Dreams remain one of the most controversial subjects in the church today. Some people simply say, "I never dream." Others state emphatically, "I don't pay any attention to dreams. They don't mean anything. They come from eating too much." Yet others seem to obtain valuable insight by meditating upon their dreams. They claim that dreams are a dependable source of guidance and information for their lives. Which group is right? Should we pay attention to our dreams, or just ignore them as just so much junk mail?
The Bible gives us a direct answer to this question: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). Without dreams, a large part of the Bible would be missing. Without dreams, a large part of our own personal guidance from God is also missing. God has always used dreams to communicate with His people. God does not change, therefore He has not, and will not change the way He speaks to us! Although dreams are only one of the many ways that He speaks, they are certainly a legitimate source of Divine information and knowledge.
For those who say that they don't dream at all, my advice is for them to ask God for dreams, and then pay close attention each morning for His answer. James said that we receive not because we ask not, and Paul told us to seek God for His gifts. Dreams are one of the ways that God has of imparting "a word of wisdom" and "a word of knowledge" to us, and James said that if any man lacked wisdom that he should ask God and He would give it to him liberally. I know of one man who did not dream at all and he received ten distinct dreams in the first three weeks after he began to seek God for them. In addition to wisdom and knowledge, some dreams are given directly by the spirit of prophesy, and are "thus saith the Lord." We should no more ignore our dreams than our mail. Certainly all of our mail is not valuable, but it would be foolish to throw out all of it without opening it just because in the past some of it has proven to be junk mail.
The following information is given in condensed form because of the limited space. Each point is important to observe as you learn to sort out the good from the nonsense, properly discerning God's word from the confusion which proceeds from the world in which we live. Sweet dreams!
Start a dream journal: record the date, location, significant events of your life at the time you had the dream and the dream's details, including your feelings while you were dreaming. Colors, numbers and names are very important. If someone in the dream reminds you of someone else that you know, note this also. Then note whatever interpretation you think the dream may possibly mean. Trust, not doubt, your feelings concerning the dream's meaning.
Probably the most important key to correct dream interpretation is this: Dreams usually address the circumstances of one's life as they presently exist. Although some dreams are prophetic, dealing with future events, most dreams are relevant to whatever is going on in the dreamer's life at the time of the dream. Another exception is a dream that refers to the dreamer's past. In that case there is usually something in the dream that will point to past events (a former residence, a grand-parent's home, etc.). Dreaming of one's own back yard almost always refers to one's past. Trouble that comes in through the back door originates from the past.
Although dreams may cover almost any situation that one may encounter in life, there are several areas in which God often deals with us through dreams. As Elihu said when he was teaching Job about God's dealing with man through dreams, "Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man" (Job 33:29).
Phil. 3:15: "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you."
For instance, smoking cigarettes in a dream usually indicates that one is walking in pride or bitterness (unforgiving). Smoking cigars usually speaks of arrogance. Likewise, Nudity may mean walking in the flesh or being without God's covering (i.e., being justified by one's own works, instead of by grace); on the other hand it may indicate that one is vulnerable.
John 5:19-20: "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. [20] For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel."
Jdgs. 7:13-15: "And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. [14] And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. [15] And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian."
Psalm 16:7: "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins [NKJV heart] also instruct me in the night seasons."
Dreams originate from three different sources; God, our own spirit (or soul), and demons. Our first duty in interpreting dreams is to properly determine the dream's source. Where did it come from? If it is from God, we need to understand it and incorporate the directions and information it reveals into our actions. If it is from our own spirit (or soul), we need to recognize the problem or need that it addresses and through prayer and meditation deal with it accordingly. Last of all, if it is from a demon we need to ask for deliverance, pray over the room or house, or whatever else is required to rid ourselves of this communication and influence. The following types of dreams, or "dream tools" are useful in determining a dream's source and the proper way to use the information that dreams give us:
When everything in the dream could easily be or happen exactly as depicted, always consider whether the dream may be literal.
Most dreams are parables. The objects, people, colors, numbers and even one's actions are symbolic. The first scene will usually provide the setting to give the subject and thus enable one to properly apply the dream. Scene changes are usually progressive, and like a two or three act play, carry the plot forward, each scene providing additional information. Each dream symbol must be placed in its proper setting before its meaning will be clear. Proper application of the dream is the only way to be certain the interpretation is correct.
Probably the most difficult problem one encounters in dream interpretation is determining when people represent themselves, another person, or something else. For instance a pastor's wife may represent his church, or a man's wife may represent his job. Of course, she may also simply represent herself (see Gal. 4:21-26).
If God wants to show us another person's state, he may put us into that state in a dream so that we can understand that person better. Although not frequently used, in this tool the dreamer becomes one of the symbols of his or her own dream. They act out the part of the person they are symbolizing. He or she does what the other person is doing or thinking. By saying, doing or feeling like the person he or she is representing, the dreamer can identify with them and understand them better.
These dreams are usually categorized as "nightmares." They indicate a demonic presence, and therefore the need for deliverance: from demons, inherited curses, self-inflicted bondage, etc. A child who has a spirit of fear may wake up crying because the spirit has given him or her a frightful dream. Sometimes the spirit lives in the room (bedroom, motel, etc.) instead of in a person, causing whoever sleeps in that room to dream bad dreams. Also, frightful dreams may reveal a curse in the dreamers life (see Daniel 9:11). "All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams." (Elas Canetti)
When one wants or needs something or someone very much, their spirit may provide it for them. People who live in a daydream world provide pleasure, companionship, refuge, etc. for themselves through their imagination when they can't have or obtain what they want in real life. Likewise, their spirit compensates for them in the night.
Because we have a tendency to be somewhat willfully ignorant at times, God will sometimes magnify things to get our attention. Small problems or errors appear huge.
(Repetitive dreams are very important. If it is important enough for God to keep talking to you about, or reminding you of, IT MUST BE IMPORTANT!) Job 33:14-15: "For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. [15] In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed"Gen. 41:32: "And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
Sometimes dreams are progressive. Like repetitive dreams, they each deal with the same subject, but instead of each dream saying the same thing additional information is provided in each successive dream. These dreams may all occur in one night, over several successive nights, or over a period of weeks or years. A Biblical example of progressive dreams is God's dealing with Joseph concerning the Baby Jesus (Matt. 1:20; 2:12-13,19,22 ).
Night visions are usually brief, direct communications from God. They often contain instructions, warnings, encouragement, etc. and unlike dreams (parables), they seldom need interpretation (see Acts 16:9-10; 18:9-10).
To help understand your dream, ask yourself the following questions:
Ask God to give you understanding. Interpretations belong to God. Apply the questions given above to the dream. Because many dreams are direct personal communication from God, He will often use symbols that mean something specific to the dreamer, therefore a given symbol may not mean the same to someone else. For this reason proper interpretation often requires insight from the one who actually dreamed the dream. Before venturing your interpretation concerning a specific dream symbol, always ask the dreamer the question given above, "What does this object, color, person, etc. mean to YOU!" If using association does not bring any meaning to the dreamer (if it does not remind them of something or someone in particular), then use the universal meaning for the symbol to help determine what God is saying. Often the symbol's meanings may be obtained from the way it, or something similar, is used in the Bible.
Remember, some dreams are not from God. Never act on only one source of guidance. The Bible says, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (II Cor. 13:1). God will speak to you in more than one way, by more than witness when He is giving you directions. These include (but are not limited to) His written Word, dreams, night visions, personal prophecy, inspired preaching and life's circumstances. To act hastily is foolhardy. I know a man who dealt in commodities through the stock market. He lost several thousand dollars because he thought that God was telling him that cotton was a good buy when he dreamed that he went into a store and blue jeans were on sale. Acting hastily on what he thought the dream was telling him, he bought several thousands shares of cotton. But, because the price of cotton dropped instead of going up, he lost his whole investment. Even when a dream is from God, if your interpretation is wrong it will still lead to error if you act upon it without further confirmation from other sources.
Jer. 23:28, 32: "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. [32] Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD."
Another pitfall to avoid is spiritual pride: Eccl. 5:1-3, 7: "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. [2] Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. [3] For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words..... [7] For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God."
The following dreams and their interpretations reveal the correlation of the circumstances surrounding a dreamer's life and the subject matter of his or her dream. It would be almost impossible to interpret the first dream without knowing the situation of the church that the dreamer is working in. The second dream is for the universal church, and is confirmed by several Scriptures concerning the end-time harvest. At the time of the dream the harvest had not yet begun. The third dream would be a complete mystery without knowing that the dreamer was seeking God for a message for His people.
The worship leader of a small church dreamed that someone walked up and handed him a small package of money wrapped in brown paper. When he unwrapped it, it began to double. It continued to grow until he could no longer hold it. He then began to put it into bags. He filled two and then ran out of room in the bags. He then filled a cart with the money. The cart was full, almost overfull.
THE SITUATION:
The church building is small, and the members few in number. They have been praying for new members and financial provision to build a new building large enough to have Sunday school rooms, nursery, etc.
INTERPRETATION:
Brown paper means common, ordinary (God uses ordinary people to do great things). The money is increase, including people. The cart is a new building. The dream speaks of sudden church growth and is a confirmation that the increase that they are praying for will be provided.
(Dated Dec. 6, 1985) In the dream the moon was bright and full. It was being approached by a very large mass of earthy material. Two large waves of tan colored earth were going to collide with it. The total mass of the waves was so great that if both hit at once it would knock the moon out of orbit! Therefore the mass was divided into two waves, the second larger than the first. The dreamer knew that the moon would be greatly enlarged as a result of each impact.
THE SITUATION:
At the time of this dream the church is waiting for the end time harvest to begin (James 5:7).
INTERPRETATION:
The moon is the church (which sits in heavenly places with Christ). The large mass of earthy material is people from every nation being drawn toward the church (the tan color reveals that these people are dead in trespasses and sins). The two waves are two approaching revivals. If God saved everyone that He plans on saving all at one time the church would not be able to absorb the increase (knocked out of orbit), therefore He has divided the end-time harvest into two successive waves. The second wave of revival is going to be larger than the first.
A woman dreamed that she walked into a room which was filled with women talking to each other. They had crabs crawling all over their faces! She was very disgusted and distraught as she woke up from the dream.
THE SITUATION:
The dreamer was scheduled to teach a women's group and was praying for God to give her a message for them.
INTERPRETATION:
God's message was that the women were being "crabby" (meaning complaining and criticizing) instead of being thankful for God's blessings.
God does speak to us through dreams today. But not every dream we have is divinely inspired. The first step in seeking an interpretation is to determine the source of the dream. When the source of the dream is God, it is helpful to determine what type of dream it is in order to understand what the Lord is trying to communicate (Objective, Association, Displacement, Reversal, Magnification, Repetition, Progression or Night Visions). Once you have identified this, ask the following questions:
Finally, when you interpret dreams, use caution and common sense. Don't base critical decisions or actions on a single dream.. look to the Lord to give you other sources of input/guidance and prayerfully consider what your response to the dream is to be.
"Understanding the Dreams You Dream" by
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