To sleep perchance to dream. Dreams happen to everyone almost every night. But there are people who experience supernatural encounters in the format of dreams. These encounters can happen in many different level of intensity. God choose His way to communicate with people according to His sovereignty. Our responsibility is to recognize His voice and follow His way. While divine dreams happen in many different manners, there exist some common points which we could use to recognize the true divinely inspired dreams like their conformity.
The content and the message in a divine dream must conform to the messages in the Bible. If the message of the dream is a prophecy, then the prophecy must conform to the event that happens in the future. This is the conformity of dreams from God.
Sometimes dreams may even come with supernatural phenomenon, signs, wonders or accurate predictions. But as long as the dream contradicts the written word of God, we must be clear that it was not from God. This is well illustrated in Deuteronomy chapter 13. The law even commands to execute such person who dreams dreams with signs and wonders but speak contradicting messages to God's word.
The Lord lives outside of space and time. He sees the past, present and the future. It is amazing to see the prophecies in the Bible to fulfill. The bible predicted several thousand years ago that the nation Israel will be reestablished. It came true in 1948. If a dream predicted something in the future and if it was from God, then the prophecy should come true because God never makes mistakes.
We know that God is infinite. But we have to know that the principles to judge a revelation are finite. Therefore, we must not limit the way God communicate with us. Of course, we must test each and every claimed prophecy or dream with biblical truth. We must not accept some messages as the word of God casually or according to ourselves. But at the same time, we must stay tender and open to God. We welcome the new work of God. We welcome God to speak to us and encounter us in whatever ways He wills.
It is our responsibility to discern prophecies and revelations. But we must not be extreme and try to limit the work of God with manmade principles. It is important that we do not casually claim a dream to be a divine one from God. It is as important not to judge someone else and say that their dreams were not from God. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. substance: or, ground, or, confidence. It creates tension in our existence. It also creates tension in our discernment of prophetic dreams. We must be cautious and at the same time open to God.
The content and the message in a divine dream must conform to the messages in the Bible. If the message of the dream is a prophecy, then the prophecy must conform to the event that happens in the future. This is the conformity of dreams from God.
Sometimes dreams may even come with supernatural phenomenon, signs, wonders or accurate predictions. But as long as the dream contradicts the written word of God, we must be clear that it was not from God. This is well illustrated in Deuteronomy chapter 13. The law even commands to execute such person who dreams dreams with signs and wonders but speak contradicting messages to God's word.
The Lord lives outside of space and time. He sees the past, present and the future. It is amazing to see the prophecies in the Bible to fulfill. The bible predicted several thousand years ago that the nation Israel will be reestablished. It came true in 1948. If a dream predicted something in the future and if it was from God, then the prophecy should come true because God never makes mistakes.
We know that God is infinite. But we have to know that the principles to judge a revelation are finite. Therefore, we must not limit the way God communicate with us. Of course, we must test each and every claimed prophecy or dream with biblical truth. We must not accept some messages as the word of God casually or according to ourselves. But at the same time, we must stay tender and open to God. We welcome the new work of God. We welcome God to speak to us and encounter us in whatever ways He wills.
It is our responsibility to discern prophecies and revelations. But we must not be extreme and try to limit the work of God with manmade principles. It is important that we do not casually claim a dream to be a divine one from God. It is as important not to judge someone else and say that their dreams were not from God. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. substance: or, ground, or, confidence. It creates tension in our existence. It also creates tension in our discernment of prophetic dreams. We must be cautious and at the same time open to God.
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