Diving Into Dreams: Learning How To Hear The Voice Of God In The Night

“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."



Joel 2:28-29

Prayer

Before I go into this topic more, let's pray for our ears to be opened, our hearts to desire, and our minds to receive the information He wants to give us in the night.

Lord God, I pray that You would activate within me the ability to hear You speak when I sleep.

Bypass my senses, my reasoning, my logic; and give me Your senses, Your reasoning, Your wisdom and understanding.

Your Word says that Your ways are not my ways, Your thoughts are not my thoughts.

So, give me Your ways, and give me Your thoughts.

While I sleep, open up my ability to hear You clearly.

Speak to me while I rest.

I pray for deep, restful sleep.

I pray for sleep that refreshes, for sleep that heals.

Anything that You want to reveal to me about my past, my present, or my future, do so when I close my eyes.

I pray for Your divine protection over me when I sleep, that it wouldn't be a time of terror but a time of revelation from You.

And I pray that when I wake and approach You to understand what You have said,

That You would answer me when I call, and give me clarity when I ask for it.

I pray for ears that hear, a heart that understands Your will, ways, leading and voice.

I give myself to You.

I give my dreams to You.

Be my God in this area of my life.

In Jesus' Name I pray,

Amen

Dreams Are For Today

There are those who believe that visions and dreams aren't for today, I disagree. God spoke to His people in dreams and visions from Genesis to Revelations, in both the New and Old Testament. If He spoke for thousands of years through dreams and visions to many different people, to both men and women, under the Law and after the Cross, why would He suddenly stop after Revelations was written?

God used dreams to warn people of impending danger, to speak about His will and plans for the world. He used dreams to give instruction and teaching, to prophecy and to correct, to change the hearts of men, to tell women what was to come.

While Pilate was deliberating on what to do with Jesus and the crowd that thirsted for bloodshed, his own wife had a dream from the Lord.

"While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

Matthew 27:19

When she woke up from this dream she immediately knew several things: Jesus was just and perfectly righteous, and that anyone who touched His holiness was cursed.

Pilate's wife wasn't a follower of Jesus, she wasn't spirit-filled, and yet she knew that this was no ordinary dream and the message in it wasn't to be ignored. She received divine revelation while she slept.

Joseph was given dreams about his future. Then he grew in all understanding and wisdom to be able to interpret dreams later in life! That means that Joseph, who was considered a master of dreams, grew in his understanding of how to interpret them.

When he first received dreams from God in Genesis 37, he had no idea what they meant. Fast forward 13 years and he was able to interpret Pharoah's dreams, as well as provide wisdom to implement what God was saying to him. Pharoah received divine instruction on what was going to happen to Egypt in the coming 14 years, he just didn't know how to understand it or what to do with it. But Joseph did.

It's encouraging to know that Joseph grew in his understanding of dreams, and his ability didn't happen overnight.

We have a tendency to believe that if God gives a gift, we should just have it without growing in it. But often, we have to grow in stewarding what He's giving us. We grow in faith, in prayer, and in wisdom over time as we walk with Him. If God has gifted you and you're not an expert in it, don't be discouraged! Use this as a launching pad in walking with Him, praying for wisdom in how to steward what He gave you.

Samuel, Nathan, Solomon, King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, Joseph (Jesus' step-father), the wise men, and so many more were given dreams or visions that are recorded within the pages of scripture. Paul, Peter and John had dreams or visions regarding the church.

So, if we believe that the God of our souls is the same God yesterday, today and forever, then why would we assume that the Lord who gave visions and dreams from Genesis to Revelations suddenly stopped giving them? Perhaps our thoughts are the problem, not His? 

Why God Uses Dreams

There are a number of reasons that God used dreams in the Bible to speak to people. But perhaps the main reason He did it is because it bypasses all of our arguments and reasoning when we're unconscious.

During a particularly tough health year in life, I once had someone tell me that perhaps medical marijuana would be the answer. When I argued against it, this person said, "maybe you just need to wrap your mind around the benefits of using it for this health issue. I had to wrap my mind around why it can be good for certain people or situations."

The Bible is very clear that we have to bring every single thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus. Is what we're thinking holy, righteous, pure and just? Or are we trying to wrap our minds around why the world's evil ways are for our benefit?

I believe God speaks in dreams because this is how He can bypass all of our sophisticated arguments and fleshly reasoning.

2 Cor 10:5 says, "We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ." (AMP version)

While I love this version, check out what other versions have to say:

- We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God (NASB)

- Casting down imaginations (KJV)

- We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (ESV)

- We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (NLT)

- And all their intellectual arrogance that oppose the knowledge of God (God's Word Translation)

And perhaps my personal favorite: "For we overthrow arrogant 'reckonings,' and every stronghold that towers high in defiance of the knowledge of God, and we carry off every thought as if into slavery--into subjection to Christ." (Weymouth New Testament)

If we have set our minds on something that isn't correct or true, God can bypass our ways of thinking and speak His ways while we sleep.

If we have believed a lie, whether of our own volition or not, the Lord can show us the truth when we close our eyes and our brains shut down. And what do I mean by of our own volition? Sometimes we tell ourselves lies because we don't want to believe what is true. The truth has a way of cutting deep into our hearts, painfully searing us in places we'd rather not feel pain. But sometimes we are told lies by other people, by family members or friends- and God will use dreams to tell us the truth about a situation.

In Genesis 20 God comes to Abimelech in a dream: "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man
because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

Abraham, a man God recognized as righteous for his faith, lied to a king about his wife saying she was his sister. While it wasn't totally a lie, it wasn't true either. (Sarah was Abraham's half-sister). God visited this king and ensured that the seed of Abraham would not be corrupted because of his own lies. The Lord spoke to Abimelech about the truth, and then Abraham had to answer for the lies he spoke.

Sometimes other people lie to us about what is true because they don't want to admit either what they have done wrong, or to avoid tough conversations, or because they are lying to themselves. In these cases, God can use dreams to cut right to the heart of a situation and cast down imaginations (the mind creating its own ideas that are not of God), and proud obstacles (a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress). If it hinders our progress to believe a lie, then wouldn't God want us to know the truth? Wouldn't we?

One thing I have learned to do in my relationship with the Lord is to ask Him what's true. When I can't perceive beyond what I'm seeing, when I don't understand a situation, when I'm unsure if what I'm being told is holy and right, I ask Him to show me. I ask Him to tell me what is true, and then I wait to form any thoughts on a situation until He has answers me. And He always answers. It might take some time, but He will give you the wisdom and knowledge you seek!

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ "

Jeremiah 33:3

We can even, in the innocence of our own understanding, do what isn't right without the Lord's intervention. In Matthew 1 Joseph discovers Mary is pregnant. We are not told if she tells him or if she begins showing and he is made aware, we just know that she is found to be with child because of the Holy Spirit.

"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:19-21

Joseph was just. He was going to be kind to his betrothed even though he was likely feeling hurt by her 'betrayal', and thought to himself that he would secretly put her away. And the Lord intervened and let Joseph know that his assumptions were wrong, she did not betray him. God also revealed that Joseph's actions needed to be corrected in order for him to follow the Lord's plans and will for his life, for Mary's, and for the Son who would save the entire world. Instead of Joseph acting on his own thinking and self-reasoning, God intercepted with the truth and made him the step-father of Jesus Christ!

And because Joseph was obedient, the Lord operated through him in other dreams (Matthew 2:13 & 2:19). The Lord continued to speak to Joseph because of his willing heart to follow the Lord and the plans God had for him.

How about an example of someone who disobeyed what God spoke in the night?

In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar is given a dream about the pride of his heart and the coming judgement for his kingdom if he refused to acknowledge that all he had been given, came from the Lord. Daniel interprets the dream and gives this advice to King Nebuchadnezzar:

"Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Daniel 4:27

The Lord used a dream to correct Nebuchadnezzar and then he was given 12 months to listen and obey, to repent of the pride in his heart. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever..."

Daniel 4:28-34

For 7 years Nebuchadnezzar was disciplined and corrected by God. The Lord gave him a warning in a dream, a way of escape for 12 months, and then He fulfilled the word He spoke through Daniel.

Sometimes God gives us dreams to warn us of things that are imbedded deep within our hearts that sets itself up against the Lord. He can show us what those things are when we can't reason or argue with Him about them.

In the last two years this is an area in which I have come to experience the Lord's love the most. I have received many (so many!) dreams from God about my own thoughts and arguments, feelings and emotions, reasonings and false imaginations about myself, other people or situations. In every case, the Lord showed me the lies of what I was believing, the actual truth of the situation, and what I was feeling or thinking that wasn't of Him. And time after time, I came into His presence and confessed my sin, confessed my feelings and thoughts that I created, and I surrendered them into His loving arms. And time after time, He received my sinful ways and covered them with His mercy and grace. Instead of judgement I found mercy. Instead of harshness He extended grace.

If He shows you something about yourself and you feel shame or embarrassment about it, can I offer a word of encouragement to you? I know it's hard to come into His presence with the knowledge He gives us during dreams, of our own false ideas or made up scenarios we created. I know there's a sense of shame or embarrassment we sometimes feel when the Holy Spirit cuts right through into the depths of our heart- separating bone from marrow.

But when you come into the Father's presence, when you share the false, made-up narratives, the feelings you have about why you created them, the reason and root for creating them in the first place... when you bring all of this to Him and talk everything out in His presence, He will love on you.

When you bring Him the depths of your heart, He pours out His love to your heart.

When you bring Him your thoughts, He gives His grace for your thoughts.

When you surrender your feelings and emotions about people or situations, He extends mercy for your faults and failings!

Instead of shame, He will give you peace. Instead of feeling embarrassed, you will feel loved. Instead of being angry or frustrated or sad, He will replace it with joy.

He never wants us to experience shame. Instead, He reveals things to us to bring us into greater freedom in Christ.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

Galatians 5:1

Some translations say yoke of slavery. If there is anything in our hearts or minds that keeps us entangled in bondage, or burdened by slavery, then Jesus wants us to be set free from it!

One of my favorite quotes is "Feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn't mean they have the right to dictate your behavior." (Lysa TerKeurst)

If our feelings or thoughts, our imagination or arguments have become the manual that we follow in life and not God's Word, then He's going to reveal it to us so that we can bring all of it captive to Jesus. In this way, every part of our flesh comes under the obedience of Christ Jesus.

It just might be that God reveals it in a dream because during the daytime, we're too busy to hear Him tell us the truth!

Are You Ready To Dive In?

A friend asked me yesterday what I do when my "faith isn't there yet." I love that question! And I think it applies brilliantly to the topic of dreams and visions as well.

If you haven't heard sermons or pastors speak much on dreams or visions, then it's likely because they haven't pursued this for themselves. We teach what we know! And if that's the case, it might be hard to believe that God wants to speak to you in this way. But He does. I know He does, for He said it in Acts. 2.

"‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams."

Acts 2:17

No longer would God's Spirit only come on a single king or a prophet for a season. Now, the Holy Spirit is given to all people; young and old, male and female.

Do you have the Holy Spirit? Then this gift can be for you! Do you want God to speak to you this way? Then ask! And if you're unsure or doubtful, if your faith "isn't there yet," then this is my recommendation.

• Start by praying and ask the Lord "Is this of You? And if so, show me." Being willing to follow Him, His leading and voice are the first steps to take in being humble before Him and not proud in our thoughts and ways. Asking Him if something is true, asking for His guidance, is a prayer that He will honor. And if He shows you that it's true, be willing to humble yourself under His hand. "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

• Search the scriptures! Is written there? If so, study what's written. Study what God did within His Word. It's the quickest and easiest way to know what He's speaking to us today. Spend time meditating on verses that contain the questions you are asking Him about. Are you praying for dreams? Look at how He spoke to His people, how He gave dreams, how He used them. Spend time letting His Word speak to you!

• And if there's still a wrestling between the flesh and the spirit, then tell Him you're willing to believe what is true, you just need help with it. God gave us the story of the man who struggled to believe so that we would know this is a normal part of the faith journey. We're not alone if we're at war within ourselves, wanting to believe what's written as truth, but struggling to do so. And so in the pages of the Bible we find these words, "Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24) Often our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. So ask God to help you with your unbelief.

Diving in sometimes just means being willing to start asking or praying, and then seeing what God does with our requests. Sometimes it means going headfirst into resources, sermons and materials to learn more about it. Or it could mean that you start having conversations with God about your doubts and unbelief. In any case, all of these are ways we can begin going deeper into the next part of our faith journey.

The question for you today is, are you ready to dive in?

Writing to you with joy,

Jessica

For Further Study

1. The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions by Adam F Thompson
2. How Do I Discern if My Dream or Vision is from God?
3. How God Uses Dreams and Visions to Speak
4. God Speaks Through Dreams
   
5. Warning: Not Every Dream Is from God

If you have a resource you love on this topic, share it below! I'm always looking for ways to deepen in my understanding of visions and dreams, how to interpret what God is saying, and growing in wisdom to apply what He speaks. Share your knowledge! May we all encourage each other to keep running this race together.