Dream interpretation

 

How can we understand what God is trying to tell us in our dreams?

~~Watch the Video~~

Outline:

• Introduction
• Traits of Wholeness
• Review of Dreams From God
• Typical Dreams That People Have
• What We Dream About
• Joseph’s Dream
• The Cupbearer’s Dream
• Pharaoh's dream
• Steps of Interpretation
• Preparing Yourself For to Hear From God
• False Prophets

Scriptures:

• Job 33:14-15
• Isaiah 29:8
• Genesis 37: 5 - 11
• Genesis 40:5-8
• Genesis 41:17-27
• Numbers 12:6-8
• Daniel 7:1
• Job 33:14-16
• Job 4:12-19
• Deuteronomy 18:22-22
• Deuteronomy 13:1-5

Introduction

• Some people dream in black and white
• Fetuses dream

Job 33:14-15

14 “Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 “In a dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds,

Christians don’t agree on the importance of dreams

1. “God only speaks now through His word”
2. “God gives me a word every day through dreams and revelation”

Scientists don’t agree on the purpose of dreams

The dream shows the inner truth and reality of the patient as it really is: not as I conjecture it to be, and not as he would like it to be, but as it is.

—Carl Jung

Dream Interpretation Sources

There are many resources for interpreting dreams

• Books and references to symbols in dreams
• Dream symbol dictionary
• Many occult sources

Many of the nations surrounding Israel had books related to dream interpretation

• Babylonians
• Egyptians

The Ancient Egyptian Book of Dreams is the oldest manual of dream interpretation in the world.

• 3,000 year-old papyrus

talmudic statement: “A man is only shown in a dream that of which he thinks during the day.”

• Jewish opinion is mixed

Our  discussion will be based on what is in the bible.

We are not going to be talking about what specific dreams mean or what specific symbols mean

• We will talk about general principles of interpretation

Traits of Wholeness

We are in our series called Seeking Wholeness

How can we be:

• Spiritually healthy
• Emotionally healthy
• Mentally healthy

Free from oppression of

• Our past
• Ourself
• Bad thinking
• Strongholds
• The enemy

We’re talking about

• dealing with life’s current stresses
• being healed from experiences/wounds of the past

We’re not just supposed to have eternal life

• We’re supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth

Traits of Wholeness

• Authenticity
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Not seeking external approval / validation
• Living by values and principles
• Setting Boundaries
• Taking ownership of your responsibilities
• Living with purpose and passion
• Optimism
• Confidence
• Healthy relationships with others
• Not losing control of your emotions
• Free from addictions
• Addressing Conflict with truth and love
• Vulnerability
• Not critical or Judgemental
• Not jealous of others
• Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
• Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
• Not afraid to fail
• Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
• Selfless encounters with others
• Not manipulating others trying to control their actions/reactions
• You care about how others feel
• Patient
• Don’t give into peer/social pressure
• Can communicate directly
• Don’t take responsibility for other people's emotions
• Take responsibility for your own emotions
• Slow to anger
• Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
• Being led by the Spirit

Review of Dreams From God

We have several dreams each night

• Each one typically lasts for between five to 20 minutes.
• Even people who claim that they don’t dream
• They just don’t remember

What Are Dreams

Dreams are stories and images that our minds create while we sleep.

Dreams occur in your unconscious (nonconscious) mind

dreams are

1. Messages from God
2. Your unconscious (nonconscious) mind trying to tell you something
3. Window into what is on your mind
4. Foretelling the future
5. Demonic attacks??

The purposes of dreams are to:

1. Communication from God
2. Learn new information
3. Sort out your thoughts
4. Solve problems
• Threat simulation
5. Emotional consolidation

How God Uses Dreams

God used dreams to:

• Warn of negative future/current events the you can impact
• Revelation of God’s  will that you will be a part of
• Give direction
• Impart you with gifts/identity
• Reveal Mysteries
• Our lives
• Times and seasons
• To Change Your Character/Behavior
• Correction
• Warning
• To accomplish His plan
• Put people in positions of influence

God uses dreams to communicate with unbelievers too

Typical Dreams That People Have

Universal Dreams

There are certain concepts that are universal around the world

• Being chased
• Being nude or not dressed properly in public
• Being late to an important meeting
• Being unable to find the location of something important
• Discovering a new area of a familiar location
• Being killed by an unstoppable disaster like a tidal wave or the end of the world
• Dead people being alive
• Living people dying
• Being attacked
• Body Being unable to move

You can experience emotions in dreams that you have never experienced in real life

Dreams And Relationships

What people dream about

• 25% of the time romantic partners

• 46% positive interaction
• 23% conflict
• 13% other/cheating/infidelity dreams

What would you do if you caught your partner cheating in a dream?

Dreams can cause you to reconsider your interpersonal relationships

Sexual Dreams

• Less than 10% of dreams are of a sexual nature
• Adolescence are more likely to have sexual dreams
• Men are more likely to dream of multiple partners
• Women are more likely to dream of higher status partners… Like celebrities

Sexual dreams aren’t a sin

Thomas Aquinas says the wet dreams in themselves do not have the quality of a sin.  

If you don’t have reason and judgment you can’t have sin

• You will do things in a dream that you wouldn’t do in real life

Your reasoning and logic is turned off when you sleep

Saint Augustine held that male nocturnal emissions, unlike masturbation, did not pollute the conscience of a man, because they were not voluntary carnal acts, and were therefore not to be considered a sin.

Common dreams that believers have

• Dreams of casting demons out of someone
• Dreams of praying for someone on crutches or in a wheelchair and they start walking
• Seeing a sea of people around you as you preach to them

What We Dream About

What  You Focus On

• When you were awake

• Bad or good

Isaiah 29:8

8It will be as when a hungry person dreams—

And behold, he is eating;

But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied,

Or as when a thirsty person dreams—

And behold, he is drinking,

But when he awakens, behold, he is faint

And his thirst is not quenched.

So will the multitude of all the nations be

Who wage war against Mount Zion.

If you are hungry and you dream about food

• It is not a message from God
• It is not a demonic attack

Many times we are merely dreaming about what we focus on during the day

• afraid of

Every dream is not from God

Examples

• If you go to bed angry you may have a dream that’s disturbing
• You watch a horror movie and you have a nightmare
• You think about a work problem and you dream about it

We dream about things that we desire

It may be repressed desires

• Things you say you don’t want (anymore)
• Or things you have tricked yourself (your conscious mind) into thinking you don’t want

Issues Currently in Our Lives We Need to Address

1. Subconscious
2. God

When we sleep our soul has more discernment of what’s going on in the supernatural.

Our spirit often communicates to us while we sleep about spiritual issues that we need to address when we awake.

Chemical Induced Dreams

Dreams caused by changes in our body

• Chemical
• Body

Major change to neurochemistry can impact your dream

• Drug withdrawal
• Eating spicy food
• Eating before bed

Example: malaria medicine

Mefloquine may induce psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety disorders,

paranoia, depression, hallucinations and psychosis. Psychiatric symptoms

such as abnormal dreams/nightmares, acute anxiety, depression,

restlessness or confusion have to be regarded as prodromal for a more

serious event. Cases of suicide, suicidal thoughts and self-

endangering behaviour such as attempted suicide have

been reported.

-Excerpt of current U.K. mefloquine drug label

Joseph’s Dream

Genesis 37: 5 - 11

5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, “Behold, I have had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Am I and your mother and your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Did Joseph understand the meaning of the dream?

Who told Joseph’s brothers and father what the dream meant?

• They had the gift of interpreting dreams too

His father “kept the matter in mind”

• Jacob knew there was something to it

Don’t reveal the dream prematurely

Don’t be in a hurry to speak about your dream until you know the purpose of it

We don’t want to go tell everybody to dream because it makes us look spiritual, or real deep

We should not share our dreams with everyone

An evil person may understand it

• Harm you out of jealousy
• Try to prevent God’s plan

The Cupbearer’s Dream

Genesis 40:5-8

5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, behold, they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” 8 And they said to him, “We have had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do interpretations not belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

All Interpretations Come From God

• If the interpretation belongs to God… That means the dream was from God

If they all come from God then go to God…where should you go to get the interpretation?

…not Google

Each dream has its own interpretation

• Two people can have the same dream and it will mean different things

You can’t Google random things about your dreams because it won’t understand the fullness of it.  

Each Person’s Dreams Are Unique - Caroline Leaf

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxfUVmTzwHHtTA79hivSphTLpN80VT_yLV

The Gift of Interpreting Dreams

Joseph knew the answer to the dream immediately

The gift of dream interpretation does not mean having the ability to take the dream to God in prayer and get an answer

• It is an ability
• Dreams are a language
• Dreams are a form of communication that God uses with his people

In the same way that the gift of healing is not having the ability to pray for healing better than someone else

Dream interpretation combines

• skill
• discernment
• prophecy

-ML

Pharaoh's dream

Genesis 41:17-27

17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 19After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! 20Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. 21When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.

22In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk. 23After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. 24And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones.

I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

25At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. 27Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.

The fact that Pharaoh was troubled didn’t mean that the dream wasn’t from God

God Gives the Dream to the Person Who Can Do Something About it

God gave dreams impacting nations to the rulers of the nations

• Pharaoh
• Nebekunezzer

Or to people who have access to the people who can implement His will

He doesn’t just give you an FYI of something you can’t impact

• You make it a revelation if there is some action you need to take

He may give you that vision for you to pray

• Not for you to tell others to look spiritual

Symbolism in Dreams

Dreams are often given to you in allegory or in symbolism

Pharoah’s Interpretation

A normal person would not have been able to interpret this dream

The cows did not represent cows

The corn did not represent corn

When the skinny cows eat the fat cows you couldn’t tell that they ate them

Cows and corn = years

The seven fat cows represent a years of abundance and opportunity

The seven skinny cows represented years of famine

Time can eat time

Years can eat years

When the bad years eat the good years you won’t know that good years had happened

Dream Symbol Dictionary

The concept that different symbols and animals represent the same thing across cultures and ages and sexes doesn’t have much science behind it

Doesn’t have biblical support

When God Speaks Clearly

Numbers 12:6-8

6 He said,

“Now hear My words:

If there is a prophet among you,

I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision.

I will speak with him in a dream.

7“It is not this way for My servant Moses;

He is faithful in all My household;

8 With him I speak mouth to mouth,

That is, openly, and not using mysterious language,

And he beholds the form of the LORD.

So why were you not afraid

To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

• God spoke to prophets in “mysterious language”
• They needed to interpret it
• God spoke to Moses and the patriarch directly.

The closer you get to God… The less you will need to interpret

• Not because of your interpretation skill, but because of the method in which God communicates

Story: God speaks to me clearly

• I don’t have symbols in my dreams
• Wake up and write three pages
• A rap, program, speech

Literal or Symbolic?

• In the bible the dreamer seemed to know that it was symbolic

Ask the Lord “is this literal or is it symbolic?“

Recurring Dreams

You have recurring dreams when it’s important

1. Your unconscious mind is trying to tell you something
2. God is trying to get the message to you

I would be hesitant to try to draw conclusions from my single dream

But if there are patterns you might want to compare those with the normal dreams

From God

Gave gave Pharoah two different dreams with the same message because it was important

Often times God will continue trying to tell you the same thing when you don’t get it

Unconscious mind

A recurring pattern…can be a message from your non-conscious mind telling you to pay attention

In order for you to fix something… There needs to be conscious involvement

if you keep having the same dream and you wake up tired… That is a message that you need to keep exploring

Whatever you see as a pattern… Use that to understand

Patterns

Your unique pattern is your unique story

• You can’t just Google a pattern

Example: always

• frustrated
• hurrying
• anxious

Good dreams - good dreams can be pointing out what you are doing right

Steps of Interpretation

Starting a Conversation

The dream can be God starting a conversation with you

• When you begin to ask questions about the dream,  you engage the conversation
• “ God… What is it that you are doing with this?“

Write Down the Details

Daniel 7:1

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and told the following summary of it.

Keep a dream journal

Write the story

Write The Details

Details

• Was the water dirty or clean?
• What time of day was it?
• The people

Example: thin cows didn’t get fat after eating

Genesis 41:21 When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.

• This details turned out to be important
• This meant that when the bad years came no one would remember the good years

Your Initial Interpretation

Write down what you think the dream means

Your initial thought about what the dream is about is often correct

How Did You Feel?

It is not just about what you saw in the dream.

• It is also about what you felt in the dream.

Pay attention to your emotional tone in the dream.

Where are you

• Afraid
• At peace
• Happy
• Confident

Example: If chaos is happening in your dream, but you are at peace then it means that it was still in the hands of God.  

Frightening Dreams

Just because you were afraid doesn’t mean that the dream wasn’t from God

Job 33:14-16

14 “Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 “In a dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings,

*note: I’ve seen many teachers say that you can tell a dream is from God if it gives you peace.  This is not biblical.

Snake Example

If you see a snake you will fear because in your mind you think that snakes are evil

• It could be healing
• It could be wisdom

Recall Any Reference

Are there references in the dream?

• Biblical
• In your life

Research if there is anything of the Bible that speaks of this

What were your thoughts?

Pay attention to symbols, colors, numbers, and objects

Ask the Lord for the meaning

A lot of websites they give interpretation

• They copy from each other
• Many look similar to New Age and witchcraft references

Example:

• Being pregnant in your dream can mean you’re about to give birth to a ministry or an idea

Pray to God For an Interpretation

Pray about what God is wanting you to do

Go to the Holy Spirit in prayer before you go to

• Google
• Friends
• Posting it on social media

If you know that a dream was important and you forgot it… You can pray that God brings it back to your memory

I would rather bring a dream to the Lord and let him tell me not to worry about it then to dismiss it on my own

Is this dream giving me information or instruction?

Sometimes they overlap

Is this informing me of your plans and your purpose so I’m at peace when it happens?

Am I supposed to say or do anything… Or is it just for me to know?

Is this inform them about

• Information I need for a friend
• Something I need to pray for
• For me to know the future
• For me to warn the people of God
• Something I should pray against

Understand there is timing involved

If it is an instruction… Then you need to ask God about the timing in the strategy connected to the word

It is not something to rush into… It is a conversation that God is starting

Before God gives you instruction I can shake up your whole life… He will give you a little thing… Because he is building you

Before you get an instruction to take a huge leap of faith… God will cultivate your hearing in the day to day things

• He does not want to make room for the enemy to deceive you and send you where he did not lead

Ask God to use your dreams to speak to you

If the dream is from God, and you can’t understand it… It may be for future time

Ask someone

If you know someone who you trust who can interpret dreams or hears from God

When You Don’t Get an Answer

If you have prayed and you are living right and you still don’t get an interpretation… You can ignore the dream

When You Don’t Get an Interpretation for Your Dream

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx3Cm5_m_iu9t-7llceH5HZhHTNTPXYMtq

Preparing Yourself For to Hear From God

Be intentional about your atmosphere when you go to bed

• One or two hours before you start going to sleep begin to set an atmosphere
• Protect your eye gates and ear gates

Dreams and visions are both effortless

• You don’t need to empty your mind

Purify Yourself Before Going to Bed

Limit

• News
• Social media
• Negative conversations

Detox

• I detox myself from anyone who annoyed me during the day
• Repent where you need to repent
• Forgive who you need to forgive (or ask for the ability)

Fasting

In the Bible, they fasted when they wanted to hear from God or get an answer

The point of fasting… Is to humble yourself`

Don’t eat after six

• Drink plenty of water

Example: Daniel and his brothers fasted to humble themselves.  Then they asked God to give them the interpretation of the dream.

Pray

Ask God to meet you and your dreams and speak to you

Talk to yourself

David is talking to himself in

• Psalms 116
• Psalm 23
• Psalm 103

You can say to yourself

• My spirit… You will hear the voice of God when you sleep
• God will speak to me in the dream tonight when I lie down
• This is the benefit of being a child of God
• He will never leave me in the dark
• He will never allow a devil to attack me and I don’t know what new thing
• I will know what God is saying
• I am ready for what God is saying

False Prophets

Eliphaz’s Dream

Job 4:12-19

12 “Now a word was brought to me secretly, And my ear received a whisper of it. 13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, 14 Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake. 15 “Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh stood up. 16 “Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: 17 ‘Can mankind be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? 18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants; And He accuses His angels of error. 19 ‘How much more those who live in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!

• Eliphaz is implying that this is a message from God
• charges that Job is being corrected for some awful secret sin

Eliphaz’s vision

• was in line with his incorrect theology
• Supported what he thought to be true about Job
• Was meant to be divine proof that he was right in his opinion
• Was meant to show Job that God revealed Job’s secret sin to him

It was a false prophecy

It was either

1. A fabrication
2. A misinterpretation
3. Something meant for Eliphaz

People claim the source of their information is supernatural in order to give it more authority

You can’t listen to everyone who says they have a dream for

• you specifically
• God’s
• this season

Story: prophecy circles

I get skeptical in environments where everyone has heard a message from God and new Christians are encouraged to prophesy.

When someone says “God showed/told me…” and I don’t know them…a red flag goes off

Some people

• Want attention
• Want validate
• Im buddies with God
• I’m spiritual
• I know secret things
• Use it as a form of manipulation to get their way
• Use it as a way to get control of others

People Claim to Have Dreams from God

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxfA3q1HhqFSNmV1hYSq-3IJukpWXXca8i

People Who Always Have Dreams About Others - Prophet Elias

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxuMcnrXb6oqecAC1QHwBfE4IxJcpT6lN4

How to Tell a False Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:22

“When the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you are not to be afraid of him.

Don’t follow anyone whose prophecy doesn’t come true

Even if prophecies do come true

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

Even if they foretell the future correctly don’t follow them if they turn you from God

Someone can have the skill of dream interpretation and it not be from God

Instructor: Michael Leadon

References

14 Facts About Dreams

The 6 Dreams of Joseph

https://www.logos.com/grow/bsm-what-are-the-6-dreams-in-the-story-of-joseph/

Interpretation of dreams | Stephanie Ike

One | a potters house church

Mysteries of the spirit – how God uses dreams and visions

David Digga Hernandez

Understanding dreams and their meanings

Vlad Savchuk

Dream interpretation// revealed

Dr. Lovy Elias

The skills of dream interpretation

Prophet Lovy

Are sexual dreams a Sin?

 Ascension presents

How to interpret and explain your dreams

Apostle Joshua Selman

Interpreting dreams

https://www.mentoringprophets.com/2015/10/how-do-you-know-dream-is-from-god.html

Extra

Job 33:14-18

14 “Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 “In a dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings, 17 So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct, And keep a man from pride; 18 He keeps his soul back from the pit, And his life from perishing by the spear.

2 Corinthians 12:1-5 (NASB20) 1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-- 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5 In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses.

• The third heaven is where God lives

Colossians 2:18-19 (NASB20) 18 Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

Jude 1:8-8 (NASB20) Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties.

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3

2 Do not be quick with your mouth or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. 3 For the dream comes through much effort, and the voice of a fool through many words.

Dream Facts

1. We have 4 to 6 streams per night

1. 1460 dreams per year

2. Typical dreams last from 5 to 20 minutes

Lucid Dreams

But is it possible for your conscious brain to take control of your dreaming brain?

Meaning can you be aware that you are dreaming

Studies have backed up the claims of lucid dreamers

Study: “move your eyes and count to 10 once you realize you are dreaming“

Example: Patrice says she does this

It is possible to control your dreams

Lucid dream - you are dreaming, but you are aware that you are dreaming

Lucid dream arises from a state that combines consciousness and REM sleep

In this state… You can control the Content of your dreams

about 50% of people remember having a lucid dream at least once in their life

Some people have lucid dreams over and over again

False Prophecy

Jeremiah 23:31-34 

31 “Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’ 32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them nor command them, nor do they provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD. 33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the pronouncement of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What pronouncement?’ The LORD declares, ‘I will abandon you.’ 34 “Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The pronouncement of the LORD,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household.

Dreamers in the Church

This brings us back to the question of the “dreamer”.  Where exactly do we see this mentioned?  Here’s a shocking revelation: the position of dreamer is not a church job title!  Nowhere in the Bible do we see dreamers spoken of strictly regarding “religious” institutions.  In fact, when we look again at the stories of Daniel and Joseph, we see the opposite is true!  The position of dreamer is instead found highly effective and active in kingdom positions completely outside of the church.  Both Daniel and Joseph interpreted dreams of pagan kings.  In Joseph’s case, he was promoted to the second highest position in Egypt strictly because of his ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream!

https://chrismichals.com/2016/01/28/key-facts-about-the-office-of-the-dreamer/

Old testament dreams

1. Abimelech has a dream regard reveals that Sarah is Abraham‘s wife
2. Jacob has a dream about the latter
3. Jacob has a dream to go back home
4. Laban gets warned in a dream not to say anything good or bad to Jacob Gen 31
5. Joseph has the dreams about grain and stars
6. pharaohs Baker and cupbearer have dreams in jail with Joseph
7. Pharaoh has two dreams: grain and cows
8. The Midianites have a dream about the barley of loaf that refers to Gideon calling judges 7
9. God comes to Solomon in a dream and gives them wisdom
10. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a statue and a tree
11. Daniel has a dream about four bees

New Testament dreams

1. Joseph had a dream to not divorce Mary
2. The wisemen were giving a dream not to go back to Herod
3. Joseph was given a dream to go to Egypt
4. Joseph was given another dream to come back to its real
5. Joseph was given a dream not to go to Judea
6. Pilot‘s wife had a dream warning heard that Jesus was innocent

Daniel’s Gift of Dream Interpretation

Daniel 1

17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

Daniel 5:11-12 (NASB20)

11There is a man in your kingdom in whom is [j]a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father [k]the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. 12This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel’s Vision

Daniel 9:20-23 (NASB20) 20 While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with understanding. 23 “At the beginning of your pleas the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision.

Daniel was in the presence of God and God gave them a vision

Daniel did not understand the vision

Daniel asked for an interpretation of the vision

God didn’t give it to him directly

Gabriel appeared to him as a man

• It was tangible
• It wasn’t a bright light

God sent an angel… A man

Even though Daniel was a man of God

An angel of God, who understood the language of God better, had to come and explain to Daniel what he had seen

God did not tell Daniel “this is what I mean“

He sent someone to tell Daniel what he meant

Dream interpretation is a skill

Daniel skilled and visions and dreams

• He was not skilled in the prophetic

When there was a secret… He needed to fast and pray

Seeing your vision does not mean that you can interpret it (Daniel 9:20-23)

Topics

Relatives visiting you in dreams

Prophetic Dreams

Dreams about the future

Prophets

God spoke to the prophets in dreams

They had to interpret them

The prophetic versus the gift of dreaming

The prophetic as a revelatory gift

The prophetic is a gift that reveals hidden and secretive things

Deja Vu is Not Prophecy

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxoF182DWQUgpW-1xZ9izQUvAdsXa5lrPr

Your Old Men Will Dream Dreams

Acts 2:17-18

17 ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN WILL HAVE DREAMS; 18 AND EVEN ON MY MALE AND FEMALE SERVANTS I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT IN THOSE DAYS, And they will prophesy.

What does it mean to “dream a dream”?

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxrMlzFwIrRlUADNrk73zX2rtvkM9QBdor

Premonition Dreams

Many people have foreseen things in their dreams that will eventually happen to them

These dreams turned out to be surprisingly accurate

Examples

1. Many 9/11 victims dreamed about the coming attack
2. Abraham Lincoln dreamed that he would be assassinated
3. The verified dreams of 19 people for saw the sinking of the titanic