Antidote for spiritual staleness

I’ve had some wild dreams, most of which were the result of a colorful imagination or unusual culinary concoctions right before bed.

However, at the end of December, 2004, I had a vivid three-part dream I’d like to share. It came at a time when spiritual staleness had crept into my life, and I needed God’s help to break out of its grip.

Part One: I was dead (but very aware), lying on my back on a cold slab in a dark, eerie mausoleum. Across the room from me I saw three or so demons hopping and dancing about, paying no attention to me at all because I was dead. Although the room was creepy and I was terribly uncomfortable, I realized I was unafraid and very safe. I knew that the demons couldn’t touch me—again, because I was dead. I felt a strong connection to Christ and said to myself, “Well, anyways, I’ll rise up again!”

Part Two: As I was looking out my back door, I noticed a cave off to the right. A large bear emerged, and I thought, “I didn’t know there were bears in these parts.”

Then I saw a huge Galapagos tortoise walking through the yard from the left side, and I worried that the bear would devour him. However, the bear paid no attention to the turtle. Strolling to join the Galapagos was another—a female (I could tell by her long eyelashes. Stop laughing—it was a dream), and the two of them walked through my yard slowly but surely, without a care in the world.

Part Three: I looked out the same door again and saw a filthy white and red tabby cat named Rowe. I knew the bear would get him, so despite the fact that my resident cats would throw hissy fits, I let him in.

I noticed problems with Rowe’s mouth right away. He had blackish blisters on his lips, and his lower right canine tooth was missing. I opened his mouth and saw that he had a blackish tumor the size of half a grape on the back of his tongue. My thought was to get him to the vet as soon as possible.

Upon awakening I realized that God had given me insight into the staleness of my spiritual walk and was revealing steps to recapture the fire.

First, He showed me to reckon myself as dead. Dead people don’t get offended. I had been living my life very much alive to offense and hurt—and it was dulling me. He showed me that dead people in a cemetery are unmoved by what the living walking above them say. In the same way, in Christ I was to reckon—consider and count—myself as dead to the enemy and all his offensive tactics against me. “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11); “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Walking in offense was just as sinful for me as having an affair, boozing it up, or stealing from my friends. Uh oh, I thought. Time to reckon myself as dead.

Secondly, He directed me to put on the armor of God (see Ephesians 6). The Galapagos tortoises could amble about without a care in the presence of a prowling bear because of their shell-armor. I, too, could gain confidence and move without fear in the purposes of God if I was clothed in the armor He provided.

And third was the mouth. The cat in my dream was diseased in his mouth. God revealed to me that to live effectively involved maintaining a healthy mouth. I had grown lazy with my words, complaining, backbiting, and spewing bitter words without restraint. In the dream, I had pity on the sick cat and had a sense of urgency to get him veterinarian help; however, I needed to be all the more diligent to obtain spiritual medicine for my own mouth.

As I reflect on this dream ten years later, I am intensely aware of my need to take up these spiritual antidotes once again. A season of reckoning myself dead to sin and offense won’t cut it. My enemy seeks to pull me off course daily, and as I consistently reckon myself as dead, his job success decreases exponentially.

Likewise, putting on the armor every now and then is as foolish as getting dressed only once in a while! God has given me an invaluable set of protective armor so that the enemy’s tactics won’t find me vulnerable or exposed. But I must put it on as readily as I put on clothing every day if I want to effectively resist in the evil day, doing everything to stand firm (see Ephesians 6:13).

And on that note, I realized that for me to guard my mouth except when I get hurt or offended—or tired or bummed out or sick—is about as smart as wearing a seatbelt except when I’m in a big hurry, or there’s bad weather or a lot of traffic. To watch what I say only when things are going well isn’t very spiritual at all. But on the other hand, “the tongue of the wise brings healing” (see Proverbs 12:18)—even to my own life!

So take it from an unusual dream: Reckon yourself as dead in Christ, put on the full armor of God, and acquire spiritual medicine to heal your mouth of diseased words! These are surefire antidotes to spiritual staleness.

Dorothy