Sometimes, the voice of God doesn’t arrive with a flash of lightning or the rumble of thunder. Sometimes, it slips quietly into your spirit. A whisper so certain you can’t explain it away.
Almost twenty years ago, I had one of those moments.
I was sitting in church, listening to my dad preach, when the Lord interrupted my thoughts with words that made my heart skip:
"You will have a son, and his name will be Joseph."
My immediate reaction? I brushed it off. Surely, I was imagining things. I even laughed under my breath, half in disbelief, half in skepticism. But then, God said it again… and I argued back.
I listed every reason it couldn’t happen. We didn’t have the money for another child. Our vehicle was too small for a family of six. We were renting, not owning. And honestly? I didn’t even want another baby. Three felt like plenty.
Besides, if God wanted me to have a son, hadn’t He already had three chances? I even had a tubal ligation surgery scheduled just weeks away. So, with a bit of defiance, I told Him, “If You really want me to have a son, You have two weeks for me to conceive.”
But the Lord didn’t argue. He simply answered with a gentle promise:
"I will give you a van, and I will give you a house."
I chuckled at the thought, especially the van. But deep down, I knew He meant it.
The day before the procedure, the hospital called to confirm my appointment. As I answered, I felt a strange distance from myself. Words came out of my mouth that felt like they weren’t mine. Without much thought, I canceled the appointment. I didn’t do it out of obedience. I did it because something stronger than me was guiding that moment. As soon as I hung up the phone, I felt the Lord say, "Open your Bible."
I opened it immediately and my eyes landed on Jeremiah 31:8–9. "For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return! Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care..."
That moment paused me completely. My hesitation wasn’t about having another child. It was a quiet, tender fear of facing another difficult labor and delivery. But in His loving and gentle way, God was quietly assuring me that He would walk beside me and carry me through every step.
Over the next few years, God began to fulfill His promises, though not all at once. My car broke down at a busy stoplight, frustrating and inconvenient, yes, but it became the moment God used to lead me to a used van. I stopped by a used car dealership to see what they had - just to look around, not thinking that I would leave with a new (to me) vehicle. I noticed a van that looked well cared for, with relatively low mileage. Surely, I thought, I couldn’t afford it. Still, we went inside to talk numbers. The salesman’s first offer was too high, but he worked with me until we landed on a deal that felt like an unexpected blessing. As I signed the papers, the salesman said, "I’m practically giving this to you." I knew in my spirit, this was God making good on His word.
Not long after, our rental home’s air conditioning quit - right in the middle of one of the hottest summers I can remember. With three little ones tossing and turning in the heat, I finally told my then-husband, “We’re going house hunting.” That same day, we found the place that would become our home. Everyone said we’d never qualify for a loan, but God had other plans. Not only were we approved, we closed on my birthday, a gift straight from God's hand. And the funniest part? The day our offer was accepted, the AC in the rental started working again… all by itself.
Still, I wasn’t pregnant.
And then came the diagnosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The doctor told me I likely wouldn’t be able to conceive again. But I had already learned that God’s word holds more authority than any medical report. And through it all, the dreams continued.
Dream after dream: I was in a hospital room, cradling a baby boy. Every time, I knew his name. Joseph. I never once had to wonder. God had etched his name into my spirit.
Then came the final dream. I was having an ultrasound. The technician turned to me and said, "It’s a boy."
A few days later, I took a pregnancy test.
Positive.
Just like God said.
"For no word from God will ever fail."
Luke 1:37
When Joseph was born, everything wasn’t picture-perfect. He had breathing issues right away, rapid, shallow breaths that made it hard for him to stabilize. I held him close, kissed his tiny face, and then came the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.
I had to leave him at the hospital.
It broke me. I cried until there were no more tears left. My arms ached for him. I felt helpless. But then I remembered God’s promise again:
"I will lead them home with great care."
Jeremiah 31:9
And He did. Joseph came home just a few days later, breathing normally, wrapped in peace. That moment sealed in me what I had already known deep down: Joseph was God’s child first, and God would always be faithful to him.
Joseph was about seven or eight when I had two recurring dreams in the same night. They were unlike anything I’d experienced before - sobering, alarming, and heavy with meaning. I can still feel the weight of them.
In the first dream, Joseph and I were walking through a wide, open field. He ran ahead of me, just like he often did in real life, full of excitement and energy. But in the dream, a deep unease stirred in my spirit. I called out for him to slow down.
Then I saw it.
A thick, coiled snake, lying silent on the path, poised and waiting, directly in his way. My heart thundered. I didn’t scream. I didn’t freeze. I acted.
I grabbed a nearby tool and cut off the serpent’s head.
I woke up shaken, certain this was more than a dream. It was a warning.
When I fell back asleep, the second dream came.
Joseph and I were walking again, this time near a small brick house. He ran ahead and stopped, staring at the wall. Following his gaze, I saw another snake, this one slithering up the wall on its back. Its movements were slow, unnatural. Its eyes locked on my son. The sight was eerie, twisted - like a perversion of truth, a spiritual deception.
I didn’t hesitate.
I stepped forward, found a weapon, and severed its head.
Those dreams weren’t about reptiles. They were about real warfare.
"For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it… He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings…"
Job 33:14-18
The serpent has always represented the enemy. From Eden to Revelation, he is the deceiver, the twister of truth, the one who tries to steal what God has promised.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
God showed me that Joseph wasn’t just a gift, he was part of my calling as his mother. And with that calling came spiritual opposition. The enemy was threatened by my son. But God had already equipped me to fight.
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy…"
Luke 10:19
These dreams reminded me: I wasn’t just a mom.
I was a watchman. A warrior. A protector of a promise.
The dreams of Joseph’s birth and the dreams of spiritual warfare weren’t separate stories, they were two chapters of the same book. God gave me a glimpse of Joseph before he was ever conceived. He showed me that this child carries a special, high calling.
From the moment of his birth, that calling brought battles, and many more have followed. But with each battle came the God-given authority to fight for him. I know there are still battles ahead, and I will be ready, every day going to the Lord on behalf of my son, declaring victory even when my eyes cannot yet see it. I will fight for him when he will not fight for himself, when he does not feel the urgency to stand, or when he cannot see the danger pressing in. Like Moses lifting his hands over Israel, I will stand in the gap for him, believing that the God who began a good work will carry it to completion. I have prayed over him every day of his life, and I will continue to do so for as long as I have breath, confident that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16) and that “no weapon formed against him shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of my son. Thank You for speaking his name to my heart long before I ever held him. Thank You for your promises that never fail and for the dreams that prepared me for both the beauty and the battle. I praise You for the calling on his life, and I stand in the gap for him, declaring Your truth over every lie and Your protection over every attack. I sever every plan of the enemy in Jesus’ name. I bless the work of Your hands in Joseph’s life. Let him rise in strength, in wisdom, and in purpose. Let him walk in the fullness of Your calling. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friend, God still speaks through dreams. Some are filled with the beauty of promises to come. Others carry the weight of warnings, revealing where the enemy is trying to sabotage what God has planned. Don’t dismiss them.
Ask the Lord what He is showing you. Be alert. Be discerning. And never forget, you have been entrusted with more than a season, a role, or a responsibility. You’ve been entrusted with a destiny.
And you, dear friend, are equipped to guard it well.
Has God ever warned you through a dream or prepared your heart for a promise yet to come? Please share your story in the comments below.
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