Lesson 2 of the “Dreams and Visions” school. The author and teacher of the school is Dmitriy Leo, senior pastor of “Father’s Blessing”.
The nature of dreams is mysterious. You should interpret only those dreams or visions that you are 100% certain were given by God. It is dangerous to interpret everything else.
Example. A young woman dreamed that a brother from her church approached her and kissed her. She woke up and decided that it was a sign from God. At church, she approached the brother and said, “God showed me that you are not indifferent to me.” Shocked, the brother did not know what to say, since he had a girlfriend and they were engaged.
1. Natural Causes of Dreams
Why we dream and why we see what we see is a mystery. However, here is what scientists have discovered. Some dreams are reactions to external or internal stimuli. The brain signals discomfort to the sleeping person.
I changed my attitude toward dreams and stopped interpreting everything indiscriminately after one dream.
I dreamed that I was sitting in the front seat of someone else’s car with strangers. Then the person sitting in the back seat reached forward and thrust a sharp object into my side. In the dream, I realized it was a knife. Feeling a sharp pain in my side, I began moving away from the knife in the opposite direction. With difficulty, I unfastened my seat belt and, despite the pain, opened the car doors and fell out. At that moment, I woke up and discovered that a child’s toy had been lying under my side and pressing into it.
Scientists have conducted many experiments in this area. For example, while people were sleeping, water was sprayed on the crown or back of their heads, and they were awakened 10 minutes later. Many people dreamed that water was being poured over their heads.
Thus, if you had a dream and, after waking up, noticed external stimuli such as cold, heat, noise, danger, and so on, the cause of the dream was most likely natural.
Isa. 29:8 “As when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but awakens, and his hunger remains; or as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but awakens faint and thirsty.”
2. The Spiritual Cause of Dreams
How can we know when we receive dreams from God? Let us look at examples in the Bible and identify guidelines for discerning them.
Gen. 41:7 “The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh awoke—it was a dream.”
1 Kings 3:15 “Then Solomon awoke and realized that it had been a dream…”
Matt. 1:24 “When Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and Mary became his wife.”
As you can see, “sudden awakening” is an important factor in a dream through which God speaks.
Often, awakening follows a dream from God. The Lord awakens a person so that they can record what they saw, reflect on the symbols, and pray for interpretation and application.
However, some dreams are not from God. A person may awaken in fear because of the horrors they dreamed about. This may be the result of a demonic attack in a dream. It is not easy to determine whose dream it was; spiritual discernment is needed.
God reveals not only good and positive things in dreams; there can also be troubling dreams. Only the Holy Spirit can give you accurate discernment as to whether what you saw at night was from God or a demonic attack.
It has been observed that in 90% of cases, dreams in which God speaks occur toward morning, while nightmares occur in the middle of the night.
Why Do Demons Attack People in Dreams?
This is not a simple question. Perhaps it is related to people’s mindset or personal life. A problem in one’s thinking leads to a problem with faith. A problem with faith leads to a problem with protection.
Prov. 3:24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.”
Also, when a person sins, they personally destroy the protection given to them by God and thus become vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
1 John 5:18 “We know that everyone born of God does not sin; but the one born of God keeps himself safe, and the evil one does not touch him.”
This is a good test for every person. God promises that if a person keeps himself safe, the devil will not touch him.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Teacher: Dmitriy Leo
