UNDERSTANDING DREAMS BY PR. DENIS KALUNGI

KIREKA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

The reality of life is that there is a spiritual world and a physical world everything which happens in a physical realm has its origin in the spiritual world, {Genesis 1:26} can explain this, Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" This was made in the spiritual realm, whereby the spirit was created before the physical body.

Let us see what happened afterward {Genesis 2:7}, Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being, here we see two reams spiritual realm and physical realm, the spirit was created in the spiritual realm and the body was created through physical realm but each and everything starts from the spiritual realm. 

Everyone dreams of several dreams every night, but most of the time, we don’t remember any of them. Occasionally, we have dreams that seem to deliver a divine message, but we are not sure how to interpret it.

Christians are reluctant to talk about dreams because we want to stay away from superstition. Would it be nice if we can interpret our dream's superstition since the Bible repeatedly says that God speaks to us in our dreams?  Job said,

“For God speaks in one way, and in two, though people do not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on mortals, while they slumber on their beds.” {Job 33:14-15}. For Job to confirm this it means he had several dreams he had ignored or he had taken notice of.

Jesus is a son of God but we witness God using dreams in all the history of his birth from his mother’s womb up to his adulthood God would have used angels or he would have come direct. But we see dreams mentioned four times.

Matthew 1:20, But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a DREAM, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

First, the magi were warned in a DREAM not to go back to King Herod to report that they had seen the Christ child, so they went a different way home. It made Herod really mad {Mathew: 2:12}

Now, Joseph was warned in a dream to escape the region:

“Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a DREAM and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” {Mathew 2:13} 

So, as you all know the story very well, Joseph took Mary and their child and fled to Egypt. At that time, Jesus was less than two years old since Herod ordered to kill all children under two to eliminate Jesus. 

Then there is another dream:

“When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’” {Mat 2:19-20}. According to some historians, Jesus might have been in Egypt for about a year or two because Herod died within a short time after they escaped. So, we can safely assume that Jesus was about four years old when they returned from Egypt to reestablish their lives in Israel.

Now there comes another dream to warn Joseph:

“And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.” {Mathew 2:22}. You can see that within this chapter, there are five times a dream is mentioned as a method of God talking to people.

“This makes me consider dreams a reality. So, I put together this message based on the knowledge from my research and experience.”

I became a pastor after God’s call through a dream, the moment God fished me from the world he gave me a dream which was about {Isaiah 61:1-5} The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to: 

1, Proclaim good news to the poor.

2, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted

3, proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners

4, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,

5, comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion

6, Bestow or give on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards, it was a dream

When I sat down and asked God? You're sending me to proclaim your word but I do not know your word what shall I tell the world? Read {Ezekiel 3:3-4} He gave me another dream. So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. “Son of man,” He said to me, “Eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. The two dreams marked my journey. And later He gave other dreams, here I am now.

How many sources of dreams do we have? There are two sources as we may see below.

In the spiritual realm, there are two based sources of dreams, God’s kingdom and from the devil's kingdom remember the devil comes as an angel of light read {2 Corinthians 4:4}, The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Because these kingdoms are at war when the body gets to rest the spirits get a chance of being released into the spiritual world.

When you see yourself in a dream that is your spirit you seeing and that is the same way you can see a dead person’s spirit in a dream.

What does God himself say about dreams? Let us see below.

Numbers 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a DREAM.

Joel 2:28, “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind, And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams {Acts 2:17}

What does God warn us about dreams? There are three kinds of dreams as we may see below.

There are Dreams from mind {Isaiah 29:8}, as when a hungry person dreams of eating but awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking but awakens faint and thirsty still. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion?

In this kind of dream, your mind will draw you to do something you do not wish to do, also in the dream, your mind (soul) can take your spirit to do something that you saw during the day. For instance, a man could see a girl during the day and admire her and at night he dreams of having sex with her.

There are Dreams from the devil, read {Job 7:13-15} When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine.

There are Dreams from God read {Job 33:14-15} For God does speak—now one way, now another though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, 

What is the importance of dreams to Christians?

Warning Dreams

God gave His people dreams or the ability to interpret dreams in order to protect them from danger and fulfill His purposes. In the Old Testament, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream to mean that there would be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine {Genesis 41}. Joseph’s gift put him in a powerful position to implement a plan to protect Egypt from famine and rescue his family from potential starvation.

The Magi were directed not to return to Herod with news of Jesus for, “having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” {Matthew 2:12}. Consequently, Joseph and Mary escaped to Egypt to protect Jesus. 

Direction Dreams

Certain dreams were simple commands. After years of submitting to Laban’s duplicity, an angel told Jacob to “leave the land at once and go back to your native land” {Genesis 31:11-13}.

When the danger had passed for Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, “an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead’” {Matthew 2:19-20}.

Prophetic Dreams

The dreams Joseph interpreted for Pharaoh were both directional and prophetic. They showed the future and gave instructions. Other dreams foretell inescapable events such as the baker’s dream in {Genesis 40} which prophesied the man’s own death.

Joseph received heavenly instruction not to divorce Mary. “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” {Matthew 1:20}. This was a prophetic dream and also one in which Joseph received direction.

Every prophecy, direction, or warning is relevant to Christians today. The Bible is a finished work. Everything we need to know about God’s story, His character, eternal salvation through Christ, Christian mission, and end times has been recorded in Scripture already. Whatever He left unsaid is supposed to be a mystery. “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son” {Hebrews 1:1-2}. We must handle dreams and prophecies carefully. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” {Matthew 7:15}

Let us have the summary of the purposes of dreams

1, They can warn a person not to do something {Genesis 20:3, 31:24, Matthew 27:19}.

2, They can convey what will happen either in the near or distant future {Genesis 37:5, 9, 40:8 - 19, 41:1 - 7, 15 - 32, Daniel 2, 7}

3, They can convey a spiritual truth {Genesis 28:12}

4, They can confirm a promise {Genesis 28:13 – 14}

5, They can offer encouragement {Genesis 28:15}

6, They can inform someone or a group to do something {Genesis 31:11 - 13, Matthew 1:20 - 23, 2:12 - 13, 19, 22}

7, They can convey to an enemy their destruction {Judges 7:13 – 15]

8, They can offer a person a gift from God {1Kings 3:5}

9, Dreams can warn a person before the punishment for his sins {Daniel 4}

“Every dream is found in the bible, God will never work outside his word,” for example.

Dreaming of being chased by something, it may be an animal, and all of the sudden you begin to fly. This can sometimes be due to sorcery or the spirit of death {Ezekiel 13:19-20}

You dream of falling into a bottomless pit, this is also a spirit of death trying to take you to the world of the dead {Psalms 30:3} but sometimes we wake up before reaching the bottom because the Lord lifts our spirits.

Oh, we have talked about dreams, but do not be disarmed because some dreams come from Satan, have this in the mind read {Deuteronomy 29:29} whatever God reveals to us he has given us the power to control. You only need to take a prayer read {Psalms 33:10-11} The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts/prevents the purposes of the peoples, but the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations

How should a younger man keep his dream? It’s only by keeping in mind the following points.

1, Don’t give up even if it looks like your dreams are so far out of reach that there is no way they could ever come to pass.

2, God is not finished with you yet.

3, Turn to {Acts 26:16}, now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me

4, When God gives you purpose, then He is also the one who will make it come to pass.

5, Your responsibility is to hold onto the dreams.

Example of the people whom God has been talking to through dreams in the bible

Abraham’s dream, now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then he said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and will serve them, and they will afflict them for four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation, they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” {Genesis 15:12-16}

Joseph (Old Testament), we cannot discuss Joseph from Genesis without diving into dreams. Granted, most of the time he spent interpreting dreams {Genesis 41}, but he did have a dream of his own before he entered Egypt {Genesis 37:5-11}. These dreams hinted that Joseph’s family would “bow to him” in the future. This comes to fruition when they come to him for food during a great famine. In essence, the dream had a purpose to foretell the future.

Daniel (Old Testament): Like Joseph, he often interprets dreams rather than having them, but in {Daniel 7:1-28} he witnesses a terrifying dream of four beasts. Theologians have attributed each beast to a certain kingdom (Babylon, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans/End Times Kingdom). The dreams served to show events and kingdoms to come.

Joseph (New Testament): Joseph, Jesus’ father, sees an angel in a dream who warns him to flee to Egypt before Herod can take the life of his son {Matthew 2:13}. This dream served as a warning.

Pontius Pilate’s wife (New Testament): When Jesus stands at trial with Pontius Pilate, his wife warns Pilate against having anything to do with him, because she knows of his innocence {Matthew 27:19}. The dream informed her about the true nature of Jesus.

What are the guidelines to interpret dreams? Here are a few guidelines about interpreting your dreams.

Discern God’s Will

Dream interpretation starts from a discerning spirit.  As Christians, we need to live a life always discerning God’s will. We often say, “God willing, I’ll see you tomorrow!” What we usually mean is that if God permits, I will see you tomorrow.  However, how do you know if it is God’s will that you don’t show up? We need to be serious when we say “God willing.”

The reason God’s people in the Bible are getting dreams is that they expect those dreams. They lived a discerning life. So, when we say, “God willing,” we must be at the same time praying, “God, please show me your will” and keep our antennas way up to detect God’s wavelength.

The reason the magi saw the star was because they paid attention. They were discerning every night looking at the stars. Those who didn’t see the star were mainly because they were not searching for it and they were not expecting it.

The reason I had that dream was that I was discerning God’s calling in those days.  I was expecting it. Discernment also includes differentiating which dream is really from God.

Not every dream is God talking to you. Some dreams are just human reactions to the environment. It could be because of a horror movie you watched or the anchovy pizza you ate last night. They are just human biological reactions to what you see, what you touch, what you hear, or what you eat.

Some dreams could be from the unclean spirit of the devil. This is when you are trying to do God’s work, the devil will attack you or lure you away from doing the right things. You know it is from the devil because it feels dark. God is light, and the dream from God is light.

Other dreams are from God. How do you know? The Bible says that we must discern the spirit. How do you do that? It’s simple since our church focuses on it. It’s called the fruit of the Spirit. If it does not bear the fruit of the spirit, it’s not from God at all.

Do God’s Will

We must not only discern but also do God’s will. The more we do God’s will, the more we become sensitive to God’s nudges and become fluent in God’s language. The reason Joseph got those dreams and knew that it was from God was that he was already a good person, doing God’s will.  The Bible says:

“Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.” {Mathew 1:19}.

It says Joseph was a “righteous man,” meaning he has already been doing God’s will. That’s why he was sensitive to signs and dreams from God. The more righteous you are, the more God is likely to talk to you, or the more you are likely to sense God’s nudges.

You would remember another Joseph in the Old Testament that was able to interpret dreams. If you read about his life, you know he was dedicated to doing God’s will. Therefore, instead of asking God to bless what I am doing, I need to ask to do what God is already blessing. Such an attitude will please God. Surely, the Bible does promise that we can ask God for anything, but if we ask it with a “thy will be done” attitude rather than a “my will be done” attitude, the outcome is different.

In fact, that’s how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane:

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” {Mathew 26:39}. Jesus wanted something—to avoid going to the cross, but he pray with the attitude of “they will be done” rather than “I will be done.” That is why he was the beloved Son.

Deflect Idolatry of Dreams

One of the reasons God does not let every dream be easily interpreted was because of the human tendency to idolatry. Human beings will worship anything if they think that thing speaks for God. If we keep getting God’s message from our dreams, we might end up idolizing dreams and forget about God. Some religions worship trees, animals, and mountains because they saw signs of divinity from them, and they end up worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.

The Apostle Paul had hit some snags on discerning God’s will. At one point, he felt he was called to preach in Asia, but halfway he found it was not what God wanted. Then he went the opposite way, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow him. The Bible says, “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” {Acts 16:6-7}

Joseph of the Old Testament whom we know as an expert dream interpreter said that dream interpretation belongs to God {Gen 40:8}. I know it sounds convoluted just like quantum physics. God gives you a dream and you have to ask God to interpret it.  It’s his way of telling me that I can become an idol if I don’t give credit to God to be both the alpha and omega of the dream—both the source and the interpreter of the dream.

So, Joseph was saying, “If I am able to interpret any dreams, it’s God who enables me to do it.  It’s not me doing it.”

That’s why this message is named Dream Interpretation God’s Way.  Here’s the summary:

1, Discern God’s Will

2, Do God’s Will

3, Deflect Idolatry of Dreams

At this month of the year, may we receive dreams from God for God’s guidance as individuals, as families, and as a church!

May God bless you all, and Happy New Year! Amen!