Hearing God Speak (4)
Joel’s prophecy signalled a time in the last days when God would pour out of his spirit upon all flesh and reveal himself to his people through dreams and visions. It is said that we have up to 4 different dreams each night and that we tend to not remember all of our dreams. Psychologists believe that our dreams are made up of subconscious emotions, desires and fears and it is still an area of mystery for many people. According to the bible, God speaks to us through our visions and dreams when we sleep (Job 33:14-15). Job believed that God used dreams to warn us against danger. Dreams are said to reveal things about our future while visions reveal the hidden characteristics of God. Not all dreams are from God or reveal supernatural content and we have to pray to discern those dreams that contain messages from God.
Daniel had many dreams and spoke of having both visions and dreams about the things of God. Daniel also interpreted the dreams of Kings concerning God’s will for his people. “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these” (Daniel 2:28). In chapter 10, Daniel saw the angel Gabriel in a vision who showed him what would happen to his people in the future. This was after Daniel fasted and prayed for 3 weeks to seek answers from the Lord.
We also saw an angel appearing to Mary to tell her about her conception and the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). The same angel later appeared to Joseph to confirm that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25). The angel also warned Joseph in a dream when Herod wanted to kill Jesus (Matthew 23:13-23). There are many instances in the bible where the prophets heard from God through visions and dreams. God used this medium to reveal his plans and to transfer information that we would not otherwise know without supernatural intelligence.
Similar to the other methods through which we hear from God, we have to test any dream or vision that we have to make sure that it lines up with the word of God. The Devil can also send his agents to interfere in our dreams and cause dream penetration. God will not contradict himself and his word cannot return to him void. I think the Holy Spirit is a good source to help us to interpret our dreams as we pray and ask God for revelation. Writing down dreams that bear some significance is useful at times to see patterns or to not loose out on key information which God reveals to us.
A.P.-Y.
Published by Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
View all posts by Anneta Pinto-Young
Published
July 12, 2021
