Dreams — Between Providence, Warning, and Wisdom
Over the
years, I’ve noticed how certain ideas in the Christian world gain traction and
almost become trends. Dreams and prophecy went through a phase like that —
suddenly, everyone seemed to have a dream, a word, or a vision to share. It’s
not that those who had them didn’t genuinely believe they were being led by
divine intervention. Many were sincere, but sincerity on its own has never been
the measure of truth.
We can
certainly be tested in many different ways — by the Spirit, by our own flesh,
and by the enemy who loves to mimic spiritual things. But I think the real
lesson in all of this is simple and searching: will we come back to
Scripture as the final authority, or will we allow our experiences to sit in
that seat?
Dreams are,
therefore, a subject that needs to be handled with care. There is far too much
bandied about today, often without restraint or solid biblical grounding. I
remember, of late, asking if someone was OK, and her response was, why, did you
have a dream about me? Yet dreams are part of everyone’s life. We all dream —
some pleasant, some disturbing, and sometimes outright frightening. Nightmares
can bring real turmoil.
The
question is not whether dreams exist, but why they exist and what weight, if
any, they should carry in the life of a believer.
When we examine Scripture, we find that dreams
appear at certain moments, sometimes influencing individuals and even nations.
The temptation, however, is to take those accounts and press them beyond their
biblical purpose, applying them loosely to our own lives. This is where caution
is not only wise but necessary.
Dreams in
Scripture Are Exceptional, Not Normative
The Bible records dreams primarily as part of the
unfolding of God’s redemptive plan, not as everyday guidance for His people.
Consider the account of Joseph, who interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and
the baker, and later of Pharaoh himself (Genesis 40–41). These dreams were not
sought out, nor were they self-interpreted. Joseph made this explicit:
“Do not interpretations belong
to God?” (Genesis
40:8)
This single statement places dreams firmly under
God’s authority, not human insight. Even Joseph — clearly used by God — did not
claim ownership over meaning or direction. God revealed, God interpreted, and
God fulfilled.
This pattern matters. Scripture never presents
dreams as a skill to be developed or a channel to be pursued. They are shown as
God-initiated, purposeful, and rare.
God May Use
Dreams — But He Is Not Bound to Them
Job acknowledges the possibility of God speaking
through dreams:
“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings.” (Job 33:15–16)
Even here, the context is correction and restraint
— God humbling man and turning him from pride. This is not presented as a
regular guidance system for daily decisions or as a method for directing
others. It is God acting sovereignly, not man seeking revelation.
The danger arises when what Scripture presents as occasional
and sovereign is treated as normal and authoritative.
Scripture
Explicitly Warns Against Trusting Dreams
This is where modern enthusiasm often collides with
biblical clarity.
“You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of
dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(Deuteronomy 13:3)
The warning is clear: a dream may occur and still
not be from God. The test is not the intensity of the experience, but fidelity
to what God has already revealed.
Jeremiah reinforces this with striking imagery:
“Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my
word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares
the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 23:28)
Scripture itself carries weight. Dreams are straw.
God’s Word is wheat. They are not equal, and they are not interchangeable.
Many Dreams
Reflect the Human Heart, Not Divine Revelation
Ecclesiastes gives one of the most grounded
statements about dreams:
“For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many
words.” (Ecclesiastes
5:3)
Dreams often arise from anxiety, preoccupation,
fear, or mental overload. Scripture does not mystify this — it explains it.
A few verses later, we read:
“For when dreams increase and
words grow many, there is vanity;
but God is the one you must fear.” (Ecclesiastes 5:7)
An obsession with dreams often reveals misplaced
fear — not reverence for God, but fascination with experience.
Be Careful of Deception — Satan’s Primary Weapon
If dreams are not handled with Scripture in hand,
they can easily become another doorway to deception. Scripture is clear that
Satan’s chief weapon is not brute force but lies.
“Put on the whole armour of God,
that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
Those schemes are rooted in deceit. From the Garden
of Eden onwards, the enemy has always worked by twisting what God has said,
adding to it, or subtly shifting the emphasis. If he cannot stop us from being
religious, he will gladly push us into an experience-driven religion where
feelings and impressions sit above the Word.
Dreams are fertile ground for this if we are not
careful. A dream feels personal, vivid, and emotionally charged — and because
of that, it can feel authoritative. But Scripture warns us that Satan “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2
Corinthians 11:14). That means deception will often feel spiritual,
enlightening, even “anointed”.
Revelation gives us the bigger picture:
“And the great dragon was thrown
down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver
of the whole world…” (Revelation
12:9)
Later, we are told of those whom he deceived
and who share his final judgment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
Deception is not a minor side issue; it is central to his work and central to
their ruin.
This is why the “belt
of truth” in the armour of God (Ephesians 6:14) is not optional. Truth
holds everything else together. If we loosen our grip on the truth of Scripture
and tighten our grip on dreams, impressions, or supposed revelations, we step
into the very arena where Satan loves to operate.
The warning
is simple but serious: treat dreams lightly. Treat Scripture seriously. Where
dreams are allowed to carry more weight than the written Word, deception is
never far away.
“In the
Last Days” — Clarifying Dreams in the Book of Acts
At this point, some will rightly point to the book
of Acts, where Peter quotes the prophet Joel.
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my
Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)
This passage must not be ignored — but it must be
rightly understood.
Peter describes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost, marking the inauguration of the church and the new covenant era.
“The last days” in the New Testament refers to the period between Christ’s
ascension and His return. Yes, we live in those days — but that does not mean
revelation continues in the same manner or with the same authority.
Even in Acts, dreams and visions are:
- God-initiated
- Rare
- Confirmatory
rather than contradictory
- Always
tied to the spread of the gospel
When Peter receives a vision in Acts 10, it does
not introduce new doctrine. It confirms what Christ has already accomplished —
the inclusion of the Gentiles. The vision submits to Christ’s finished work; it
does not compete with it.
The book of Acts is descriptive, not prescriptive.
It records what God did in a pivotal moment in history; it does not command
believers to chase dreams or build doctrine from them.
The same Peter who quoted Joel later wrote:
“We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do
well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…”
(2 Peter 1:19)
He does not point believers forward to new dreams
for direction. He points them back to the confirmed Word.
Final
Anchor — God Has Spoken Fully and Finally
The New Testament gives us the final anchor point
for all of this:
“Long ago, at many times and in
many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He
has spoken to us by His Son.”
The Word of God is the Final authority. Praise the
mighty name of Jesus now and forevermore, Amen!
Signing off
Tyrone
