Calling All Dreamers!

Are you a dreamer? I never thought I was because I never remembered having them, so I thought I must not dream. If anyone had ever asked me, I would’ve said I don’t dream. Scientists state that everyone dreams. I always thought you had to be in a deep sleep to dream, and I wondered if I ever got into a deep enough sleep! I had gone through many years at work that left me having difficult nights of sleep relating to stress. Going through physical changes in my body brought about insomnia, hot flashes, and trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night that interrupted my sleep!

In October 2018, I heard a teaching about dreams at a prophetic conference that got my attention. The speaker said that everyone could dream, but may not remember them. But what amazed me the most was when I learned that God speaks through dreams. I wanted to hear from God and connect with Him. I was in a place in my life where I was hungry for more of Him and desired to have a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The speaker prayed a prayer of activation and impartation over the attendees as well as I asked the Lord to speak to me in dreams and night visions. I asked the Lord to forgive me for not listening to Him. My dream life opened up, and I began to have many dreams. Too many because I didn’t know what to do with them or how to make sense out of them! I didn’t want to despise them, and I didn’t want to ask God to stop giving them to me. They were precious to me because the Lord was speaking to me, but I needed to find out what they meant.

I started on a path to learn more about my dreams and how to interpret them. I’m going to tell you the story of my journey through this process and share what I have learned. So, whether you are a beginner in learning about dreams and interpretations, or you have been navigating through your dream life for years, I pray that the Lord would bring revelation to you, to equip you to hear Him and to have a deeper intimacy with Him than before. Stay tuned to the end of this blog as I have an encouraging Word from the Lord that I received in a dream to share with you that is for you and the body of Christ!

God designed sleep for our rest, renewal, restoration, and regeneration. He is setting us up for the next day. I’m not going to go into the specifics of sleep but suffice it to say that we need rest to have a healthy life. It is the Lord who protects and sustains us as we sleep, so we do not need to be afraid (Psalm 3:5; 4:8; 121:3-4). The Lord promises sweet sleep for His beloved (Psalm 127:2; Proverbs 3:24).

Man is a triune being consisting of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The brain catalogs and sorts through the events of the day while the body rests, and our awareness of the environment fades, but our spirit remains awake because it lives in eternity and transcends time and space. You may even have a dream that seems real where what you thought you dreamed while you slept was an experience your spirit had like déjà vu – your spirit was there before you. It is our spirit that communicates with God, who is Spirit. Dreams bypass our minds and agendas.

Many people in the Bible had dreams and night visions, i.e., Joseph (Genesis 37:5-11), Jacob (Genesis 46:2), Abimelech (Genesis 20:3), Pharaoh’s cupbearer and butler (Genesis 39:5), Solomon (1 Kings 3:5), King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:1; 4:5), Daniel (Daniel 7:1), Joseph – Mary’s husband (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19-20), the wise men (Matthew 2:12), Pontus Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19), and the Apostle Paul (Acts 18:9), etc. Some had relationships with God, and others didn’t.

We see in these last days that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh so that sons and daughters shall prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions (Joel 2: 28; Acts 2:17). Fulfillment occurred on the day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; 14-18). God can speak to anyone, but we, as believers in Jesus Christ, now have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us so that we can hear His voice (John 10:27). We learn to discern His voice through the Word. The Holy Spirit must be involved!

What are dreams and night visions?

God wants to communicate with us and bring us into a relationship with Him. God speaks to us in dreams and visions because He loves us. He wants us to see and perceive things from His perspective. God speaks in many different ways, i.e., by the Word of God, Rhema Word of Christ, and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit, through creation and nature, and through prophecy, which also includes dreams. We need to know how He speaks to us outside of dreams so we can know how He speaks in our dreams. Therefore, dreams are a channel of communication and an invitation to a relationship with Him.

We need to value our dreams because God’s Word is ministering to us. King Jehoshaphat declares in 2 Chronicles 20:20 to, “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” Last week we discussed how God wants us to prosper. To prosper and be prosperous means to be successful, to succeed, to grow, increase, or thrive, advancing in the pursuit of anything desirable, making gain or increase (Zechariah 8:12; Psalm 35:27; Jeremiah 29:11).

He is always speaking, but we need to know and understand His dream language, which consists of parables, symbols, and metaphors and requires interpretation. Pictures are the language of the heart, and God wants to engage our hearts. He wants our hearts, not just our ears!

Through visions, God speaks plainly and clearly. Visions in the night are more literal and often look like viewing a movie on a movie screen. God will give you the knowledge or revelation of it.

Where do dreams originate?

Not everything you hear or see in the spirit realm is from God. Stay away from the kingdom of darkness. Do not seek your answers from soothsayers, diviners, mediums, witchcraft, new age, etc. You can open up a door to the demonic realm. We must tune into God, not to the demonic or self. We need to stay tuned to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. We must study the authentic, not the counterfeit, so we will see the counterfeit. Knowing the source will help us to interpret our dreams.

Dreams and visions from God are a supernatural revelation from the Holy Spirit in the prophetic realm. They will be life-giving, encouraging, based on the truth of His Word, and His ways; and lead us to Christ. They often relate to us but may refer to others, including nations.

Demonically influenced dreams are dreams from the enemy that usually bring fear and lies, and are dark and oppressive. God will never leave us nor forsake us, so if you don’t know where God is, then ask Him! These dreams can be from sensing the environment (2nd heaven realm) or an open door through sin.

Soul or flesh dreams are dreams that can come out of a soul-ish place involving our wants, thoughts, or desires; they may relate to things that we are worried about, looking for solutions to problems, or even what we watched on late-night TV!  Not everything in the soul realm is negative. They may be based on what we are feeding on, what is going on, or what we may be unprepared for, etc. Our dreams can filter items for our soul, so we need to take our thoughts captive at night as well!

Body dreams are when your body is trying to tell you something, i.e., you need to go to the bathroom; your arm is cut off but is asleep because you are laying on it, etc.

We need to discern what type of dream we have received and pay attention to it. If it is from God, He may reveal something that’s going on in our lives to align us with His plans and purposes for us through instruction, correction, etc. or speaking into our destiny. If it is soul-ish, it may give insight into our current state of mind. Demonic dreams need to be dealt with immediately, so they can be pulled down and do not take root in our spirit. We can take authority over the enemy and even do spiritual warfare in our dreams. Because our spirit is awake, we can cause ourselves to wake up from the dream!

What is the purpose of dreams?

God-given dreams often speak to what is going on in our lives. They may bring instruction, wisdom, healing, deliverance, warning of danger or the plans of the enemy, save lives, need for course correction, confirmation, keep us humble (reveal pride), reveal God’s will, speak prophetically to our destiny, and reveal the glory of God, etc. Our dreams may be greater than us as God reveals His plans and purposes to us for others through prophetic dreams.

For God may speak in one way or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword. Job 33:14 – 18 (NKJV)

I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Psalm 16:7 (NKJV)

The enemy sends dreams to try to steal our destiny, bring paralyzing fear through nightmares and night terrors; tries to get us to believe lies and turn away from God. Remember, the enemy is out to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10).

How do we interpret dreams?

The first thing to do when we have a dream is to make a record of it by journaling or dictation, etc. because they are fleeting; that way, it won’t be forgotten. If I allow myself to wake up slowly rather than quickly, I find I am more likely to remember it. Also, praying in tongues helps to bring back the details as the Holy Spirit brings them to my memory.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel 7:1 (NKJV)

Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:2 – 3 (NKJV)

Next, go to the Lord in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit for the origination of the dream. We need to know if it is from God, our soul, or the enemy. It is God who interprets and gives the interpretation of dreams, so we need to take them back to Him, asking Him to bring understanding. God can explain the dream to you while you are in the dream, so ask Him in the dream, what does this mean?

And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.” Genesis 40:8 (NKJV)

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.” Daniel 2:20 – 22 (NKJV)

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. But as for me, the secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.” Daniel 2:27 – 30 (NKJV)

The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets since you could reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47 (NKJV)

I had a revelation of the fact that the Lord was giving me dreams because He wanted me to become more intimate with Him. I was seeking to get to know the Holy Spirit better. I realized that the Lord wants me to seek Him and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Matthew 7:7 – 11; Jeremiah 29:13, 33:3, Hebrews 11:6).

At first, the dreams seemed very complicated, with many symbols, metaphors, and messages. I started to learn God’s dream language. Not all symbols and details are necessary for interpretation. It doesn’t matter how many people or symbols, etc. are in the dream; the Lord is only speaking to us regarding one issue or giving us one message. Remember, Pharaoh had two different dreams in one night, but they both dealt with the same situation (Genesis 41).  As I sought the Lord, and He directed me to study His Word, read Christian books from those who have and interpret dreams, and by using a dream dictionary, I have discovered some things I will share with you.

First of all, it’s essential to start by going to the Lord and His Word for the interpretation. Study parables of Jesus and other dreams and visions interpreted in Scripture. Skill is acquired, and interpretation and application are practiced (Daniel 9:22). The Holy Spirit gives revelation and is the most crucial part of understanding the dream. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is genuinely no interpretation of the dream.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2 (NKJV)

He may also direct us to look at a dream dictionary, a book on names, or to do a Google search on Biblical symbols and metaphors. But because the people writing these books are giving a generalized although Biblically based understanding of them, it may or may not relate to us and our situation. God may use metaphors and symbols that are personal to us and different from what these books say. He uses things that we know and are personal to us. The Holy Spirit will guide us through Scripture and the use of these tools to bring us the revelation of the dream. He can also help us apply it to our lives. Practice pondering, praying, and speaking to the Lord about the dream.

I am a retired Registered Nurse, so some of the dreams I have related to nursing situations, whereas my husband, who worked in retail grocery, may have a dream related to that environment. A color or symbol may have one meaning, but it may have a different sense for me. If a color is dramatic, it may be what the dream is about. So we need to take these things back to the Lord even as we are using these other references.

People use different processes to interpret dreams, such as mapping them out with the main focus, sub-focus, and symbols, or matching action and emotions of the dream to what is going on in your waking life. Ask questions and partner with the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 28:2). It isn’t always a one-time interpretation. It can evolve.

Here are some questions you can ask about the dream then take the answers back to the Holy Spirit for understanding and confirmation.

Who or what is the focus of the dream? Are you an observer or a participant?

What is the setting? What is going on in your waking life?

What is the dreamer’s context? i.e., experiences, culture, etc.

What is the action in the dream?

What is the emotion you are experiencing in the dream (not when you wake up)? What are you processing or feeling in your waking life?

Ask the Holy Spirit about the symbols, colors, people, etc. Is a place, city, or person metaphoric or literal? People you may see in the dream may represent the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, or they may be in the dream because of their name, characteristic, or gift they are carrying, etc.

I will now share the dream the Lord gave me on June 15, 2020, and what I believe He is saying:

My sister and I were out paddling in the ocean, but we didn’t seem to be in a boat. We may have been swimming. We were going parallel to the land, but we couldn’t see the land. As I looked to my left, there was a huge wave coming towards us from the direction of the shore, and it was building in size. We were afraid it would overwhelm and engulf us, so we paddled faster. We saw that the wave was getting smaller as we went forward and saw a place where the wave was dissipating and looked like we wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it if we headed towards it. Then I turned to look to the right and saw a large but smaller wave coming towards us from out in the ocean. I was not afraid of that wave. Then I woke up.

The first thing I did when I woke up was to make a record of it by dictating it to my journal dream app on my phone. Next, I went to the Lord in prayer and asked the Holy Spirit for the origination of the dream. I believe this was a prophetic dream from the Lord, even though I had some fear in the dream of the giant wave to my left.

Because we have the Spirit of God in us, we have the light, understanding, and wisdom of God (Daniel 5:14; Ephesians 1:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:30). The Spirit of Wisdom, the Holy Spirit, can give us understanding (Isaiah 11:2). When we have a conversation with God about our dreams, we gain His wisdom for our lives. We are to seek wisdom by applying our heart to knowledge through the Scriptures (Psalm 90:12). We can also ask the Lord for wisdom in the situations we encounter in life (James 1:5; 3:17). Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:5-7), and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

I understood from previous dream work I had recently done in my life, that the ocean refers to the world or the sea of humanity. Waves can mean several things such as strong and emotive words or great voice, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, or opposition. The big surge to my left that I was afraid of seemed to be a wave of opposition from the enemy. It was coming from an unexpected direction, and like the idiom says, “it came out of nowhere.” It appeared suddenly, without warning, and it seemed to be growing.

As I asked the Holy Spirit about it, He brought to my mind how the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1Peter 5:8). What rose in my spirit was a declaration that my Jesus is the true lion, the lion of Judah, the Greater One who lives in me. (1 John 4:4). God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

This wave of opposition was designed to bring fear and discouragement and was an attempt to get me to give up rather than continuing. The big wave on the right was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which brought me peace, joy, and hope. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit speaks of revival, which flows from repentance.

That left me with what sister meant. As I looked in my dream dictionary, a sister can stand for the church, a kindred spirit, a fellow believer, one’s natural sister, or wisdom. I believe it was referring to wisdom in this case.

So, putting it all together, I believe the Holy Spirit was telling me the enemy has been trying to overwhelm and engulf me with discouragement and trying to get me to quit through fear and opposition. But as I continue to go forward by God’s grace, strength, power, and wisdom, He brings acceleration through this trial so that I can make it! The enemy’s resistance is dissipating, and I was to head towards the place the Lord showed me where wisdom would bring me to the site of the breakthrough. Then, I was to expect the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be poured out and overtake me revealing His power, goodness, and presence.

As I considered this dream for myself, I realized there had been many places recently in my waking life that I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed from the opposition of the enemy and had to cast down thoughts of giving up or giving in (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

As I further pondered this dream, I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me that this was not just for me but was a word of encouragement for the body of Christ that I needed to share. He is saying to the body of Christ, the church, that the enemy is trying to overwhelm and destroy us through fear, the coronavirus, social unrest, financial upheavals, as well as through personal and political agendas. The devil wants to steal our hope and faith in God and for us to believe that these things are too big to change. But God can and will turn these things around as we humble ourselves, repent, pray, and seek the Lord to heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Applying God’s Word to our lives is walking in His wisdom. That is what will bring the breakthrough, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and revival! See my previous Word from the Lord: Https://alexiscarucci.com/2020/05/10/awake-anticipate-advance/

The Lord reminded me of wave interference in physics. When two waves meet coming from opposite directions in the same medium, there is a higher net amplitude or height. Zechariah 4:6 says, ‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. The wave of His Spirit is more significant and powerful than what the enemy is sending out and overcomes it, bringing prosperity and victory! What the enemy meant for evil, God works everything out for our good (Romans 8:28).

When we become tired of wrestling with the enemy, the prophetic word comes to encourage, strengthen, and support our arms for victory (Isaiah 59:19). Thank Him for His Word and declare it over your lives!

The Lord is saying the enemy’s opposition is ending. Don’t allow fear, doubt or unbelief to come in. Don’t give in or give up. He gives us His grace, strength, power, and wisdom to keep going forward towards the breakthrough. A breakthrough is a place of prosperity, abundance, and success and connects to the prophetic. Ask the Lord for the wisdom that will bring the breakthrough. We need to follow His plan. He is Jehovah Perrazim, God of the breakthrough. We have an anointing for breakthrough (See 2 Samuel 5:17-25). There are great days ahead, i.e., restoration, reconciliation, renewal, reformation, and revival. A new outpouring of the Holy Spirit is coming bringing revival and a great harvest of souls into the kingdom of God!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I pray that we would take this vision and run with it by believing Your Word and obey it. I come against the spirit of fear, doubt and unbelief, discouragement, and opposition in the name of Jesus. I release Your Spirit of hope, peace, strength, grace, and wisdom over the body of Christ. We declare that the enemy’s opposition is dissipating, and You are showing us the way to the breakthrough, and positioning ourselves for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May we be the light that shines in the darkness that others would come to You.

I pray that we would go to sleep in peace, and our sleep would be uninterrupted to prepare ourselves for night time revelation. I bind and rebuke all attacks of the enemy that would try to keep us awake through worry, anxiety, fear, or stress in the name of Jesus. I cancel every dream that would come from the demonic in the name of Jesus. I plead the blood of Jesus over your sons and daughters as they sleep in the name of Jesus. I thank You that as we sleep, we are safe and protected.

I pray that You would activate those reading this prayer in the prophetic and release divine dreams in their lives in the night season. I pray that upon awakening, they would remember them and be able to write them down. Even as Daniel and Joseph were able to understand Your dream language, I pray that You would give them wisdom and understanding to interpret their dreams and to know their meaning. I pray that the Holy Spirit would bring revelation quickly so we may walk in Your will and ways for our lives. We declare that we will obey.

I thank You that You desire to speak and encounter us in the night season. I thank You for prophetic dreams. I call forth the dream of the Lord in the name of Jesus. We come against all false dreams in the name of Jesus. We honor and value our dreams given by You Lord and their purposes for our lives. Thank You that they give us divine direction and show us our destiny. Thank You for opening up our spiritual eyes and ears in the name of Jesus.

I pray that we would receive Your word of encouragement and wisdom and obey what You tell us to do so that we may prosper. Amen.

So, prepare to receive dreams from the Lord during the night, or if you are tired, take a nap. The Lord may want to give you a dream!