Text: Job 33:14-18, 29
INTRODUCTION
The Lord is not limited in the ways by which He speaks to His people. He spoke to:
· Abraham in a night vision Gen.15:1-5
· Moses through a burning bush. Exo. 3:1-6
· Joseph the husband of Mary. Matth.1:20
· Saul on the road to Damascus in an open vision. Acts 9:3-6
Church History
· Polycarp, a man believed to have been a direct disciple of the Apostle John, was given a dream that revealed how he would be killed in Rome and burned at the stake. In 155 A.D., at the age of 86, Polycarp was martyred for his faith just as his dream had depicted.
· St. Augustine lists several of his dreams in his writings and he declared that they were an important way in which God spoke to him and to mankind.
· Jerome, a translator of the Latin Bible, was converted as a result of the Lord appearing to him in a dream.
Contemporary Time
· Christopher Columbus- discovery of the new world vide a dream he had and was told ‘God will give you the keys to the gates of the ocean which are closed with strong chains’
· President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination
· Dimitry Mendeleyev’s discovery of the periodic table resulting in the birth of modern Chemistry and Physics.
· Dr Jonas Salk – discovery of the polio vaccine came about because he took his dreams serious.
· Magdalene and the young brined – They take the prayer point.
God is not limited in the ways that He chooses to speak to His people.
Numbers 12:6 – Then he said, “Hear now My words; if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.”
WHAT IS A DREAM
1) A series of thoughts, images, and feelings that you experience when you are asleep (Longman dict. Of contemporary English)- Dan.4:5 (NIV)
2) A dream is a seed containing:
· Information – Midianite soldier—Judg.7:13-14
· Direction – Joseph husband of Mary – Matth.2:19-23
· Warning – The 3 wise men -Matth.2 :12
· Tell the future – Joseph -Gen. 37:5-11,Dan.2:20-45
· Convey special messages or favours or blessings –Matth.1:20
· Avert an unpleasant situation
· Teach a divine lesson – Dan.2:19-30;4:8
A. Dreams in the Bible
There are at least 50 accounts of dreams in the
Bible. A few of them are:
· Abimelech’s dream – Gen.20:3-6
· Joseph had a dream Gen.37:5-11
· Pharaoh had a dream Gen.41:15-48
· Solomon had a dream 1Kings 3:5-15
· The wise men had a dream Matth.2:12
· Joseph was warned in a dream to run away
with Baby Jesus Matth.2:13-14
· Pilate’s wife had a dream Matth.27:19
B. Sources of dreams
Your dreams can come from 3 sources:
– God -Job 33:14-17, 29
– Satan –Deut 13:1-3
– Man
· the flesh- Ecc.5:3, Isa.29:8
· the spirit- Psm.4:4; 17:3
C.When a dream is from God, it
– Encourages
– Assures
– Comforts
– Directs
– Instructs
– Guides
– Corrects
– Reveals
D. When a dream is from the enemy, satan, it is
– Absurd
– Mysterious
– Unreasonable
– Confusing
– Terrifying
– accidents, attacks
– Closed doors, youths aging fast,
– Chains on necks, closed bibles e.t.c
When it comes from your flesh, it generally mirrors What’s been occupying your thoughts throughout the day, e.g.
– Negative news from the media
– Idle conversations
– 2Cor.7:1
E. Key Issues about a dream
– meaning i.e the symbol or key
– Is it literal or parable ?
– What actions do I take to deal with them
Literal – i.e not a parable –Gen.20:3-7, 1Kings 3:5-15.
§ You identify the parties
§ Real events that you can easily relate with
§ The force or vividness
PARABLE
· Gen.40 chief Butter, Baker
· Jud.7:13-15
Danger of not Dreaming
If you feel you don’t dream at all, the real problem is that of recall.
If you cannot recall your dreams when you wake up, you face a double danger:
– If God wants to speak to you, you will not hear.-Isa.42:19
– The enemy’s presence and activities in your life will remain largely undetected until they are mature i.e come to pass or at the threshold of coming to pass. Matth.13:25
The Result
1. You’ll be clueless about the things happening to you, your finances, health and marriage.
2. You may end up living from crisis to crisis, and wondering why your prayers are not working. Because you are not watching and praying.
Handling This
· Pray very regularly to remember and understand your dreams. Dan 2:14-23;Matt.7:7-11 especially in the the Spirit-1Cor.14:2,John 16:13-14
· Deploy the angels of God to work on your behalf. Matth.13:25
· Break the hold of satanic dream thieves in your life –Gen.37:20
· Break bread privately often -1Cor.11:26
· Confess the word e.g 1Cor 2:6-12; 2Tim.1:7
· If you ca, have a dream diary.
More Pointers
Here are more of those dreams that have serious spiritual implications:
§ going back to your childhood days or to your old schools
§ strong winds blowing against you or your kids
§ Doors closing or after a queue things get exhausted – satanic stagnation or hindrance
i. Missing spouse in dream –Satanic attack against your marriage and household.
ii. Loosing your shoe – Marital failure looming in the horizon because of spiritual consultants.
iii. Multitude of flies – Witchcraft devises program against your staff of bread.
iv. Eggs in dream – Delicate opportunity demanding wisdom and great care.
§ carrying strange babies
§ wearing tattered clothes –poverty and Judgment
§ finding yourself naked – Satanic Disgrace
§ losing your certificates –
§ sitting for exams and not able to complete it –unprofitable labour.
§ seeing strange creatures laughing at you (even when you call the name of Jesus)
§ discussing with dead relatives
§ Being shot at – satanic hunters.
§ Attack armed men to steal from tangible net.
Dealing with unpleasant dreams
Please specially note the following scriptures:
Amos 7:1-6(NLT), Isa.49:24-26, Eph6:11-13,James 1:22, Rev.12:7-11
Dream #1 – sex in the dream
It is a disaster to have any form of sexual intercourse in the dream. This is the work of a spirit called spirit husband or spirit wife.
Their main purpose is to control, rule, dominate, abuse, manipulate, plunder and dispossess the victim of every good thing earmarked for her/him by God.
By their activities, one’s marital, social, business and financial life will be in shambles!
Yes, they have that kind of power. And if you allow this in your life, they will neutralize your prayers on legal grounds – because you’re married to them, whether you know it or not! Please don’t be deceived that they sometimes take on the appearance of your husband or wife.
What to do
You have to rebuke him/her in the name of the LORD.
Attack this spirit with all the weapons you know about. Bind and stop the spirit from visiting you again.
Please be sure that you are NOT engaged in the sin of fornication or adultery – even in your heart. These 2 sins act like magnets, helping to attract them to you.
Dream #2 – one recurring dream
If you have discovered that anytime you want to touch or start something good, a particular dream comes up which always results in rendering all your efforts futile, you are suffering from what we call “The Demonic Stabilizer.”
This dream stabilizes you and keeps you at the same level. You must use the weapon of praying and fasting.
This stabilizing influence may not affect your entire life, but it is a hindrance to your progress and fulfillment in life. You need to break the yoke behind it and set yourself free.
Dream #3 – wedding dress
If you dream of people stealing your wedding dress, or soiling it (like stained with blood or in rags), it is a vicious attack on your marriage.
You must go into fasting and prayer very quickly and command the wedding gown to be returned. Then go ahead and claim God’s promises for your marriage.
Dream #4 – being naked
If you find yourself naked in the dream, it is a sign of disgrace or insecurity (i.e. the enemy is planning to disgrace you publicly).
You must ask the Holy Spirit to clothe you and remove any object of disgrace from your life.
Dream #5 – traffic jam
If you drove your car in the dream in a traffic jam which stood still until you woke up, it is symbolic of a major plan to hinder you from getting what God wants to give you. This is the kind of dream that shows you the devil’s strategy against your life.
Ask the Holy Spirit to send His troopers there and clear the way for you.
Dream #6 – funeral service
If you have not recently attended a funeral service physically and now you frequently see yourself in funeral services, the enemy is pursuing you with the spirit of death.
What to do
You have to disband the funeral service and ‘deal with the priest who is conducting it. You should also withdraw yourself from the service. It is not of God. The people who are there are only pretending to be your relatives or church members. They are all satanic agents.
Dream #7 – eating in the dream
If you find yourself eating in the dream (no matter what it is) it shows you that your spiritual life is being poisoned. You may even be eating human flesh (Ps.27:2) without knowing it. This is how terrible diseases are introduced into the lives of people – when they are asleep and maybe even spiritually dull!
What to do
You have to ask the Holy Spirit to purge you immediately. This is where you need to learn to activate the cleansing power in the blood of Jesus, and use it aggressively!
Another way of dealing with dreams related issues is: one on one mentoring to facilitate
§ Rapid change and personal spiritual growth it also
§ Holds you accountable for assignments
§ Personalize assignments to your unique circumstances, which saves you money, time and energy
Why these types of dreams for a Christian?
· Unbroken ties with idolatrous background and practices
· Lack of the word in sufficient quantity in us
· Grieving the Holy Spirit and willful disobedience
· Soul ties
· Ignorance of the new creation realities
· Carelessness
· Prayerlessness
Please Note
· As a rule, when you have a dream particularly those you don’t understand if not pleasant, cancel it. If you understand and it is good enforce it. If you don’t understand read these scripture repeatedly and then begin to pray for at least 3-7days at the midnight hour between 12-3am
The Scriptures are: Jere.29:11,John 1:4;8:12;16:13-14, Rom.16:20,1Cor.14:2,Gal.6:17
As you pray these scriptures insight will come, then adjust your prayers appropriately.
· Not every dream is from God, so learn to distinguish and act appropriately. Don’t allow any satanic dream the chance to germinate deal with it immediately and decisively by prayers and the word.
· Never forget that the power of a dream lies in the interpretation and its understanding. As a rule no matter how terrible the dream, don’t allow fear to have a foot hold in your life. Judg.7:13-15
· Boasting about your dreams and its potency is an open door or invitation for the enemy to take advantage of you. it can become an instrument for dominic attacks he allows one or more bad dream to come to pass to get you to think that your dream are always full proof.
· Repetitive dreams are common. If from:
Ø God: same message different symbols e.g
Joseph – Gen.37:6-7, 9
Pharaoh – Gen.41:15-48
Ø Satan: Same dream repeated severally to provoke fear and confusion
· A dream/night vision from God confirmed by His word has the ability to raise a man from obscurity into prominence.1Kings 3:5, 15; Acts 16:9; 18:9-10; 23:11; 27:21-25.
· God’s preferred means of communication with the New Testament Christian is not just dreams. He will rather communicate with us through:
Ø The various manifestations and operations of The Holy Spirit
Ø The quickened word or rhema. John 14-16.
Prayer Points:
Then pray these 25 prayers points
1. Start by praising and worshiping the LORD
2. Ask the LORD to forgive you where you made mistakes.
3. Ask the blood of Jesus and the fire of God to surround you.
4. Every dream attack against my destiny, be dismantled and perish in Jesus’ name
5. Every power of darkness using my dreams to manipulate my life, loose your hold, and be cursed in Jesus’ name.
6. My dream life, receive the fire of God, in the name of Jesus
7. My life will not follow any evil pattern, in the name of Jesus.
8. Every power of failure working in my dreams, be condemned now in Jesus’ name.
9. Every power of demotion working against my destiny, be broken now by fire in the name of Jesus
10. O God arise and scatter every enemy of my prosperity in the name of Jesus.
11. You spiritual taskmaster exerting over me through my dreams to arrest divine benefits in my life receive the judgment of God now in Jesus name. –Isa.27:1
12. Every evil reinforcement and or counter attack marshaled against me and operating through my dreams or any other means, be scattered and receive the fire of God in Jesus name.
13. In the name of Jesus, I carry out a spiritual environmental sanitation and disinfection of my sleeping areas –Psm.115:16
14. I refuse to make the mistakes of my parents especially as it affects their dream lives in Jesus name.
15. Every tare in my life whither and die off in Jesus name.
16. I receive strength for my spirit man to be strong and alert even when I am sleeping in Jesus name.
17. I ask now and receive the power to recall all dreams that are important in my life
18. By the finger of the Lord, I shall be victorious in all dreams.
19. My cap, choice clothes, property, success e.t.c stolen in my dream be restored now in Jesus name.
20. I refuse to obey evil summons in the dream in Jesus name.
21. As Jacob’s dreams in Gen.30-31, led him into the wisdom for wealth transfer, my dreams be empowered for my promotion and upliftment.
22. I receive wisdom to comport myself for the fulfillment of all my good dreams.
23. I ask for and receive empowerment for a separation from every dead issue that has glued itself to me through dreams.
24. Lord, arise by yourself and by all means give me peace in my dreams. – 2Thess.3:16.
25. Thank God for answers and deliverance.
References:
1) Elisha Goodman – The Dream Code
2) Donna J Kazenske – Sermon Note
3) Ladi Thompson – Decoding Dreams
- What To Do While Waiting For Breakthrough - September 26, 2010
- Breakthrough By The Holy Spirit - September 19, 2010
- Work – Made Productivity - September 12, 2010