10 Steps to Handle Dreams from God

5 min readMar 21, 2018

A dream can be given when you are awake as well as when you have been sleeping. I think God uses this, as it is a time when He has our undivided attention.

If you are awake, it may feel trance like and as though you are in a sleep state. This may be called a Vision. In today’s culture it may be a time of mindfulness. The mind is at peace, uncluttered and ready to hear from God. God is happy for you and I to hear His Voice if not to see His face or know His name! Dreams and Visions are means where our hearing is acute, even deaf people can hear His voice in a dream or vision. It may be hard to describe what God’s voice sounds like to others but the knowledge that you have heard His voice is absolute.

What do you do when you receive a dream from God? Well, if you are super spiritual you may just get on with it, but if like most people you are unsure it may be necessary to test it. By this, it is by sharing and praying through with another trusted believer. Oftentimes, they may have received a similar dream or be able to add to it as confirmation by something they have also been given. They may have the gifting of interpreting. Once confirmation, from whatever source, and God is not limited is what and how He communicates, then it is necessary to take action.

Throughout the history of the bible over 39 people had dreams or visions. The prophet Daniel wrote around 530 BC, received many dreams and visions from God. Before he was recognised as a prophet, he was a servant in the Kings household under the kingship of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s work was exemplary and his attitude was to give God the glory. He would not conform his love and fear of the Lord so when ordered to worship another idol he refused. God protected him for honouring Him so He was a witness to others by surviving the Lion’s den. Consequently, one of his new duties was to interpret the King’s dreams and to serve the people.

Who does God choose?

It is His decision and depends upon what He wants to happen. So He can use believers and non-believers. In the Bible, the believers were people who already feared and understood God, and behaved with love towards Him. They may have been recognised as having ‘a heart for God’. If you have had a dream from God, know that you have been chosen for this purpose.

Do you want to hear from God through Dreams?

Set yourself apart, like Daniel, in following the Bible, praying, fasting, and being ‘right’ with God. Ask Holy Spirit for His guidance in receiving Gifts, to understand the how your dream is to be communicated. This is part of your skill and knowledge and your style could be Teaching, Artistic Expression, Prophetic, Encourager, Healer or Leader. You need the wisdom to know how to communicate the messages within your dream and how to take action.

The fruit of the Spirit determines your attitude. A God dream cannot be realised if there is a prideful, arrogant and unkind way in how it is being delivered. Perhaps, this is why some dreams are puzzling and need interpreters?

Receiving a Dream without understanding it

Be steadfast and unhurried if you have received a dream you believe is from God but do not understand it. Ask others to help with its interpretation; it was Gideon’s friend who interpreted his dream (Judges 7:13–15). Present your dream and yourself to God. Daniel claimed sometimes he did not understand but he knew God did. When this was acknowledged then Daniel could move forward, “it is God who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him” (Daniel 2:22).

Once Given — it is over to You!

There will be a reason that God chose YOU. You may never know that reason (not in this life anyway!) He will help where necessary but as an expert in delegation, he has passed this mantle or baton onto you. He has every confidence in your skills and abilities to do what has been revealed (it will be you that has the doubts!).

Belief and Doubt

Keep confident because you have been especially chosen to work out this dream. When doubts crowd in, pray them away. When resistance happens — and it will — recognised when things go wrong for no apparent reason, or people who you expected to be on your side are not and a million other unexpected negative detail, remember Who is on your side. He has given you a spirit that is not timid but full of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

How long do you continue?

A completion of Your Dream may be of a short duration or a long one. It can be regarded as ‘season’. It may be for a short period of your life or for the rest of your life and beyond. If your season is a long one you may need to be prepared to pass on the mantle for others to complete! Remember, Moses had a Vision to lead the people to the Promised Land but did not see it himself.

Ten Steps when receiving a Dream or Vision

1. Know you have received a Dream or Vision

2. Test the Dream with another trusted Believer

3. Understand its interpretation and meaning for you and others

4. Take Action — in your own style with the skills and characteristics God has given you tempered with gifts and fruit from Holy Spirit.

5. Be conscious of resistance, and prayerfully do it anyway.

6. Expect Resistance and unbelief from others to your Dream and handle their lack of understanding and misconceptions gently.

7. Remember God choose you for this purpose. Continue pushing forward without allowing any ‘nay-sayers’ to deter your way forward.

8. Keep praying but expect God to have an attitude of “Over to you, now”.

9. Use your God given Skills, Abilities, Character and Personality to complete the steps necessary.

10. Celebrate the learning of the journey, drawing closer to God as you progress until your dream is completed.

Joel prophesied that old men will dream, young men will see visions and sons and daughters will prophesy (Joel 2:28). However, it may be that you have not had an actual dream or vision but you know HIS plans for you and your life. You may be duty-bound to follow these through. You may have clear guidance of your goals, objectives and strategy for how you live your life, what work or profession you undertake. Or you are partially there …. The exploration of this type of hearing from God is a theme for a separate blog, podcast and part of the Unfrozen Bootcamp — knowing Gods plans for you.

Thanks for reading.

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