As Per Scripture God speaks to us through His Word, visions and dreams to reveal His plan to us. In this manner He first reveals His will for us and then empowers us to fulfil that also. Through our dreams, sometimes we are called to pray for someone unknown to us or to follow the way, thus, revealed to us. We see various dreams during our sleep but are they all from God only and how do we fulfil those?
Meaning of a dream seen repeatedly – We learn from Scripture, ‘God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it’ (Job 33:14-15). Mankind in its fallen state is not able to clearly receive or understand the message of God. He communicates with us ‘in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds’. God uses different means to convey His desire for us for the day, for a longer period or for life. These could be to warn about a coming danger or to give direction to move. This is during deep sleep when the mind is at rest, for otherwise, we will be seeing our own thoughts and desires being played out.
One of the most prominent dreams recorded in the Scripture is of Jacob in his sleep at Bethel, while fleeing from his brother Esau (Genesis 28:12-16). First, he saw the ladder to heaven, with the angels going up and coming down, with God Himself standing above it. He was thus assured by God of hearing and receiving the prayers and also answering. Then, he was given the blessing of Abraham and of Isaac to give him and his descendants, who will be great in numbers, the Promised Land. The third was for him, for his seed to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Fourth, God promised to be with him ‘wherever you go’ and to bring him back to the land. Finally, he was assured of God’s presence with him till all the promises were fulfilled
Waking up with such a great dream one will be definitely filled with awe and Jacob could only say, ‘Surely, the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it’. Jacob did not take the whole dream lightly and then early in the morning he worshipped God by erecting the stone used by him at night as a pillar, as an altar. He poured oil on that stone altar and named the place Bethel or ‘House of God’. The dream was clear to understand, requiring no specific interpretation and in faith he believed and all Israelites even to this day, as his descendants, claim the blessings of the same.
Since understanding a dream and its interpretation was and is always felt to be a necessity, various individuals use different powers for this, most of the time evil spirits. Moses warned the Israelites about false prophets, dreamer of dreams, even if what they say may come true (Deuteronomy 13:1-3). The warning was and is for us also, to not to listen to them 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’. Any dream or a vision which is not according to the Word of God can never be from God, even if it comes true. Solomon, after having experienced everything, could say, ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God’ (Ecclesiastes 5:7).
The truth of a dream, like everything else, depends on our close relationship with God. As per Jewish legend, during our sleep, our soul leaves the body and is with God. It returns back into the body when we wake up. The Jewish prayer, ‘Modeh Ani’, which they pray on opening their eyes, is to thank God for returning the soul back for that day and for keeping them alive. Thus our souls supposedly interact with external spiritual forces during our sleep. In this manner our dreams, at times, tend to reflect some information related to our future.
Joseph had dreamt about his brothers bowing down to him, who, in anger, sold him into slavery in Egypt. He correctly interpreted the dreams of the King’s butler and baker, while he was in the prison, for a false charge by his owner’s wife (Genesis 40:12-19). When Pharaoh, the King of Egypt had a dream, Joseph was called to interpret it (Genesis 41:16). He told Pharaoh, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace’ and not only told him the meaning but also the way to overcome the problem. We may not realise, but God is always in control moving every situation to fulfil His plan. Joseph was made number two in Egypt; during the famine Egypt prospered greatly, the Israelites reached Egypt as told by God to Abraham more than four hundred years before (Genesis 15:13).
Daniel and his three friends were blessed with knowledge and skill but ‘Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams’ (Daniel 1:17). We seek the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit to understand the meaning of a dream to benefit from the knowledge received in that. However, certain dreams are the result of the troubles that we undergo and may contain no specific message. As per legend speech is the medium between the spiritual and the supernatural with the physical world. God spoke and His Word bridged the gap to start the creation process. Thus, the effect of a dream may be felt only once its understanding is declared to bring it into reality. Any dream about any evil concerning any of the family members may be made non-effective by cancelling it in the power of Lord Jesus in us.
Can the demonic forces affect our dreams? The source of our dreams varies and not all dreams are from God. It could be due to our thoughts and emotions or from evil forces that influence our souls. The understanding that comes from being vigilant, helps us to get the truth from the Holy Spirit and the Scripture. Then, our dreams and visions lead us to a healthy spiritual life and a deeper understanding of God’s specific will and instructions for us. The prophecy about pouring out of the Holy Spirit on those who believe also included other blessings (Joel 2:28). ‘Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions’. This blessing is for the purpose of receiving instructions from God and act accordingly. Apostle Peter in the fullness of the Holy Spirit in Him, on the Day of Pentecost, in his first sermon to the Jewish people from all over, quoted this same prophecy, confirming its fulfilment (Acts 2:17). Apostle Paul confirms the same, ‘For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13). God reveals His will and then strengthens us by providing the needed resources and guidance to fulfil that.
The indwelling Holy Spirit gifts us wisdom to discern spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). To identify the source and truth of a dream is to turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance. The devil cannot control the thoughts or the mind of a believer but he definitely tries to plant fearful, confusing or deceptive thoughts. If one has an open door in his life due to fear, sin, lack of prayer or uncontrolled spiritual life, we are inviting evil forces to interfere, more so during our sleep, when we are not in a position to discern the right from wrong.
Apostle Paul has identified the evil ways of deception by the devil, ‘for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:24). He can pretend and does so, to depict himself as the true Saviour of the world, misleading many. The deception of Eve was through the serpent, one she was familiar with, in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). To obviate such misleading tricks of the forces of evil, we are warned to ‘test the spirits, whether they are of God’ (1 John 4:1). The twelve disciples were people from normal Jewish families with ambitions and all looked forward to the establishment of His kingdom by the Messiah. The Jews, even today, believe and look forward to the coming of the Messiah and establish His kingdom of peace on the earth. Since the Passover Festival was approaching, the Chief Priests and the Jewish leaders feared the reaction of the people towards Lord Jesus’ teachings and miraculous works. They were looking for a way to catch and kill Him, and then ‘Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot’ to betray His Lord. The devil steps in and takes control, to help us fulfil our evil desires.
After sin entered the world, there is an ever-present emptiness and hunger in mankind for God. God knocks on the door to be welcomed and does not enter otherwise. On the other hand, the devil gate crashes into any place that is empty and takes control. Apostle Paul has cautioned us to depend on God for everything and then His peace, ‘which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-8). To continue in that blessed state we are advised to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report. It is up to us to fill our minds and hearts with what we choose and then that will control and guard our actions. Satanic forces fill us with unnecessary arguments and ideas that try to prove itself above the knowledge of God. We are to bring all such ‘thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ’.
Since we are children of God, who created all things by speaking them into being, the words that we speak have power. During the devil’s attempt to make Him stumble through temptation, Lord Jesus countered everything by the Word of God, which is the ‘sword of the Spirit’. We counter a dream that is not as per Scripture by speaking the blessings of the Lord on that situation to make it non-effective. In like manner we speak the Word of God to confirm the blessings received from God in a dream. We start working in both situations to ensure no weakness remains in us. Jacob or Joseph, his son, did not falter in their faith in their dreams despite the difficulties they faced and God honoured their faith by fulfilling what they were shown.
Fulfilling the blessings or escaping the dangers of a dream – The first thing is to identify the source of the dream. A dream or a vision that causes undue fear and disturbance in the mind needs to be cancelled in the authority given by Lord Jesus (Luke 10:19). Rebuke the efforts of the evil spirits to lead you astray through a dream and protect yourself in the protective shield of protection of the Lord. A dream or a vision that provides a way forward in our walk of obedience to the Lord needs to be further analysed. Understand the message conveyed in that and relate it to the Word of God. God will never send you into the opposite direction of the way your life is presently moving, unless there is sin in abundance.
Once all this is confirmed, reach out to the Lord God with gratitude and claim the blessings as a child of God. Include the message of that in your prayers to continually thank God. Next, in faith take steps that you are to initiate for its fruition expecting God to do His part. Never forget that there were twelve disciples in the boat, facing the storm, who saw Lord Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:25-32). Everyone would have thought to do some exceptional work for and in the power of Lord Jesus. But only Apostle Peter dared to ask and step out of the boat to walk on water towards the Lord.
The blessing of being a child of God is for all who ‘believe in and receive the Son of God’ as their Saviour (John 1:12). This is not an empty blessing but ‘if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17). God as Creator is the owner of everything and as His Son, Lord Jesus is seated ‘at His right hand (seat of power and authority) in the heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come’ (Ephesians 1:20-21). As joint-heirs we share this same authority in Lord Jesus’ name, not using it as a mantra, but to do good as He did during His ministry on the earth and still does from heaven. We claim and declare this authority of the Lord and the spiritual forces in heaven start moving to bring about the fulfilment of your dreams.
Break the big project in front, into small steps and start moving one step at a time, to avoid being discouraged. Every small goal achieved gives us strength to move forward and to thank God. Keep reviewing the progress at every step, for a little deviation can cause a big change in the final result. Do not be discouraged, for you will keep meeting many others, even when you are close to the final steps, who will term it as an impossible task. They speak from their perspective and not from God’s and what He is doing in and through you. Rejoice at small things and be encouraged by looking back over what is already done.
When obstacles come, overcome them and be satisfied that your work is causing disturbance in the unseen realm of darkness. An obstacle is a challenge permitted by God to strengthen you and to overcome it or work out another way to succeed. He retains total control over everything and helps us reach the decreed destination. Lord Jesus has termed all believers to be friends and not servants (John 15:15). As a friend He stands with us to ensure completion of the work revealed to each one of us. We move in faith and the doors start opening in His Divine power to success and joy!
First, we are called ‘My sheep’ by Lord Jesus and then identified as His own, as those who hear, understand and obey His voice and Words. Whatever dream or vision that He gives, the strength and resources to fulfil that also come from Him. But for that it is essential that we recognise His voice by being in a close relationship with Him. Also, we must always be on alert to the lies of the devil, lest he mislead us!
