While I was Sleeping
When I came to know the Lord it was through a direct revelation from God – while I was sleeping! At that time in my life I had been reading the book the Omen (I was about 17). Previous to this I had dabbled in reading Tarot Cards, Palm readings and horoscopes so my tastes in books leaned toward the supernatural. The Omen was about the Antichrist and had several verses from the book of Revelation in it. When I started reading these verses I was surprised because I had no idea Jesus was coming back again. My curiosity got the best of me and finding an old Bible we had in the house, I read the entire book of Revelation and then went to bed. Word to the wise – if you have never picked up a Bible before, don’t start in Revelation!
That night, I had a dream that I was standing alone in the dark on a street corner underneath a lamplight. A voice shouted out to me, “Laura, where are you going?” and I shouted back, “I’m going to hell!” and then I was there. I saw the river Hades in hell, I felt the flames and the heat and I woke up screaming, sweating and terrified to the core because I knew in my heart that if I died, hell is exactly where I would be going. But God had a plan. You see months before, at school (when Christian organizations were still allowed to go into schools) I had been given a copy of The Four Spiritual Laws which I had glanced at and then threw in my dresser drawer, and it was the first thing that popped into my head upon awakening.
I searched frantically for that booklet because I knew it would tell me how to get myself right with God. I read it and did everything it said. I confessed my sins, repented and invited Christ into my life to be my Saviour. I then read the entire Gospel of John (a much better place to start reading the Bible). It was about five in the morning when I finally returned to bed and then I had another dream. This time I was in a dark room with my friends. They were all dressed in black and I was dressed in white. A door to heaven opened and I stepped through. I sat on this huge rock (yes there are rocks in heaven!) and Jesus came and sat beside me. He took my hands and said, “Now, everything is going to be all right.”
By that the Lord meant my eternal salvation was secured. Somehow I knew that it didn't mean my life would be without trials or heartache. It just meant I was now a child of God. My life changed because of that dream and the Lord took me down paths I never thought I would travel. Some pleasant surprises and others not so pleasant - like when I became disabled and when I lost my singing voice.
Now I realize a dream is a strange way to come to the Lord, but if you knew me when I was younger, it really was the only way. My grade 8 teacher said on my report card, "Laura is here merely to socialize." She was right. I was a chatterbox and I couldn't seem to help myself. So it makes sense to me that the Lord revealed himself to me while I was sleeping, otherwise I never would have heard Him!
That night, I had a dream that I was standing alone in the dark on a street corner underneath a lamplight. A voice shouted out to me, “Laura, where are you going?” and I shouted back, “I’m going to hell!” and then I was there. I saw the river Hades in hell, I felt the flames and the heat and I woke up screaming, sweating and terrified to the core because I knew in my heart that if I died, hell is exactly where I would be going. But God had a plan. You see months before, at school (when Christian organizations were still allowed to go into schools) I had been given a copy of The Four Spiritual Laws which I had glanced at and then threw in my dresser drawer, and it was the first thing that popped into my head upon awakening.
I searched frantically for that booklet because I knew it would tell me how to get myself right with God. I read it and did everything it said. I confessed my sins, repented and invited Christ into my life to be my Saviour. I then read the entire Gospel of John (a much better place to start reading the Bible). It was about five in the morning when I finally returned to bed and then I had another dream. This time I was in a dark room with my friends. They were all dressed in black and I was dressed in white. A door to heaven opened and I stepped through. I sat on this huge rock (yes there are rocks in heaven!) and Jesus came and sat beside me. He took my hands and said, “Now, everything is going to be all right.”
By that the Lord meant my eternal salvation was secured. Somehow I knew that it didn't mean my life would be without trials or heartache. It just meant I was now a child of God. My life changed because of that dream and the Lord took me down paths I never thought I would travel. Some pleasant surprises and others not so pleasant - like when I became disabled and when I lost my singing voice.
Now I realize a dream is a strange way to come to the Lord, but if you knew me when I was younger, it really was the only way. My grade 8 teacher said on my report card, "Laura is here merely to socialize." She was right. I was a chatterbox and I couldn't seem to help myself. So it makes sense to me that the Lord revealed himself to me while I was sleeping, otherwise I never would have heard Him!