GOD SPEAKS! This is the most amazing thing about our Creator. God, the omnipotent (all powerful) One, who exists outside of time and space (transcendent) is also imminent (close). God is as close as the air you are breathing and the people you see around you. Have you paused to listen for God lately?
Dreams and visions are key avenues through which God speaks to people. “’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17) Although this prophecy is literal, it is also poetic! In other words, ALL people can receive dreams and visions from God. Dreams and visions are just one way that God has always communicated to humanity. And this wasn’t just in Bible days!
To this day God is using dreams to direct and guide individuals and communities who are willing to listen and hear. When I was in seminary I had more than one professor who was on the front lines of ministry in countries hostile to the Good News of Jesus. In every case dreams were one of the most tangible tools God was using to awaken people to the reality of His love. I too have had more dreams than I can count, through which God has cautioned me or directed me to take action concerning something in my life. How about you? Are you ready to hear what God is saying to you through your dreams
I compiled the following 10 Step Dream Analysis and Interpretation Template to help get you started in the process of tuning in to what God is saying to you. As the Bible teaches, “All interpretation belongs to God.” (Genesis 40:8). Follow the steps below to begin analyzing your dream. There is also a printable dream analysis template that you can download. If you would like help analyzing your dreams, I am also available to do so. Just set up a free appointment. ALSO, SEE BELOW FOR ANOTHER COOL RESOURCE!
- Pray: God gives the interpretation. Dream analysis must be guided by the Holy Spirit. PRAY for the Spirit’s guidance, BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER. The interpretation comes from the LORD.
- Record: Write your dream down as close as possible to the dream. If you have no problem waking up in the middle of the night and writing it down, do so. If this then keeps you up, when you wake up…often this is more like just coming to conscious awareness out of the dream state. When you do, make a mental map of the key pictures in the dream. Holy Spirit will help you recall the details using that mental map as your record your dream in the morning when you wake up. Write the dream without interruption or editing.
- Source: Is it a God Dream? Try to determine the source to see if the dream should be discarded or if the interpretation process should proceed.
- Body dreams are the result of physical stimuli. They can include bodily sensations or be caused by food or drugs. These are not God Dreams. Discard.
- Soul dreams stem from a heightened emotional state. This can be because of intense worldly desires or fears. These are not God Dreams. Discard.
- Spirit dreams are God Dreams. These are God’s Spirit communicating with your Spirit. It is these we want to analyze.
- Feelings/Emotions/Perspective: How did you feel throughout the dream and at key points? Even though God Dreams are the communication between your spirit and God’s Spirit, feelings play a big role. Emotions are not wrong or evil. They are valid avenues of communication that God has given us, both for internal and external communication, with others and ourselves. Emotions are a thermometer that tell you the temperature of your soul, your internal temperature. As you write and recall your dream, note how you felt during the various movements of the dream as well as your perspective or vantage point. Were you seeing through your eyes; were you watching but not participating; were you someone else in the dream? Etc.
- Current Events Summary: Write a quick summary of your current circumstances. Did you just a have an argument with a loved one? Did something significant happen in your life? Was your interest particularly peaked by a news event or something you just watched on TV?
- Analysis: This is the science part. Be straight forward, avoiding interpretation. Use a Biblically rooted dream dictionary to define the symbols. God has a language and it has been recorded in the Bible. How does God communicate? The Bible shows us. How does God use dreams, symbols, circumstances, etc.? The Bible demonstrates this. Use established Biblical symbol definitions. After you have been doing this a while you will start to see that God will often use your terminology or your understanding of certain symbols in addition to His own. These unique symbols are kind of like you and God’s personal, unique dialogue! As you make these discoveries that show consistent symbol use, add these discoveries into your own God Dream Dictionary.
- Interpretation: Continue to pray as you now add the symbol definitions into the sentences of your recorded dream. As you do so you will begin to see a narrative. Often the entire interpretation can be summed up in 1 to 3 sentences.
- Exhortation/Action: What is God telling you to do through this dream? God Dreams usually fall into two categories: Parables or Prayer Requests. Parables are meant for you to see a situation more clearly and/or to know what you should do in a given situation. The parable show, “the world viewed rightly,” or a picture of reality including all of its dimensions. In other words, parables show you God’s view. In addition, the dream could be God’s direction for your prayers. Is the dream a prayer request from God asking you to intercede on behalf of someone else or for you to pray about a specific situation in your life? This will be discovered as you allow Holy Spirit to illuminate your dreams though your diligent attention to hearing clearly from God through His Word.
- Share, Ask Tweak: If this was a God dream, others in your Christian community will be a big help. Tell two or three of your trusted Christian friends, especially one who is older and wiser and/or trained in dream interpretation. They will help you tune your analysis. We were created for community and the Body of Christ brings balance! Write down what they say in your journal or analysis log and tweak you interpretation as needed.
- Wait, See, Update: Time will tell whether this was truly a God dream! Return to update your dream journal and analysis log when you see God’s confirmation of your dream in the physical realm!
I have taken my dream analysis process and used it to build a Custom ChatGPT. This is still a work in progress and is not as accurate as siting down with a biblically rooted and trained counselor, but it’s a fun way to begin to harness the tools of the modern era:
Download The 10 Steps to God Dream Analysis and Interpretation Template
Try the Dream Analyzer Helper, a Custom ChatGPT for Biblically rooted dream analysis.
