Through the prophet Joel, the Lord promised, “I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” God speaks to us in a number of ways, including through dreams and visions. We should ask Him for dreams and visions and prepare ourselves to receive.
Part of the preparation, of course, is acknowledging that not all dreams and visions come from God. Sometimes, they have a demonic origin. Often, these dark dreams are nightmares. They leave us feeling hopeless or fearful. To stop these satanic nightmares, close any open doors.
- Keep your eyes clear. Jesus once said, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” Don’t watch things which tempt you, provoke you to meditate on evil or prompt you to sin.
- Meditate on good stuff. Don’t dwell on the negative. Don’t indulge worst case scenarios. Rebuke any fear, worry or doubt and speak forth the reality of heaven by declaring God’s promises.
- Loose the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Audibly activate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in the name of Jesus.
Another source of dreams and visions is our own imagination. For example, people who daydream a lot are prone to having dreams and visions which summarize events in their lives or confirm their existing beliefs. We must be careful not to confuse our feelings and expectations with what God desires for us.
How do we know a dream or a vision is from God? Simply put, any revelation that draws us closer to the Lord is from Him. To understand what God is telling us, ask Him for the interpretation. To help remember the dream, keep a pen and some paper next to your bed. When you wake up, write down whatever you remember. From there, ask Him about the meaning, about any actions we should take and about the timing of our response.