Dream: The Warm-Up Run
Recently God spoke to me out of a dream that I know He wants to release to the Body of Christ in this hour. I had a dream just the other day, where I was about to run a big race. It was a 25 km race (over 15 miles) through trees and trails. As I was preparing to run the race in my dream, a woman came to me saying that: I needed to get ready with the warm-up laps. She startled me when she told me that I needed to run nearly the distance of the race itself.
I was shocked and thinking she would console me with a bit of a grace period, but she carried on saying that I didn't need to run the whole 25 km to start, but I did need to do 24 km. As you can imagine, I was utterly speechless and wondered how I would even manage the race with a warm-up almost equivalent to the distance of the race itself.
Before the race finished, I woke up from the dream, knowing that the race, and especially the numbers of kilometers, were significant to what God was speaking. Throughout the day after I had this dream, the Lord continued to remind me of the importance of the warm-up and the race. He highlighted to me signs in the natural that spoke of "runners", prompting me to pursue Him more on the subject matter. (Photo via flickr)
As I sought the Lord on the full meaning of the dream, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Psalm 24. He revealed to me the importance of Psalm 24 and our walk of holiness before God in relation to our destiny and the race marked out for us. I began to understand that the reason I needed to run 24 km, just to warm-up for my race in the dream, was because the way to obtain the prize set before you and your destined course and calling in life is through ascending the hill of the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to give you "clean hands and a pure heart".
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4
The woman in my dream represents the Holy Spirit (Proverbs chapters 8 and 9 talk about the Spirit of Wisdom as a "she", and I know in this dream that the Holy Spirit was the one telling me how I need to prepare for the 25 km race). Holy Spirit is our Helper, sent by Jesus to instruct and convict us on how to live our lives and produce much fruit (see John 16:7-8). "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (see Galatians 5:22-25).
Grace Upon Grace to Run Your Race
As I began to seek understanding from the Lord and study out the significance of the number 25, more light was shed on my dream and the word of God for you in this hour. Twenty-five is the number of "grace upon grace". Five times five is twenty-five, and five is the number for grace. God wants to bestow great grace – grace upon grace – on you in this hour.
He wants to bestow great grace upon you to accomplish the works He has called you to do on the Earth and the vision He's given you to fulfill.Where things have been tricky in the past, there will be great grace in this hour to accomplish those things and doors will open where they have been shut for those who "ascend the hill of the Lord" (see Psalm 24:3) and who allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse and purify them. (Photo via Pixabay)
I believe many of us have been in a testing and trying time in the past (and present) season, and that many of us have been /are being purged and refined by God's refining fire. The purpose of the fire and the refining season is to make us sparkle like gold and be able to run the race marked out for us without hindrance. God is removing the hindrances and releasing grace in this season. He's getting rid of any obstacles that stand in the way of your destined course to run.
Twenty-five is also the number of leadership, calling, anointing, and ministry beginnings. Historically speaking, the Levites would start their ministry unto the Lord at the age of 25 (see Numbers 8:24). The Levites were sold out to God and their inheritance was the very presence of God, the most valuable treasure of all (Deuteronomy 10:9). Your ultimate purpose in life is friendship with God, and every other purpose stems out of that relationship.
