Tag Archives: dream

Eagerness Verses Humility

Posted on August 11, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Albert Mehrabian’s research appears to be the origin for the expression, “it’s not what you say, but how you say it.” Back in the 1970’s, Mehrabian suggested that only 7% of the information in speech is contained in the words. The remainder of any conversation is based upon body language, hand motions, and visual signals. Therefore, before you open your mouth to talk, make sure that eagerness doesn’t drown out a spirit of humility.

 Now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him still more. 6 And he said to them, Listen now and hear, I pray you, this dream that I have dreamed: 7 We [brothers] were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright, and behold, your sheaves stood round about my sheaf and bowed down! – Genesis 37:5-7

Based upon my own personal experiences in life, there have been former coaches, counselors, and teachers that have made me feel worse after a one-on-one discussion. Some of this may be due to preconceived notions or stereotypes, but whenever you are being talked down to, it’s never a good feeling. Subsequently, when Joseph shares a dream with his older brothers, his eagerness to talk leaves out any sense of humility on his part.

His brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or are you going to have us as your subjects and dominate us? And they hated him all the more for his dreams and for what he said, Genesis 37:8.

As the youngest child in my family, I know how it feels to be picked on and teased. Yet, it’s never right to do something or say something out of spite. Perhaps, God allowed this behavior initially so that when Joseph was sold into slavery and accused of a crime he didn’t commit, these trails forced him to become humble. While most young men would have blamed God for the unjust events in their life, Joseph kept pressing on until this one dream ultimately became a reality years later.

by Jay Mankus

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When Peace Can Turn Violent

Posted on July 14, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Sometimes human beings can possess a 6th sense. One day I was driving through a neighborhood in Chicago, stopping to ask someone for directions. In a matter of seconds, my car was surrounded as if I was about to be carjacked. I suddenly jumped on my accelerator, swerved to miss a few people and drove like the wind until I found a crowded gas station. This is my own encounter of when peace can turn violent.

It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Be careful that you do not speak from good to bad to Jacob [peaceably, then violently], Genesis 31:29.

While I was growing up in Delaware, I had a short temper. This unhealthy trait was passed down to me by my father, likely brought on by experiences with a drill sergeant in the Army. I was prone to throw fits of rage when things didn’t go my way. This is on display as a Little League pitcher, especially when I didn’t see eye to eye with the umpire’s strike zone. I could be in a great mood one inning before I felt apart emotionally as a peaceful game turned ugly with violent jeering.

And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it. 8 And Cain said to his brother, [b]Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him, Genesis 4:6-8.

The gift of free will can be a blessing and a curse. While God tried to confront Cain about his jealousy, Matthew 5:22, he had already made up his decision. Rather than take a similar passive role in the life of Jacob, God intervened in the form of a dream. This warning altered the actions of Laban in Genesis 31:29, maintaining peace instead of letting human nature turn violent. May today’s passage help you look for a way out of temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13, so that peace prevails.

by Jay Mankus

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Waiting Until the Time God Sets

Posted on April 18, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Despite how impatient human beings can be, waiting is part of God’s process. If everyone got what they wanted and when they wanted it in life, there would be no intrigue or mystery. Meanwhile, history is like a series of cycles that often repeats itself, especially when mankind doesn’t learn from the mistakes of the past. As individuals set out to achieve desired goals, success often does not come until the time God determines.

The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for her as He had promised. 2 For Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time God had told him, Genesis 21:1-2.

Whenever this topic comes up in a conversation, I always remember when I waited to become a PGA teaching professional. The initial step begins by passing a Player’s Ability Test, shooting a set score for 36 holes in one day based upon the difficulty of the course. During my first attempt, I hit the ball great, played the hardest hole one under par, but missed by 2 shots because I played the easiest hole three over par with 7 putts. If I just two and three putted this short par 3, I would have become what I wanted, not God’s will for my life.

 I have seen the painful labor and exertion and miserable business which God has given to the sons of men with which to exercise and busy themselves. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end, Ecclesiastes 3:10-11.

Abraham and Sarah experienced their own soap opera on the way to having their first child together. Despite trying for more than a decade, Sarah’s womb remained barren. The older each became, the more unlikely Sarah’s dream of having her own child would become a reality. Nonetheless, the circumstances became so overwhelming, that only God’s power and His time could have conceived Isaac. This is just one of many examples of waiting until the time God sets for His promise and will to be fulfilled.

by Jay Mankus

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Integrity of Heart and Innocent Hands

Posted on April 14, 2023 by expressyourself4him

At some point as a child, you were blamed for something that you did not do. As a boy sitting at a junior high lunch table, the person who just unleashed a silent, but deadly fart, blamed me as everyone gagged. Before I could defend myself, holding my nose, no one believed me. While this is minor compared to what others are falsely accused of weekly, it never feels good to have your integrity attacked.

Did not the man tell me, She is my sister? And she herself said, He is my brother. In integrity of heart and innocency of hands I have done this, Genesis 20:5.

According to Genesis 20:17-18, King Abimelech’s wife and harem each had their wombs closed up, unable to have children for an extended period of time. This rare illness was brought upon Abimelech’s entire family because he took Sarah to become part of his harem. The passage above details Abimelech’s dream, where he pleads with God, claiming his innocence.

He who walks uprightly walks securely, but he who takes a crooked way shall be found out and punished. 10 He who winks with the eye [craftily and with malice] causes sorrow; the foolish of lips will fall headlong but [a]he who boldly reproves makes peace, Proverbs 10:9-10.

Following the conclusion of this dream, Abimelech confronted Abraham to figure out why he wasn’t completely truthful. Abraham thought he would be killed if he was honest about being married to Sarah. Unfortunately, Abimelech and his family was punished for his action based upon the idea Abraham was simply Sarah’s sister. Whether this blog finds you falsely accused or guilty as charged, James 5:16 provides a blueprint for confession so that integrity and innocence is restored.

by Jay Mankus

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Bear Patiently with Suffering

Posted on February 20, 2022 by expressyourself4him

Patience is one of my weakest traits. No matter how hard I try, I usually find myself in a hurry to get to somewhere. Slowing down and forced to travel at someone else’ pace isn’t my style. If patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22, bearing patiently with suffering takes an added degree of faith. This is one of many areas where I still have a long way to go and mature spiritually.

[After all] what [f]kind of glory [is there in it] if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you take it patiently? But if you bear patiently with suffering [which results] when you do right and that is undeserved, it is acceptable and pleasing to God, 1 Peter 2:20.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis states that success is the process of arriving. Before you achieve any dream or goal in life, failure is one of many obstacles that you will have to endure. As you continue on the journey called life, you will be embarrassed, humiliated, and filled with disappointment on a weekly basis. Yet, if you keep the faith and bear patiently with suffering, God has called Christians to be faithful, not successful.

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. 3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. 4 And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of [c]character (approved faith and [d]tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] [e]joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation, Romans 5:2-4.

In the passage above, the apostle Paul is essentially saying, “keep your eyes on the prize.” Like the words of Jesus’ earthly brother in James 1:2-4, your spiritual journey is never ending. Whenever you taste the agony of defeat, it’s by God’s grace that you can get right back up and stand again. If you can develop the mindset that every affliction, hardship, and trial is an opportunity for spiritual growth, it won’t be long before you too will be able to bear patiently with suffering.

by Jay Mankus

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Understanding the Seasons of Change

Posted on June 18, 2021 by expressyourself4him

According to Genesis 2:4-6, the earth’s atmosphere was initially like an open canopy. According to Moses, underground springs bubbled up from beneath the surface to water the earth. Prior to the flood, there was only one season with a tropical climate similar to a greenhouse effect. Before the heavens opened up to bring rain for the first time, the springs of the earth burst forth, Genesis 7:11. This passage suggests some sort of enormous volcanic eruption like the super volcano in Yellowstone National Park. As massive clouds of volcanic ash blocked out the sun, the first age began, setting in motion the four seasons that exist today.

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, 3 A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, Ecclesiastes 3:1-4.

King Solomon provides a famous analogy about seasons of change in the passage above. Just as winter gives way to spring, spring introduces summer before summer fades to fall, the cycle is completed by a return to winter. Solomon refers to specific events that take place every year and throughout your life. Ecclesiastes 3:11 suggests that there is a time and place for everything. According to Solomon, God makes everything beautiful in His time as healing allows broken souls to mend and recover. Yet, for anyone undergoing an extremely difficult period in their life, understanding the seasons of change takes time.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you], Romans 12:1-2.

If discovering God’s will for your life can take a couple of decades, discerning the seasons of change involves deep thought and reflection. You may want to pursue a specific career or dream, but when failure causes you to change course, figuring out where to go next takes time. I still remember when I felt God calling me to become a golf professional, then a youth pastor followed by a Bible teacher and golf coach. Each time I thought, surely this is God’s will for my life until the seasons of change left me unemployed. One New Testament author gives great advice for understanding the seasons of change in Hebrews 12:1. If you treat life like a marathon, you have to push through the pain to run with perseverance so when the seasons do change, you’ll be ready to adjust and move on.

by Jay Mankus

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Standing at the Edge of a Breakthrough

Posted on April 29, 2020 by expressyourself4him

A breakthrough is defined as a dramatic, sudden, and important discovery or development. This may include advancements in technology, cures for infectious diseases, innovations, inventions and quantum leaps in science. I stumbled upon to a spontaneous worship clip on You Tube the other night. Kari Jobe was leading worship for her church when the Holy Spirit led her to sing “standing at the edge of breakthrough.” This montage moved me, opening my eyes to my current situation.

And in the fourth watch [between 3:00—6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. 27 But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I Am! Stop being afraid! – Matthew 14:25-27

Over the past 8 years, I’ve spent January through April working on screen plays for the annual Nicholls Fellowship Screenwriting Contest. Over this time frame I have now completed and currently in the process of perfecting three movies. Meanwhile, I have an outlines for two more projects that I hope to start working on in May. If this wasn’t enough, I received a vision for a Sitcom with the initial season having 10 episodes. Essentially, I find myself standing at the edge of a breakthrough, waiting and trusting God to have and see this dream be fulfilled soon.

And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. 30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! 31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? – Matthew 14:28-31

One of Jesus’ disciples experienced an impressive spiritual breakthrough. When the disciples left Jesus behind to finish ministering to others, they got in a boat to cross of Sea of Galilee. The initial plan was for Jesus to meet up with the disciples the next day. Instead, Jesus took a short cut, walking across this body of water late at night. At first, those who were awake thought Jesus was a ghost. However, after identifying himself, Peter dared Jesus, “if it’s really you, let me walk on water as well.” This is exactly what Peter did until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Whenever you are standing at the edge of breakthrough, trusting God is the final piece to ensure success.

by Jay Mankus

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Forgiveness Opens the Door for Love

Posted on May 23, 2018 by expressyourself4him

One of the barriers standing between forgiveness is stubborn hearts as certain individuals are unable to forgive or forget a previous transgression.  This unwillingness to let go of the pain inflicted shuts the door on the potential for love.  This reluctance sets the stage for bitterness, like an invisible poison that slowly kills relationships.  Unless there is a willingness to let God in to mend and repair fences, reconciliation is merely a dream.

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will], Revelation 3:19.

In the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, John gives an honest assessment of seven churches.  While a few receive compliments, several are exposed for previous actions, beliefs and deeds.  Despite this list of flaws, John uses an analogy of a door to illustrate free will.  God is willing to offer forgiveness, yet souls must demonstrate an enthusiastic spirit of repentance.  Every day God is like an eager visitor, knocking on the door of your heart, but the Lord waits for your invitation.  There is no forced entry.

Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne, Revelation 3:20-21.

At the end of this passage, God reveals another obstacle in the way of forgiveness.  Overcoming the world involves mindsets, philosophies and traditions that have become embraced by most of society.  This makes following God’s commandments, decrees and precepts that much more difficult.  Peer pressure only complicates any desires to seek God’s ways.  Free will is a daily exercise full of choices with the hope that you stay near enough so that you can hear God’s voice.  For those who fulfill this call, motivation comes as God forgives you.  Thus, as believers pay it forward, forgiveness opens the door for love to flow out of your heart, passed on to others.

by Jay Mankus

 

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What If Herod Got His Wish

Posted on December 24, 2017 by expressyourself4him

The older I become, the more I find myself playing the What if Game.  What if this happened instead of that?  If this went my way or if I waited a little longer, would the outcome have changed?  While I was pondering several possibilities, a thought popped into my mind.  What if King Herod got his wish, finding the Messiah; then killing Jesus to remain in power?

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him,” Matthew 2:7-8.

While churches across the country and throughout the world will sing about a Silent Night, this great event could have been marred by tragedy.  The Magi could have sought to please King Herod, returning to his palace, directing him to the exact location of this child.  Yet, divine intervention persuaded these wise men to do what was right, taking an alternate route back home.  Meanwhile, the Lord spoke to Joseph in a vivid dream, prompting an immediate departure for Egypt, to escape Herod’s sword.  If not for these actions, the Messiah would be no more.

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.  When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”  So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,   where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son,” Matthew 2:13-15.

If Herod got his wish, the world would be doomed.  Sure, depending upon where you live, there are some safe places that exist.  Yet, without the completion of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, there would be no hope.  The last 2000 years would have been like The Game of Thrones with one person after another doing whatever it takes to reach the throne.  Thankfully, this what if scenario was stopped in it’s tracks by the power of the Holy Spirit.  If God has the power to intervene like this past historical event, imagine what the Lord can do today within hearts and souls eager to serve God.  I’m not sure what will happen next, but I’m excited about the possibilities.

by Jay Mankus

 

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God of the Impossible

Posted on June 25, 2017 by expressyourself4him

If you follow, read or watch the news, it’s hard to remain positive.  Like the down trodden in this life, hope can disappear for extended periods of time.  Thus, many are left alone, stuck in an impossible situation praying for a miracle.

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you,” Matthew 17:20.

For some the story of David and Goliath is nothing more than a fairy tale, a figment of one’s imagination.  Yet, history conveys the truth found in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 17.  While David’s size was an obstacle, a midget compared to the giant mocking God on a daily basis, his experience as a shepherd prepared him for this battle.  Against all odds, David shot down Goliath with his sling shot opening the door to become king of Israel.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father,” John 14:12.

When Jesus traveled throughout the Middle East during the first century, doubt was prevalent.  Doing the impossible was a dream blocked by the mountain known as reality.  Thus, Jesus found it necessary to regularly talk about the power of faith and belief.  As Jesus began to cure, heal and perform miracles, the impossible seemed to be within reach.  Therefore, don’t let doubt keep you trapped.  Rather, cry out of Jesus so that the God of the impossible will return to perform another miracle.

by Jay Mankus

 

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