Week 6, Day 4

I’ve had significant dreams of all kinds since before I was a nine years old. I was saved at the age of nine, but my dreams were often scary as a child - or what you’d call night terrors or nightmares, in part because I was plagued by the spirit of fear most of my life.

Fast forward into my young adult years. I noticed my dreams were beginning to change the more I pursued the Lord.  Instead of nightmares, I would have dreams that taught me about spiritual warfare and overcoming the enemy. I’ve always felt my dreams had purpose. The more I began to mature in my spiritual walk, the more in depth my dreams were. They were more frequent and I noticed there were different kinds of dreams I would have. There are different categories of dreams. The various kinds I mostly have are:

<sub>1. God speaking directly, intimately to me about my heart. This always helps me unlock the issues of my heart the Lord wants to change. He shows me the depths of His love and the way He sees me.
2. God confirms His will to me. Sometimes this is a warning of what’s ahead so my heart is prepared in prayer.
3. God speaks to me about others. Sometimes it’s just to pray for them and thwart the plans of the enemy against them. Other times I am to share the dream with that individual in the Lord’s confirmed timing, to confirm something between them and God.
4. God also speaks to me concerning the “church at large” or “the nation” or a “people group” or our community — for the purpose of praying with like mindedness with those who are getting the same revelation.</sub>

The Lord uses our sleep to speak however He sees fit (Job 33:14-18). I do go through time periods where I don’t dream for a few weeks and then the dreams start again. When we are asleep, God can speak to us uninterrupted due to our unconsciousness - He has our undivided attention. I view dreams as a letter from the Lord that is a bit poetic at times. I don’t always understand the interpretation right away...in fact, most times I do not. I take the time to write my dreams down (I keep a dream journal) and unpack them, as if it’s a personal note just for me, from my Father. I have discovered some heavenly revelations through interpreting my dreams! (Daniel 1:17...” And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”)

One dream sticks out to me that I had many years ago.  It was so very significant at a particular time in my life when I was learning to lean on the Holy Spirit’s leadership and not on my own strength. It’s entitled, “Swimming in the River”.

I was swimming in a river with a “coach” on a specific mission. I was to follow the coach’s instructions although he wasn’t speaking and I couldn’t speak either. He was demonstrating by example. I noticed I was following his example and completing the tasks, but I was doing the moves in a lethargic, slow manner. He and I both knew something was wrong, but I kept going until he shined a light into my eyes, as a doctor would. Knowing something was wrong, he watched me swim in a circle until the task was complete. He was patient, but I was growing more tired and weak. When I finished that task, I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around his neck in fear that I couldn’t swim on my own anymore. Then the coach began to swim with me on his back, carrying me as I rested. I was still able to move and was fine when we arrived at the shore.

The Lord continues to use this dream to remind me how to lean into His leadership by the Holy Spirit.

• Do you have a dream that stands out to you that perhaps has greater significance than you think? Consider writing it down and praying through it or sharing it with a friend and asking God together to reveal some potential deeper meaning.