Lesson 3. How to Understand Dreams. School of Father’s Blessing Church, where senior pastor Dmitriy Leo revealed the characteristics of dreams and visions from God.
So, you have had a dream. What should you do? Immediately after waking up, you need to pray for the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of “what” was in the dream and “what” to do about it next.
1 Cor. 2:9–10 But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us through His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit will either immediately reveal the meaning of the dream in a way that is clear to you, or will unfold the dream as you meditate on it. However, it may happen that you receive nothing concerning this dream. That is normal.
In such cases, I recommend using five tests to determine, even before interpreting it, whether this dream is from God or merely useless information.
Test No. 1 – Awakening
Awakening is the most important factor in dreams sent by God. In most cases described in the Bible, after dreams that came from God, people awoke immediately.
Gen. 28:16 Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: Surely the Lord is in this place;
Gen. 41:4 And Pharaoh awoke and realized that it was a dream.
1 Kings 3:15 And Solomon awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
The Lord wakes us so that we will remember the dream well, respond quickly, or write down its meaning in detail.
Test No. 2 – Discernment
When we identify the type of dream, we will know exactly what to do next. You can find detailed information about all types of dreams in the “Dreams and Visions” school. In this lesson, we will only name these types.
1) Contact dreams:
- Encounters with the Lord.
- Encounters with angels.
2) Non-contact dreams:
- Answer dream.
- Guidance dream.
- Warning dream.
- Desire dream.
- Empty dream.
By identifying the type of dream, we can draw a conclusion about its source and determine our next steps. This will help us distinguish dreams from God from empty dreams.
Test No. 3 – Testimony
After waking up, we may immediately sense that the dream is significant.
Here are several examples from the Bible.
Gen. 40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in his master’s house under guard, “Why are your faces so sad today?” They said to him, “We had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them…”
Gen. 41:8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent for and summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams…
Dan. 2:1 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.
Dan. 4:2 But I saw a dream that terrified me, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions in my mind troubled me.
Most often, dreams sent by God do not leave a person indifferent, and the person’s heart responds. However, if a dream does not carry serious information, the heart will remain at peace.
Test No. 4 – Repetition
If the Lord wants to tell you something important, He may do so more than once. In Pharaoh’s case, when he did not pay attention to the first dream and fell asleep, the Lord gave him a second dream, but with different symbols.
Gen. 41:1–5 After two years had passed, Pharaoh dreamed… And Pharaoh awoke, fell asleep again, and dreamed a second time… Then Pharaoh awoke and [realized that] it was a dream.
Joseph then explained to Pharaoh why the dream had been repeated.
Gen. 41:32 The fact that the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice [means] that the matter is firmly established by the Word of God, and that God will soon bring it to pass.
If you see dreams with the same meaning, then most likely:
- God is speaking to you through these dreams.
- These events may happen in the near future.
When testing dreams, remember what you have seen recently. If there are similarities, this gives the dream additional weight.
Test No. 5 – Lasting Impression
We forget some dreams after a few minutes, others after a few hours, but we remember certain dreams for years.
Gen. 42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come
Do not be afraid to test dreams over time. I like the expression, “Time will put everything in its place.” If you quickly forgot the dream, it means there was nothing important in it. But if the dream does not leave your mind, it most likely has important significance.
End of lesson.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
