updated How to Determine the Source of a Dream

All dreams come from one of three sources.  The trick is being able to tell which one of the sources it is from.  The first source is your soul. Your soul is usually the culprit of an accumulation of feelings that have been deeply suppressed and therefore show up in your subconscious when your body is asleep. The dreams from your soul may not have a resolve therefore, there is no ending.  For example, when you dream you are looking for something and never find it or, when you are running from something and keep running because something or someone is chasing you. Those dreams are very frustrating, as a result these dreams may indicate that someone or something is frustrating you and you have not figured out how to deal with it properly. If you have a soulish dream, ask yourself what area of your life this could be coming from. For example your business or work, family, friends, or spiritual life. More than likely you will figure it out. 

   Another source that dreams can be from is God. Have you ever wondered why He created us to dream at night when we are asleep?  He could have created us not to dream but, He didn't. That is one of the ways He speaks to us. How awesome our God is that He uses dreams to communicate with us.  The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words hold true because when we are awake we possibly might miss something, but when we see it show up in a dream, we listen.  God uses dreams to encourage us many times by sending us a message while we are asleep.  Another reason God gives us a dream is to warn us of an impending danger. While awake we may think something is no big deal but to God it is very serious and we need to be warned that if we keep going in the direction we are going there could be serious consequences.  Many times God gives us directions that we are to take through our dreams. I remember one time I was asking God about a job opportunity I was given and had this dream: I was climbing up this mountain literally sweating as I grabbed pieces of the ground and pulling myself up. (representing doing it in my own strength) When I got to the top I saw this beautiful lake on the other side. I said that I was going to drop a rock in and if it splashed up cold I would know that it was not good to go into. At that very moment someone jumped over me and dove into the water.  It all seemed good at first but the guy that had jumped in was yelling for help because there was a shark in the water attacking him. I got the message that although this opportunity looked good, I was not to take this position. the final reason that God might give us a dream is to chastise us. I would rather be chastised by God than by man. I have had many a dream about my mouth where I saw something I had said that had wounded someone and upon waking I repented and apologized to the person I had hurt. 

 The final source is the enemy of our soul, Satan.  These type of dreams are referred to as nightmares. I don't try to interpret these because I know they are not from my heavenly Father. I rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus and I plead the blood of Jesus over my mind.  I very rarely have one of these kind of dreams but I recognize them right away. If you have repeated nightmares it could be a sign that you need to go through some inner healing because deep wounds can open you up to unforgiveness which can result in demonic torture of the mind. So, the three sources of dreams are your soul, God, or the devil. It's that simple.  By figuring out the source you will know what to do with the dream.
  
 

last night's dream

Last night I dreamed my granddaughter picked up a huge spider and it bit her. Thankfully it was not poisonous.  I was outraged that it had bitten my granddaughter so I killed it.  Interpretation: My granddaughter represents my daughter who is going through a huge trial right now.  It has no power to leave lasting harm (Not poisonous) however, it mad me mad and I killed it.  Prayer stamps out the plans of the enemy.  You see how easy it is to interpret when you understand how God speaks through dreams. Look at the overall message in the actions that are happening in the dream.  Spiders represent deception or lies. We know who the father of lies is.  Satan uses slander to accuse us Christians, but it ultimately can't harm us if we understand the authority that our father (God) has given us. 

feelings in dreams

Pay attention to how you feel when you are dreaming. These feelings could be an indicator to the true meaning of the dream.  Does a dream leave you feeling sad or confused? Or, maybe a dream causes you to feel carefree and happy. Many times our true feelings come out in a dream even though in real life we are suppressing them. Many dreams that are from our soul work this way. If you are frustrated over a situation that could cause you to have a dream where that same feeling is present.  If you have a dream with an intense feeling as the theme, ask yourself what in the natural could be happening where that feeling may be coming from.  The details of the dream may not mean a thing only the feelings. If it is a negative feeling try to analyze what could be done to change the situation so that it no longer causes you anxiety.  Prayer always is something you can do to change things.  Hope this helps.

Numbers in Dreams

The primary way that numbers get their meaning is the bible.  The numbers one through seven get their meaning from Genesis and the account of creation. One means beginning or first, because in Genesis it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Two means to divide and separate.  You could say to judge and separate (discern) a situation.  Three means to conform, copy, and imitate. Four means to reign or rule because on the fourth day of creation, God made the sun to govern (reign over the day) and the moon to govern the night. Five means serve or works. Six means image or man which God made on the sixth day. Finally seven which means complete or rest. All of these numbers and their meanings can be found in Ira Milligan's book Understanding the Dreams you Dream.  I have found that numbers also can represent periods of time.  When Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat cows coming up out of the water followed by seven lean, gaunt cows eating the seven fat cows. Genesis 41:1-27 This dream represented 7 years of abundance followed by 7 years of famine.  Numbers can also represent scripture chapters and verse. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if one of these ways could be used in interpreting the meaning.