I have been thinking about puns in dreams and they are very clear once you write them out and read them to yourself.  A recent dream I had was about 4 cows I had forgot about. I hadn't given them food or water for several days. My husband had felt sorry for them and decided to stay with them for the night. When I went outside to check on them, they were standing on the grill which was turned on. I remember thinking, "burning the sacred cows." Sacred cows refers to things we hold dear to and are unwilling to change. We need to be willing to let God show us the areas of our lives that we think are so important and sacred and let Him burn away everything that is not of Him. He actually showed me the cows standing on the grill to make a picture in my mind of what He was trying to do in my life. 

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.   

Encouraging Dream # 3

This is the final dream that I am going to share for the time being.  I will go back to more informative material.
Dream:  My husband and I was walking in this tall grass.  I was aware that we should be on the watch for snakes. Sure enough, a tall skinny snake wound itself around my left leg and was trying to bite me.  I reached down with my right hand and grabbed a hold of the snake's head.  With my right thumbnail I cut through its head, dividing it in two pieces with blood rushing out.  I knew that I had killed the snake.                                                                                                                                       
Interpretation:  My left leg represents my spiritual walk which was trying to be attacked.  Snakes represent curses or demons.  The right hand means natural or authority.  I reached with my authority in Christ and crushed the snakes head before he bit me.

Encouraging Dream #2

I was with a group of people and this older gentleman was prophesying how God was going to do something BIG with a little old lady. I got my phone out to video what he was prophesying. The next thing I know, these three large, dark demon looking apparitions began descending down the grand staircase behind the man I was videoing.  The crowd scattered. I crouched down and kept saying, "I love you Jesus."  This large demon was sitting on my back.  I then began to quote 1 John 4:4 which says, Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  The demon got off my back.  When the demonic attack had ended, I looked around, and it looked like a tornado had gone through the place.  All the people that had scattered began coming back around.  This one lady said she didn't think it had been that bad of an attack.  She obviously had not had the same experience that I had gone through.  Then I had the thought that my attack was more severe because I was the "little old lady' the prophet had been prophesying about. I am not that old in the natural but possible am old in the spirit. (Mature)
Interpretaton:  I have been through a horrendous demonic attack that has now lifted. PTL  God is going to use me for Kingdom purposes that will have a great impact.  I am by nature small in stature, but mature in the things of the spirit.
This dream greatly encouraged me that what i have gone through these past four years is going to be used for God's greater glory.  "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according th his purpose for them."  Romans 8:28
NTL It has also given me a strategy to use against any future attacks, to quote 1 John 4:4.

Side note: Anytime someone is prophesying or saying something to someone else, remember that it is most likely for you because you are the one having the dream.

God's Encouragement in Dreams

I have recently had a flourish of encouraging dreams, and I am excited that I am coming out of a four year "winter season" with God. What I mean by winter season is that I am doing all I can to stay as close to God as possible with little evidence of Him speaking to me. We all go thru difficult seasons in life, but this trial has been particularly long. Even when we don't feel Him, He is there with us  because the word tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 I want to share these dreams with my followers and what I believe they mean. I will share the first dream and the meaning with you in todays post.  Dream:  I was looking for a man and this creepy guy started following me. He had none of the physical attributes I like in a man. I tried to turn him off by telling him that I had a medical condition. It didn't work. He was still following me. Finally, he went to go get something (not sure what) and this other man came over and told me that the Lord had instucted him to come over and put his arm around me which would discourage the first, creepy guy from bothering me.  His action of putting his arm around me had worked.  The creepy guy left.                                                                                                                                                                                        Interpretation: The creepy guy was a demon and the guy who put is arm around me was an angel. God was sending angelic help which would drive the demon away.  Needless to say, that was a huge encouragement!

Personal God

God may have a particular way He shows you things in dreams, because you are uniquely designed. There are many areas that God uses to show me different things.  When I dream of nursing a baby, God is talking about discipling a new believer. When I dream of missing a boat or plane, He is telling me that I am not doing something He has instructed me to do.  If I dream of chewing gum, He is telling me that I am acting childish, or carnal. I have learned the symbols God uses to instruct me, but for each one reading this book, there may be different ways that God shows you the same message because you are different than me. God might uses a school setting and you as the teacher to show you discipling someone. It is a personal journey for every person.  God wants YOU to seek Him.  No other person can seek God for you.  This is one of the things I love about God, the fact that we all have a different perspective of Him because of our personal experiences and our personality. We are all different from that standpoint.  Don’t misunderstand what I am saying, God is not different, just the way He communicates to each of us. If you have a dream you are needing help with leave a comment in the comment section and I will comment back. Sweet dreams!

God dreams will line up with His word

A dream from God the Father will NEVER contradict His word.  That is the reason for knowing God’s word inside and out.  God would never tell you to do something that is sin.  Although dreams are one of the many ways that God speaks to His children, the primary way He speaks to us is when we read His book.  If you haven’t been reading God’s word for a long time, I suggest checking your dreams that you feel are from God with His word.  By checking your dreams by God’s principles, you can easily determine if the dreams are not from God.  If they don’t line up with His word then chances are they are from your soul or the enemy.

God has used dreams in my life to show me things that I wouldn’t ordinarily know.  When I see something in a dream that is not the way it is when I am awake, I have learned that this is one of the ways His gift of the word of knowledge operates in my life.  I once had a dream that the church we were going to at the time had termites.  A few weeks later, the church secretary, who happened to be a personal friend of mine called me and told me that they had discovered termites in the building.  Wow! My dream had come true.  Why did God show me the termites?  I believe He allowed me to see the termites because He wanted to show me that I could trust Him when He showed me something that actually did matter.  Sometimes He has showed me the heart break that some people go through so that I can pray for them.  If you have a lot of vivid dreams for other people chances are you are an intercessor.  God doesn’t show us things for other people if we are not going to pray. Most of the time the dream is for the dreamer unless you are an intercessor, pastor, counselor, or in a position of authority over people.

What is your Response to the Dream

What do with the dream once you receive it and understand its meaning? Remember that your dreams come from one of three sources, God, your soul, or Satan. Once you have determined the source of the dream, only then can you begin to know what to do with the dream.  Remember, God dreams are redemptive in nature, unlike soul dreams are things you either want to happen or are fearful of happening.  They originate from your emotions, mind, or will. Not that you shouldn’t listen to soul dreams, but be aware that soul dreams can deceive us and lead us away from God.  Soul dreams are motivated by our soul.  They are like when you hurt yourself and your body sends a message to the brain to feel pain and in turn when your soul is either in pain, expectation, or anxious about something, the soul sends a message to your brain and it comes out in your subconscious as a dream.  You need to listen to the dream because when you are awake you may feel fine but subconsciously are not fine. Something has either hurt you, caused you anxiety, or possibly you are desirous of something.  Until you can recognize the source you can’t take care of the root problem.  I once knew a very attractive single man who claimed several women had had dreams about marrying him.  Obviously these dreams were from these women’s souls.  One of them was actually married and said that she dreamed that when her husband died, she married this man.  That dream was more likely from Satan.  It didn’t line up with the word of God at all! When you know what things are causing you fear, anxiety, or pain, you can pray accordingly.  God told Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7 

Common Dreams Final

Another common dream is one of being back in school. I frequently have dreams where I am at school and am sitting in class and someone says, “There is a test today,” which I am totally unprepared for.  The feeling of Oh My Gosh, if someone had told me at least I would have studied. The feeling of being unprepared is the key to this dream.  If there is a task that you are feeling unprepared for you can always pray that God will show His strength in your weakness. That dream may be alerting you that a test is coming up and you need to be prepared for it so it won’t catch you off guard.  Pray! Pray! Pray!

When you dream of getting peed or pooped on you, this is telling you that you have been offended by someone.  I know this is crazy but the spirit of offense is very real and hard to see, so God will show you this is a dream to help you see it.  Another dream that shows you have pride in your life is when you dream of smoking. Yikes! We cannot see pride in our own lives so God will show us in a dream.

God uses things in our everyday lives to speak His messages to us.  Let’s say you are an avid golfer or fisherman, God will give you dreams of golfing or fishing.  If you are a teacher, God may show you a classroom or grading papers.  He uses ordinary, familiar things to teach us.  My husband is in the floor covering business, so he will frequently have dreams of job sites, rolls of carpet, etc.  The message is in the action or “take away.” Say for instance my husband dreams of a job going smooth and problem-free, the feeling of peace or that of doing a job well is the main “take away.”  On the other hand, if he dreams of a job that has problems after problems, the main “take away” would be the sense of frustration.  I think you get the picture.  Sweet dreams

More Common Dreams

Other common dreams are winning the lottery or finding money.  These are very encouraging dreams as well.  Winning the lottery rarely means that you are going to win, but you will win in the game of life.  Wisdom, truth, friendships and a more intimate relationship with God are eternal riches that you can take with you when you leave this earth.  Finding money dreams represent learning things of value like knowing your value in Christ.  Many people battle low self-esteem and when they finally grasp the concept that Jesus values them more than anything on this earth that is like finding true riches that can’t be taken away. There is a scripture that says, “Store up your treasures in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20 On the other hand, if you dream of someone stealing your car or purse or some other personal item that usually represents that the enemy is stealing something from you.  “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 The way the devil steals from us is to get us to believe his lies about us.  He is the father of lies and the only real power he has is deception.  When we know the authority we have in Christ, he is defeated and can no longer steal from us. I will post on common dreams one more day as I feel like there is more information on this topic.

Common Dreams

Common Dreams are the subject I want to talk about next.  It took me a while to realize that a lot of people have the same dream just different variations.  There is the naked dream. You realize that you have no clothes on and try to hide. That dream usually means that feel vulnerable and insecure. The good meaning of having no clothes on can represent that you are transparent.  Usually the first meaning is the case.  Then we have the dream where your teeth are falling out or some variation (false teeth, baby teeth, tooth ache) They all have different meanings but essentially the same root meaning.  Teeth represent wisdom. So, in the case of teeth falling out, you’re losing your “bite” on something.  No pun intended. False teeth represent you are trading truth for falsehood.  Baby teeth mean you need to grow up and start eating meat.  (Hebrews 5 and 6) Being pregnant or having a baby dreams represent expectations or hope and dreams that are deep within you. (Possibly a ministry) Then there is the dream that you are flying or dancing. Other variations could be riding a bike, with the wind blowing in your hair or swinging like a little child.  These dreams mean carefree and innocent.  These are very encouraging dreams. Pay close attention to your emotions in the dream which are a clue to the interpretation.  A lot of people have the alligator dream.  Alligators are old world animals and almost always represent generational curses.   Tomorrow I will continue with this subject.  Until then, Sweet Dreams!

When God Just Shows You Something

There have been many times throughout my life where I have had a prophetic dream that in months to come has happened.  Maybe not exactly like in my dream but close enough that I knew it was a prophetic dream.  Sometimes this happens because we are prophetic people and God's gift in us is working.  He lets us know that we have a gift from Him, and it is a sign to let us know that He loves us. Isn't that cool?!  Just because!!! When this occurs, the just because, it is to encourage us that we do indeed hear from God.  This very thing happened to me when I was sixteen.  I had just gotten saved and was in high school.  I was an alternate with seven other girls on our drill team.  When one of the regulars missed 5 days of school, they would get taken out of the routine and on of us alternates would get to go in.  Several days before this happened I had a dream that on of the regulars had missed five days so they drew x's on a piece of paper to see which one of the eight alternates would be placed in the routine. As I opened up my little white square of paper, it had an x on it.  Then in real life when that scenario played out just like I dreamt it, well I jumped up and down and said out loud that I had dreamt it just a few nights before.  I did the math on that one and there was only a twelve and a half percent that the outcome would be in my favor.  But I do walk in the favor on the Lord!  So do you if you are reading this blog and know my sweet savior as the Lord of your life. He is a good, good Father.

Puns in Dreams

Sometimes you have to read back, out loud your dream after you have written it down to understand puns in your dream. Puns can be very subtle and you can miss them if you are not careful.  For example, when you see a snake in the grass that usually means there is a person hiding that does not have your best interest in mind. Thus a snake in the grass.  Another example of this could be dreaming of playing board games and when you read the dream out loud you realize that the meaning of the picture you saw means that you are not being sincere in your relationships.  (playing games) Pretending to be something you are not. If you dream of being stabbed in the back that means that someone you put trust in is betraying you. That is just another example of a pun in a dream. Idioms that we use every day in the English language that can have a totally different meaning. Once you read your dream out loud look for these subtle little puns that you may have missed.  They can help you in determing the interpretation of the dream. 

Names in Dreams

Often in a dream when you dream of someone with certain initials like JC or some other name, think of another person that you know with the same initials. I recently had a dream where the person was named JC and when I woke up I knew that person was Jesus Christ. John Connors could also stand for Jesus Christ because the initials are the same.  Get the point?  If the name stands out as a symbol in the dream, it has relevance.  You may see someone in your dream named Harry which doesn’t look like someone you know in real life, but you do know another person named Harry in real life. Whatever you think of when you hear the name Harry is probably what God is showing you. It could be a pun that things are about to get “Hairy.”(Complicated) What I am saying is the person in your dream may not look like the person you know, but the dream is still talking about the characteristics of that person.  I often dream of an aunt of mine.  I have to ask myself, “what she reminds me of?”, and this particular aunt is very wise and so when God uses her in my dream, I believe He is speaking about wisdom.   Until next time, sweet dreams.

Dreams are for the Dreamer

Dreams are usually for the dreamer unless you are an intercessor, or in a position of authority over people. (e.g., pastor, counselor, etc.) So when you dream of a friend doing something in a dream, take the message for yourself. God is speaking to you because you are the one having the dream.  This was the hardest thing for me to learn because I am an intercessor. When I have a dream I have to examine every area of my life that God could be speaking to me about.  If it doesn’t fit any area of my life, only then can I assume that it was for the person I saw in the dream.  So, I pray for that person and rarely tell them what the dream was.  I have learned from experience. I once dreamed that I saw my best friend at the time driving in a Volkswagon. She drove into the garage and kept hitting the car into the wall.  I thought it was funny at the time.  I then realized that I have a German heritage (Volkswagon) and was hitting into a concrete wall and not going anywhere.  The thing about a Volkswagon is that it is small and air powered. (Spirit powered) If you know me, I am small in stature and very much a spirit empowered saint.  At this time in my life I was stuck in a situation that was not changing for the better.  The dream was an accurate assessment of how I was feeling. Another time I dreamed I was prophesying over this woman about her three children.  I told her the first one was going to go into the family business.  I saw that the second one was going to be a teacher. I could not see what the third one would be doing though. About a month later, my older daughter came to her father and me and told us she wanted to work for us.  It then hit me that the dream I had of prophesying to the lady was for me and I was the lady I had prophesied to. My second child did get her teaching degree and the future of our youngest has yet to be determined.  

The ways symbols get their meaning continued

    The second way a symbol can get its meaning is the word of God or the bible.  Many times we see in the bible can find the meaning of a symbol from the God who created it.  Proverbs has a lot of symbols.  In Proverbs 6:6-8 it reads, “Go to the ant, though sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which have no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” From this we can clearly see that the meaning for an ant could be wise; diligent; prepared for future. That is the positive meaning for ant.  Remember, I said that symbols can be either positive or negative. The negative meaning could be nuisance; stinging or angry words. You have to decide. If you dream of ants and they are biting you, or in your house where they are not supposed to be, then you can take the meaning as a negative thing.  When you have a symbol that you don’t know the meaning of, the bible is the first place you should go to see if God has something to say about that particular symbol.

     A third way that symbols get their meaning is from our culture.  Traditionally if you have a dream where the people are all dressed in black, we can assume that there is a funeral going on.  If you lived in Israel and you dreamed of people all being dressed in black it would have a totally different meaning. In Israel people wear black to a wedding which is totally different than a funeral.  Also, in our culture we know that if you see a yellow ribbon tied around a tree that means that someone is coming home soon. In addition to these examples, if you dream of something being red, white and blue, you could assume it represents America because those are the colors of America.  Many times God will show you two symbols that represent the same thing.  If you saw a red, white and blue eagle you can be sure God is talking about America because both of those symbols represent the same thing.

    The final way that symbols get their meaning is from personal experience.  What I mean by this is what the symbol represents to you.  I had a friend once who explained to me that whenever God showed her the color corn silk blue, it meant that she had done well at something.  When she was younger she took dance lessons and whenever they had a competition she would receive a corn silk blue first place ribbon if she had come in first. Therefore, the color of corn silk blue represented to her that she had done her best.  If you are not sure what a person, place or thing means to you, ask yourself what does this particular symbol represent to me. What happened when you were there or with that person?  How did that person, place or thing make you feel?  In essence, what does that symbol make you think of?  If it is something from the past, it could be talking about something that happened in that particular time.  If it is in the now, it may be telling you of something that is happening now.   

Symbols Good or Bad

    Now symbols can have either a good or bad meaning depending on how you feel about it in the dream.  For instance, if you dream about a tornado in a dream, it could mean destruction depending on the color of the tornado and the feeling you had while having the dream, or on the other hand, if the tornado is white and you are not sensing anything fearful but rather an awe at the majesty and greatness of the power of the wind, it might just represent the power of God coming to turn the situation around.  Colors of symbols are almost as important as the symbol itself.  Colors too can have both a positive or negative connotation. For instance, the color green can represent life because when things are green they are thought to be growing and alive, but on the negative side green can represent envy or greed.  Another meaning for green can be naive because in our culture when someone is thought to be naive, they are often called green.  This brings us to the next topic which is how symbols get their meaning.

     The first way that symbols get their meaning is from the inherent characteristic of the symbol; you can use that for the meaning.  For example, if I dream of an owl I know that owls are nocturnal creatures. They have very keen eyesight and feed on small animals. Sometimes I do a google search if I am not sure what the characteristics are. One night I dreamed of a hippopotamus carry a baby in its mouth and it was bringing it up out of the water.  After I googled searched it, I read (to my surprise) that when hippopotamuses give birth underwater they only have about 40 seconds to bring their babies to breathe before they die. I did not know that hippopotamuses ever gave birth underwater much less that they only had a short amount of time to get their babies to land. There was a situation going on in my life that I realized must be dealt with quickly or the baby (which in this case represented a ministry) would die.  As a result, it was dealt with quickly and lives on today.