In the last couple of posts I have shared about how God speaks through His word, times of praise and worship and through His Holy Spirit. Today I am going to share about a couple of ways God has spoken to me through dreams.
The Bible has many examples of God speaking to people through dreams and visions. One of the most well known is Joseph and his dreams about his future and his brothers bowing down to him. Joseph hear from God about the meanings of dreams, and we read about him doing so for the chief butler, baker and Pharaoh.
Joseph answered Pharaoh, It is not in me: God [not I] will give Pharoah a [favourable] answer of peace. ..... Then Joseph said to Pharoah, The [two] dreams are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Genesis 41:16,25 AMP
Sometimes God gives us warnings through dreams, as He did with the wise men after they had seen Jesus. The wise men were planning to return to Herod and report on the location of Jesus, the new King. But God spoke to them in a dream, warning them not to go back to Herod ....
And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts - gold and frankincense and myrrh. And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way. Matthew 2:11- 12 AMP
Most mornings when I wake up I have no idea what I have dreamed through the night. However, there have been about five occasions since I became a Christian that I have woken during the night in response to a dream. These dreams have all been dreams of warning and instruction. Three of them I still don't fully understand, but two of them were very clear in their meaning.
The first dream happened soon after Ken and I were married. It was late one evening and we'd had an argument. I can't remember what the argument was about. We were unable to resolve it so Ken had gone for a walk. We lived in inner Sydney and walking around at night was very common. I was exhausted from my day at work and the emotional drain of arguing, so I went to bed. I don't think I had been asleep long when I had this dream, that I still remember so vividly ...
There was a bed, I was lying on one side of the bed, there was a huge snake in the middle of the bed, and Ken was on the other side of the bed.
I woke up abruptly, immediately phoned Ken and among tears said, 'You need to come home now, I have just had this dream. We are under spiritual attack. You need to come home straight away.'
And he did. We said sorry, forgave each other and prayed. That dream was an intense reminder that there is one who is trying to destroy marriages.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 AMP
I am grateful that God gave me that warning so early on in our marriage. The intensity of that dream has stayed with me, and when there have been other arguments, I often think about that dream and what is happening in the spiritual realm.
Last year I had another dream in which God showed me that I needed to stop going to a particular place. Again it was a very disturbing dream, but for different reasons to the snake dream I have just shared about. It was disturbing, in that it felt like a test of obedience, would I have the courage to do what God was asking me to do, or would I cower and retreat? After the dream I had a few conversations confirming with God if that was really what He wanted me to do. The answer kept coming back, 'Yes'. So I did what He asked me to do, even though it was extremely uncomfortable emotionally.
However, within a week of being obedient, things in our family started to change, when we weren't even aware that these changes were needed. It was as though in my obedience, the scales had been lifted from our eyes in certain areas of our lives. Again, another huge lesson for me. This simple act of obedience, which was not simple for me to do, had opened the door to freedom for other members of our family. Yes, God's ways are higher and He alone has the big picture.
Questions for today, do you remember your dreams? Have you had dreams that you know were from God, and if so, do you know what He was wanting to show you? Don't discount your dreams. If you are unsure about what God is saying, ask Him, He wants to get His message through.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your younger men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams. Acts 2:17 AMP
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