Can We Trust Dreams and Visions?

Posted by owner on June 8, 2010

The Old Testament is clear on one thing. God has spoken to people in dreams and visions. Remember Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and starving cattle? Remember Jacob’s vision at Bethel of steps linking heaven and earth, and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a massive statue with head of gold and feet of clay? The New Testament adds more testimony. Remember the dream in which an angel told Joseph to take the infant Jesus and flee Bethlehem?

But the question however is, does God speak to us in dreams today? How can we tell if a dream or vision is from God, or possibly from Satan? Or just something fashioned by our own hopes and fears?

It’s Story Time

I’ve known first hand stories of some pretty amazing dreams. By “first hand” I don’t mean they were my dreams. I mean I know the persons who actually had the dreams, rather than hearing about them third or fourth hand.

Take the young newly married woman who dreams she lost her first infant in childbirth and that her in-laws are there, but not her parents. She even dreams a hospital setting and a conversation. Years later as an army wife the dream comes true, down to the very words the in-laws speak.

Take the vision of the mother on vacation who sits up in bed to find an angel sitting beside her. The angel tells her, “Don’t worry, your daughter will live.” She wakes her husband and insists they cut their vacation short. When she arrives home she gets a phone call from her son-in-law, who is overseas, so choked up she can hardly understand him. All she hears is that her daughter is in bad shape . . . and the call is cut off. Two days later they reconnect, to learn the baby has died but the wife will live.

Take the dream of the woman who hears demons threatening her. In the dream she tells them in the name of Jesus to go away. And they do.

Perhaps you’ve had dreams, dreams that were prophetic, dreams that were frightening, dreams that puzzled or comforted or terrified you. Where do such dreams come from?

The Origin of Dreams

At least five possible explanations for such amazing dreams are generally suggested.

1. Faulty memory or imagination. Those dream details are added later, after the event takes place. We honestly think we dreamed them, but we didn’t.
2. Coincidence. We all have dreams just as detailed that don’t come true. Any dreams do, we should chalk it up to coincidence.
3. ESP. People have a natural ability to predict some future events, but that ability operates erratically.
4. Demons. Satan is the source of many such dreams, which are intended to frighten us or to get us to rely on something other than God.
5. God. Such dreams are from the Holy Spirit given for a purpose of his own.

So, how are we supposed to view that powerful, vivid dream that wakes us up or that linger in the morning? That dream which we feel isn’t an ordinary dream.

My first suggestion is that we do NOT immediately jump to the conclusion that the dream is from God, and treat it as revelation. Instead we should follow a sort of check list in evaluating our dreams or visions, and in deciding how to respond to them.

Responding to dreams:
a simple check-list

___ 1. Let’s acknowledge that most dreams are generated from our own thoughts and experiences. Can you trace elements of your dream to things that have happened to you recently, or to something what you’ve seen on TV or been reading about? If so, you should probably simply forget the dream.

___ 2. Many dreams contain symbols our unconscious uses to deal with deeper issues in our lives. For instance, one friend had recurring dreams of swimming with large, white snakes. Do the dreams you’ve been having contain recurring images? If so, it’s probable your subconscious is trying to deal with unresolved issues. I wouldn’t make any important decisions based on such dreams.

___ 3. Is the dream laden with dread or a sense of evil? During such dreams you can command any evil spirits who may be influencing your dream in Jesus’ name to leave you alone. If you have this kind of dream regularly, consciously plan as you drift off to sleep to exercise this authority within your dream.

___ 4. Is the dream laden with dread or a sense of evil? After awakening from such a dream remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:5). Praise God that he is in control, and ask him to thwart any evil designs Satan may have, and commit yourself to doing God’s will.

___ 5. Does the dream seem to depict a future event or something happening to a distant loved one? If such a dream does not suggest some course of action simply trust. God knows your future and everyone’s present. Whether your dream was one of trials or exceptional blessings, God will be with you should that future ever arrives. Your task is to remain committed to the Lord and responsive to his leading today. He will be responsible for the future.

___ 6. Does the dream seem to require some action on your part? If so first make sure any action indicated is in complete harmony with God’s will as revealed in Scripture. Seek the advice from Christian friends who know you well before acting on the dream. Intentionally turn your life over to the Holy Spirit and then take any first steps you feel you should. But be ready to respond should the Holy Spirit guide you in different direction.

Conclusions

There is no sure test that can tell us whether a dream or vision is generated by our imagination, by demons, or by God. But there is a story in Scripture that reminds us of an important truth.

The prophets of King Ahab were deceived when God permitted a “lying spirit” to convey a message that they recognized as supernatural in origin, but failed to recognize the message’s deceitful intent (1 Kings 22). God then revealed the truth through the prophet Micaiah, and Ahab was given the opportunity to respond to the truth or to the lie. Ahab chose the lie.

It’s possible that Satan may influence our dreams and use them to spin his lies. But God will never leave us without the truth. His Holy Spirit will enable us to distinguish between the two, as long as we are committed to doing God’s will..