The Warning

Jesus likes to wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me phrases or words. They would be on my mind in a loop and He would want me to wake up and write them down. They’re messages and warnings for myself or for others. He continues to repeat it until it’s recorded down. This would happen in the middle of the night, I would be lazy to do it because I would rather sleep and He would not let until I do. This time was different…

The Dream

When I received the words “idle” and “idol”, I woke up and immediately knew what it meant. But because I was not obedient, He let me go back to sleep this time and decided to teach me a lesson in a dream. In the dream I was chasing after the two words. The words were not what I was chasing after, but it was the understanding of them. As I was running after them, I regretted being disobedient and now I had to work for it. I did not want to lose what He had given me.

On my journey to chase after the understanding, something else caught my attention. I didn’t remember what it was. From the moment I lost focus, the word “idle” vanished. I was devastated and turned away from what distracted me and continued on my journey. This time, I was chasing the word “idol” and its meaning while trying to regain the word “idle”.

As I continued to chase after the word “idol”, I was diverted away from my purpose and that word also vanished. At this moment, I realized I lost the understanding and now the words. I felt like my life was crumbling. I woke up and laid awake in my bed in distress with regrets of not being obedient. The only thought that came into my mind was to repent and mediate while focusing on Jesus. After doing so, the word “idol” came back with no meaning attached to it, but that wasn’t good enough for me so I continued to mediate more. Half an hour later (which seemed like forever), the word “idle” appeared and I promptly noted the word on paper. The understanding of the words were still unapparent, but that’s okay. Since I had them, I could continue to focus on the words throughout the week and the insight to them would eventually come back.

Definitions of the Words

Idle : (of a person) avoiding work; lazy (adj) : spend time doing nothing (verb) : (of an engine) run slowly while disconnected from a load or out of gear (verb)

Idol (also short for idolatry) : extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone : an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship : a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered.

The Explanation

We ourselves should never be disobedient to what our Lord Jesus wants us to do. Obedience gives us life and disobedience will depart us from life. This dream is a good example of that.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Jesus prompted me in my dream that we are all on a race. At the end of this race, there was a heavenly prize waiting for us. Yes, sleep is significant, but if He awakens you, like he did me, to show you a truth that will be of benefit, you should listen. This could be a teaching moment for yourself where it could apply to your own life and then teach it others.

You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:2 NLT

In my case, the prize of winning the race was the insight to the words “idle” and “idol”. Along my journey, I saw something that caught my attention twice and failed to keep sight of my task. When my focus was diverted, I would lose the words until eventually the prize was nowhere to be found. What distracted me from my end goal could’ve been something from my past or just something random that kept me from seeing what lay ahead.

When our mind is idle to God, we leave room for unknown idols to come into our mind. I am guilty of this. For example: one problem I struggle with is coming home, going straight to the couch and turning on the TV. After a long day at work, socializing and managing, all I want to do is numb my mind. So what’s the best way to do that? Watch TV. At first I thought it was harmless and well deserved but when I heard these two words the Lord had given me “idle” and “idol”, instantly I knew what they meant. We might not realize it, but when our focus is on something else other than Jesus, we leave room for other spiritual beings to come into our lives. In this case, the distraction was a spiritual entity that led me away from my path. The only spirit that should dwell in us is the Holy Spirit.

We might think what we entertain ourselves with is harmless, but in truth, it has a huge effect on our behaviour. Watching television and going on social media could escort us into idleness which compels us to absorb immoral things. The majority of music nowadays is sexualized and can tempt us into lust. The influencers society idolizes today can stir up the feeling of envy and ungratefulness in our own lives. Gossip produces hatred, bitterness, discrimination, and wrath towards people in our lives and put a false image on someone we don’t know. Our society is blasted with advertisements which fan the flames of greed and listening to the truths of the world will awaken the pride within us. These are just a few examples of many. All this leads us away from Jesus the only One that can lead us to life.

Food for Thought

What are you consuming in your mind? Who is your idol? Is it something or someone that will help you grow in your relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, or is it something that takes you away? Are you idle to his commands? We need to be careful and be aware of what we’re consuming. If it leads us away from Jesus, is it worth it?