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“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
I started with this Bible verse to lay the foundation right away that we have been instructed to test every spirit to see whether they are from God.
And since dreaming takes place in the spiritual realm, it is clear that God is not the only spirit speaking or trying to speak to us.
In fact, dreams can come from three sources: namely, God, Satan, and self. And before a dreamer asks what their dream means, the first question they should ask is Who is the source of this dream?
Now, a key question: how do you identify the source of your dreams? Let’s look at this short story to better understand this.
The Mysterious Painting
In a small art studio shared by a group of local painters, a beautiful and unique painting appeared one morning.
It was unlike anything any of the artists had produced before, a surreal blend of styles, with bold brushstrokes and an emotional depth that captivated everyone.
As the artists gathered around to admire it, they began to speculate:
“Did Marcus paint this? It’s powerful, but it’s too abstract for him.”
“Maybe Lila? She’s emotional, but her style is softer.”
“Could it be Jonah? He rarely paints, but when he does, it’s always intense.”
Just as their speculations grew more heated, the front door creaked open.
A tall, quiet man stepped inside, carrying a portfolio under his arm. It was Elias, the new artist, who was set to join the studio that week.
He glanced at the crowd around the painting and smiled faintly. “Ah, I see my piece arrived.”
The room fell silent.
“You?” Raymond asked, blinking.
Elias nodded. “I sent it ahead while I was still moving. Didn’t expect it to get hung so soon.”
The artists looked at one another, then back at the painting, now seeing it with new eyes.
Now, you can see from the story that even as experienced artists, they were not able to identify who painted the painting because they simply did not know the artist/source. You could say, the fruit reveals the seed.
It’s the same with dreams. If you do not know the nature of God, Satan, or self, you will also not accurately discern the source of your dreams.
Dreams From God
Just two months ago, I dreamt about being in a Hebrew class and being taught by a Hebrew priest. However, this Jewish priest believed in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
When I woke up from the dream, I pondered it. I took note of how I felt during the dream, the elements in the dream, etc.
I knew after analyzing the dream and how at peace I felt after waking up, that the dream came from God.
Fast forward to September, I was told that the intercessory course that I enrolled in to start later on, also includes Hebrew classes.
Not only that, but the teacher was a Hebrew Priest who believes in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, was baptized, and is Holy Ghost-filled!
The dream was God’s way of warming me up to it because, as far as I know, Jews do not believe in Jesus Christ, and so I would not have been open to be taught by a Hebrew Priest.
From the Word of God, I know that He brings peace and clarity, not fear and anxiety.
That is in the nature of God. Spending time in the Word brings us closer to Him.
If you think about a relationship with someone, the depth of the relationship usually comes from knowing that person and spending time with them.
It’s the same with God; if you spend time in the Word and in prayer, you will know Him, and discerning dreams from God will become much easier.
Dreams from Satan
Before I understood dreams, I used to believe that every dream came from God because the bible specifically said that God speaks to us in dreams.
“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction”, Job 33:15-16.
There is no bible verse that says that Satan can give us dreams because he cannot create anything; he is a created being.
However, he can interrupt or distort them. A key thing I want you to understand here is that he often gains access through open doors in the spirit that gives him legal access to us.
These open doors are our sins. So he comes in and sows some bad seeds – distorting the message God is giving us.
The good thing is that, once you understand the nature of Satan, you are able to identify when he is the source of your dreams.
He comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and his nature reveals fear, depression, anxiety, manipulation, uncleanness, loneliness, etc.
He wants us to be misled, fearful, unrestful, lost, and distrusting of God.
Dreams from Self
Dreams from self are dreams from things we desire and purpose for ourselves, and usually do not align with God’s will.
Jeremiah 29:8 says, “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.”
This was a clear warning from God, not only against the prophets and diviners deceiving them, but also against self-derived dreams.
One of the key things that we contend with daily is our flesh. And that is why Paul says that we ought to submit our flesh to the will of God daily.
If we do not, then naturally, flesh will rule. The deep desires within our souls will give us dreams that we might believe are from God.
Common desires that lead to soulish/self dreams
The desire for money
We all need money. It is a medium of exchange. However, we know that the love of money is the root of all evil. Allowing the desire to take root and become an idol is a HUGE problem. Once you start dreaming about money, it will deepen your desire for money. This is not to say that God cannot give you a dream about money to reveal something to you. However, God will never condone any idols that you have because idols take His place in people’s hearts.
The desire for a spouse/partner
It is a natural thing to want a spouse. In fact, that is one of mankind’s innate needs because we have a function to reproduce. However, we need to trust God and wait upon Him for the right person, for those who are still seeking. If we are not careful, then we can cause spiritual open doors that lead to sexual dreams and spiritual marriages.
I remember a time when I didn’t believe my husband was right for me, so in my heart, I blocked him and started to desire someone else in a distant land. I didn’t have any specific person in mind, but just wanted someone else. Once the desire took root in my heart, I dreamt of meeting a man from a distant land indeed. In the dream, we had sexual desires for each other. Though we didn’t have sex, we flirted, hung out, and were very much into each other. When I woke up, I repented. I felt so unclean and dirty for entertaining thoughts and desires that would lead to the ruin of my marriage and give room to the incubus spirit to come and seduce me to have sexual dreams.
Understanding the source of our dreams is crucial because the message is intended to guide us. Who do you want to guide you? God? Satan? Or self? Spend time with God in His Word, pray more, and ask the Holy Spirit to sharpen your discernment to identify who is speaking in your dreams. If you notice the enemy has been messing with your dreams, make sure to drop off any sin that might be giving him access. Also, a quick 1-day (full 24-hour) dry fast can help to refresh your spirit.
Prayer for God to be the source of your dreams
Father, I come before you, thanking you for your grace and mercy that covers me. In my weakness, you are strong; in my ignorance, you are knowledge and wisdom. Father, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer”. Forgive me of any idols in my heart and let them be removed. Take your rightful place in my heart, and may your kingdom be established through me. Help me to trust you to direct my path and to trust your words that say Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added unto me. May I surrender my flesh daily and remove sin from me so that you will be the only source of my dreams. Give me dreams that reveal who you are, who I am in you, and dreams for daily direction for my life. Thank you for your everlasting love for me. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
