Being good stewards of prophetic dreams
Science has not been able to provide definitive answers to the question of why we dream but God’s Word does give us some clues. The Holy Spirit can convey important messages for God’s people through prophetic dreams or “visions of the night”. How do we recognise prophetic dreams that are from God and what should we do with them?
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 做个预言梦的好管家 | 繁體中文 > 做個預言夢的好管家)
Numbers 12:6 ESV And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.
Prophetic dreams happen while we are asleep. Visions of the night happen while we are still conscious during bedtime, such as the vision that appeared to the apostle Paul in the night. Both reveal God’s divine will and future plans.
Acts 16:9 ESV And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
The Bible shows us that God also uses prophetic dreams to:
- warn His people
- turn us from doing wrong
- keep us from pride
- protect us from danger
Job 33:14-18 ESV For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.
God does not change. He spoke through dreams through our biblical forefathers, and He continues to work through dreams today. After all, God has declared that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days so that His people will prophesy, will see visions, and will dream dreams.
Malachi 3:6 ESV “For I the Lord do not change…
Acts 2:16-18 ESV But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
The caveat is that we need to learn to distinguish between dreams that are from God’s Spirit, our own fleshly instincts, and (unclean/evil) spirits. We are told to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
1 John 4:1 ESV Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
In this post, we will also examine examples of dreams in the Bible as well as real-life testimonies of how the Holy Spirit continues to work through dreams today.
Prophetic dreams serve a purpose
Some of us may have a history of very vivid dreams or déjà vu where we seem to have an impression of having seen or experienced things in our dreams before they actually happen. This can possibly indicate that we have the spiritual gift of prophetic dreams, where we have the ability to “foretell by dreams”. Even from a very young age, God can bless us with prophetic gifts so that we can use them to bless others, build His church and bring Him praise and worship.
Deuteronomy 13:1 NIV If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you…
1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
Prophetic dreams have played an important role in significant events in Christian history, particularly when it came to protecting Jesus while he was an infant.
Prophetic dreams from God will always:
- bring God glory
- be for the good of His people
- build His church
- be aligned with the Bible
From examples in the Bible, we see that God Himself would at times personally appear in dreams to speak to His people. Other times, God would use imagery that would then be interpreted by someone with the spiritual gift of dream interpretation. This is a person who submitted to and humbly followed God with reverence.
There are various types of prophetic dreams:
- Promise | God promises Jacob (also called Israel) that He would make a great nation out of his descendants | Genesis 46:3-4 ESV And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation…
- Encouragement and strengthening | God encouraged and strengthened Gideon through a dream and an interpretation from his enemies | Judges 7:9-15 ESV That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
- Reassurance | God sent an angel to assure Joseph to take Mary as his wife and told him to call the boy, Jesus | Matthew 1:19-21 ESV And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
- Blessing | God invited king Solomon to ask Him for whatever he wanted | 1 Kings 3:3-5 ESV Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
- Instruction | God sent an angel to instruct Joseph to go back to Israel after it was safe to do so | Matthew 2:19-21 ESV But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
- Admonishment | God chastised Laban and warned him against continuing to treat Jacob unfairly | Genesis 31:24,36,42 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” … Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”
- Warning | God warned the wise men (magi) not to return to king Herod who wanted to murder Jesus | Matthew 2:1,11-12 ESV Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem… On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Recognising prophetic dreams
Prophetic dreams may seem odd or weird to us based on our limited human understanding. They will be unlike anything we expect to dream about. We will wake up with vivid memories of key details and will be able to discern that such dreams are out of the ordinary for us.
These types of dreams will only make sense when the things they prophesy about come about or when they are told to their intended hearers. Many will involve symbolic imagery, but they will never contradict God’s Word nor glorify human beings.
Prophetic dreams do not tend to be long or convoluted, but they can be recurring. Some can even make us feel fearful because they reveal something ominous or terrifying. One such example from the Bible is king Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream about a powerful statue that was totally demolished.
Job 33:14-18 ESV For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.
Daniel 2:1 ESV In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.
Such troubling prophetic dreams will be different from demonic nightmares. In demonic nightmares, we may find ourselves being attacked by a demon, chased by a monster, or tormented by a dark shadow. They are usually a sign that we need to turn to God and seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel. He may show areas of sin that we need to repent of – particularly occult related – or any darkness we have allowed to slip into our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we walk in God’s light, we will not fear the terrors of the night. (If you have been ministering to someone and suddenly experience such nightmares, they may be an indication of the type of strongholds in that person’s life.)
Psalm 91:1-2,4-5 ESV He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night…
1 John 1:5-9 ESV God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
No one cannot force anyone to dream up prophetic dreams. It is a gift that must be submitted to the Holy Spirit for His complete control and guidance.
At the same time, we can choose to reject this prophetic gift and tell God we never want to dream such dreams again, and He may accept our request, although with some unintended consequences, as the example below shows.
Testimony 1: Initially rejecting the gift of prophetic dreaming
“When I was a teenager, I decided that I “wouldn’t dream anymore” because I couldn’t understand my dreams, and the dreams stopped. Nonetheless, I continued to be afflicted by nightmares because of the occult in my life. After repenting of the occult in my life, the nightmares stopped and I slept soundly. I remember thinking, “Oh, the nightmares have stopped, but shouldn’t God turn the nightmares into prophetic dreams?”
After repenting for choosing “not to dream,” I realised I chose not to dream because I wanted control of my life. Because I could neither understand nor control my dreams, I didn’t want them. But walking with God means trusting God with everything, including dreams over which I have no control. Now, God uses dreams to show me if there are areas in my life that I need to pray about, and sometimes He gives me dreams to bless others too.
Here is one example. I once dreamed that I bumped into a sister in the neighborhood where she lives. She was selling new food creations that looked beautiful, delicious, and creative. I wasn’t sure it was a meaningful dream but since we are good friends, I thought she would find the dream funny so I shared it with her. As it turns out, she was exploring a new interest related to food, and the dream coincided with other encouragements she received that week to pursue her fun, new hobby.”
Beware of the abuse of this spiritual gift
At the same time, we must be aware that any spiritual gift can also be abused and misused for witchcraft or new age practices. When we enthrone ourselves as the lord of our own spiritual gifts, we become no different from Satan who sought the same. This gives the enemy a foothold to corrupt our gifts and destroy God’s intended good work.
1. Trying to be the master of our dreams
We open ourselves up to demonic powers when we try to “hack” into or control our dreams in order to seek healing, superior knowledge, out-of-body experiences, spiritual power, and so forth. This is no different from witchcraft or “divining”.
Zechariah 10:2 ESV For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
2. Turning to ungodly sources for dream interpretation
Witchcraft and sorcery were rampant in ancient Babylon, and we see that king Nebuchadnezzar sought “magicians, the enchanters… and the astrologers” for help to interpret his dreams. As believers, we are to only seek the Holy Spirit through prayer and fasting for His counsel, guidance, and revelation, because He is the Spirit of Truth. Other sources may lead us away from God, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Daniel 4:4-7 ESV I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.
Genesis 40:8 ESV They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? …
Hence, it is important for believers to exercise caution when it comes to our dreams. We must test if:
- Lying | We have an un-repented habit of lying to others or even subconsciously deceiving ourselves; this will corrupt our hearts to prophesy lying dreams too | Jeremiah 23:25-26 ESV I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart,
- Exalting our own idols or desires | We have un-repented idols and desires in our hearts. For example, it is highly unlikely that God will use imagery such as superhero characters or luxury cars | 1 John 2:16 ESV For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
- Turning people from God | We can lead people further away from, rather than closer to, God if we are reckless with our prophetic gift. This is not to say we should reject God’s spiritual gifts. Rather, we have the immense privilege to ask Him to teach us how to use the gift for His glory through the Holy Spirit’s counsel. | Jeremiah 23:26-27 ESV How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?
- Idolising ourselves | We are in danger of idolising our spiritual gifts – using our gifts to feel superior, gain popularity, or judge others – rather than worshipping God and humbling following Him. This grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit. | Ephesians 4:29-30 ESV Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
The spiritual gift of prophetic dreams or dream interpretation does not single anyone out as being more favoured by God. We see that God does not only give His chosen people prophetic dreams. He speaks to their enemies through dreams too. For instance, God gave prophetic dreams to king Nebuchadnezzar who had captured the Israelites, Laban who mistreated Jacob, Israel’s enemies that were about to fight Gideon’s troops, and the wife of Pilate who handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Matthew 27:17-19 ESV So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”
Clear indications of non-prophetic dreams
Like demonic nightmares mentioned earlier, there are some other dreams that should not be confused as prophetic. These are usually related to:
- Our personal issues | The brain processes, categorises, and stores information from daily our experiences while we sleep. We may find that our suppressed emotions and stress can come out in our dreams if we don’t consciously confront them. These can manifest as dreams about falling down, failing an exam, interpersonal conflicts, arriving somewhere late or without clothes, etc.
- Activity before sleep | We also find that we dream about the things we read or watch, or the e-games we play just before we go to bed.
- Worldly pleasures | Dreams that glorify us or the things of this world are not from God, but from our own fleshly desires | 1 John 2:16 NLT For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
- Sexual lusts | Sexual immorality is a sin against our own bodies. God will not cause us to sin against our bodies, temples of the Holy Spirit, in our dreams. | 1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
- Visitations by dead people | God hates necromancy and will not allow the dead to advise the living. (There is one account recorded in 1 Samuel 28:3-20 where the dead prophet Samuel “appeared” to king Saul. We need to keep in mind that Saul had consulted a medium, which is strictly forbidden. Saul resorted to divination and it is very likely that it was a demonic spirit in disguise, not the actual prophet Samuel, that appeared to Saul and cursed him.) | Isaiah 8:19 ESV And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?
- Bloodshed, murder, death, or gore | The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life, He will not glorify death, murder, bloodshed, etc. If we experience such things in our dreams, it is likely we have given unclean spirits access to our subconscious minds by indulging in horror and paranormal stories, games where we plot revenge and murder, death wishes, and anything that grieves the Holy Spirit and invites other spirits to influence us. If so, we need to repent and ask God for His forgiveness and purification. | John 6:63 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all…
- Sleep paralysis and eerie feelings | The Holy Spirit is kind, gentle, and good. He will not force anything on anyone. Feelings of being gripped, choked, or paralysed in our sleep are not from God. These are the work of demonic spirits. We won’t feel any joy or peace, but a general sense of unease and deep cold dread. We may even experience goosebumps and feel our hair stand on end, as described in Job 4:13-16. | Galatians 5:22-23 ESV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Job 4:13-16 NLT It came to me in a disturbing vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep. Fear gripped me, and my bones trembled. A spirit swept past my face, and my hair stood on end. The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes…
Some real-life examples of prophetic dreams
To further illustrate how prophetic dreams or “visions of the night” continue to work today, here are a few real-life examples from different followers of Christ.
Testimony 2: A vision of the night that led to repentance
“Once in the middle of the night, I woke up feeling strangely very much awake and I saw a vision of dice stacking on top of each other. Because I was sure it was not a scene I have seen in my life, I immediately consulted the Holy Spirit. Following Father’s instructions to read His words, He gave me Proverbs 16. I had no idea why I was given such information but I was aware it was a day which I was interceding for a sister-in-Christ. With hesitation, I shared what God has revealed and later found out the vision reminded her of some divination practice that she had done and needed to repent of.”
Testimony 3: A series of dreams that led to encouragement
“In one week, I dreamt about my high school friend three times. We were not close and had lost touch for almost 10 years. In one of the dreams, I was trying to find my slippers and saw my friend wearing slippers that were similar to mine. As I prayed over the dream, there was a deep sense of loss, of not knowing one’s direction, and identity (somehow represented by the slippers). I felt prompted to reach out to my long-lost friend to catch up. To my surprise, he was open to meeting up. When we met, I found out that he was going through one of the hardest times in his life. At the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray for him and he willingly accepted! I even told him about my dreams and affirmed our Heavenly Father’s love for him. Praise God!”
Testimony 4: A dream that led to a correction
“I dreamt about making a mistake and I complained to my friend that “I am stupid!”. After saying that, I immediately reminded myself and my friend that I should speak words of blessings and not curse myself. I was reminded of James 3:9-10: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” Then I was led to declare my identity, along the lines of being precious and worthy in God. When I woke up, I shared the dream with my friend who at that time was struggling with self-condemnation. She was encouraged to hold onto God’s words of blessings about her.”
Testimony 5: A dream that led to reassurance
“I dreamt of a brother who built a big house high on what looked like a cliff but the water levels were not reaching the level he wanted it to be. As I prayed over the dream, I received the words, “It will rise when I let it rise”. When I shared this with the brother, it spoke to him. He had been praying for God’s direction in ministry yet have been afraid to think far too ahead because it may overwhelm him. God reaffirmed that He has the best timing and to patiently wait upon Him.”
Testimony 6: A dream that showed God’s will
“I was once offered a job that meant a big promotion and also leaving a role I felt God had led me to. It was a big struggle because the new role came with a global title. On the night before I had to make a decision, I dreamt I was walking on a narrow path when someone rushed over and knocked me off my feet. He felt demonic and had no eyeballs, and began chanting over me. Startled and upset, I commanded it to leave me in Jesus’ name. I woke up instantly and felt a lot of peace, knowing that I needed to turn down the job offer, which I did.”
Testimony 7: A series of dreams that revealed generational sin
“After praying with a friend, I had three nights of bad dreams, all of which revolved around family, power, fear, and being trapped. One of them involved helping my family bury or hide a dead body. The emotions in the dreams felt very real but I was not impacted or afraid, which made me realise that it had nothing to do with me. I decided to tell my friend about my dreams. She was reminded of an incident in her family history where a sick grandaunt was accidentally buried alive by her relatives. She realised she needed to confess her family’s wrong decisions, sinful responses, and lies before God, and break any generational curses that came as a result. After that, my bad dreams stopped.”
Practical considerations
Here are some practical considerations for anyone who has been experiencing prophetic dreams.
1. Be sure to cleanse our hearts, don’t become a false prophet
The Bible warns of a time where there will be false prophets who will lead God’s people astray. To ensure that we do not become a false prophet who dreams false dreams, we ought to first actively deal with un-repented sin in our lives – this would include “sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” for example. Otherwise, we may only be deceiving ourselves and end up prophesy lying dreams.
Matthew 24:24 ESV For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Mark 7:20-23 NIV He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
2. Filter and protect what our eyes take in
Satan can seduce us into planting ungodly images into our subconscious minds that he may try to manipulate and use in our dreams later. God’s Word counsels us that the eye is the channel for spiritual darkness or light into our bodies. We ought to protect our eyes and therefore, our hearts, minds, and souls.
Matthew 6:22-23 NLT “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
3. Keep a record of our dreams
The Bible shows examples of different people who wrote their prophetic dreams down. We too can do the same. This way, we will not forget our dreams and can keep track of how and when God uses our dreams to encourage and edify someone for HIs glory (not ours).
Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
Daniel 7:1 ESV In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.
4. Do not add or subtract details from our dreams
When we speak of or record our dreams, we ought to be careful to stay faithful to God’s revelations and not add or take away any detail. Neither should we attempt to interpret it based on our fleshly understanding.
Jeremiah 23:28 ESV Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully…
5. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation and next steps
Most prophetic dreams reveal only a partial picture of the full story. It is only natural that most of our prophetic dreams won’t make any sense to us – unless God gives us very specific instructions.
1 Corinthians 13:9 NLT Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!
Nowadays, there are all sorts of new age dream interpretation services and dream “specialists.” Some even claim to be Christian. We need to be on the alert for false teachers who simply do “whatever their instincts tell them”.
Jude 1:8,10 NLT Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones… these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.
When we seek to follow God with all our heart, He will lead us to the meaning of our dreams. Therefore, we ought to first consult the Holy Spirit and ask Him:
- Who is the prophetic dream for?
- Should we simply write it down and simply wait for now or should we convey the message to them as the Holy Spirit leads us?
- What does the message mean? Should we seek interpretation or wait for God’s revelation later and not worry about understanding it yet?
Genesis 40:8 ESV They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
6. Fill our minds with God’s Word
If we are to test our dreams against God’s Word, we first need to be familiar with the Bible, beginning with the book of Genesis right through to the book of Revelation.
God will often use imagery and text taken right out of the Bible to communicate His will. If He shows us a rainbow, a valley of dry bones, or battle armour, for example, we should instantly know that they refer to God’s covenant (Genesis 9:8-17), new life (Ezekiel 37:1-14), and standing and being strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10-20) respectively.
When our minds are renewed based on God’s Word, we will be able to discern God’s will and prophetic messages correctly.
Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
7. Be patient
There will be times when the meaning of prophetic dreams will not be revealed until years later. In the case of Joseph (Jacob’s son), his prophetic dream of his brothers bowing down to him did not become realised until some twenty years later. Sometimes, we will need to practise faith and patience.
Genesis 37:5-8 ESV Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 42:6,9 ESV Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them…
8. Be careful not to turn to divination
One temptation for people with the gift of prophetic dreams is to start imagining or daydream things about the future. Even if this is not our intent, there is the danger that we fall into divination. It is something we ought to avoid.
9. Give all glory to God for the dream and the interpretation
Finally, all prophecies should point people to God, the Source of all prophetic dreams.
We see that the prophet Daniel boldly proclaimed to king Nebuchadnezzar that he spoke on behalf of “God in heaven who reveals mysteries” and that “this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living.” God blessed and protected Daniel for his faithfulness to God.
Daniel 2:27-30 ESV Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Also, see Jesus frees prayer counsellor from hidden fears
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