When you hear the word desert, what’s the first thought that comes to your mind? What picture pops in your head? As I presented this question to you, I envisioned a hot, scorched open area that consists of dirt for miles and miles beyond that which the eye can see. I see that there’s no life in this area, no form of resources- just land that’s barren. But things aren’t always what they appear to be. Just because you see something a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s true. This would be the case with a dream that I had.
In this particular dream, I was in a desert. As I looked around, I noticed that there were black snakes on the ground. They were all over the place. What made this dream even more unusual was the fact that all of these black snakes were dead. It seemed like every couple of steps I took, I would see one. Because these snakes were dead, I had no reason to fear any of them. As I continued to observe this setting, I noticed some of the snakes were coiled (vertical spiral position) and some were uncoiled (straight-line position). For some reason, I felt led to turn my head to the left, and when I did, I noticed that there was a dead coiled, lilac colored snake across from me. As I was observing all of this, I remembered hearing myself say, “Ok, this is very interesting.”
Now with me trying to process this in my own finite mind, I wasn’t sure what to make of this dream. But it wasn’t until I sought the infinite mind of God that I was able to clearly understand all of this. When I humbled myself before the Father, and sought Him for the interpretation of this dream, this is what the Holy Spirit revealed to Me:
The desert represents a life that no longer exists. It is barren and without life because you were once that. There was no spiritual growth in you before you came to Me so therefore, life could not be. The dead snakes that were all around you were dead because these were the sins you once committed. They were all of the things that were stopping you from drawing closer to Me. Some were coiled and some were uncoiled because some lasted longer than others. They were the bigger problems you felt you could not face on your own. The lilac represents the impurity that was once in you. It made you turn yourself from Me; it made you feel isolated from Me. I could not get close to you because of this, but now that you are with Me, I can stay connected to you. The snakes were just there to prove that old things have passed away, and I have done a new work in you. I made you whole in Me by My power and My resurrection blood. I made you in My image. I made you in the likeness of Me.
Wow, isn’t that amazing??!! The Lord used this analogy of dead snakes to show me where I was at one point in time in my life. When the Holy Spirit told me, “Old things have passed away, and I have done a new work in you,” it led me to 2 Cor 5:17 (KJV) which says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
So it’s not too late, there’s still hope. If God can bring life to my dead desert, He can do it for you too. If He can change me, He can change anybody. I’m a living witness to that. Do not allow yourself to remain where you are. Allow God to move you to a new place in your life. Now you’re probably thinking, “You have no idea what I’m doing right now, what I use to do, or what I’m going through,” but you know what? I use to feel the same way. Trust me, I’ve been there. I use to think the same way until I realized that Jesus loves Me and He accepts Me as I am, flaws and all. Whenever you think this way, it’s nothing more than a trap from the enemy. He wants you to feel that you’re not worthy enough to come to God because if you allow yourself to become fully rooted in Jesus, he no longer stands a chance which means he will no longer have a hold over life. The enemy knows all of this, but he doesn’t want you to be aware of it.
Let God bring life to your barren desert. Let Him restore that which is lost in you. Give Him a chance to prove His unconditional love to you and watch as He does a new work in you like He did for me.
My prayer for you is that you will no longer allow what you have done, or what you are doing, hold you captive any longer. That you will believe that the God of the universe has the power to meet you where you are and free you from the spiritual bondage that has taken you hostage so that you can walk in freedom from here on out. That He will give life to your dead situations, hope to your hopeless circumstances, and faith beyond measure to trust Him in all things, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
