As I sit down to write this prophetic word, my heart is filled with wonder and awe. I am seeing God unravel another prophetic mystery right before my very eyes.
I often find myself "living out" prophetic messages. The themes and lessons I am learning in my own life become a reflection of the larger story God is writing in his Bride. That's why I have learned to share my prophetic process with others and, in turn, prophesy to them: "What God is doing in, for, and through me, He will do in, for, and through you too!" I believe we are in a time of reconciliation, forgiveness, preparation, and God dreams being fulfilled. I want to share some prophetic insight from the story of Joseph and the prophetic journey I am currently walking out with the Lord. I believe this is part of what is on the heart of Jesus for this right-now season.
With that said, let's dive into the first part of this prophetic message. (There is much to say on this topic, so I will be releasing this word in a few parts here on my blog. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE at the bottom of the page so you don't miss the next word!)
The Mystery of Dreams from God
Dreams from God are a mysterious gift. I'm talking about the dreams you have in the night, while asleep. Not every dream is from God, but the ones that are will stick with you. Write them down, pray over them, review them over time. You may be stunned at the revelation the Holy Spirit reveals to you. Oftentimes, God gives a dream way in advance, before the time of its fulfillment. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. John 16:13 NLT
I have learned to steward the dreams God has given me. Over time, I have seen God literally make my dreams come true—dreams that I originally thought were merely symbolic or meaningless. Whether or not you consider yourself a dreamer, God can speak to you through your dreams too, and it's something you have the right to pray for (read Acts 2 and Joel 2). Recently, I took a leap of faith based on a series of dreams I had. In 2019 and 2020, I had four dreams about the Send event in Kansas City. Summed up, this is an event geared to gathering thousands of believers to answer the call to "Go!" and fulfill the great commission. Although I didn't fully understand the dreams, I believed God was calling me to go to the Send Kansas City. The event was supposed to happen in 2020. Got canceled. Then in 2021, but it got canceled again. Every time the event got canceled, I was confused. "But God, what about the dreams you gave me? Will they ever come true?"
Finally, in May 2022, the Send event was rescheduled for good. It was actually going to happen this time. So, I thought, I have nothing to lose! I'm going to Kansas City to see what God was speaking to me about my dreams from 2+ years ago! This is the introduction - I'll share more on this story in part 2. As I take you on this prophetic journey over the next few blog posts, I am going to intertwine what I have to share with the story of Joseph. So, let's get started ...
(Wanna learn more about dreams and dream interpretation from a biblical and prophetic perspective? Sign up for my prophetic school waitlist here!)
Joseph the Dreamer
In Genesis 37, we meet Joseph. We learn very quickly that he is the favorite son. After all, his father, Jacob (otherwise known as Israel), makes him an ornate robe of many colors. If that wasn't enough cause for jealousy in his other brothers, Joseph isn't just favored by his dad - he is favored by God. We see this when God gives Joseph two dreams about ruling over his family. Here's the first one.
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Genesis 37:5-8 NLT And here is the second one: Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Genesis 37:9 NLT As it clearly says, the dreams made Joseph's eleven brothers hate him all the more. That's where the next part of the story comes in. First, I want to say this to encourage you. When God gives you dreams, others may not understand them. Others may hate you for them. Others may not have the faith to believe with you. You need discernment to know when to share them and who to share them with, if anyone. But there is much more we can learn from this story, if we keep going ...
A Mysterious Man
Everything takes a seeming turn for the worse only a few sentences later in the story. After Jacob asks Joseph to go and find his brothers, Joseph meets a mysterious man in a field who tells him exactly where to find them.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. Genesis 37:14-18
This moment could be easily overlooked, but I think there is a God-mystery to be found in this mysterious man. Who was this man? How did he know where Joseph's brothers were? What would have happened if Joseph didn't meet him in the field? Would he have not gone out to meet his brothers—stopping them from plotting against him? Was this random encounter a part of God's ultimate plan to set Joseph's process to his dream in motion?
"If Only" Moments of Regret
If you're feeling discouraged in your process on the way to your God dreams and promises, you may have had many"If only moments." Those moments where you look back and say, "If only I hadn't done that. If only I had said this instead. If only I waited, turned around, or moved forward. If only..." Joseph could have felt this way looking back at that field with the mysterious man.
He may have thought, "If only I had not listened to the man in the field. If only I had turned around and gone back home to my father, none of this would have happened." But even in the regrets and seeming mistakes of our lives, God's ultimate plan is still in motion. He counts it all, uses it all. Remember, he is the one who gives a dream, and he uses the process to fulfill it. Like the mysterious man in this story, God will set you up in miraculous, "coincidental" ways to set his plans in motion for you. He weaves these details in so seamlessly, we could miss him. But God is in those very details of the fabric of our stories.
Sabotaged ... or Set in Motion?
“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Genesis 37:20
Joseph's brothers didn't like the fact that the highly favored Joseph had dreams about them. So, they made a plan to sabotage him. Here's the thing. It looked like they got away with it. They intended to kill him, and threw him in a pit. Their plan for sabotage seemed to be executed successfully. But even in their most evil scheming, they could not thwart the plans of God.
You see, when God gives a dream, no evil force can stop it. Nor can others' misguided good intentions end it. God dreams will prevail.
When Joseph's brothers thought they had killed Joseph's dreams by throwing him into a pit, they had actually accelerated God's plans into motion.
Prophetic Word: You Can't Ruin Your God Dream
No one can destroy the dream God has given you. You see, even Joseph's brothers actively worked against the fulfillment of the dreams! So, if you feel like people are both actively and indirectly working against those dreams God has given you ... remember this: no one can stop God's plans for you when He has commanded the fulfillment of them!
In the same way, you do not have the power to sabotage the dreams God has given you for your life. You may feel regret—like you missed it or messed up the dream God gave you—and you"self-sabotaged" yourself.
Likewise, when it's a God dream, you cannot make it happen on your own. You may feel like you moved outside of God's timing or tried to do it in your own strength ... and it didn't work. Everything seemed to fall apart.
When the dream is truly from God, there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Listen, if Joseph's brothers could not stop God's dreams for Joseph's life, you cannot ruin a dream God has for you - when you are walking with Jesus and you are actively trying to discern his plan and his will for you. Let me say it again a little louder for those in the back: You can't sabotage a dream from God!
God gives the dream and he has the power to fulfill it. The process may look much different than you expected, the outcome may turn out different than what you may expect, but true dreams from God will prove true in the end.
There is a TIMER on the fulfillment of your dream. When God gives the word, the countdown begins. It may be taking longer than you planned, but with a God dream, you get a God journey and a God result.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105 NLT
Your Process to Dreams and Promises Fulfilled
I believe we are in a time of dreams being fulfilled for God's people. Over the last few months, I've been sharing about how we are "Crossing Over" into the promised land (read it here.) This will continue over the next few months of 2022. The process has produced much fruit of the spirit in many people's lives—even if it has felt like "painful growing pains." It's time to get clarity on what God is doing so you can partner with Him in faith! Don't go by what your eyes see—see with His eyes of faith.
In part 2 of this prophetic word, I will share more about healing, reconciliation, and dreams fulfilled from the story of Joseph and my personal journey!
Read part 2 here: Prophetic Message from Joseph pt 2 Read part 3 here: Miracles of Restoration (Joseph's Story Pt. 3)
P.S. If you want to grow in your walk with God, learn to hear His voice, and grow your prophetic gift, join the waitlist for my next online Prophetic School! Spots are limited, so go here to learn more!
About the Author
Mariel is a writer, speaker, and prophetic mentor. Her heart is to encourage this generation with right-now prophetic words that reignite hope during the waiting between a prophetic promise and its fulfillment. Through her ministry, the Embolden Co., she holds seasonal prophetic mentorships, training programs, and retreats to empower people around the world to develop their spiritual gifts and hear God for their lives—so they can bring revival to the nations. You can follow her on social media on Instagram @Mariel_Villarreal_ and Tiktok @Mariel.Villarreal and Facebook @TheEmboldenCompany to get more prophetic encouragement!
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