All of us have dreams. The question is whether or not any of these dreams are the type of dreams that are sent to us by God to communicate with us. In the book of Joel it says,
Joel 2:28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions
1 Can you remember the dream? If you can’t remember the dream when you wake up, it wasn’t from God. If God chooses to communicate to you through a dream He will ensure that you remember it.
You should write down any dream that you believe might originate from God straight away, as that will help you remember it later.
When you do that, you should describe the main plot, characters and elements such as colours, objects and the atmosphere. Daniel 7:1 says,
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.”
2 clearly structured or confusing?
God brings order into chaos and clear focus into confusion. You might not understand a God-given dream fully but if a dream is confusing it is never from God. Paul told Timothy,
3 Is the dream connected to something you are processing in your mind? If the dream deals with something you worry or think about a lot it is probably a result of your subconscious attempting to resolve what your conscious mind can’t. Also, if you watch a movie late at night you might see a sequel to it at night—with you playing the hero! Unless the dream gives an unexpected solution to your problem you should disregard it.
4. What is the emotional atmosphere? Most dreams filled with anxiety or despair come from the subconscious that functions as an overpressure valve for our fears. If you suppress your fears and anxieties they will appear in your dreams.
But God never adds fear to your life; He always reduces it. You might see a dream that shows you the cause of your fear but then provides a solution. This kind of dream is often from God.
The emotional atmosphere is often the key to the interpretation.
5. Is the dream linked to something God has already revealed to you? God often adds or brings depth to what He has already revealed through a dream. It is yet another channel for Him to reveal His purposes and perspective.
6 Is there biblical symbolism? Distrust any dream dictionaries as symbols often have different meanings in different cultures. If God uses symbols He chooses them based on what they mean to you rather than someone else. On the other hand, biblical symbols often point to a dream coming from God.
7. Is it a ‘realistic’ dream? If so, it might refer to a real-life future situation, unless it clearly refers to the past. You might not be sure whether the dream was from God until you face that situation, and then it will help you to act the right way.
8 Do you wake up into God’s presence? Sometimes I wake up with a distinct sense that a dream was from God. At other times, I wake up into a strong presence of God, and that can be a sign that it is a God-given dream.
At other times God is present as He is dealing with a demonic attack that took place through a dream. It is usually easy to tell the difference.
