Coming out of the Cave
This morning the LORD gave me a short dream. I was in a cave and it was quite dark.
I seemed to be standing on a ledge of some sort, peering into the darkness. I was surprised that I could see as well as I could, given that it was so dark.
I began to notice things moving around. All of a sudden, I noticed these little creepy reptile things that had very fine feathery needle-like quills on their back and head.
They surrounded me and started shooting them at me, similar to how a porcupine shoots it’s quills. The quills were in my hair, in my clothes and some were stuck in my body.
They caused irritations and pain as they embedded themselves in my skin. That’s when I noticed that one of my kids’ former teachers, whose name is Joshua, was next to me pulling at my sleeve.
Joshua started brushing the needles off, leading me out of the cave.
Gradually it became lighter and I was able to see more and more lizards and unclean things coming at me. I saw one that I thought was interesting and almost picked it up, thinking it was harmless, but Joshua said, “No, don’t touch that; it’s poisonous.”
It was also aggressive, and started to run at me to try to bite me. That’s when we were at the mouth of the cave and the dream ended.
There are many interesting aspects of the dream to interpret.
First, being in a cave represents being hidden by the LORD.
Many have been in that place but they are coming out of obscurity. God always hides His work in progress, before He displays it to the world.
Another thing I noticed was that I was facing the back of the cave where it was the darkest. When you’re in total darkness and you’re not sure why you’re ‘on hold,’ or ‘stuck,’
it can be easy to get turned around and lose your sense of direction. When a person loses their sense of direction, they are vulnerable to whatever may be in their surroundings.
When a person is in the light, their vision gradually adapts to allow as much light as possible in through their iris. The brain sends signals to the eye to tell it to let in more light.
Spiritually, this also occurs. God allows us to see what’s in the darkness but He also sends in more light so that we don’t lose our footing.
God’s word is a light unto our path, (Psalm 119:105). It is a light on our path. It’s a good reminder to make sure that we’re facing the right direction – toward the light.
God always trains His prophets in a place of obscurity and isolation because that is how He perfects their spiritual vision. There are different prophetic anointings but the life of a prophet is one who sees what is in the darkness.
The prophetic gifting allows them to discern intent, motive and understand the bigger picture of certain situations; often times long before others around them begin to pick up on those things.
This can cause others to misunderstand prophetic people and to feel awkward around them because they are not seeing or discerning what the seer, or prophet, is trying to communicate.
The prophetic gift is there as a light to others, to help them navigate where they’re going spiritually, but it’s also there as a warning when they see something wrong.
Watchmen on the wall call out the danger they see approaching so that the enemy does not catch others off guard.
The problem that we sometimes encounter is that some of the things that prophetic people ‘see’ have the potential to trip them up. If a person isn’t alert to the enemy’s devices, they can invite unclean spirits into their life that want to poison their outlook.
Beware of tripping hazards! Make sure you are facing the light and the truth of God’s word.
Don’t allow your heart to get jaded or bitter, because that will eventually come out of your mouth. Prophets are called to speak God’s word in spite of how things may appear in the natural! Remember His trustworthy character and ability to out-do the enemy at any turn!
Don’t allow irritations to get under your skin that would taint the prophetic voice within you. God’s purpose is to be able to see what’s in the darkness, but not be overcome by it and release words that are tainted with death. His prophetic voices in the earth must speak what He speaks, not out of their own heart!
In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet is pained by the ugliness of what he has seen in the earth. He saw a lot of darkness and evil.
Perhaps Jeremiah had doubts about God’s ability to take care of him. He had gone through an awful lot. Perhaps unbelief, fear, or anger at what he saw the enemy doing took root and caused him to speak accusation towards God.
Whatever it was, things got to him, and his prophetic voice became compromised. His complaint to the LORD is found in Jeremiah 15:19.
“Why has my pain been perpetual and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream with water that is unreliable?”
The following is from the NET translation in verse 20:
“Because of this, the LORD said, “You must repent of such words and thoughts! If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my spokesman. They must become as you have been. You must not become like them.”
Friends, it can be easy to get caught up in all the darkness and evil on the earth. Fake news stirs the pot and it sure can be easy to get taken in by all those things, but those are fiery darts and irritations sent by the enemy intended to steal our peace and joy.
Don’t let the things on social media and the internet set your gauge to determine what is truth and what is not.
Don’t fall for the enemy’s ploy to defile your vessel! Those are like those needle-like quills that can get stuck under our skin, like what I saw in the dream.
We have to ask the LORD for help in brushing off the things that bug us and cause irritation. Let Him lead you back into the light of His countenance. Focus on who Jesus is and you will be able to shake off the things that may want to defile your voice.
Another aspect of interpreting the dream is found in the name Joshua. Joshua means “God is my salvation,” and is another reference to Jesus.
The person in the dream was named Joshua but he was also a teacher. Jesus is our teacher and his Holy Spirit is our guide out of darkness and into the light. It’s the truth that sets us free from the fiery darts of the enemy!
This last week there were some things in the news that really upset me. I had to repent for getting so angry and letting it all get to me. Maybe there are some things you need to be cleansed from, too. In the dream, I felt a tug on my sleeve and was pulled out of the cave, towards the light.
God is always merciful. He does not want us to be overcome by what we see, discern or uncover in the darkness. You may have gone through some difficulty, but He hasn’t forgotten His people. When He hears your cry, He will answer you!
Although the LORD has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left, (Isaiah 30:20,21)
The last thing I want to bring to your attention is the fact that God is leading people out of obscurity and bringing them into a place where their words, teachings and gifts can be received by others.
He is preparing to make you visible. He is preparing to give you a platform. Whatever it is you need to gain traction in order to fulfill His calling and His assignments, He is putting those pieces together. Rejoice! God is preparing to visit His people.
YOU are on His list! That means His visitation is already scheduled, and you should be preparing to receive your King! Lift up your head! Worship the LORD and offer the praises of your lips! Your redemption draws near!
~ Laura Gagnon
Laura Gagnon is a woman who has been blessed with the gift of understanding God’s restorative work through her own personal experience. Through her insights and revelation, God has led her to influence many individuals into a restored relationship with Jesus Christ. She is a woman who stands on the promises of God, encouraging others in an elevated expectation of the miraculous and declares the gift of His life. Laura is the author of Healing the Heart of a Woman and writes for her blog, Beyond the Barriers.
This is also Wow ! Second dream here today, similar to the cleft of the rock dream of sister Jo Ellen.
Recently I dreamed that a plant with many thorns like needles was in my hands, I do not know the word in English. In German it means “Klette” (When I change to google translator, text here on phone will be gone). This sticking harmful thing was not easily to get rid of, but finally I got rid of it. It was like in the story of Paul who had to shake off and throw away a snake. In this world we face attacks so close to our bodies, minds and soul. Thank God when He gives us such clear dreams. Sometimes scary nightmares, but we also face His power !