By Melanie Stone Sometimes our dreams have a profound impact on us. We wake up, the dream follows us through the day and it s what comes to mind when we lay our head down on our pillow at night. Sometimes our dreams stick with us even though we try to ignore them. One cannot help by wonder, Does my dream mean anything? Is God trying to speak to me? We Dream For Several Reasons 1. God is giving you a message. If the dream is from God, you want to know the message God is sending you. God will use different methods to 2. Your brain is active and it is functioning like it should. Dreaming is a normal function of the brain. There are many thoughts on the purpose of the mind s activity during sleep, so know dreaming can be simply your brain in motion. 3. Your spiritual enemy is trying to influence or confuse you. Recognize the enemy and give him instructions to stay off your property. Your mind is not his to manipulate. When someone experiences a dream, no matter how strange or impactful it seems, it may or may not be from God. It may or may not have a meaning. It s imperative that we look to the Lord for discernment. What we Base Our Beliefs On Supernatural topics are sometimes misunderstood. A dream from God is a true supernatural happening with tremendous blessings attached. We should want to know the truth about a Godgiven dream. As you seek to understand dreams, please keep these three things in mind: 1. Anything we believe about God should be based in Scripture. First, our belief should be based on two or three verses, not just one. The Bible says, by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established (II Corinthians 13:1). 2. Second, we should consider the context of the Scripture when looking to back up what we believe. Anyone can pull a portion of a scripture out of context to distort it s true meaning. 3. Third, when considering what we believe, we should listen to the Holy Spirit who confirms truth to our heart. The following are ten points about dreams that come from God.
Ten Points of Interest on Dreams From God 1. God can either give a message or a revelation through dreams How do we know God gives dreams? The Bible says so. Here is one scripture that tells us He does: Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. In other scripture, dreams are not limited to old men and visions are not limited to young men; however this verse fulfills a prophecy from the prophet Joel concerning the fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would be sent to the hearts of a born again believer. A message could be any communication God is getting to the dreamer. A revelation is a truth God is unfolding, perhaps a prophetic insight of something yet to come. 2. A God-Dream is a night vision Dreams are similar to a vision that happens as a person sleeps. Isaiah called a dream a night vision. 1 To understand dreams better, let s take a brief look at what a vision is. A vision is an image a person sees either physically or mentally, and they are images given by the Holy Spirit. God uses our mind to show us something He wants us to see. There are three types of visions seen in the Bible. God will reveal an image. It often helps us to know how to pray or what to look for. God will reveal a happening being played out. This is a vision where you see something happening in the spirit, yet you are aware of your surroundings. There is also a vision referred to as a trance, where you are awake, but you are not aware of what is going on around you. For example, Peter was in a trance in Acts 10 when the Lord gave him a revelation about going to the Gentiles. Visions and dreams are a spiritual concept that is best understood through experiencing them. Some say, better caught than taught. However, whether you ever have one or not, because they are in the Bible, you can know they are real. God will reveal an image to me when I pray for someone. It shows me how to pray. For example, recently I saw the image of a fire in a grassy field, and the Holy Spirit told me to pray for revival. A vision where you see things in motion is similar to a vision of an image, only with movement. When you experience a vision, you watch something being played out for you. 1 Isaiah 29:7 growchurches.com 2
3. The Holy Spirit will confirm the dream is not ordinary A God-given dream is when God will use our mind as a tool to inform or instruct us while we are at rest. This is not a natural occurrence; this is a supernatural occurrence. The dream is experienced because God gave it. When God gives a dream, the anointing of the Holy Spirit gives an unction, or a knowing, that it is from God. This is not a suspicion or a confused wondering, but in our hearts, we know. In Daniel, God gave a dream to king Nebuchadnezzar, and even this unbelieving, wicked king knew his dream was not ordinary. Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him I have a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream (Daniel 2:1-3). This is where a person must be familiar with the Holy Spirit in order to have the discernment whether a dream is natural, supernatural and from God, or supernatural and from the enemy. Just because it may have felt profound doesn t mean it s from God sometimes we retain dreams more than others depending on how or when we woke up. In addition, if it was supernatural, it doesn t mean it was from God. Satan can influence our minds as well. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to give witness to whether a dream is from God or not. 4. Dreams are not the primary way the Holy Spirit communicates Since Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the New Testament church, the primary way God gives knowledge or revelation is by the Holy Spirit making something known in our hearts. We should pursue the leading of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. However, know there is danger in seeking something spiritual or supernatural just because we want to experience something spiritual or supernatural. Many good-hearted people have been led astray into error because they thought they were hearing from God but were deceived. Not everyone will have a dream from God in his or her lifetime. Not everyone will have more than one dream from God in his or her lifetime. When we look at the Bible, we see dreams from God were not that common. That s okay if someone doesn t hear from God in a dream, because the primary God speaks is not through a dream. 5. The Holy Spirit always gives the interpretation God, the dream giver, is also God, the dream interpreter. When the dream is from God, the interpretation will be from God as well. God isn t out to confuse you, so He will not give a dream without giving the interpretation. When someone in the Bible interpreted a dream from God, they acknowledged the interpretation was also given by the Spirit of God. growchurches.com 3
Do not interpretations belong to God? Genesis 40:8 - Joseph There is a God in heaven who reveals secrets Daniel 2:28- Daniel In the case of Daniel in Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had the dream, but to assure the interpretation was as real as the dream, he required the one interpreting know the dream as well. To reveal Himself, God gave revelation to Daniel of both what the dream was and what the meaning was. Daniel could only have known this by the Spirit of God. Later on Nebuchadnezzar speaks of Daniel and the interpretation as he states, you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you. He understood it was the Holy Spirit who revealed it. There is a spiritual side to our world, and it is very important that we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit for understanding. It is important that we do not open ourselves up to just any spirit. Some have meant well, but have opened themselves up to devils. You can learn to know the witness of the Spirit of God. 6. The Holy Spirit always interprets immediately In the Bible, the Holy Spirit gave the interpretation of a dream to the dreamer without delay. God does not make you wait on His revelation of a dream. If you don t have a revelation after having a dream, the dream is most likely not from God. Dream interpretation is not a gift that is given to certain individuals and not to others. Some people may be more experienced in this area than others, but under the new covenant we go to God, not to a man or a woman for the revelation of a dream. There are occasions in the Old Testament, before someone could be born again and before someone could be filled with the Holy Spirit, where a king called in a prophet to interpret a dream. Under the New Testament, you don t need to go to someone else to interpret a dream. However, if someone believes God has revealed the meaning of a dream to you, be careful. Like any other message given to you, you must test and discern if it is truly from God. 7. God-dreams are not to be translated Dreams are not a coded message that needed to be deciphered. I have visited New Orleans, where people practice reading tarot cards. I also have run into Christians who read dreams like a person would read a tarot card. There are books written on symbols in dreams, symbols used to figure out the meaning of a dream. This is not scriptural; it s witchcraft. Again, be careful, because even a Christian can move in the supernatural by the assistance of a demon. Remember, God interprets dreams by revelation. Some people have what the Bible calls tickling ears or itching ears in reference to people who get off track with unsound, unscriptural doctrine or beliefs. It refers to the appetite to experience the supernatural, an appetite that can be satisfied by anything that comes along, even what is unholy and in error. growchurches.com 4
8. There are still false prophets today The Bible refers to a false prophet as someone using the name of God to manipulate and gather people to their cause. The motive is to gain influence or control over others. God called false prophets evil. Does this happen today? Absolutely. Men and women will use the name of the Lord to get larger crowds, larger offerings, larger popularity, larger power, and more opportunity to fulfill selfish appetites. They do this hiding their true motives under the disguise of a servant of God. False prophets aren t always obvious. They will share some of their miracles with you to gain your trust; however, the enemy is deceitful. Even some ministers will have supernatural occurrences, but interwoven into their message is false teaching. To keep Israel pure from evil, false prophets were put to death. What was evil then is still evil now, and what displeased God then still displeases Him now. 2 Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2) and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them, 3) you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4) You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5) But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. However, a true dream from God is holy. It pleases God to reveal Himself. The Holy Spirit will give you a knowing in your heart if you will seek the Holy Spirit to confirm what is true and what is a deception. 9. God-dreams will only confirm what is already in our hearts Just like any other word from God, a dream will confirm what God has already placed in our hearts as a spirit-filled New Testament believer. The Holy Spirit will bear witness in our hearts that what we have seen or heard is indeed from God. Be careful if a spiritual happening is bringing something new to you, something where God has not already given you a knowing. We shouldn t act on a dream unless we have the confirmation in our hearts that it is indeed instruction from God. Remember the primary way the Spirit leads us is through a knowing in our heart. The same is true of any prophecy or word we may hear. 2 Jeremiah 23:25-32; 27:9; 29:8; Zechariah 10:2 growchurches.com 5
10. God dreams are for edification Dreams from God will leave us built up and strengthened. God isn t out to frighten, tempt, or confuse us. When a dream is from God, receive it with a grateful and open heart. One of my personal experiences was a revelation of a desire of mine. I often long for heaven and wonder what it will be like outside of this body. Before bed one night, the Lord told me, I am going to give you a glimpse of heaven. I went to sleep and right before waking up, perhaps even partially awake, I saw a magnificent place filled with color and light. It was beautiful. What I remember the most was the peace. It reminded me of being a child without a care in the world. I felt complete and carefree. I felt like I was home, where I belonged. Slowly I either woke up or realized where I was, and I remembered the Lord s promise from the night before. I was blessed by that experience, and I carry that memory with me as a reminder of a better place to come. In conclusion, a message from God is a tremendous gift that we should cherish. If a dream and it s interpretation are from God and if the dream confirms what God is saying to your heart, God is giving you instruction or information that will be a blessing to your life. growchurches.com 6
Dream scriptures: Daniel was a prophet that God used to interpret the dreams of an unbelieving and wicked king (Daniel 2). God warned Abimelech in a dream by night that Sarah was the wife, and not the sister, of Abraham (Genesis 20:3-6). God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream where angels of God were ascending and descending on a ladder from earth to heaven (Genesis 28:12). God gave guidance to Jacob in a dream about business with farm animals. Then the Angel of God spoke to him (Genesis 31:10, 11). God spoke to Laban in a dream at night (Genesis 31:24). God showed Joseph the future through two vivid dreams, dreams with a conviction so strong he wanted to share it with his family (Genesis 37). God gave Joseph the interpretation of dreams of the butler and baker, dreams that stood out from other dreams (Genesis 40) God gave Joseph the interpretation dreams God gave to Pharaoh, an unbelieving Egyptian (Genesis 41). Gideon worshipped God when he heard the telling of a dream and it s interpretation (Judges 7). The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, asking him, What shall I give you? In the dream, Solomon answered the Lord from his heart. God responded to the answer Solomon gave in the dream (I Kings 3). Joel prophesied that in the latter days God would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of men and women. He said sons and daughters would prophesy and old men would dream dreams and young men would see visions. In Acts 2, Peter quoted Joel, saying these are those latter days. Note that the prophecy did not say that women would not have dreams or visions, because certainly women have experienced these manifestations of the Spirit as well (Joel 2, Acts 2). Joseph, the one engaged to Mary, the mother of Jesus, had dreams with instructions from an angel of the Lord. One to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20), and one being divinely warned not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:12), and another with instruction to take Jesus to Egypt (Matthew 2:13) and another to go back into Israel (Matthew 2:19-21), and yet another when God warned him to go into Nazareth in Galilee (Matthew 2:22-23). Pilate s wife warned her husband not to have anything to do with condemning Jesus, suffering in a dream because of Him. Then He said, Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. growchurches.com 7