Lesson 2. How to Receive Dreams. The Father’s Blessing Church School, where Senior Pastor Dmitriy Leo revealed the characteristics of dreams and visions from God.
Who Sees Dreams?
Scientific data accumulated over recent decades makes it possible to assert that everyone sees dreams. All people are capable of dreaming, but not everyone can remember their dreams upon waking.
Some people remember their dreams as dim and faded, while others, on the contrary, remember them as vivid and intense. Colorful dreams are usually characteristic of people with vivid imaginations.
People who said they did not dream at all were studied at sleep institutes, and the instruments recorded that they also dreamed; they simply did not remember their dreams for various reasons.
When Do People Dream?
Scientists have proven why people receive important dreams in the early morning. During the night, a person has several dreams, but the most useful and interesting ones come in the early morning.
- During the first stage of falling asleep, a person may experience half-asleep fantasies and sometimes hypnagogic images (dream-like hallucinations). This means that what is received at this time should not be taken seriously. I call this a borderline state, when a person is no longer awake but not yet asleep.
- Next, the person enters a deep sleep and experiences especially long dreams.
- During the third stage of sleep, a person experiences approximately 80% of all dreams, but because brain activity is low, these dreams are superficial and difficult to remember. Most people remember nothing from these dreams. Exceptions are nightmares, which are remembered better because of emotional factors.
- During the fourth stage of sleep (toward morning), a person experiences 20% of dreams, and these are vivid, emotionally charged dreams. At this time, the body lies motionless in bed, but the brain is maximally active. Thanks to this physiological feature, upon waking a person can remember many details.
Sometimes I used this fourth stage of sleep to receive additional information from the Lord. If early in the morning I did not understand what the Lord was going to do in the ministry that day, I used the morning dream.
For this, I asked the Lord to speak to me through a dream, set a timer for 20 minutes, and went to bed. After 20 minutes, I woke up and analyzed it. If I had a dream, I considered its meaning. If I had no dream, I understood that I would receive additional instructions for the ministry later (during the service).
Later, I learned that other well-known preachers of the past and present had also used this method.
How to Receive Dreams from God
First tip. If you spend a little time before bed reading the Word of God, meditating, and praying, you will fall asleep open to receiving dreams. It is best to fall asleep not from exhaustion, but while meditating on the Lord.
Psalm 62:7 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches
Second tip. If you ask God to speak to you through dreams, you will receive them. This should not be a one-time experience; it should become a habit. Many know that this is right, but only a few are consistent in it.
Spiritual activation before sleep is one of the reasons for an increase or decrease in the number of dreams coming from the Lord.
Third tip. Follow a schedule. Go to bed at the proper time, sleep properly, and get up at the proper time. Then you will have no obstacles to receiving dreams.
A good time to wake up is 5:00–6:00 a.m. The concepts of “night owls” and “early birds” are no longer relevant; scientists have proven that it is a matter of habit and self-discipline. It is best to go to bed no later than 11 p.m. and wake up at 6 a.m. I call this the 11-to-6 schedule. If you cannot maintain the 11-to-6 rhythm, choose 10-to-5 or 12-to-7 instead.
Tip 4. Sleep in a way that nothing disturbs you. The right mattress and pillows will make your rest comfortable and your sleep “clear.”
How to Remember Dreams
Most people quickly forget what they dreamed about. If you want to benefit from your dreams, follow these tips:
- Write down the dream. If you have a dream, do not stay in bed after waking up. Get up quickly and write it down. Sleep physiology shows that when you wake up gradually, the account becomes vague. To prevent this, place a notebook and pen beside your bed and write everything down as soon as you wake up.
- Tell someone about the dream. When you remember and retell what you saw in a dream, you add to and correct the dream yourself, filling in the gaps.
- Pray about the dream. If you are sure that the dream was given to you from above, pray and ask the Lord to seal it in your memory.
End of lesson.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
