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January 29, 2006
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"Dream Interpretation: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Kingdom"
--Doug Addison
InLight Connection
www.dougaddison.com
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 Doug
Addison
Is dream
interpretation a New Age practice? Is it possible for Christians to
tap into these stories of the night and receive deeper insight into
their waking lives? Many people believe that dream interpretation
belongs to the realm of the psychics and psychoanalysts. The Bible,
however, reveals to us that dreams are one of the ways that God
speaks to us (Job 33:15 & Numbers 12:6). The key to
understanding a dream God's way is that we must use a biblical basis
for symbolism and the Holy Spirit as our source of revelation.
Genesis
40:8 clearly states that the interpretation of a dream comes
from God. There were two people in the Bible who actually
interpreted dreams: Joseph and Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar and
Pharaoh both had dreams, and no one could interpret them except
Joseph and Daniel--who realized that the true interpretation came
only from the Spirit of God. In both instances, the popular dream
interpretive methods of that day could not correctly interpret a
dream from God (Genesis 41:8 & Daniel 2). We have
found that this is still the case today.
"Dreams are
Symbolic and are Basically Night Parables."
Most dream
interpretation methods and the explanatory books offered today use a
Freudian or Jungian approach. These methods are not biblical, and
according to them, a dream does not come from the Spirit of God, but
rather, from our own soul or psyche. Therefore, if you try to apply
these methods to a dream already interpreted in the Bible, you will
not interpret it in the way God intended. I do not recommend using
dream-symbol books that derive their meanings from these methods.
Jesus often
taught people by using parables, which are stories with a deeper
spiritual meaning. He admonished His disciples that they must be
able to interpret parables and understand this type of symbolic
thinking in order to uncover the mysteries of the Kingdom (Matthew
13:10-15). Dreams are symbolic and are basically night parables.
The first
place to look to understand the symbols found in our dreams is the
Bible. For instance, depending upon the context in the dream, a tree
can represent a leader (Daniel 4:22), and a snake can mean
lies and deception (Genesis 3). But what do we do when we
come across a symbol in a dream that is not defined in the Bible? We
must then learn to think metaphorically.
Jesus gives
us some insight into how to understand things symbolically in
Matthew 16:5-7--
"When they went across the
lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 'Be careful,' Jesus said
to them. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.' They discussed this among themselves and said, 'It is
because we didn't bring any bread.'"
Jesus was
attempting to help the disciples understand things on a deeper
level, but they were thinking literally and not symbolically. Jesus
goes on to say in verses 11-12--
"'How is it you don't
understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on
your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'ÂÂ
Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against
the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees
and Sadducees."
God's Hidden
Messages in Our Dreams
Most people
miss the fact that Jesus was giving us a major clue to understand
parables and even the symbolism found in dreams. Yeast causes things
to "rise," so the hidden meaning here is that the teaching of the
Pharisees causes pride and hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).
Applying this
type of metaphoric thinking to symbols that are not clearly defined
in the Bible can help us unlock God's hidden messages in our dreams.
A car can represent our life or career. A jet plane can represent a
church or a ministry. Being late can symbolize a warning not to miss
something important. Taking a test can give us a clue that we are
being tested.
After
interpreting thousands of dreams for people, I have noticed that
there are a few common dream themes that I hear on a regular basis.
Some of the common dreams are flying, teeth falling out, falling,
and going to the bathroom to name a few. I began to recognize that
the meanings of these dreams show where many people are today
spiritually. For instance, flying indicates a high destiny in God;
teeth coming loose or falling out may mean there is a need for
wisdom or advice. Falling may indicate feeling out of control of a
situation; going to the bathroom is the need for spiritual cleansing
or flushing (forgiveness).
An
Evangelistic Goldmine
As we
understand the meaning of dreams, we can help other people find
their destiny in God. Although not all dreams are from God, people
everywhere are having dreams, and many of the dreams which people
share with us have been divinely given. Acts 2:17-18 reveals
that prophecy, dreams, and visions will become a strategic part of
God's strategy for reaching people in the last days.
I have been
leading prophetic and dream interpretation outreach events for
several years. We are finding that people everywhere are very
interested in knowing what their dreams mean. As they share their
dreams, their walls of resistance come down and they become very
open to talking more about God. Since people today consider
themselves spiritual, being able to interpret their dreams
accurately through the Spirit of God is proving to be an
evangelistic goldmine. Dreams are one of the tools that God is
releasing to us today that allows us to become more culturally
relevant.
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Doug Addison
InLight Connection
www.dougaddison.com
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Doug
& Linda Addison are the founders of InLight Connection in Los Angeles
where Doug teaches courses on hearing God, dreams and visions, and the
supernatural. Doug was a pastor, church planter, and the former National
Dream Team Coordinator with John Paul Jackson's Streams Ministries. He now
trains and leads Dream Teams and Prophetic/Power Evangelism outreaches
throughout the United States and around the world.
