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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Dreams have fascinated humanity since the beginning of time. But for believers, dreams can be something much more significant than random neural activity during sleep. They can be divine communication - moments when God chooses to speak to us while we rest.

Does God Really Speak Through Dreams?

Throughout Scripture, we see countless examples of God communicating through dreams. Joseph dreamed of his future leadership role. Daniel interpreted dreams for kings. Pharaoh received warnings about coming famine through dreams. In the New Testament, Joseph received crucial guidance about Mary's pregnancy and their family's safety through angelic visitations in dreams.

The book of Job provides insight into this divine communication method: "For God may speak in one way or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men and seals their instruction."

This passage reveals something profound - when we're asleep and our conscious minds are quiet, God can open our spiritual ears and deposit information, instruction, and revelation directly into our hearts.

Not Every Dream is a God Dream

Different Types of Dreams

Understanding that not every dream comes from God is crucial for proper discernment. Dreams can originate from several sources:

Soulish Dreams: These are what we might call "pizza dreams" - your mind processing the day's events, conversations, and experiences. Ecclesiastes mentions that "in much activity a man dreams," referring to our souls creating movies from moments and reflections.

Dark Dreams: These can include nightmares, night terrors, or dreams that come from spiritual attack. The enemy works in darkness and can influence our dream life, especially if we've opened doors through sin or trauma.

Flesh Dreams: Dreams that stem from our sinful nature or wrong desires. These might involve scenarios that violate biblical principles or encourage ungodly behavior.

God Dreams: Divine communication intended to restore, strengthen, warn, instruct, or reveal future events for our benefit and God's glory.

How to Discern if Your Dream is from God

Three Essential Questions

What Do the Scriptures Say? Any dream that contradicts biblical truth or encourages unscriptural behavior is not from God. The Holy Spirit will never inspire you to believe or do something that violates God's Word. While God may use dreams to address wrong beliefs or behaviors, He won't tell you to embrace them.

What Do the Symbols Suggest? Biblical dreams often contain symbolic elements that carry meaning. Joseph's dreams of sheaves and celestial bodies bowing represented his future authority. Pharaoh's dreams of fat and lean cows symbolized years of plenty and famine. However, be cautious - symbols may mean different things to different people based on their understanding and context.

What Purpose is Being Served? God dreams typically serve to glorify God and benefit the dreamer. They may provide warnings, reveal future events, offer solutions to problems, or strengthen faith. The Hebrew word for dream (chalam) also means to restore, strengthen, or make whole - indicating God's redemptive purpose in divine dreams.

Approaching Dreams with Faith and Wisdom

Seek Confirmation for Major Decisions

While God does speak through dreams, be extremely cautious about making major life decisions based solely on a dream. Scripture teaches that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established." Seek counsel, pray for confirmation, and allow God to verify important revelations through multiple means.

Practice Patience and Perseverance

Joseph's dreams took approximately twenty years to fulfill. During that time, circumstances often appeared to contradict his dreams entirely. He was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Yet through each trial, God was positioning him for his ultimate destiny.

The Psalms tell us that "the word of the Lord tested him until the time that his word came to pass." Sometimes God dreams require patience as He works all things together for good and prepares us for their fulfillment.

Depend on Divine Intervention

God dreams often require supernatural intervention to come to pass. They're not just natural progressions of events but divine orchestrations that demonstrate God's power and love. This requires faith and dependence on God rather than human effort alone.

Practical Steps for Dream Discernment

Journal Your Dreams

When you have a dream that feels significant, write it down immediately. Include the date, details, emotions, and any initial impressions about its meaning. Many people use their smartphone's voice recorder to capture dreams in the moment, then transcribe them later.

Pray for Understanding

God often conceals meaning in dreams, requiring us to seek Him for interpretation. This isn't to frustrate us but to draw us into deeper relationship with Him. Pray, study Scripture, and seek wise counsel when trying to understand a potential God dream.

Look for Patterns and Themes

Sometimes God speaks through recurring dreams or themes. Pay attention to repeated symbols, emotions, or scenarios that appear across multiple dreams.

God Dreams as Divine Love

When God chooses to communicate through dreams, it's an expression of His love and care for us. He's sharing revelation, providing guidance, offering warnings, or encouraging our hearts. Sometimes dreams are for us personally; other times they may be for someone else, requiring us to discern whether to share the dream or simply intercede in prayer.

Joseph's story beautifully illustrates how God can use even the painful circumstances surrounding our dreams to position us for His purposes. When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, he said, "Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."

Life Application

This week, pay attention to your dreams with new awareness. Keep a journal or recording device nearby to capture any dreams that feel significant. Most importantly, don't dismiss the possibility that God might want to speak to you while you sleep.

Begin each night by inviting God to speak to you however He chooses, including through dreams. Ask for protection from deceptive or dark dreams, and for wisdom to discern His voice. If you've had dreams in the past that felt significant but you've forgotten or dismissed them, ask God to bring them back to your remembrance.

Questions for Reflection:

  • Have you ever had a dream that you sensed was from God? How did you respond to it?
  • What steps can you take to become more attentive to God's potential communication through dreams?
  • Are there any past dreams you should revisit and pray about for understanding?
  • How might God want to use your dreams to bless not just you, but others around you?

Remember, the same God who spoke to Joseph, Daniel, and the early church still speaks today. He may choose to visit you in the night season with revelation, encouragement, or direction. Stay open, stay discerning, and stay faithful to His Word as your ultimate standard for truth.