Dreams

    ."And they replied, “We both had dreams last night,
but no one can tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied.
“Go ahead and tell me your dreams"
- Genesis 40:8 (NLT)      

     

            Have you ever had a dream? Did you wonder what it meant? There are many different ideas about dreams from secular psychologists saying they are repressed memories, to some Christians saying they are from demons, to other Christians saying they are from God and other people saying they are caused from eating greasy food after midnight. With all these different ideas, how do we know what to believe?

             As a Christ follower, I believe some dreams come from the Lord. He is a dream giver. I've had vivid dreams since I was a child. They've always been a part of my life. Ever since I can remember, I've had interesting spiritual experiences. Are you the same way?

            Christians who have never had spiritual experiences growing up usually look down on things like dreams because they can't relate, but once you've had a God dream there's no turning back. It's amazing. My favorite dreams are direction dreams. These are dreams where God gives you direction. He spoke to people in the New Testament in this way, guiding them which way to go just as His word promises (Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take - Proverbs 3:6 NLT).

            God led the wise men with dreams. He warned them not to return to Herod with information about baby Jesus, "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." - Matthew 2:12 NIV  The truth is God can communicate anything He wants to you through dreams, we only need to pay attention.

           It's troubling that much of the church does not recognize dreams as a Godly experience. I'd understand if the Bible never mentioned dreams, but the Bible is full of dreams. Dreams are not isolated to the Old Testament either; they are consistent throughout the New Testament as well.

          Even after reading New Testament scriptures showing God speaks to his followers in dreams, some will still turn their backs. Growing up as a dreamer has not always been easy. It's a sensitive subject and many have rejected me because of it. I know the way some church people view dreams so I usually keep it to myself, but with myspace, twitter, facebook etc., people can look up my blogs and see what I believe. I knew if someone had viewed my blog or read my books simply by the way they treated me afterwards. I can't tell you how many times someone will be friendly with me today and totally blow me off tomorrow after viewing my websites. I honestly want to say, "My websites/blogs turned you off? They aren't even half as radical as I truly am!" ha-ha   All jokes aside. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, but I'm used to it.

           I do understand some people's hesitation. If they haven't read their Bibles and they are going based on what they've heard or seen by other radicals, it can be a big turn-off. It's important to remember that Godly dreams will never tell you something that goes against the word of God. It may go against man made doctrines, but never the word of God. It's also important to remember that God wants to speak to YOU. It's great to seek wisdom about your dreams BUT don't become dependent on a person to speak to you. Pray about the dream and seek God. It's important to seek God because not all dreams are from God. The enemy can lie to us in dreams. Our earthly flesh and emotions can slip into our dreams as well. It's a known fact that some medications can cause dreams too. 

         Also remember that you may not get an interpretation for every dream. Trust that all interpretations belong to God and if He doesn't reveal the meaning, move on. The most important thing to remember is not to make dreaming an idol. I see all too often "spiritual" people worshiping the art of dreaming and not the dream giver Himself. Our relationship is with God, not dreams.

          Dreaming with God is connected to our relationship with Him. The closer you are to Him, the more clear the line of communication and the easier it will be to hear and understand. One thing I try to do is read the Bible before I fall asleep. I also go to sleep expecting to hear from the Lord. Sometimes I dream a lot and other times I go weeks or months with not a single dream so don't get concerned with the amount of dreams you dream. If God has something to say then He will say it.

          If put in their proper place and used correctly, dreams can be an amazing blessing. I remember my mom having a dream that showed her we'd be okay during a hurricane and avoided hours of traffic by trying to evacuate. So we sat still and guess what! The storm totally missed us despite the weather report just like her dream had revealed! I remember having a dream that brought wisdom to a burden my mom was facing. My dream led to her healing! I've had dreams that shared where safe places would be during storms. Like years ago when I was still in High School, my church was located in an old run down inner city neighborhood. I dreamed during a flood it would be a safe place for people and news crews to come as my church gave out supplies for those in need.  And a few days later, my family and I watched my dream/vision unfold all over the news!

          Dreams are amazing! God speaks! My husband and I have made life changing decisions based on wisdom and clarity given in dreams. The Lord spoke to my husband about what apartment to move into and situations to avoid. My husband dreamed a previous company he worked for went out of business. When He woke up he felt the Lord urge him to start saving. A few months later the business did just that and it was the savings the dream inspired him to save that held him over until he got a new job. Praise God!!

          If you've closed your heart to hearing from God in dreams, you are missing out. I could write a book with story after story about how dreams have affected me and my family. I'd encourage you to search the Bible for yourself and really seek the Lord and allow Him to reveal more of Himself to you.

           I believe God wants to share life's details with you. It doesn't matter how big or small a situation is, if you invite Him in, He will share with you.