Follow IN Faith

 

March 29, 2023



One night I had a nightmare and woke up drenched in fear. I had to take a moment to calm my heart and back up into my husband - that's my fend-off-the-monsters position. My husband's “got my back,” and I can keep an eye on the other direction. It's been very successful up to this point. My next go-to is pulling the covers up over my head - so glad blankets have that invisible builtin shield.

That brings us to the next form of communication we're going to discuss - dreams. They're like our thoughts in this: they can originate with our enemy (nightmares and perverse dreams), with God, or with ourselves (soulish dreams or “pizza” dreams).

I like to keep things simple, so no matter where a dream originates, I try to always end up at the feet of Jesus. My theory is that if the enemy is giving me bad dreams, he'll give up because it only results in prayer and more focus on Christ. Sounded like a good plan to me anyway - you can borrow it if you want to. But let's take a moment to focus on “God” dreams.

There are many people in the Bible God gave dreams to. Jacob, Joseph, and Peter just to name a few. God gives dreams for numerous reasons - to warn, encourage, correct, direct, reveal, prophesy, etc. God dreams may not all “feel” the same. They may be intense, peaceful, or exciting - it just depends on the work He's doing. They can be literal or symbolic. The symbols used may come from the Bible or be things only we personally would understand. Example: A friend of mine had a dream with her mom in it - her mom represented authority in her dream. If I had a dream with her mom in it, she would represent something altogether different to me.

We shouldn't be surprised that God would want to talk to us through dreams. It's a time when we're less likely to dominate the conversation, and we may be a little more open to listening to what He has to say. That's true for me, anyway. Want an example?

A number of years ago, I went to bed annoyed with my husband. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, but not perfect. I'm nearly perfect, but alas, I can't solve a Rubik's cube. Ah, the agony of being so close to perfection and missing it. (Man, I crack me up.)

While I was lying in bed, I told God He better talk to my husband or give him a dream or something, otherwise in the morning I would probably say something I shouldn't. (Never done that before.) I fell asleep, and this was the dream I had:

My husband and I were in our room getting ready to go to sleep. He nonchalantly mentions to me that two monsters had come into our bedroom. On the outside they looked like normal men, but I knew they were evil. I rebuked them and told them to leave in the name of Jesus. The next thing I knew I was in our dining room, and there were more of these “men” there. I did what I had done before and told them to leave in Jesus' name. I woke up.

As I woke up from that intense dream, I found I was at peace. I was no longer angry, and I fell back to sleep easily. Guess who needed God to “talk” to them…

Side note: Unforgiveness allows the enemy access to our lives. Even if we think we have a right to be annoyed, we need to protect ourselves and our homes by being proactive in dealing with annoyances and hurts in a healthy, godly way. We can go to God and ask Him to help us forgive. Take it from me - you'll sleep better! Oh,...and be careful what you tell God He should do.

Maybe you'll have a dream tonight, maybe you won't. But the beauty of it is knowing we have a Heavenly Father who wants to communicate with us in so many ways - even in the dead of night while we're fast asleep. He just loves us that much.

Exercise: This is a hard thing to “practice,” but if you're interested in God speaking to you through dreams, tell Him. Then prepare to steward the dreams you'll have.

Tip: To steward your dreams, keep a notebook handy - even next to your bed. When you have a dream you think may be from God, write down as many details as you can remember as soon as you get up as we tend to forget as the day goes on. Next ask God to explain the dream's meaning to you. You may immediately know its purpose, or it may be revealed over time.

In the days and weeks that follow, write down anything you come across pertaining to the dream. Consider: Do you recognize any Biblical symbolism? Does anything mean something to you personally? Do any verses come to mind? I've gotten insight during my devotions, listening to speakers, and researching online. I once had a dream with a certain kind of bird in it. After learning more about the bird itself, light was shed on the rest of the dream. I might mention the dream to one of my close friends who's familiar with the Bible. There are also books on dreams - find ones that are Christian-based and point you to Jesus. The main thing - enjoy the process and the time spent with God.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. ” Proverbs 25:2, NKJV

Author Bio

Candace Erickson was born and raised in rural northeastern Montana. She found herself once again committed to this beautiful land when while home during a college break, she met the man she would marry, a Montana farmer. When Candace isn’t trying to keep up with their two busy teenagers, she leads Bible studies, teaches Sunday school, and contributes to First Love Ministries in numerous ways.

 

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