Bizarre dream...

haven't written in this blog for quite a few days... truth is, not much has been happening... it's amazing though, jus what tricks the mind can play, or fall victim to, during sleep... was visited by a strange dream last nite... i was surrounded by blackness, in some strange abstract plane with a sense of equilibrium, perhaps there was a surface beneath my feet... my point of view wasn't my own, but a vague sense i was viewing from a third-person perspective, several metres above and behind me, kinda like a computer game... (hard to make sense of it, but i couldn't clearly see myself... perhaps coz i was concentrating on the rest of the scene?!?) there weren't many ppl around, in fact i was probably only aware of the presence of my dad (whom i could see), who was fairly passive during the whole dream, and sally (whom i couldn't see, but simply sense), whose being seemed to be acting entirely in concert with me...

anywayz... strange setting vaguely established, there was a sudden flash of light in the corner of my vision, and a great feeling of trepidation overcame me... despite its being composed of light, my dream-being was certain that the intruder was a demon of some sort, disguised as an angel of light!!! it moved deftly, and silently, its light-spectre imposing and always threatening... each move was made to pull away from the demon, each step full of effort, as if our feet were pushing the ground away to the side, rather than propelling our bodies in any direction... but the effort seemed to be enough to keep the demon at bay... any letting-up, and it would draw nearer... then, my dad's being seemed suddenly powerless, and became increasingly vulnerable, being unable to keep from the closing clutches of the demon... panic!!! not knowing what to do, a simple will of the mind seemed to yank his body out of the demon's grasp... phew!!!

the key to victory lay in knowing that the light-being was a demon... and the name of Jesus Christ was invoked, and the demon shrieked and disappeared from the realm...

at that point, i woke, body covered in a thin film of sweat... i had to rebuke voices in my mind that taunted me, planting seeds of doubt and ill-feeling in my head... couldn't sleep for a while, but in time, God provided comfort for me, and i eventually decided to put on some clothes and grab the early hours of dawn for recuperation... woke again, not quite refreshed, and in a hypersensitive state (things that normally don't cause pain were unusually painful), but returned to normal within a while...

i wonder whether there was any meaning in the dream... i think there are some reminders that can come from some parts of it anywayz... the most worrying bit was the demon in disguise, possibly a reference to the numerous false prophets to come who claim to be the righteous one... or, perhaps, i need not look so far... is there something i'm (we're) not seeing?!? could it be something in my life that pretends to be good, but is actually rooted in evil?!? we are all sinners, after all... and our perceptions and judgment are also flawed... actually, it reminds me of a quotation (from where it came, i can't remember, but i have seen it in someone's signature on gushboard) - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"... - and it pains me to think that there are probably so many out there who are really good-natured, well-intentioned people by the world's standards, who aren't saved... (and since the tsunami disaster, we have been made so much more acutely aware of how suddenly and unexpectedly the opportunities we've been given can be robbed from us...)

perhaps i am taking God's grace for granted... when i realise that i believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted His gift of life and salvation, and don't go out of my way enough to reach out to other people, i realise i'm being so selfish... yet, i pacify my conscience with excuses like, "i'm not well-informed enough", or "i don't know if this person's ready", or "i'll stuff things up"... i hope that God will work in me to overcome this reluctance...

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”