A few weeks ago, I had a very vivid dream. I don’t remember much about it except for the following:
I saw my favorite robe, an oversized flannel one, and went to put it on. (This robe is unique, as it zips all the way up; however, the zipper is difficult to get started, so I leave the bottom of the zipper attached and step into it, lift the top over my shoulders and then put my arms in.)
In the dream, I lifted it and stepped into it, but once I got it fully on, I knew there was something very wrong. There were spiders inside the robe! I quickly got it off, but discovered three kinds of spiders that were now affecting me:
1.) There were small spiders that were stuck to me. They had dug claws into my skin and I could not shake them off. I had trouble getting them loose.
2.) There were large eye-catching monsters of different colors that fell on the floor; they were over 3 inches in diameter! I watched them on the floor, afraid they would jump on me.
3.) There were small spiders that I didn’t notice at first. After taking inventory of the other kinds of spiders, the back of my knee began to itch. Although I didn’t see them at first, they had bitten me and left their poison in me.
Isaiah 61:10a says, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness…”
Rom. 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Galatians 3:27 says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
In my interpretation of the dream, I sensed the Lord say, “You’re wearing the wrong robe.”
When we ‘put on Christ’ or wear the ‘robe of righteousness,’ we take our place and function in the Kingdom.
When we choose to “put on” the “old man” as an effort of avoidance (or laziness, or self-satisfaction), there are hidden dangers that the enemy has planted there.
When we “don” the garment of self-will, we’ll discover the perilous hazards that exist there. These menaces abide in this space waiting for you to get close enough to attach themselves to you.
Some of these poisonous leeches grab hold of whatever flesh presents itself within range of their clutches. Once they’ve grabbed on to you, you’ll need the power of Jesus to remove it.
Some of these show up in our lives disguised as guilt, shame, regret or condemnation.
We’ll see other intimidating and scary things, sent from the enemy in large, multi-colored, eye-catching forms. We can become so focused on these terrors that we can’t look away for fear of them jumping at us or on us. Our only hope of freedom from this bondage is a mighty God. These large, shiny monsters can appear as comparison, jealousy, judgementalism or self-promotion.
The other hazard is much more subtle. He is quiet, appearing insignificant, and almost docile. His presentation is part of what makes him a threat. People often ignore his existence to their detriment, as his true substance is toxic and malignant. It’s a poison that spreads long after we’ve encountered the hazard.
He may have disappeared, but we are still experiencing the effects of His bite. The only healing from this encounter is by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I must allow Him to make all things new. (Rev. 21:5) And He will.
These small poisonous bites can be representations of anxiety, offense, pressure of performance, pride, rationalizations and excuses, inadequacies (never enough), or exhaustion from striving to do things on my own.
The “spiders” represent the price that we Believers pay when we step outside Kingdom living into which we’re called.
All of these dangers exist in a place that Jesus didn’t desire for us to choose. Sometimes choosing that place (or robe) looks like the familiar that we opt for out of fear of moving forward in Him. Sometimes it’s picking comfort instead of the step of obedience that we’re called to make. Sometimes it’s the allure of complacency, the push past contentment and into laziness and waste.
When we find ourselves facing these snares, we must look up to the Father. Ask Him to tell you; He will! Ask Him to show you; He will!
We must respond to His directive with radical obedience. Quickly remove the cloak of laxity and self-satisfying indulgence. Put on truth and faith, and wield the sword of the Spirit. Move where He calls and step when He calls. This is living in the Kingdom!
Penny Renfroe is a pastoral care pastor at OneChurch Whitesboro and is the best-selling author of “Threads of the Father: Weaving His Words into our Daily Lives.”