Have you ever wondered if the Lord has
been speaking to you, but you have been missing the insight He is trying to
reveal because of a lack of spiritual perception?
If so, consider the following: “For God does speak — now one way, now another — though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds” (Job 33:14–15 NIV).
In our natural bodies, we have five primary senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. When one of those senses is weakened, other senses often become stronger to compensate. For example, when someone loses sight, their hearing frequently becomes more sensitive.
While God’s Word is the ultimate plumbline by which we must measure all things, in the same way, the Lord has given us multiple ways to see and hear Him, if we are willing to perceive Him. And it’s entirely possible that we, as finite human beings learning to perceive God’s voice by the Spirit, are weaker in some areas, spiritually speaking, and stronger in others.
Throughout Scripture, dreams and visions are mentioned hundreds of times. God repeatedly used them to send messages, issue warnings, give wisdom, and provide direction to His people. Yet much of the modern church has ignored the importance of dreams and visions because they approach Scripture with an anti-supernatural bias or caution due to the misuse and perversion of dreams through New Age spirituality and other occult practices.
But those are demonic counterfeits, and not of God.
Dispensing with dreams altogether is overcorrection — a spiritual version of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” We should not throw away something precious that God might use to speak to us, simply because some have polluted it.
Take Jeremiah, for example. He warned against false prophets who spoke visions from their own imaginations rather than from the mouth of the Lord. To use my analogy, you could say that these were people who had “dirtied the bathwater.”
The prophet speaks in Jeremiah 23:32: “‘Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the LORD. ‘They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares the LORD.”
Notice how God, through Jeremiah, confirms the existence of true dreamers in this verse, for you can only have a false counterfeit if there is first an original. The Lord did not say to avoid all dreams or dreamers; He specifically said He was against false dreamers.
Consider also the examples of Pharaoh and King Nebuchadnezzar. The Bible records that men awoke troubled and deeply disturbed by what they had seen. In both cases, they sought interpretation and then had to decide whether they would heed the warning God had given or ignore it.
When the Father is against something entirely, He gives clear instructions to avoid it, as He does throughout His Word regarding astrology, sorcery, and witchcraft. Dreams, however, are different.
How, then, should we tell the difference between a true, Holy Spirit-inspired night vision and a false, counterfeit one? For starters, you begin by drawing close to the Holy Spirit Himself.
If a dream is the Holy Spirit showing you something, it often stays with you. It might shake you to your depth, and you will likely remember it vividly long after you wake up. These dreams usually compel you to pray in earnest and seek God for understanding.
Some dreams may feel hopeful and joyful, while others may be overwhelming or even terrifying. Whatever emotion the dream stirs, something deep within you is propelling you toward the Father.
The other important thing to remember is that every one of us must steward our own journey of relationship with the Lord.
Listen: If you’ve had a dream that stays with you, even if it seems strange, seek Him for deeper meaning. He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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