This is written as a series of Dream Interpretation Helps concerning dreams from God. I will cover the things that I feel are mandatory for correct dream interpretation and application of the truths revealed in the dream. All scripture references are NASB, unless otherwise noted. Emphases are mine. © 2013, 2022 Elizabeth Elam. All rights reserved.
THE BIBLE IS OUR GUIDE
I cannot emphasize enough, that the Bible is by far your best ‘tool’ to understanding your dreams. So much of the imagery that has been in the dreams I’ve had or that others have had is actually imagery and symbolism from the Bible. We need to understand God’s ways. We need to understand His timeless language. Dreams are mostly parables and God speaks in parables. Look at all of Jesus’ parables written in the Bible. The Bible says that if you are a friend of God, Biblically defined by Jesus as a true disciple, a true follower of Him, then you will understand the parables (and dreams, too, I believe). After Jesus told the parable of the ‘Sower and the Seed’ in Mark 4, we read in verse 10: “As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve (disciples), began asking Him about the parables. And He (Jesus) was saying to them, ‘To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables… Verse 13: And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? (the ‘Sower and the Seed’ in Mark 4:1-9) And how will you understand all the parables?” Jesus knew how important this particular parable was in understanding the war over the Word of God. A dream from God is to be submitted to the Word of God.
If a dream is truly from the Lord, you can expect it to be opposed. For example, if our heart is hard, satan can snatch away the dream from God if we don’t care enough to write it down or record it in some way. This is similar to the birds of the air, the powers of darkness taking the Word away when the ground (the heart) is hard. Or we might get excited and possibly convicted about a dream that calls for change in us; yet never respond with actions because it seems too hard to change, like the sun scorching the quickly sprouting plant. I’ve seen the cares of this life many times keep people from truly seeking the Lord about a dream and they never take the time to pray over the dream and take action in response to the dream. That is akin to the thorns choking out the word so that no crop is produced. The Lord wants us to respond to dreams with prayer, searching the Bible, and with appropriate actions so that a good crop of fruit will be produced in our lives and in other lives that the dream may touch.
Read His explanation of the ‘Sower and the Seed’ parable in Mark 4:13-20 which He gave to His followers just as He promised, to reveal the mystery of the kingdom of God. Jesus repeats the thought again that His followers (those who do what He commands) will understand things that those who do not follow (obey) Him will not understand. In John 15: 14-15, Jesus says, “You are My friends if you do what I command you. (Jesus had just given them the command to love one another as He loved them, by laying down His life). No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” So, if we’re a friend of God, doing what He says (loving one another), He will reveal what He is doing and saying to us. That’s exciting!
THE BIBLE IS OUR GUIDE
I cannot emphasize enough, that the Bible is by far your best ‘tool’ to understanding your dreams. So much of the imagery that has been in the dreams I’ve had or that others have had is actually imagery and symbolism from the Bible. We need to understand God’s ways. We need to understand His timeless language. Dreams are mostly parables and God speaks in parables. Look at all of Jesus’ parables written in the Bible. The Bible says that if you are a friend of God, Biblically defined by Jesus as a true disciple, a true follower of Him, then you will understand the parables (and dreams, too, I believe). After Jesus told the parable of the ‘Sower and the Seed’ in Mark 4, we read in verse 10: “As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve (disciples), began asking Him about the parables. And He (Jesus) was saying to them, ‘To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables… Verse 13: And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? (the ‘Sower and the Seed’ in Mark 4:1-9) And how will you understand all the parables?” Jesus knew how important this particular parable was in understanding the war over the Word of God. A dream from God is to be submitted to the Word of God.
If a dream is truly from the Lord, you can expect it to be opposed. For example, if our heart is hard, satan can snatch away the dream from God if we don’t care enough to write it down or record it in some way. This is similar to the birds of the air, the powers of darkness taking the Word away when the ground (the heart) is hard. Or we might get excited and possibly convicted about a dream that calls for change in us; yet never respond with actions because it seems too hard to change, like the sun scorching the quickly sprouting plant. I’ve seen the cares of this life many times keep people from truly seeking the Lord about a dream and they never take the time to pray over the dream and take action in response to the dream. That is akin to the thorns choking out the word so that no crop is produced. The Lord wants us to respond to dreams with prayer, searching the Bible, and with appropriate actions so that a good crop of fruit will be produced in our lives and in other lives that the dream may touch.
Read His explanation of the ‘Sower and the Seed’ parable in Mark 4:13-20 which He gave to His followers just as He promised, to reveal the mystery of the kingdom of God. Jesus repeats the thought again that His followers (those who do what He commands) will understand things that those who do not follow (obey) Him will not understand. In John 15: 14-15, Jesus says, “You are My friends if you do what I command you. (Jesus had just given them the command to love one another as He loved them, by laying down His life). No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” So, if we’re a friend of God, doing what He says (loving one another), He will reveal what He is doing and saying to us. That’s exciting!
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