Our Dreams Can Mean Something.... (Part 1 of 3)

8/13/2006 Estreitta 0 Comments

Our dreams can mean something. God some times speaks to us through our dreams to speak to us when we do not hear what He is trying to say to us. It is vital to do a study on the biblical perspective on this subject in order to discern what the Lord is trying to speak to us. There is a lot of weird new age stuff out there and so studying what the Bible says about dream interpretation will help anyone wanting to learn about this subject. My husband and I are attending a Biblical Dream Interpretation Seminar and I will be displaying my notes on the blog so others can learn what we are learning.


These notes are from the Spirit to Spirit Biblical Dream Interpretation Seminar from WellSpring Church in North Richland Hills, TX Taught by Senior Pastor Jack Deere:


August 9, 2006


I. God Speaks to all people through dreams.


A. Job 33:13-18


(13) Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man's words(14) For God does speak now one way, now another though man may not perceive it.(15) In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, (16) he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, (17) to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, (18) to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.



B. God will speak to unbelievers in dreams:
1. Abimelech (Gen 20: 3-7)
2. A Midianite soldier (Jude 7:13-14)
3. Nebuchadnezzar (Dn 2:1)
4. Magi (Mt. 2:13)
5. Pilate's Wife (Mt. 27:19)




C. Those who are called into prophetic ministry will regularly hear dreams.


1. Numbers 12:6: 6 he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams."
2. Joseph and Daniel had prophetic dreams regularly.



II. Dreams Serve To:



A. Warn us and correct us


1. Decreed event that can’t be changed, Genesis 41:32: "32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. “Prepare and Pray for Wisdom. Most negative dreams we have are some kind of warning to us."

2. Potential events that can be changed, Daniel 4:27,27 Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue."



B. Encourage us to continue what you are doing in your calling

1. Acts 18:9-11: "9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." 11So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God."


C. Guide Us:

1. Acts16:6-9: "6Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."



D. Reveal the Future: " 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream."


E. Command Us:

1. Genesis 31:11-13: "11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' 12 And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land."


2. Matt 2:13: 13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."


3. To give us intimacy and communion with God


I Kings 3:5-15: 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you.6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for both riches and honor so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awokeÃ?and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a least for all his court."


III. Interpreting Dreams


A. It is important to record dreams - if you are woken in the middle of the night it is important to write the dream details with a notebook beside you bed so you do not forget the details by the morning. When you wake up write your dream details, cause you may forget them by the time you brush your teeth.


B. Symbolism is an important part of nearly all dreams. The symbols shed light on the communication. Most of the time your dreams are not literal but symbolic


C. Literalism is a common mistake in interpreting dreams


D. Some dreams are simply tormenting dreams sent to us by the enemy or arising from our fears


E. Some prophetic people are especially gifted at interpreting the dreams of other people.


F. Remembering the details are an important detail. (i.e.,Colors, clothing, weather, vehicles, houses...etc.)


G. When the dreams tell a coherent dream this is where discernment comes with prayer and seeking guidance from the Lord for the interpretation


H. Noone should ever act on someone else suggestion or guidance from the dream unless it confirms something in your heart and you have a peace


I. God will give each of us our own dream vocabulary, especially symbols.


J. Sometimes the dreams are how God Views the current state of our lives and the situations we are currently in.


IV. Common Symbols in dreams


A. Women =The Church


B. Car = vehicle of ministry


C. Roof = Covering


D. Faceless man = Holy Spirit


E. Being Attacked = Something is being taken by force


F. Hands behind back = secrets


G. Snakes = gossipers


H. Bite = poisoned by gossip


I. Tornados = Change
====


About the Teacher: Jack Deere Senior Pastor of WellSpring Church

Jack was raised in Ft. Worth, Texas in a broken home that did not know the Lord. When he was 17 years old, a friend led Jack to Christ. Jack began reading the Bible for the first time and fell in love with the Scriptures. He attended Texas Christian University in North Richland Hills, where in majored in Philosophy and started working with the ministry of Young Life leading high school students to the Lord. After graduation in 1971, he attended Dallas Theological Seminary concentrating in Greek and Hebrew study of the Bible. He and Leesa were married in 1974. In 1976, he was invited to join the faculty of Dallas Seminary teaching Hebrew and books of the Bible in Hebrew. He received both a Master and Doctor of Theology degrees from Dallas Seminary. During his tenure at Dallas Seminary, he started and pastured two churches.


In 1986 after months of concentrated scriptural study, Jack reversed his position on the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. He became convinced that all of the gifts of the Spirit were meant to be used today, including healing and prophecy. God had never withdrawn these gifts, rather many in the church had withdrawn from the gifts. Even though he had no supernatural experience of his own, Jack and Leesa along with others began praying for the sick and listening for the voice of God. Almost immediately, they saw some wonderful healings.

He left the seminary faculty at in the end of 1987 and joined the staff of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church in Anaheim, CA. He served with John Wimber at the church and traveled around the world with him doing conferences on intimacy with God and the Holy Spirit.
Jack left the Anaheim Vineyard in 1992 to begin his own conference and writing ministry. He has written best selling books, which have been translated into a number of languages He travels national and internationally doing conferences on many themes. He serves on the boards of a number of Christian ministries.

Jack is currently the senior pastor of Wellspring Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, a church he started in the spring of 2004. The mission of the church is threefold: to help people cultivate an intimate friendship with Jesus; to help people discover and effectively use their spiritual gifts in significant ways in the church; and having learned how to use these gifts effectively in the church, then to use their gifts in the market place where they spend the majority of their time.

Jack and Leesa live in Colleyville, TX. They have two grown children, Stephen and Alese.


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