I woke early this morning after a disturbing dream.

I’m not exactly sure how to begin this post. My mind is still a bit jumbled and foggy ( after all I did just wake up, haven’t even had a sip of my coffee yet…let me do that now)

In this dream we moved just outside the busy city we live in. The house was beautiful and I said “WOW, God is so good…I didn’t expect to move so quickly I just started praying a month ago.!” My daughter was trying to figure out how to ride a tractor, which wasn’t going very well and she ended up in the neighbor yard, down the lanes. Somehow we ended up in the house talking to the women who lived their and her three children, two boys and a girl. The women mentioned very kindly that her husband would be home and she needed to start dinner. The two boys were a little wild and poking fun at each other, But it was the daughter that gave me pause raising a red flag –she seemed very nervous, scared even that we were in the house and she stayed slightly hidden, as if protecting herself, behind a door way wall. A large pick up truck entered the drive with a rugged looking blonde haired man. The mother became suddenly politely pushy, “I’m sorry, you must leave, NOW!” Her emphasis on “now” caused me to pause again with a red flag. As we walked out the front door to the road headed home, I turned and looked down their drive to where the man was and a feeling of dread hit me for just a moment…a pause and another red flag. I thought “smile starla, you don’t want to be rude!!!” I turned and smiled. He nodded.

The remainder of the dream wasn’t good and the reason why I awoke so early in the first place. This man was a bad, bad, bad man. I will spare you the details. But I will tell you my conclusions from reflecting.

How many times do we “feel” or notice these RED FLAGS and let them pass? I know that I have felt them and I know when I have let them pass. There has been drama, hurt feelings, sadness, pure stupidity, and scary situations from not listening to those RED FLAGS!! Sometimes I think we Christians can box things in too much. God gave us this amazing body, mind and soul. He has placed physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional powers to help us navigate, interpret, hear and comprehend His ways and voice.

But here is what happens ….what we have been (for lack of a better word) indoctrinated with CONTROLS US.

Let me explain. Your thoughts are powerful, they dictate your actions before they happen. There is a very small window of opportunity to “take captive” for good or not good, certain thoughts before they become your actions.

Now the Spirit is our navigator. I believe He is talking all the time. God speaks through everything we just have to pay attention and learn how He speaks to us. I believe part of His language is these “RED FLAGS.” When I noticed this little girl in my dream, my gut knew that something was not right. Then when the mother pushed us out before the dad came home told me again something scary was going on. But it wasn’t until I saw the man and felt dread that something else kicked in that thwarts me and possibly you at times.

DREAD is defined as GREAT FEAR,TO BE RELUCTANT TO DO,MEET OR EXPERIENCE, TO DREAD DEATH.

This man’s “feel” was like death itself was standing there looking at me. BUT look at what I did to myself. My knower knew this man was BAD NEWS for me and my family. BUT a simple thought “I don’t want to be rude”  going against my knower. NOW THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!

We are told as Christians to LOVE.

Love the brethren.

Love your enemy.

Do good to those who use you.

Forgive.

To put on kindness, goodness, mercy, forbearance. Which are all “right things”…

BUT ABOVE ALL –OBEY THE FATHER!!

Obedience is better than sacrifice. It is a sacrifice to love someone who drives you crazy, but there are times GOD SAYS RUN and we better MOVE!!!

God speaks to us in many ways. Tells us in His Word what sin, evil, death looks like. He describes it for us. and He says “My people perish for lack of knowledge” God has given us His Spirit for discernment and His Word for understanding. When we don’t listen to that we walk in a dangerous place. We know things and we choose not to listen because we “feel” like bad people who don’t love if we do. BUT JESUS (whose mind we HAVE –1 Cor. 2:16) when the Pharisee’s and the Sadducee’s had in heart and mind to kill Him, harm Him, stone him…what did He do??

He went away from them!!!

He didn’t try to “LOVE” them by staying close, talking kindly, and being a good Christian boy! Jesus said “He did only what the Father told Him to do” …and HE LEFT, WALKED AWAY, REMOVED HIMSELF, and in most cases NEVER WENT THERE AGAIN. Some came again to Him…sought Him out and He did deal with them in love. BUT their hearts had changed and He knew it.

In this dream I went on to become a victim of great pain and suffering. It all started from a little thought seed “don’t be rude” that went against what I KNEW within my spirit. ( which I knew was DANGER !! DANGER!! ) I returned to this place, got pressured into letting him “help” me with something. The end wasn’t good. I ignored the RED FLAGS.

See how one little removal of a boundary leads to more removing of boundaries…little by little, like a snake, the enemy infiltrated until I was destroyed.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, LISTEN TO GOD NOT MAN….NOT EVEN IF IT IS YOUR OWN HUMAN NATURE MAN INSIDE.

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

Starla