“I am the Great I am. I will not share my glory with another. I do not give in part. I give wholly, completely. I do not partially restore, I completely restore. I revive to LIFE. I desire to revive those whose hearts have wandered, those whose hears have strayed. Those who have given up..who are fainting, fading, dying without me. Some believe their relationship with me is sufficient but the only partially know me. Some think they know me but they only really know about me.
I long to redeem them but they have to come to the cross- remember the cross and what I did for them! I gave my life completely so they could live completely, lacking nothing. Whole. Sanctified. Set apart to know me and serve me.”
I had a dream two nights ago. I was at a garden nursery and was watching as the nursery owner, a woman, was dragging in various bushes and trees that were covered with monarch butterflies. It was getting cold outside and there was a distinct chill in the air. It was past monarch migration season, and I was amazed that there were still so many monarchs clinging to the trees and bushes. As she moved the plants under a covered patio, I saw the butterflies dropping, falling off of the plants onto the ground. They were dying, motionless. They were huge monarchs, about 5-6 inches in wingspan. Some of the plants were partially green, others mostly brown, and some of the trees were completely dead- just dry branches. As I went to look closer, the butterflies would not remove themselves from the dead trees. I also noticed that many of the butterflies were faded, lackluster, some were grayish-white. There were others that were fake, artificial ornamental butterflies that the nursery owners had put on the trees and bushes to make them more appealing to the real butterflies.
Near the butterfly bushes and trees, the nursery owner kept a glass cage, and it full of sticks, leaves, and mirky water with large branches. Inside the cage were two green boa constrictors. I cringed, feeling disgusted. One had just finished defecating. I sat down on the concrete to watch the one while waiting for the nursery owner to finish moving her plants in. I felt something warm in my lap at first thinking, “it’s nice to be warm because it’s so cold out here.” But then I looked down and noticed that it was the second boa constrictor. I calmly (surprisingly) removed it from my lap and stood up. I wanted to revive the butterflies. I wanted to pick them up and take them home so that those that were left wouldn’t die. But I hesitated to just start taking them because I thought it might be stealing from the nursery owner. I told her that I’d be back to buy all of the plants.
The trees are the churches. Some are living, some dying, others are completely dead. Some churches have artificial christians there whose motives are not authentic- not to serve God and love others into a lasting relationship with Jesus. Some are just there to look pretty, or because church is part of their brand appeal. Butterflies are fading and dying because they are connected to Eccelsia that are not connected to the True Vine, Jesus Christ. There was not a single butterfly that was flying. They stuck to the various plants and trees until they fell off to the ground.
The boa constrictors symbolize the works of the enemy that come to suffocate or choke the life out of The Church. They are sneaky, they appear without warning, when the environment is dark, using their heat sensors to detect living prey to devour. Google says they “lie in wait waiting to strike any unsuspecting small creatures.”
What’s interesting about this dream is that for whatever reason, the monarchs failed to migrate with their own kind, as they do each year when the seasons change. They were clinging to things that were dead or dying. And here’s the devil over on the side lines, waiting for it to become dark enough for him to come out and devour his unsuspecting prey. In other words, the few butterflies that were left, he was prepared to destroy.
This word and this dream bears significance to me personally regarding my role in helping strengthen the remnant, but there’s a warning here for anyone who professes to be a christian, and a love letter from God regarding his desire to revive his people now. He sees that it’s getting colder in this world. He sees his people clinging to dead things that are causing them to slowly die. He wants to revive you. He wants to restore everything. Your colors, your wings, your ability to fly, but not before restoring his relationship with HIM FIRST. Do you know Him, only in part? Or do you only know about Him but somewhere along the way you’ve been deceived into thinking that that’s all it takes? Righteousness is not inherited. You don’t get access to Jesus because it was your parent’s belief system. God is saying that he longs to redeem you today. To buy your life with his son’s precious blood. God is saying to come to the cross, look upon Jesus. He gave his life completely so that you could live COMPLETE. Completely. Restored. All you have to do is say YES to Jesus.
I pray that if this word brings conviction to you, that you would go to God, repent, and ask him to show you to know him better. He’s got incredible gifts waiting for you. He’s got new colors for you. New wings for you. Be revived in Jesus today!
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