Does God Speaks Through Dreams? Interpretation Tips

God is always talking. And He can use any medium He chooses to speak to anyone at any given time. There are several means through which God can speak to us, but dreams seem to be one of the commonest. Although, many still wonder if God speaks through dreams.

You probably already know that God speaks through dreams and He’s still speaking through dreams. In case you have any doubts or reservations about this, let’s get in together in this post. Maybe you have not been paying attention to this medium through which God communicates with His children and everyone inclusive. I’ll show you how to get the best from your dreams and read the hand-writing of God in the pictures you see while asleep.

One of the most popular stories in the Bible is Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. In fact, Joseph did not only interpret his dreams, but He also reminded him of his dreams. The interpretation of these dreams saved a whole nation from starvation for seven years. It saved them from going through a very difficult time. That sure can’t be a coincidence. That must be God speaking through dreams.

The Bible, History, and our present-day experiences prove that God speaks through dreams and circumstances. However, it is one thing to know that God speaks through a dream; it is another thing to hear Him when He’s speaking through this means. This post is about recognizing His voice in dreams when you’re fast asleep. So let’s get down to business.

How Does God Speaks to Us in Dreams?

I’m a dreamer. I dream all the time. While some of them are meaningless, there are some I had to think over and meditate on as soon as I wake up because I have a feeling God is passing across vital information or revelation to me through it. I’m aware that you may, or may not be a dreamer like me, you may dream only sometimes or a few times. I believe we are all differently made and wired. Therefore, It is not necessary to dream all the time especially if there are other ways God speaks to you. So, how does God speak to us in dreams?

“For God speaks again and again, in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men as they lie on their beds.”

He opens their ears in times like that and gives them wisdom and instruction, causing them to change their minds, and keeping them from pride, and warning them of the penalties of sin, and keeping them from falling into some trap. “ (Job 33:14-17 TLB)

Dreams are one of the ways God communicates to anyone. Whether you are a believer or you are not. There are many instances where God appeared to even those who weren’t serving Him. One of such example is in Gen. 20:3

“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.”

Although, science says dreams don’t have much meaning owing to *certain stages of sleep, especially the REM stage. There can be more to it than meet the eye. The power of dreams cannot be taken as irrelevant.

Some dreams can warn you of impending dangers like when Joseph was warned to take Jesus and Mary his wife to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill him. Also, there was the time when the three wise men were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, but to go out of the city through another route.

Pharaoh’s dreams warned him of famine and scarcity. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream warned him of being humbled in Daniel chapter 4.

Some dreams can be a pointer to what you would be in the future like Joseph’s dreams (in the Old Testament). Where he dreamt of becoming so great that all his family members, including His parents, will bow for him.

It was through a dream God gave Solomon an ‘opened cheque’ to ask whatever he wanted. He asked for wisdom and understanding and that’s why you and I still remember the wisdom of Solomon till today.

On some occasions too, many have been imparted with power or/and wisdom through dreams. On more than one occasion, Daniel was imparted with knowledge and understanding through dreams. Joseph, who became the prime minister of Egypt in the Old Testament, also got what can be called the ‘wisdom of preservation’ from God through dreams. There are too many proves that God speaks through dreams.

The way God speaks to us through dreams is by showing us pictures while we are asleep or unconscious of our environment. This ‘scenes’ while asleep, can seem to be so real, so much that we wake up with the same feelings of emotion we had in the dream. This had happened to me on several occasions.

These ‘experiences’ while asleep, are usually relating to our physical experiences; or it could be saying something to us about future happenings.

Dreams could also be a revelation of scriptures you don’t understand. Let me start from here. God will sometimes explain a particular verse to you through your dreams and you will understand it in a way you never did. Sometimes, God will give you a verse to read or study through your dream. And in that verse, lies something He is passing across to you.

The major challenge many people have with dreams is with the interpretation. If you can interpret your dreams and be ready to follow accordingly, you’ll enjoy the many benefits that come from hearing God through dreams.

Interpreting Your Dream

When dreams are properly interpreted, it would be obvious that God is communicating.

God can give an interpretation of your dreams through you, a friend, or a spiritual head.

Sincerely, the interpretation of dreams can be a little bit complex. Some people are gifted to interpret dreams, while others who are not can still interpret both their own dreams or someone else’s dream; as a result of their spiritual maturity. The more experienced you become in spiritual matters, the better you have the chance to interpret dreams accurately.

I would advise you to be careful of those who give general rules to dream interpretation. They can be right in some instances, but they can also be very wrong. Meaning you can’t take their interpretation hook-line-and–sinker. You may want to ask why? It’s simple. Dream interpretation does not have a one-rule-fits-all approach. Every dream is unique, depending on several factors.

To be of help in this area, I’ll give you clues to interpreting dreams. In your attempt to interpret your dream, the following should be considered.

• Literal Meaning May Be Wrong

If you’re familiar with spiritual matters, it would not be new to you that things are not to be taken literally all the time. What you see is not all that there is. There are more than what the eyes can see. The human mind has its limitations when it comes to spiritual matters. There are more to spiritual things than you can reason out.

For instance, it would be wrong to conclude that your lover is in love with someone else just because you saw him/her with someone else in your dream. It may not mean that you’ll die simply because you dreamt that you died. Taking your dream literally may be wrong.

However, note that I do not say literal meanings are out-rightly wrong. I said, MAY be wrong.

• How Did I Feel When I Woke Up?

One of the ways to interpret your dream is to understand what feelings you woke up with. If you woke up fearful or worried, you may need to pay closer attention to such a dream as it could be an indication to be careful, prayerful, or mindful of certain things, people, place, or action.

On the flip side, if you woke up joyful and calming. It may not be something that indicates danger. Many times, information, encouragement, and assertion of answered prayer can come with this feeling.

There are times too that you may wake up feeling indifference. Not afraid, and not having any butterfly in your stomach; this may be dreams you don’t need to pay too much attention to.

Nevertheless, there is no one-rule-fits-all when it comes to the matter of dream interpretation. When you’re not sure of what your dream could mean and you really need an answer, seek the help of someone who is more spiritually mature.

I should also let you know that the tiniest detail of your dream can influence the interpretation of it. So when you’re narrating your dream, be sure to narrate everything you can remember. This is to help the judgment of your interpreter to be more accurate.

• Ask God for the Ability to Interpret

God answers prayer. And He promised that if you ask, it would be given unto you. In James 1:5, the Bible says, “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.” (TLB).

The only condition to this is that you ask in faith.

“But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind;  and every decision you then make will be uncertain, as you turn first this way and then that. If you don’t ask with faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.” (TLB)

When You forget Your Dreams

Some dreams can be forgotten, and it might not be necessary to know the interpretation of some other dreams.

Remember that dreams can come through much activity. In fact, if you are stressed or have issues with your health, you may have meaningless dreams. Some medications too can interfere with what you see in your dreams.

Nevertheless, there are some dreams God will give you that you may forget and have a hard time remembering. In such an instance, as soon as you wake up, let me tell you what to do.

• Don’t fret.

Sounds funny, doesn’t it? It might be the very opposite of what you want to do but don’t fret over it. If you do not remember the dream, pray about it instead. Tell God you sense or have a feeling you need to remember your dream and that God’s Spirit in you should cause a remembrance and the interpretation of it as well. Thereafter, relax. Yes, relax and don’t fret over it.

Agitation may not make you remember. As long as you have prayed, have faith you will be reminded one way or another and just go about your daily activities without worries. As you go about doing your things rest assured you will be reminded, a scene of the dream may flash by in your mind and boom! You suddenly remember everything.

As a child of God, even if you can’t remember at all after praying, if God truly wants to communicate with you, He’s wise enough to know you missed that and He’s powerful enough to use other means to communicate with you. Or don’t you think so?

Dreams are not the only way to hear from God. I used to get worried about dreams I can’t remember; until God taught me to not worry when I can’t remember my dreams.

It’s important to also note that you may find out the dream might not be a meaningful one after all. Fretting over it would have been a silly thing to do, which brings me to my next point.

• Write down your dreams.

If you are one of those God speaks to through dreams often, it will be a good idea to always have a note and a pen beside you when asleep. You can also use writing apps on your phone. Making it a habit to write down your dreams, either in summary or in detail will help you remember them even after months or years, which may be useful.

You may also need to refer back to it as God impresses it in your heart. That was what happened to me a few days ago. I was leisurely flipping through my archives and came across a dream I dreamt of years ago. It was as though God was speaking to me through it all over again.

You may not need to write everything you saw in your dream. Just a sentence or phrase may be all it takes to remind you of everything you dreamt about. Penning things down have a way of making things stick to memories.

It is important I emphasize again, that, not all dreams are from God. In the same vein, not all dreams are from the devil. Also, some medications can make people have meaningless dreams.

Don’t Box God

I have done this before. And many people are still trying to box God, not knowing that God cannot be boxed.

What I’m I trying to say here? What does this have to do with dreams?

This is my point;

Desiring to hear from God through dreams is a good thing but don’t get so used to it that you’re insisting God must speak to you through dreams. There are other ways through which God speaks.

The several ways God speaks to us teach us not to be too rigid with the ways He can communicate with us. Though He never changes, the way He deals with each one of us and at each level may differ.

The Danger of Dreams

I so wish I can say there is no danger about relying so much on your dream to make decisions. But I can’t say so. In fact, it is dangerous to take your dream hook-line-and-sinker. You know why?

The devil too can formulate a dream and present it to you. Yes. To go around basing major decisions about life and destiny on a dream alone is not safe. Several well-meaning folks have gone into errors and experienced serious damages because they had a dream and zoomed off with it.

Am I saying that dreams should be discarded completely? No. I’m saying dream ALONE is not enough. It must be placed on the template of the word of God. Until it passes that test, it should not be taken seriously. A God-given/inspired dream will always be consistent with the position of the word of God.

How Do I know a God-given/Inspired Dream?

Your dream might be to give an instruction, a redirection, a piece of information, consolation, or caution.

It could also be a fabrication or in the form of confrontation from the enemy-Satan.

To Know a God-given dream,

• It does not condemn you but convicts you.
• It doesn’t cause fear but inspires.
• A dream inspired by God will be filled with fruits of the Spirit.
• It will align with God’s Word and His Person.
• It will do all the things written in 2 Tim 3:16. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

On the contrary, a dream that is from the devil:

• Will get you fearful and agitated.
• Condemn you and fill you with guilt.
• It will distract you from praying and following God’s Word.

This is because the devil is out to kill, steal, and to destroy and he can influence your dream and make you fearful through dreams. (John 10:10a)

As your mind is filled with God’s Word, you will better understand your dreams and be able to discern if a dream is from God; as a result of your activities during the day, or from the devil.

If you haven’t been taking studying the Word of God seriously, you need to. I would greatly advise you to study the New Testament and the Epistles in particular. You may need to read this post on How to study the Bible. I’m sure it will be helpful.

One major benefit of filling your mind with God’s Word is that even in your dreams when you are being confronted by the enemy or in a case where he wants to inject you with fear, your subconscious mind will face your fear with boldness and faith.

Conclusively,

God speaks through dreams. It doesn’t matter whether through the dream of the night or while catching a nap. He can tell you what to do, what not to do. He can instruct you on who to relate with, who not to take as a confidant. He can even warn you of places to avoid or places to move to. God communicates through dreams.

As powerful as dreams can be, remember that it must NOT be taken ALONE. It must be judged through the word of God- the Bible.

As you follow the instructions in this post, I’m certain that the change in your attitude to dreams will give a boost to your relationship with God and will help you utilize the benefits of dreams to your advantage.

Everyone needs to know about this! Isn’t it? Comment and share with loved ones and family.