP!!!!
We must first DIG, to find the DOOR/ the ROCK on which we stand!
In Michigan— you MUST DIG 38 inches to lay the foundation (to not cause shifting of the ground)
DIGGING ALWAYS precedes the BUILDING-on-the-Rock (the fruit produced)
AMEN