…grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. ~ John 1:17b NASB
If you’re wondering at the cryptic title, let me clear it up right out of the gate. It refers to three recent dreams. With the new year, I so wanted to return to the Teacher portion overview (at nancybentz.com) that has been on a long pause. I even started the next article. But there’s more to yet be covered in the Spirit of Truth & Grace. The spiritual atmosphere is thick these days. And our Lord of Light is shining on the predator spirit.
A Bear, An Alligator, Two Deer & A Bear
Do you know we can dance all around something, our spirit knowing; then bam! it lands in our understanding. That explosion of Light has the power to change and transform our ways of thinking. It is actively Romans 12:2 –
“And do not follow the customs of the present age but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God’s will is–that will which is good and beautiful and perfect.” (Weymouth) (Apostle Paul exhorting)
The Spirit of Truth has been communing with me nonstop for such a long time, that I am rather surprised when it’s relatively quiet. Which is not often these days. Holy Spirit has been in Teacher mode, unveiling the Word of Truth even more, and connecting it to our lives in ways I long to not only language, but harvest.
You and I cannot out-think God. Every time we hear His truth – that outshines the world’s wisdom – we are exposed to the mind of Christ, which believers have been given.1 When we go the step further and receive His truth to ourselves, He is true to Himself. His power effects transformation in us, produced by our renewed mind.
Then there is the living / walking it out phase until it has been worked into the fiber of our being. We may not always or very often understand what Father God is up to; but there are times if we seek Him, He will show us.
Dream Trailer
The Lord has visited me many times with significant dreams from when I was married over 48 years ago. Within the last nine months, I have had three dreams, the most recent one being the 6th of January, 2025. People were present; also featured were a bear, an alligator, two deer & a bear as supporting actors.
Each dream alone is distinctive. All three dreams collectively weave together a theme: family. Both in natural generations and the family of God held and woven together in Christ. This writing will be shared over a few posts. First, the dreams. Then, some understanding that came as the dreams exposed what is occurring in realms of spiritual and predatory resistance. The spirit(s) behind attitudes, actions, what is being sensed.
First Dream – A Bear (late Spring, early Summer 2024)
About mid-2024, I had a dream one early morning, striking in its relative normalcy for the season. I had left our house to take a walk in the neighborhood, and had just reached the next block at the end of our long sidewalk.
I was headed south and about to step off the curb to continue forward. Coming toward me was an adult black bear; instinctively I knew it was female. “Mama Bear” immediately came to mind. I was not gripped with fear (as I would have been years ago) but chose to stand where I was as the bear continued to approach. I stood still as it drew close, right in front of me in my personal space. It sniffed around my head, then drew near to the right side of my face with its snout. Concerned it was going to swipe with its paw and damage my temple, eye, and cheek, I put my right hand up to shield my face. It acted and bit deeply into my hand with its mouth. I woke up.
Pondering the dream afterward, Holy Spirit pointed to its relevance as a continuation of Vineyard Days – Flawless, Part 1 (with an initial dream related midway down) and Hinds’ Feet With Hands Trained for Battle.
Second Dream – An Alligator (Autumn 2024)
The setting for this dream was a house with a deep, expansive backyard. My husband and I were there. It did not seem that it was our house, but representative of the expanded ‘family’. Several others were there, too. Activity was taking place in various rooms, though which family members and what they were doing indistinct.
I was moving toward what seemed to be a dining room, when an alligator appeared in the dream crawling its way through the house like it belonged there. Others seemingly weren’t fazed by it. For one thing, it didn’t seem aggressive; it looked like it had a small, pleased smile. However, I was questioning what business its presence indicated. The alligator eventually crawled its way outside through an open door on the back porch.
The next scene found me looking out on the backyard. It was a deep lawn with longer grass, not freshly mowed. Some distance out was a flowering, semi-large bush. I could see just the top of the alligator and its eyes as it quietly laid there in the cushion of long, cool grass. I remember thinking it had taken up its position there – as an alligator would do, lying in wait for its next visit.
The third and final scene was back in the house, my husband and I still there, as well as all the others. The two of us were in what seemed to be our bedroom in the house. The door was closed for privacy. I heard a faint knock and opened the door to find the alligator just on the other side, laying there looking up at me. I asked, in a tone surprising in its authority as one who had a long time ago identified and severed spiritual ways with this reptile, “What are you doing here?!” I slammed the door shut with a ‘shaking of the doorpost’ finality.
Third Dream – Two Deer & A Bear (January 6, 2025)
The third dream found my husband and I in our car, driving a route similar in setting to western Montana. Just off the side of the road was a small hill: thirsty-looking dirt, rocks, and dry scrub brush. At the top of the hillock, I saw a large deer standing near a crouching doe. I said to my husband, “That deer looks like she’s giving birth!”
Since I was not driving, I had a clear view of the entire scene. I sensed the large deer was male. My husband later told me a buck’s antlers grow (most dramatically in July) after the birthing season (May and June). In addition to the two deer, standing fully upright with its back to me, was an adult male black bear just behind the doe. He was patiently watching the birthing process, not moving a muscle.
Once again, as in the alligator dream, I questioned – at first take – the unassuming presence of the bear. I asked my husband to drive back around the hill, which sat like a central island does in a roundabout. The circular route was a bit longer. He did. As we came again into full view of the hilltop scene, I exclaimed, “She’s given birth!!”
No longer crouching in delivery, the doe was resting on the ground belly up, with the new birth lying on top. The buck was still standing guard, but this time around, the bear was facing me as it stood right over the doe. It was just reaching down to take the fawn in its mouth. I asked my husband, “Is its intention to harm it?!” Once more, I woke up.
To be continued…
Love note: While you wait for the next post, don’t get distracted. Consider what the Lord is speaking to you. Be in prayer. Ask for prayer. What Holy Spirit is revealing in this spiritual season is for purpose, not surprise attacks.
Gracefully Free
1 I Corinthians 2:16 – “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5-11: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”.
Three Dreams – Part 2 ~ A Bear
Three Dreams – Part 3 ~ An Alligator
Three Dreams – Part 4 ~ Two Deer & A Bear
Photo Credit: Pexels-Pixabay-33783 │ ©2025 Nancy C. Bentz
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