…grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. ~ John 1:17b NASB
Part 4 ~ Two Deer & A Bear speaks to the third dream related in the initial post, A Bear, An Alligator, Two Deer & A Bear. You may access here – Three Dreams – Part 2 ~ A Bear and Three Dreams – Part 3 ~ An Alligator.
Parched Fields Always Need Water
With a few exceptions, when I have been in a car in a dream of spiritual significance, I have not been in the driver’s seat. At times, my husband and I are together. Usually, Holy Spirit has been behind the wheel. He is purposeful and intentional; the Spirit of Christ speaking and revealing in my dreams. Personal parables – often expanded beyond my small circle to picture the larger body of Christ of God’s redeemed family. Vineyard Days is ongoing narrative of earthly life experiences and spiritual lessons learned → love’s progress.
Growing up, one of the sometimes said but more often implied by attitude imprints was that the whole family – natural and at church – was of the same spiritual cloth because we were ‘Christians’. Boy, did I learn otherwise. Starting with Jesus’ commandment to love Him first, love myself in Him, and be thus enabled by grace to love others. 1
So when the Desert Days of life segued into Vineyard Days, my love level was dry and rocky as a parched field. Many years later as the Beloved’s beloved, His love lessons still apply. Former ones, current ones, future ones.
Two Deer & A Bear
When I woke up from this dream on January 6, I shared it later over coffee with my husband. The first thing he did was pray for God’s protection over the babies expected in our extended families. We know of at least three; one has since arrived, safe and healthy. There is wisdom in utilizing the art of the obvious before looking deeper.
From there, I was struck that once again, this was a multi-layered dream of body, soul, and spirit proportions. While I share it publicly here in Wellspring, I’m aware it is personal to my life story; so too, it is about your life story. Particularly as it speaks to our personal and corporate journeys of relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, from my vessel as recipient of the dreams, it remains – and so do I – about the state of Christ’s Eden.
While waiting for delivery, there’s a need for water.
It is why Jesus said He is the Living Water; those who drink freely of Him will thirst no more. Even in the waiting.
Which is no time to let your guard down. It is significant that the male deer was standing watch over the birth. It reminded me of the gazelle and the Stag in Solomon’s Song; Christ’s love story running through Vineyard Days.
In the dream, our first drive by the hillock – thirsty, rocky, and dry in appearance – showed the doe crouching in labor pains. I testify from past experiences and suspect many others have felt like you’ve been in an extended crouching position – waiting. Pressure mounting, then subsiding. Feelings of false labor – until it intensifies again.
There too was the bear. Standing erect, silently biding its time. Thank God for His protection over His intention.
When the water breaks, it’s time to be prepared.
The second pass was a bit of a longer route around the traffic circle in the dream. After days of pondering, it hit me that as the Lord often does, He was showing the progress He – and we – had been up to in the living interim.
Many of us are found in a long season. It’s why I encourage us to make time to reflect on what The Lord and others have said to you, what you know to be true, and what that looks like now in your life sometime later.
In the dream, delivery had occurred. There lay the new birth, fresh out of Life’s womb. The male deer was still standing as a sentinel, and there was the bear, now in a different position in relation to the freshly delivered. When I cried out to my husband, “Is its intention to harm it?!”, I woke up with that question hanging in the air.
In the five weeks since I had this dream, I have thought and prayed about the bear many times over. Sometimes it takes one who loves nature and wildlife to state the obvious: “You better figure the bear reaching down to take the fawn in its mouth had no good intention. It was looking for an easy meal.” Thank you, Wayne.
New Birth and the Predator Spirit
These are days we need to remember it is imperative to keep the Main thing the main thing. We saw in the previous post that one of the characteristics of the Leviathan spirit is confusion. As I watched this dream unfold from an observer’s viewpoint, I knew I was being shown the spiritual progress of birthing new life in which I have been and still am engaged. The same is true for many of you. It is why we keep feeding on Him.
Even as the predator spirit of the Adversary exerts temporary power behind the chaos and confusion running rampant these days, the Lord Jesus Christ has not been diverted, disillusioned, or distracted from His course. If His life is to freely reign in us, neither should we be. We need His deep cleansing and honest course correction.
Washed by the Cleansing Water of Your Word
“Jesus, hear our cry for the Truth of who You are to break anew upon our hearts and minds like ocean waves. How we need your cleansing; fresh washing by the water of Your Word. By your Spirit, call to our remembrance truth You have spoken to us before. Increase our desire to do Your and our Father’s will. Empower us in Your strength that springs from Your joy in pleasing Him, to undertake and complete that which we have ignored, forgotten, side-stepped, and relaxed into letting pass by like water under life’s bridge. Ignite in us the understanding that as we each one lean into Your graces and callings, that You are weaving together Your body against whom the powers of the evil one and the gates of hell will not prevail. Ring in us Your mighty truth!”
Gracefully Free
“As a true spring is ever supplied with water from the great deep, with which it has communication, so shall the soul of the genuine believer be supplied with light, life, love, and liberty, and all the other graces of the indwelling Spirit, from the indwelling Christ.” – Adam Clarke
1 Matthew 22:36-40
Further Reading: your Bible ~ be in the Word, my friends – it is Food and Drink to your very being ♥
Three Dreams – Part 3 ~ An Alligator
Three Dreams – Part 2 ~ A Bear
A Bear, An Alligator, Two Deer & A Bear
Photo Credit: Pexels-Pixabay-33783 │ ©2025 Nancy C. Bentz
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