GRUPOS DE INTERÉS DEL ÁREA DE INFLUENCIA DEL LOTE

Another fundamental principle for operating in dream language is discerning the sources of our dreams. Essentially, dreams arise from three primary places. There are dreams from the Holy Spirit, dreams from the natural man, and dreams from the demonic realm. We will consider each of these in turn.

Dreams from the Holy Spirit are difficult to categorize because they come in virtually infinite variety and are tailored for each individual. Nevertheless, I want to discuss briefly 12 basic categories of dreams that we receive from the Holy Spirit.

1. Dreams of Destiny

Destiny dreams reveal part of the progressive calling of God regard- ing your life, guidance, and vocation. Generally, they relate to your sphere of influence. Sometimes they will be extrinsic dreams regarding God’s redemptive plan for a city, region, or nation. At times destiny dreams are more personal, revealing the unfolding of your life in God’s plan. They may relate only to the present, where you are right now, or they may deal with the past, present, and future of your life. Dream language moves in all three arenas.

A panoramic dream that seems to cover past, present, and future may be fulfilled over a short period of time. On the other hand, many years may pass before your destiny dream is completely fulfilled. This is why it is important to pay close attention to any words you hear in the dream because they will be useful in interpreting the symbols in the dream. Dreams of destiny are inspiring and charge our faith to soar to new levels!

2. Dreams of Edification

These are the “feel good” dreams. When you wake up from them, you absolutely feel great. You feel like you are on top of the world and ready for anything. Edifying dreams are inspirational in tone. They are filled with revelation and they produce hope. If you have been discouraged,

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you may receive a dream of edification that, even if you do not remember all the details, will instill in you a sense of hope and confidence, thus dis- pelling your discouragement.

Jacob’s dream in the 28th chapter of Genesis is a good example. Fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau and alone in the wilder- ness, Jacob was frightened and discouraged. He dreamed of a ladder reaching from earth to Heaven with angels going up and down on it and God standing at the top. God promised to go with Jacob and prosper him. Not only did this dream encourage Jacob, it also changed the course of his life.

In the same way, dreams of edification can help change the course of

your life.

3. Dreams of Exhortation

Sometimes called “courage dreams,” dreams of exhortation often contain a strong sense of urgency. They challenge us to take action. While edification dreams produce hope, exhortational dreams produce faith. They impart inspiration and motivation to get up and do something for Jesus’ sake. More than just giving simple advice, dreams of exhortation also reveal an accurate, detailed picture of what is going on behind the scenes, especially in the demonic realm.This revelation is for the purpose of challenging us to take action about what we have seen. Take courage and act!

4. Dreams of Comfort

Comfort dreams serve to heal our emotions and our memories. We can use them to reinterpret circumstances of our past with a heavenly lens, helping us to see things differently. In other words, comfort dreams give us a heavenly perspective on an earthly situation so that we can receive emotional healing.

A few months after my mother passed away, I had a dream where I was back in the old country house where I grew up. I was seated at my old place at the kitchen table, and my mother and father were at oppo- site ends of the table. Christian singer and songwriter Michael W. Smith were with them, and the three of them sang together Michael’s song “Agnus Dei”: “Alleluia! Alleluia! For the Lord God Almighty

the diversity of dreams

reigns.” This dream greatly comforted me and reassured me that my mother, as well as my father, was safely in the presence of the Lord. Muse with me; just sing that sweet song of worship as it is being sung in Heaven!

Thus comfort dreams can also release assurance. If edification dreams produce hope and exhortational dreams release faith, comfort dreams stir up love. They will help you love yourself better, love God better, and love others better as well.

5. Dreams of Correction

Corrective dreams reveal personal changes—character issues, heart issues, repentance issues—that we need to make in order to be able to move forward. These are not condemning dreams. The Holy Spirit never condemns. Rather, He comes in gentle love and releases a wooing to draw us to turn to Him and accept His correction. The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us—but He never condemns.

Unlike a comfort dream, a corrective dream might unsettle us at first.They provoke us and stir us up; they even make us angry sometimes because our natural man does not always want to respond to the things of God. But God, in His infinite patience and loving kindness, relent- lessly pursues us. He wants to perfect us, so He sometimes uses dreams of correction.

6. Dreams of Direction

Directive dreams often contain a higher level of revelation and are obviously very prophetic in nature. Quite frequently they will convey a distinct sense of urgency. Their purpose is to give specific guidance, which may even include warnings of some kind. One example is the dream of the wise men in the second chapter of Matthew, whom God warned not to return to Herod. This prompted them to choose an alternate route home.

Sometimes, directive dreams will fill us with a desire for some spiri- tual quality or dimension that we do not yet possess and inspire us to begin pursuing it. Ultimately, dreams of direction serve to help us get farther down the road toward fulfilling our destiny and purpose, show- ing us signposts and helping us avoid pitfalls along the way.

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7. Dreams of Instruction

These are primarily teaching dreams. Directive dreams give us direc- tion; instructive dreams teach us. There is a fine line of distinction between the two. Scriptures are often highlighted in these dreams, and frequently you will hear a voice speaking to you. Sometimes instructive dreams will even be doctrinal in nature, but they will always contain insight with revelation.

In one dream that I call “A House That is Built to Last,” I was at a construction site watching as a cement truck poured layer after layer of concrete into the foundation of a house. Two angels, symbolizing the jealousy of God, stood at the two front corners of the foundation, over- seeing the construction. Because of shakings and earthquakes that had occurred over the years, there was a great need for a strong and solid foundation.

As each layer of concrete set, words appeared in the foundation, sim- ilar to the handwriting on the wall recorded in the Book of Daniel. At the right front corner of the first layer appeared the words, “Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Jew and the Gentile.” The left corner read, “Apostles and prophets; fathers and mothers of the church ages.” The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone.

As the second layer of concrete was poured, the word “Integrity” appeared on the right corner and the word “Humility” on the left. The activity of trucks releasing foundational concrete continued. Across the front of the third layer were the words, “Intimate worship from a pure heart.” And, finally, the fourth layer of concrete bore the words, “God’s heart for the poor and the desperate.” Shooting out from those words was the phrase,“God’s healing grace.”

I believe that this was an instructive dream with an apostolic nature to it. The dream released teaching insights into the proper way to build a strong house, whether a family home, a business, or a church. All of these qualities are necessary for the proper foundation.

Edifying dreams produce hope. Exhortational dreams instill faith. Comfort dreams stir up love. Instructive dreams impart teaching with wisdom.