This is the third article on dreams so if you haven’t read the first two I would encourage you to do so in order to get the whole picture thus far on the importance of our dreams and God’s desire to communicate through them.
Now we have been looking at the idea that God sometimes wishes to use our dreams to communicate with us. That, in both the Old Testament and New Testament, God spoke to people both great and small through their dreams. These dreams were used to give advance warning of impending danger as well as opportunities to make great gains. How we respond to these dreams can make all the difference in the world, yet God allows us to ignore, reject or embrace them as communication from the divine nature of God. We talked about the importance of being prepared for such communication or we may miss or even misinterpret our dreams.
In part two we talked about the promise of God in the Book of Joel about dreams and prophecy. Often people’s predisposition towards the movement and activities of the Holy Spirit can be and often are rejected because they seem odd or not what they have been taught to accept. We also talked about how sometimes a simple “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” is all it takes for God to continue his dialogue with us like he did with the young prophet Samuel when he was learning how to discern the voice of God.
I would like to say that hearing God “Accurately” is often difficult for many reasons, but we should press into God’s presence regularly to develop a sensitivity to his Spirit and voice. I think that often God makes it somewhat difficult to know his voice because he will not reveal himself to the fool. That may sound harsh, yet I know that in my own soul I still am working on the difficulty of foolishness in that I often move from a place of being a humble servant to a know it all. It’s amazing how quickly we move back and forth between humility and pride without even realizing it until later. God in his patience is working on our souls to get us to mature enough to at least recognize the flow of our soul in order to correct our course quickly. One of the tools he uses is making us, if you would allow me, “Work For It” with regards to his voice. Now I know many in the body of Christ have been taught to reject anything that has to do with the word “Works“, but that teaching is a flat our lie. Here is one of the things Paul wrote about works.
Philippians 2:12
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
So many have a deceptive understanding of salvation as “Saying This Prayer” and you’re good to go when nothing can be further from the truth. Paul is saying your salvation is not a prayer but a “Process“. Paul had to challenge the Corinthian church for being too carnal. They had learned and were using all the gifts of the spirit and yet their soul was not transformed like it should have been. If we fail to “Work” at developing our spiritual disciplines we don’t grow more spiritual. Instead, we grow more carnal and end up becoming Pharisees rather than saints.
There is a passage of scripture in the Book of Job that is amazing on a number of accounts because it is spoken by one of Job’s friends concerning God speaking.
Job 33:13-15
Why do you accuse God of not answering anyone? God does speak, sometimes one way and sometimes another even though people may not understand it. He speaks in a dream or a vision of the night when people are in a deep sleep, lying on their beds.
This “friend” of Job had so much right and yet he was so off base in his assessment of what was wrong with Job. Job was unaware of the spiritual war that was going on around him and was crying out in desperation. Instead of his friends trying to discern what was happening in the spirit they just looked at the evidence before them which was Job is suffering and it must be all his fault. In his own assessment of what God’s voice is, God is always speaking though we don’t always understand.
Dreams, like other ways of communications of God, is just one of many ways the Lord chooses to speak to us. We don’t get to decide how God speaks, but we do get to decide if we are open to discover what God is saying no matter how it is communicated. So, let’s look at simple guidelines of how dreams work and how to discover what God “might” be speaking to us.
First, dreams are an effective means of God speaking to us because our resistance is down. When we are awake our own prejudice often keeps us from even hearing God’s voice. I can’t tell you how many times God will use someone to speak a word to me and they don’t even realize it. If I’m trying to be sensitive to God’s voice no matter what “Vehicle” it comes through I hear more. Dreams can be a more “Open Channel” to say things to us.
Second, many who have researched dreams have found that, for the most part, the people getting the dreams aren’t good at interpreting them. Again, we have certain biases that can color the true meaning. By including people who are mature and have discernment into our lives we become more like the body of Christ we were meant to be. Americans like our independence, but independence can often move into stubbornness and rebellion.
Third, dreams often require researching scripture to see patterns and values that we may not have understood or don’t know very well. Dreams motivate those who are serious about knowing what God is saying to spend the time researching until the light bulb comes on in their spirit.
Fourth, often dreams require us to “Meditate”. Now, for some of you, that word may sound foreign or eastern but let me assure you it’s a biblical term. King David spoke about doing it regularly and often.
Psalms 119:55
I meditate on your name all night, GOD, treasuring your revelation, O GOD.
Philippians 4:8
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Let me end this article with this word of encouragement and suggestion. Ask the Lord to speak to you in the best way possible and agree to listen no matter how he chooses to speak……..sermon, prophecy, dream, stranger or whatever. God always listens to a humble and hungry heart.
Questions:
1) Have you asked God to visit you in the “Night Watches”? Go to sleep with your heart focused on the Lord.
Psalms 63:6
When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,
2) Scripture says God will give you your hearts desire – what about dreams ? Yes even dreams!
Matthew 7:10-11
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
May the Lord open up the windows of heaven and grant us dreams of His choosing.
Pastor Dale
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