Dreams and Visions of Jesus
For Tuesday 15 September, Ramadan 2009. “Loving Muslims Through Prayer”
They are turning to Jesus
Seeking answers, Khalid asked people who were well informed about the Qur’an to get more understanding. But as a good Muslim, his heart did not find any rest. One day Khalid paid a visit to one of his childhood friends. In his friend’s home he found a book which he thought was a commentary on the Qur’an. However as he read the book his heart started to beat stronger and stronger because in the book he was finding the answers to many of his questions. That same night he had a dream in which he saw the words “I am the God that you are looking for, I am the truth”. The following night he had the same dream. The next day Khalid’s heart was very troubled so he went to see his friend and told him about the dreams. Then his friend explained that it was probably the God of the Bible who had revealed himself to him and he invited him to pray to that God.
Khalid was then secretly welcomed into an assembly of believers. This is not always the case. New believers from a Muslim background often have difficulties being accepted by local assemblies. Some groups of believers fear that they will suffer persecution if they help a Muslim background believer. Having been rejected by their own family, these new believers need to find new “brothers and sisters.” For more information see the web site: www.secretbelievers.org/
Prayer Starters:
- Pray for the secret believers who ask for help from local churches and do not find it, that they will continue to hope in Christ.
- Pray for the leaders of believing communities in Muslim countries. They are subject to varied and serious pressures.
- Pray for local assemblies – that they would be willing to take the risk of helping new believers and that their communities could become real sources of refuge for those who are discovering new life in Christ.
Testimony from West Africa
My name is Abdou. Like practically all people in my tribe in Togo I was raised as a Muslim. Having been given a basic understanding of the Qur’an, I was not very regular at normal prayer times at the mosque, however, I really loved God. Even at a very young age my lack of mosque attendance and my lack of rigor in keeping Islamic practices caused me to have problems with my father. However, at school I was a good student.
At age 19 I encountered my first real problems at school. My difficulties were apparently caused by hidden spiritual forces so as a good Muslim, I decided to seek help from God.
I even started reading some books about Jesus and I attended some Christian meetings with a friend in secret. When my father discovered this he forced me to leave home and relationships with my family deteriorated. My father disinherited me and told me not to come to his funeral. Happily some believers in the Messiah gave me help.
After several years of struggles and failure to receive my high school diploma, I finally succeeded and I was even able to enter university in 2007. Some believers have accepted me into their home. We live very simply and I continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus.
- You should pray for Abdou and others like him in Togo.
“I am the God that you are looking for, I am the truth”.
What a shame Kalid had grown up a Muslim but didn’t know AL HAQQ ..
The Truth, The Reality, The Just and Correct, The Truly Existing
The One who is the truth, the real, and the truly-existing. The One whose essence is the only substance and the only reality.
The One whose essence is wisdom, justice, right, rightness. The One who is just, right, proper, correct. The One whose existence is undeniable.
The One who acts in accord with the needs of every situation. The One through whom all righteousness, justice, and truth are revealed.
From the root h-q-q which has the following classical Arabic connotations:
to be suitable to the requirements of wisdom, justice, truth or fact
to be in accord with the needs of the situation
to be true, right, correct, just, proper
to be genuine, authentic, real, sound, substantial
to be established, confirmed as fact
to be necessary, requisite, justified
to be unavoidable, inevitable, due
to be binding, obligatory, incumbent upon
to happen without doubt or uncertainty
This name is used in the Qur’ân. For example, see 22:62
(Also written as al-haqq, the Truth: ya haqq) This is the Name of God in the Qur’an
These are truly beautiful statements about Allah, Carol.
You and I are quite similar. We love God and have served Him most of our days.
However, I would ask you what does it really mean to be a Muslim?
Does it not mean to be surrendered or submitted to God? To believe in the One God? To believe the signs of God? To live our lives surrendered to the will of God?
Doesn’t a Muslim who really understands the Qur’an also believe in the Revelation of God as revealed in the Tawrat, Zabor, Injil, and Qur’an?
In Imran 3:55 it seems the Qur’an is pointing Muslims to continue to look at Jesus and who he is.
If this man, Khalid is following Jesus, I pray that he continues to submit to Allah. I pray the same for both of us, that we follow the Straight Path of surrender and purity.
Mary
Mary you are right.. we are told to submit to God .. to make our life so completely surrendered to His will that every part of it becomes an act of worship.
Allah says “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3)
As a former Christian. my journey to Islam was made easy because I knew and loved God before I found Islam. I already believed him to be the truth.. So when I found Islam.. I knew I had come home to the truth. He is “Al Haqq” to me.
The mutual teaching of truth relates to the books you have mentioned as well as the Qur’an.. so in reading the bible. . but remember that the Qur’an states it confirms the truth found in the previous books.. not the books themselves.
For me and many many former Christians like me were led to Islam.. as the natural place for our Souls to find the rest that Allah talks of when He says “in the Remembrance of God hearts find rest” Jesus said He came to show us and give us peace.. and Islam means peace.. and it’s in submitting as a Muslim we truly find that peace. our souls ache for.
The Khalid in this story did not know Allah like this or he would never have turned elsewhere to find the truth. I make dua for him.
My desire isn’t to argue, though I have some thoughts about your statements regarding the Holy Books, but instead I wanted to ask you a favor, Carol.
I know that Muslims consider Isa al Masih (Jesus) to be unique among the Prophets.
Even Mohammed (PBUH) made this clear.
I don’t think many Christians are aware of this, and even feel that Muslim “hate” Jesus and Christians.
You are in a unique position to help us to understand how Muslims view Jesus (Isa al Masih) and Christians from the Qur’an.
I wonder if you would take some time to share with us some of verses (best expressed in Arabic but of course we’d have to have them translated into English) that tell us Christians why we don’t have to be enemies with Muslims or fear them?
Clearly, Muslims don’t want us to convert them. I personally believe a big problem is in the semantics of the word “conversion”, but that can wait for another day.
I would just like us to remove some of the barriers that this ‘comments’ section is exposing.
Thanks, friend.
Dear Carol & Mary:
two stories of Muslims coming to Christ I’ve read:
One young Kabyle woman in Algeria (a Muslim) was fearful when she heard she was going to die. She was pregnet, and cried out to Isa Al-Maish [Jesus CHrist]. He appeared to her, and told her she would live. She became a Christian!
One young Iranain woman (a Muslim) was about to commit suicide when she saw a great light. It excalimed, ‘I am Living Water’ three times! She woke up, read the Gospel of John, became a Christian, and now leads an undergound house church! Amazing
It is so nice and peaceful listening to these two ladies exchanging views. Lovely. May I also share what happened to me many years ago?
I never had dreams and visions, but I had an encounter with Yesua. I was in my late teens, going through a tough time in my life. I was trying to make sense of it. For five years I have been struggling to get an answer to my question, “How can I be certain I will go to heaven?” One day I would feel great, and then I would be sure I will go to heaven. Just the next day my conscience would plague me and I would doubt if I was acceptable to God.
Typical as a child I always thought in terms of exams. If I fail my exam, then next time round I would study harder so that I could pass. But with God it was different! We only find out if we “passed” after death. Then there was no second opportunity to try harder. Daily I walked with this burden.
On that particular day I was laying on my bed reading in the Bible. All of a sudden I realised God was speaking to me through those verses. No, I did not hear a voice, but I just knew God was saying these words to me: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
My heart was filled with joy! God is accepting me as his son. That day changed my life forever. From that day I started walking with Jesus in a personal relationship. Only some time after that I came to realise that Jesus took my punishment willingly on him through his sacrifice on the cross. It was such a relief that I did not have to strive to be good and earn a place with God. I thankfully submitted my life to him, walking daily in obedience and living a holy life. To be sure, I made many mistakes sinning again after that, but I could turn in repentance to him and recommit my life to him anew every time.
Carol,
Allah is the moon god that was worshiped by the nomads of the arabian penninsula. So, allah is not the god of abraham, isaac and moses. The name of mohammads father tells us that the god worshipped by mohammads father was the moon god Allah and because mohammads father was the keeper of the kaaba the name of his fathers was Abd Allah – servant of allah.
The tangible proof that Allah was and is the Moon God is the fact that you will find moon on every mosque in the whole of the arabian penninsula and every place of muslim worship.
Regarding Carols remark about the ‘natural place of our souls’…
First of all, Salvation of her soul is not guaranteed in Islam.
Mohammad said He DOES NOT KNOW WHAT ALLAH WILL DO TO HIM after his death AND TO HER AS WELL .
Carol, you also go further to say that Islam means peace.
Neverthe less, Jesus means GOD SAVES and this Saviour was prophesized by Isaiah saying that an Emmanuel will be born – Emmanuel means GOD WITH US.
While the whole world is witnessing the terror thru your brothers and sisters hands (now that you claim to be a muslim) , you seem to be blinded by the one who brought the fall of adam and eve by his vile intentions and moves.
There is no such thing as a former christian.I have tried stuff in my life and there is no other way.IT IS A HEART CONDITION.If you study and continue to study the Bible and have an intimate relationship with God,He will show the deep and secret and mysterious things of Himself like His Word says.Chtistianity first of all is not a religion it is a relationship with the living God.You get christians and you get christians.The real christians are serving God,meaning that they are reading His Word daily,praying daily,asking for sanctification daily,learning to be a better person daily,reaching out to others to give them an opportunity to receive Jesus as well and this does not mean richer etc but more humble like Jesus was.If we get saved (converted)and as the Bible says that we are going to heaven,but we should get as many people to heaven as well as we are accountable for souls.
We can never ever try and get God’s favour by good works,Jesus says that it was finished on the cross before He died:ie you cannot do anything more to get is love.God is love,that’s it .All we have to do is to accept Him geniunely as our Lord and Saviour and ask Him to be in everything in your life not some things,but all things.Other religions start falling away ,ie they come to nothing.If we are made in the image of the living God then if somebody comes along and gives us the truth-THE WORD OF GOD,we will do 1 of 2 things,get convicted and walk away or get convicted and might ask a few questions and might even ask how to get saved.The Bible says that the Wird of God is like a 2 edged sword,it divides bone and marrow,heart and soul.It sure does.I was really searching for something that could fill up the ”Jesus hole” in my heart and can only be filled up with Jesus.Amen.trevor barnes Amanzimtoti,South Africa.
Dear Trevor,
Yours is a glorious testimony to how God fills our hearts with Himself and gives us a desire for others to know that wonderful peace! That is what we desire for everyone isn’t it?
Regarding religion, from what I understand about Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t intend to begin a NEW religion but a new Kingdom of the heart!.. In fact, Jesus, and the Jews who received Him worshiped in their synagogues as usual, and when Gentiles began coming into this Kingdom, there was a Council that decided they didn’t have to become Jews or attend Synagogues in order to follow Jesus.
Let’s pray that the Kingdom of God spreads across this earth in the hearts of men and women of all countries and faiths, breaking down the divisions and hostilities and bringing God’s healing love and justice. God’s Blessings on you.
Mary
Dreams and Visions of Jesus
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Our God is truly a faithful God… Thank you, Yeshua, amen.
I’m sure you are aware of the teenager who fled her home in Ohio and went to FL when her life was threatened by her father for becoming a Christian. A judge has allowed sanctuary temporarily–a good example of today’s prayer request and answered prayer.
I would just like to ask all Muslim believers something: You believe Jesus was a prophet right?
Does Prophets lie?
He said, The only way to the Father is through me, I am the way, the truth and the Life!
He is truly the Son of God who died for your sin, serve Him!
Es
Dear everyone-
though the task remains enormous, god is doing an unprecendated work amongt muslims. More muslims are coming to Christ NOW than at any other time in human histroy, say leadign evanglists. We must pray!
I give all Glory to God! I have been growing in His love and truly amazing grace since 1957. It was His gentle care when He visited with me alone in a Catholic church sanctuary where I (6years old) grieved the death of my mother. He lived up to His promise to be the Father to the orphan. He was there through my teens when I watched my father drink year after year to numb his broken heart. He was there when my time in the military was plagued with out of control use of drugs and alcoholand H stoped me cold one day while I had all but forgotten Him. He led me to a Baptist church to ground me in His teachings of my personal sin was standing between He and I. And that His willing sacrifice in my place was sufficient and efficient in removing all my sinful guiltiness by merely receiving the attonement He was handing to me. He was there as He led me to college to prepare to serve others with mental disorders. He was there as mysister became aMuslim anintroduced me to the very hospitible Arab culture and their love towar me. He was there as I prayed over my brother-in-law who was having heart surgery. He was there as I followed His leading to enter full-time service in a rescue mission and Wesleyan pastorate. He is there as He leads me past seeking His abundant blessings and just looking and longing for Him and His holiness in my heart and life. He is there as I pray continually for Jesus to reveal Himself to my Muslim and non Muslim family that do not yet know my great joy in Him. Salam, Shalom and His Grace and Peace to all who read this.
Please join me in prayer for God to shower His love and grace on Mushkara Lebanon and her sons and daughters. Isa al Masih loves you and seeks to point the way to God.
May all who read this have great blessings of peace and joy in 2010.
A study was taken of more than 100 MBBs from 50 ethnic groups and 30 countires. Over 30% said the decisve factor in converting to Christianity was visions and dreams!
Thank you Grace for the encouraging report. I love my Muslim family and pray that they will all hve visions ond dreams from Jesus.
Grace and peace to you from the hand of God for all who read this.
Bill
Carol,
Allah is the moon god that was worshiped by the nomads of the arabian penninsula. So, allah is not the god of abraham, isaac and moses. The name of mohammads father tells us that the god worshipped by mohammads father was the moon god Allah and because mohammads father was the keeper of the kaaba the name of his fathers was Abd Allah – servant of allah.
The tangible proof that Allah was and is the Moon God is the fact that you will find moon on every mosque in the whole of the arabian penninsula and every place of muslim worship.
Regarding Carols remark about the ‘natural place of our souls’…
First of all, Salvation of her soul is not guaranteed in Islam.
Mohammad said He DOES NOT KNOW WHAT ALLAH WILL DO TO HIM after his death AND TO HER AS WELL .
Carol, you also go further to say that Islam means peace.
Neverthe less, Jesus means GOD SAVES and this Saviour was prophesized by Isaiah saying that an Emmanuel will be born – Emmanuel means GOD WITH US.
While the whole world is witnessing the terror thru your brothers and sisters hands (now that you claim to be a muslim) , you seem to be blinded by the one who brought the fall of adam and eve by his vile intentions and moves.
There is no such thing as a “former Christian.” You’re either a Christian or you’re not! You might have once claimed to be Christian, but you cannot have ever really been a Christian at heart