The Only Safe Place ~ Jesus

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On January 31, 2020 I had a dream in which the Lord showed me that the only safe place to weather a storm of any kind is in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Cyclone Dream

My husband and I were riding in an antique car on a dirt road. The scene looked like the early to mid-1900’s. There were very few houses on the road. The sky was overcast but there were no threatening clouds. Nevertheless, somehow we knew that there was a “cyclone” coming, so we were looking for a place to take shelter.

That’s Not Safe!

To our right as we drove, I saw a square, white clapboard house. There was a large rock block under each corner of the house so that the floor of the house was at least 3 feet above ground. The crawl space was completely exposed. A few children, all around the same age, ran under the house and squatted there in a perfect line. They were also aware of the cyclone approaching and had run to take shelter there. As we drove by, I pointed toward the children and said, “That’s not safe!”

Down the road a bit, there was a tiny old unpainted wooden store. We decided to check it out and see if we could take shelter there. It was very unpleasant– grimy and dark, inside and out. The owner of the store deliberately ignored us and anxiously grabbed a few things on the way out leaving us inside. He knew he had to find shelter somewhere else.

Seeking Shelter

So we got back in the car and drove on down the road. We found ourselves inside “Mark’s mother’s house” on the third story. (This was not actually Mark’s family’s house.) Others were in the basement and some were on the way to the basement but we needed to use the bathroom first. (Sorry!) At that time in the dream I woke up.

Unraveling The Dream

The dream was for Mark and me, but I believe it is also for all of God’s children. The cyclone represents a crisis that many are not spiritually prepared for. I don’t know specifically what the crisis is in this particular dream. Maybe it could be a personal crisis or a national crisis.

Jesus warned us that in the last days, difficult times would come. We know that He is our Peace in the storms of life. We also know that prayer can change the course of history. So, dream or no dream, let us continue to pray for our nation as the Spirit of God leads. And let us be prepared to trust the Lord no matter what happens.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV

The Car

The car can represent ministry, and in our case, a seasoned ministry. A car is not going to save you from a cyclone! And doing work for the Lord is not going to save your soul. We are safe because our faith is in Christ Jesus.

The White Clapboard House

The children under the white clapboard house were all about the same age, so I don’t think they represent a specific family. I believe they represent individuals in “the church” that are not taking refuge in the Lord Himself. They falsely believe they will be safe. They took shelter under the building together and they lined up nicely. There was a form of unity, but there was no safety. These were trusting in each other and in their own ideas, not in the Most High God. Paul warned us that this would happen in the last days.

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:2-5. NIV

False Doctrine

We see so-called “churches” today that promote homosexuality, abortion and other sin in the name of tolerance, unity and grace, using a Christian facade to make people feel that they are safe. God’s heart is broken for them because they are not safe!

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25 NET

Let us be careful to read His Word and not change it to match our unbelief or our fleshly desires. The Lord is our Shepherd. That means we have to follow His lead and allow Him to look after our souls. It is possible to turn away from Him and become religious by “doing things for God” on our own instead of following His Spirit. God will give us things to do, no doubt, but we must allow Him to cleans, restore and heal our souls if He is going to use us for His glory.

The Store

I believe the store represents people who don’t know Jesus, or they have neglected their faith in Him. Their earthly desires and personal aspirations were man-led– not Spirit-led. Trusting in wealth and ingenuity will not save us. But as we trust in Jesus, our Father will also give us what we need.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

When we trust the Holy Spirit in every day decisions, thanking Him for His blessings, we will not be caught off guard when times of crisis come. It will be an opportunity to trust Him as before.

Mark’s Mother’s House

Sometimes a loving mother in a dream represents the Holy Spirit. As children of God we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we live in the shelter of the Most High God by the Spirit.

Mark’s mother was the best mother-in-law in the world and loved the Lord with all of her heart. At a time when she was suffering from severe congestive heart failure, she heard that Benny Hinn was traveling through their county and would be stopping briefly to pray for the sick. After being touched by the power of God’s Spirit she miraculously regained strength and lived many more years. Perhaps “Mark’s mother’s house” in the dream is referring to a place of faith in the Holy Spirit’s miraculous power to save, heal and deliver.

The Bathroom

The bathroom represents spiritual cleansing, repentance, deliverance and refining. We can’t afford to wait until disaster strikes to get our lives right with the Lord. It may be too late. The process of purification requires humility and submission to God and often takes time. Holding anything back from the Lord will make your life vulnerable to the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy.

The Steps

The Lord wants to take us back to our foundation in Christ– to our first love! He knows every step we need to take. This intimate walk with God brings us to a place of peace in the storm that the world cannot experience.

The Basement

I believe the basement represents our spiritual foundation in Christ including our life in the Spirit. We need to check our hearts daily and make sure that we are listening to the Holy Spirit and building our lives upon the Rock, Jesus Christ. He is our safe place!

The basement represents the shelter of the Most High as in Psalm 91. Jesus is our foundation and our refuge who seats us with God our Father– far above all the storms of this life. The shelter of the Most High is where the family of God dwells. It is where we are submitted to God’s Spirit and close to the Father’s heart. It is the most unified place the church will ever be in because we are following the Spirit of God.

I am not saying that we won’t encounter storms in this life. We will indeed! But if we as individuals are not going through the process of purification by the direction of the Holy Spirit now, what will happen when the storms come?

Surviving the Storms

We will not survive by clever doctrines that seem “clean” and perfectly lined up. If they stray from what the Holy Spirit tells us in God’s Word we are in danger.

Many want their lives and ministries to be organized and predictable so they can control the outcomes. But the Holy Spirit moves like the wind. He wants us to depend on Him continually and flow with Him like a kite flows with the wind but tethered to Jesus Christ! If we’re living religiously instead of by the Spirit we will not survive the storms that are coming our way.

Neither will we survive in a dirty, dilapidated store no matter how many gadgets, tools and earthly gifts are hanging on the walls. Using our own gifts instead of those the Holy Spirit wants to give us will not be useful in God’s Kingdom or save us from the next crisis. In fact, they will lead others to do the same– to live from the natural realm instead of the Spirit.

Living by the Spirit is the only safe place. By the Spirit we can love God with all of our hearts and love others as God wants us to! Only then can He use us mightily in times of crisis to bring others into the Kingdom of God!

God loves you so much and He invites you to take shelter in the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. For a better understanding of who Jesus is and how you can answer His invitation of love, please click here: Meet Jesus