Dream- A sequence of images, etc. passing through a sleeping person’s mind (Webster’s Dictionary)
Vision- A mental image (Webster’s Dictionary)
There are many ways that the Lord communicates to the human heart. Through heart felt words, actions, emotions, the Holy Spirit, audible words, and dreams and visions. Dreams and visions are an earmark for those with a Seer gifting. Seer’s see. They are visual and gain prophetic insight from the Lord through pictures, whether while awake or while sleeping. Examples of Seers in the bible are found in 1st and 2nd Chronicles with Gad and Iddo, as well as many other references to “seers” in the bible.
Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.
Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
However not all must be Seers in order to see, just as not all must be Prophets in order to prophesy. As with any gift, all we need to do is ask for it and learn to steward it with reverence toward the Gift-Giver. We must always guard ourselves against pride remembering that this gift, as with any gift, is for His glory alone and for His purposes and not our own. Dreams have become a significant tool in my ability to intercede prophetically. The Lord will share a secret plan with me in a dream and I will begin to pray into it and see the dream come to pass or for breakthrough to come or God will use me to pray for protection over a family by revealing a danger to me in a dream.
Daydreaming is MAN utilizing the visionary process and may be referred to in Ecclesiastes 5:7, “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.” It is better to present the eyes of your heart to God and ask Him to fill them with Divine dreams, visions and godly imaginations and to heed the warning of Ezekiel in Chapter 14, verse 2...”Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own imaginations: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!” I personally tremble at this verse. I never want to “prophesy from my own imagination” or embellish or exaggerate a genuine word from the Lord. This can be a great temptation and we must be diligent to steward prophesy and protect the word of the Lord from defilement. We must be so careful to remain close and intimate with the Father. Dreams and Visions are not the goal. They are a tool for Him to use. The closer we draw to Him, the more likely we are to receive dreams and visions as one of the many ways that He draws near to us invites us into Prophetic Intercession. Like all things related to our relationship to God, we must be careful to steward our dreams and visions well, with honesty and integrity.
Four reasons we should ask for and listen to our dreams~
- God declared that He WOULD speak through dreams and visions in the Old Testament.
Numbers 12:6
“And He said, “Hear now my words; If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream”
- God declared that He DID speak through dreams and visions in the Old Testament.
Hosea 12:10
“I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitude’s, by the ministry of the prophets.”
- God declared that He WILL communicate through dreams and visions in the New Testament.
Acts 2:17
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
- God declared that He WILL COUNSEL us at night through our dreams.
Psalm 16:7
“I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; indeed, my mind (inner man) instructs me in the night.”
Practical Application: Ask God to speak to you through dreams as you fall asleep at night. Put a journal beside your bed and immediately record your dreams as soon as you wake up. When you wake up, ask God to bring to mind any dreams you may have had and forgotten. Immediately pray into your dream! Keep praying into your dream. As you pray over your dream make note of any “extra” understanding you receive from God.
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