TheWhiteShadow

I just wanted to add one more thing that came about as a side-effect, if you will, from what's going on with everything up above: I had shared the simple dream that I had about my niece, and what I felt it meant, in a conversation with my mother. She was quite surprised when I told her that my cousin DID call me, just as I felt that he would. I know that she believed me, because she had me repeat the whole thing to my younger brother today, especially the dream portion. He ALSO seemed receptive - in fact, he told me that he's had experiences where he KNEW that he had dreamed it before it happened. From that, I shared one of my earliest experiences of the same thing. I didn't feel that I should push anything overly spiritual during these conversations...more like they were for planting seeds. I have specifically asked God to use dreams as a way to reach my family, and I want to believe that this is a sliver of what is to come. So, if anyone would be so kind as to pray for me (and my family) in this regard, that would be very awesome. :)

Wow! Totally awesome, Cholette! No doubt you're looking forward to July! I have an opportunity to hear a prophet in May of this year who spoke things over me 15 years ago. Your story only amplifies my anxiety! -Mark

First off, thank you Cholette for what you've shared with me. You know, I've given that same advice to others so many times...to be led by peace...and yet, I'm so guilty of not following my own advice. This actually happens in many areas - Why do I have wisdom to give to others, and then difficulty in following it for myself? :) Thank you for praying for me. I have peace about the old job when I just step back and consider it as a whole. When I start to look for negative things about it, of course I'm going to find them. And then, they begin to chip away at peace. Truthfully, they're just issues that I know I'll have to face as a result of the choice I made to leave - like a bit of ridicule from others and the loss of the nearly six years that I invested into it...which includes benefits like vacation, etc. This actually leads right into my next thoughts: Thank you, Daisy, for what the experiences that you shared. Oddly enough, I once left a job that I was really good at (for someone my age, at the time), to find one with a "normal" schedule. I found it as well, 8-5, Monday through Friday...and I absolutely hated it. I did it well, don't get me wrong. God gave me the ability to do good work while I was there...but I was miserable. I eventually left that job for my recently-old job, where the hours weren't great (3rd shift), but it was sorta Monday-Friday (Sunday-Thursday/Friday), but it was something that I really enjoyed for the first few years. Well, I left this place because I thought that the grass was greener across the street. Now I see how good I had it. But, your story (along with Astra's) gives me hope that God can do something wonderful to redeem my mistake. I've only been gone about 2 months, but my heart is very much changed - I've been humbled by this. My hope is that I'm spared much of the shame that I expect to have to go through upon returning. Thanks, everyone. -Mark

Thank you, Astra, for sharing what you have. I am guilty of not having prayed for my leaders with consistency when I was at my former job. Should I go back, this is something I will commit to doing, as I know that good things come out of being obedient in this area. And I also know, like you shared, that God can and will move out those people who stand as obstacles to His kingdom...so, what should I fear? I spent a great deal of time this morning praying about my situation. I must have been plenty tired, because I (embarrassingly!) fell asleep...but, I woke up with the words "Joshua 5" on my mind. Now, I didn't know what it was going to speak about before I looked it up...and I'm believing that it's verse 9 that was meant for me: "Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” A huge hangup for me with going back to where I was would be the shame of returning to a situation that I was excited to be leaving. God knows this. Reading this verse, though, makes me feel that I should not have to worry about that. Just one more confirmation that it'll be ok if I return...

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I need and appreciate them. I asked God for peace yesterday, since I've just been incredibly anxious about the new job ever since I arrived, yet unable to commit to going back to the old one. For the first time, I thought about returning to the old job and had the peace that I asked for. On the flip side, yesterday was an "easy" day at the new job, and yet my body is so incredibly sore today that I'm half-dreading going in tonight...where 10 hours in -10 degrees awaits me. :)

Hello, all - Last year I went through a long process, full of plenty of prayer and seeking God's will in changing jobs. There was confirmation all along the way, and I was quite confident that I was making the right decision. I've since left my old job on good terms - with my boss's last words being "If you want to come back, I'm sure we can make it happen." And now I've been learning the new job. Thing is, this job isn't exactly what was advertised. I have problems with doubt, that perhaps I've made a mistake. I've even had a dream come to mind that I didn't exactly understand at the time...but, now I see that it was about this job. The basic meaning of the dream was that what I had been getting wasn't what I thought it was. I didn't recognize the warning at the time, and now here I am. There's struggles with learning something new, which I understand. And I'm consistently improving, little by little. This job, though, is incredibly taxing on my body...and I'm a pretty fit fella. It's incredibly fast-paced, and half of the time is spent in refridgerator or freezer conditions, which really wears me down! Heh, I'm starting to whine and ramble a bit, here... So, I had been thinking about the prospect of going back to where I was before. Yes, I was unhappy...but, I'm actually seeing it differently, now. I really didn't appreciate what I had. My first question is: Would God have allowed me to leave with the purpose of showing me a heart-matter in me of my lack of appreciation? With that, let me throw this dream out there from the weekend: In the dream, I received a call from my niece, asking for help. End of dream. In real life, there's nothing going on with her, and I didn't even feel that the dream was about her. I went on with my day, and on the way to work I said to God, "If I'm to go back to my old job, my cousin (who was my boss) would have to make the first move and contact me." Immediately, the interpretation of that dream came to me: It was about my cousin contacting me. I just knew that he would. And, lo-and-behold, he sent me a text this morning right as my alarm clock was going off. One of the last things he said was that he might have a Lead position to fill, which was what I was when I left. One more detail: I just can't get into a daily routine with the new job, and that's really affected my relationship with God. I feel less close than I was before, and I definitely haven't been able to put forth the time and effort into our one-on-one times that I could before. This probably bothers me more than anything else. Sorry that this is long, but what's happened is exactly what I asked of God...and now, I need wisdom to know what to do if I'm given an opportunity. Please, pray for me in this regard! Thanks, all. -Mark

Romans 13:1 - "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." 1 Timothy 2:1-4 "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." And, while I won't post it all, there's the rule of Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33: http://niv.scripturetext.com/2_chronicles/33.htm, whose reign began with him "doing evil in the eyes of the LORD," but who eventually came to repentance after judgement. It says that God heard his plea, brought him back to his kingdom, and then he knew that the LORD is God. No leader, save Christ himself, is perfect. We are told to pray. We agree with the Word, and we pray for whomever we have as leaders. We agree with the Word, and we pray for our coworkers. We agree with the Word, and we pray for our families and friends. Lastly, Politics are a delicate topic for many. Just as a blanket statement, let's remember that this is a site primarily for dream interpretation...and also for prayer and encouragement with our brothers and sisters. Unsaved eyes come here, so let's be especially careful in the way that we express our political beliefs to those we love. Thank you, -Mark

Hi, Lara - I don't know that I have any advice. I only share the same sentiment through my own experience. When I first came to know the Lord, my Pastor and the others in leadership shared some fantastic truth and insight from the Word. I longed for that part of the service. In fact, if I could have just had a couple hours of that kind of teaching, my hunger would have been more than satisfied. But, alas, others needed to be fed, too...and so a service had multiple facets to it. Over time, things began to change. Worship was longer (which is fine), but the content of the preaching/teaching time began to slip into a watered-down version of what it was. More prosperity and feel-good messages, less actual Word. By the end of my time there, it seemed to be all about "head-count" rather than truth. A "what can we do to get more people in here" approach. The place reached a technology point where they wanted to be seen across the internet, and I'll never forget one of the last things I heard: The camera was about to go on for the teaching portion, and the crowd was pretty sparse that day - the pastor told everyone to move in together to the front of the auditorium so it would look like there were more people there than there were. That pretty much did it for me. But, there is hope, of course. Not all churches are that way. And what this did for me was cause me to take responsibility for my own feeding, rather than expecting someone to prepare my meals for me. It was a step toward spiritual adulthood, if you will. From that, I've been connected with a handful of others who desire the same thing, and from a small group we're able to minister to each other out of a mutual hunger. So, if you're not feeling fed...I encourage you to round up a few who share your desire and go for it, yourselves. You never know what could be born out of that. -Mark

Sure thing!

Absolutely, Connie! My four-legged roommate would scold me if I didn't pray! :)

Agreeing with you in prayer, astra. -Mark

Hi, Lara. I can't say yea or nay on daydreaming, because I think that it's a personal conviction for you to sort through. I agree with what the others have said if it's positive. A simple thing to do would be to include God on these thoughts. He knows them, anyway! Ask Him what he thinks about any given daydream. 2 cents. Feel free to ask for change back... -Mark

Happy Birthday, Cholette! Many blessings to you on your special day! -Mark

Great question! I don't know the statistic on it, but I've personally been both at one time or another. Weaker when I first started out, but she inspired me to reach up to where she was. Then, in another relationship, I was the stronger, but I soon found out that she had no interest in any spiritual growth (which made me question her commitment, actually). Ideally, you should inspire each other to grow together.

Thanks so much, Daisy. I'm totally serious when I say that I really appreciate your prayers for me! I rely on my brothers and sisters in Christ for any measure of success.

Since it seems to fit the original topic, I figured I'd share a little bit about my first day. Everything went well, overall. The people that I met on my shift were rather pleasant to me and understanding of what it's like to be new. I seemed to have favor among them, which is one thing that I've really been asking for. I had one moment, though, where I was struck with discouragement. It was well into the shift, and it seemed to come from nowhere. Thoughts about my old job, the Egypt that I've left behind. This was probably because I was focusing on how I'm not skilled at this new job, and I was, frankly, the best at my old job. That part is hard for me...but, thankfully, this feeling passed and the night finished well. I also was paired with an excellent, sympathetic and knowledgable trainer. I was quite happy about that. I had a dream the night before, which I'll share because there was one part that had a pretty cool manifestation. The basics of it were that I was at some outdoor function at my new employer, a sort of get-together. I was introduced to my coworkers, and everyone seemed pleasant. I was especially happy to find that an old Christian friend of mine, named Jesse, was there (in real life, we haven't seen each other in a long time, and his family moved out of state). Now, do you know what's interesting? My trainer's name is Jesse. :) -Mark

Absolutely, Daisy. Praying for you and him.

Hello, everyone - Tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon is my first day at the new job. I sure would appreciate prayers for both favor and ability to learn the tasks ahead of me. Many thanks. :) -Mark

And you were on my mind for most of the night at work, yesterday. God cares about you and this situation, and He's obviously placed his concerns on the hearts of his prayer warriors. You're covered, Cholette. :) -Mark

Hello, Lara - I don't see anything wrong with putting contingency plans in place as long as you don't feel any personal violation in your spirit for doing so. Earlier this year I felt that I had a promise from God about where I was going to work. Signs seemed to be everywhere. I stepped out in faith at that moment, applying for the posted position. And guess what happened? I had heard the promise, but I didn't have the timing. It wasn't until 7 months later that I got the job at the promised employer, and that was after a 2nd time applying. The point of my experience is that I do not doubt God's ability to do anything, but I do doubt my ability to hear and understand him at times. I don't necessarily lack faith, and I doubt that you do, either. But when the details aren't made clear upfront, that can leave us in a place where misunderstanding can lead to disappointment. Based on all that, there's nothing wrong with being practical. Only continue to trust and be led as you seek out the solution. Praying that everything goes well for you. -Mark

Not sure what the theme is behind the Word you are expected to give, but have you considered taking inspiration from this struggle? Also - and not at all meaning to cause you to second-guess or be contrary - is that sliver of hope you mentioned about how God would never give up on you from yourself or from God? If it's your own feelings, then definitely put the issue down. If it's God, then... Praying for you either way, -Mark

Merry Christmas to you all! :)

Thank you, all. At this point, all I know is that he's stable and will be speaking with a surgeon soon regarding the blockages. Aside from his immediate family, he's not wanting to have visitors... :( Word is that they also found a spot on his lung, but they haven't said any more than that.

That is so awesome, sunshinelove. Bless you.

Absolutely, Daisy. Praying...