All of us have dreams. The question is whether or not any of these dreams are the type of dreams that are sent to us by God to communicate with us. In the book of Joel it says,
Joel 2:28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.So what we need to know is if we are receiving what I like to call "God dreams" or if they are the result of eating too much pepperoni pizza with anchovies or the result of just being upset about a situation that is going on in our life. How do you tell if your dream is a dream from God?
How Can You Tell If Your Dream Is From God?
Here are some principles that help you discern the origin of a dream.
1. Can you remember the dream? If you can’t remember the dream when you wake up, it wasn’t from God. If God chooses to communicate to you through a dream He will ensure that you remember it.
You should write down any dream that you believe might originate from God straight away, as that will help you remember it later.
When you do that, you should describe the main plot, characters and elements such as colours, objects and the atmosphere. Daniel 7:1 says,
"In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts."
2. Is it clearly structured or confusing? God brings order into chaos and clear focus into confusion. You might not understand a God-given dream fully but if a dream is confusing it is never from God. Paul told Timothy,
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| Check These 11 Ways To Know If A Dream Is From God with Apostle P. Sibiya |
Others translate the spirit of fear as ‘the spirit of confusion’. When God speaks He will always communicate with clarity—even when you don’t understand what He says!
3. Is the dream connected to something you are processing in your mind? If the dream deals with something you worry or think about a lot it is probably a result of your subconscious attempting to resolve what your conscious mind can’t. Also, if you watch a movie late at night you might see a sequel to it at night—with you playing the hero! Unless the dream gives an unexpected solution to your problem you should disregard it.
4. What is the emotional atmosphere? Most dreams filled with anxiety or despair come from the subconscious that functions as an overpressure valve for our fears. If you suppress your fears and anxieties they will appear in your dreams.
But God never adds fear to your life; He always reduces it. You might see a dream that shows you the cause of your fear but then provides a solution. This kind of dream is often from God.
The emotional atmosphere is often the key to the interpretation.
5. Is the dream linked to something God has already revealed to you? God often adds or brings depth to what He has already revealed through a dream. It is yet another channel for Him to reveal His purposes and perspective.
6. Is there biblical symbolism? Distrust any dream dictionaries as symbols often have different meanings in different cultures. If God uses symbols He chooses them based on what they mean to you rather than someone else. On the other hand, biblical symbols often point to a dream coming from God.
7. Is it a ‘realistic’ dream? If so, it might refer to a real-life future situation, unless it clearly refers to the past. You might not be sure whether the dream was from God until you face that situation, and then it will help you to act the right way.
8. Is there a demonic element in the dream? Just because there is a demonic element it doesn’t automatically mean that it originated from the enemy, as it might be the gift of discerning spirits in you reacting to an unseen demonic influence.
You should always pray over these dreams, and the Holy Spirit will either give you more understanding about them, or ask you to reject them outright.
9. Are you doing something wrong in the dream? If you see a dream where you are doing something wrong, it is never from God—unless it is something you are doing or in danger of doing in real life, and God is convicting or warning you.
These dreams might be the product of your subconscious or originate from the enemy.
10. Do you wake up into God’s presence? Sometimes I wake up with a distinct sense that a dream was from God. At other times, I wake up into a strong presence of God, and that can be a sign that it is a God-given dream.
At other times God is present as He is dealing with a demonic attack that took place through a dream. It is usually easy to tell the difference.
11. What happens when you pray over the dream? You should always pray over a dream you think might have come from God. When you do that the Holy Spirit will often reveal you more and begin to explain its elements.
THE GIFT OF DREAM INTERPRETATION:
All people see dreams but those with prophetic gift can often interpret other people’s dreams. In Genesis 41 Joseph is brought from the dungeon to see the Pharaoh as his chief butler knows that Joseph has the gift of dream interpretation. Both the butler and the Pharaoh worshipped the Egyptian gods. Perhaps the Pharaoh was used to seeing demonic dreams. But this dream has come from God. That’s why none of the magicians of Egypt could interpret it.
Joseph and Daniel must be the most famous dream interpreters of all time. Both confessed that it was God who gave them their ability.
Here are five principles that can help you interpret God-given dreams.
1. Ask God for the interpretation: Many often miss this first step. Remember that if God gave you the dream He can also give you the interpretation.
2. Consider the symbols: Are there any symbols in the dream that have personal significance to you? Be careful with dream dictionaries unless they focus on biblical symbols. In the ancient Babylon, a black cat was the bearer of good fortune but in the Middle Ages it was linked to witchcraft.
There are no references to black cats in the Bible. What does a black cat mean to you?
3. What is the emotional atmosphere? The emotional atmosphere of a dream is important and it often helps you interpret it. For example, the dream might show a challenging situation but the atmosphere is faith-filled. This usually means that God is showing that you will be able to overcome your challenges.
4. Does the dream feel realistic? There are dreams that appear realistic and they can refer to past real events or future events. If they come from God they usually bring their own interpretation.
5. Is the dream meant to be understood immediately? Dreams often refer to distant future. It took years before Joseph’s dream about the Sun, Moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him come to pass. When he saw the dream he had no real understanding of its meaning.
If you don’t understand a dream, put it aside, but don’t disregard it. Later on, it can give you great confidence as when it comes to pass you will know that you are walking in the will of God. Joseph knew that it was God who had raised him to rule Egypt because He wanted to save Joseph’s family so he blessed his brothers rather than revenged their treachery.
6. Is the dream meant to be shared immediately? I saw a dream concerning my local church in over fifteen years ago. Yet, I shared that dream to the leaders only recently, as they had arrived in the season shown in the dream.
Don’t assume automatically that a dream should be shared immediately. Instead, pray over it, and God will give you wisdom regarding sharing the dream at the right moment.
This list has been taken from the book Five Movements: Winning the Battle for Your Prophetic Gift written by Marko Joensuu. For more on the author, please visit markojoensuu.com.
3. What is the emotional atmosphere? The emotional atmosphere of a dream is important and it often helps you interpret it. For example, the dream might show a challenging situation but the atmosphere is faith-filled. This usually means that God is showing that you will be able to overcome your challenges.
4. Does the dream feel realistic? There are dreams that appear realistic and they can refer to past real events or future events. If they come from God they usually bring their own interpretation.
5. Is the dream meant to be understood immediately? Dreams often refer to distant future. It took years before Joseph’s dream about the Sun, Moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him come to pass. When he saw the dream he had no real understanding of its meaning.
If you don’t understand a dream, put it aside, but don’t disregard it. Later on, it can give you great confidence as when it comes to pass you will know that you are walking in the will of God. Joseph knew that it was God who had raised him to rule Egypt because He wanted to save Joseph’s family so he blessed his brothers rather than revenged their treachery.
6. Is the dream meant to be shared immediately? I saw a dream concerning my local church in over fifteen years ago. Yet, I shared that dream to the leaders only recently, as they had arrived in the season shown in the dream.
Don’t assume automatically that a dream should be shared immediately. Instead, pray over it, and God will give you wisdom regarding sharing the dream at the right moment.
This list has been taken from the book Five Movements: Winning the Battle for Your Prophetic Gift written by Marko Joensuu. For more on the author, please visit markojoensuu.com.
