Dreams...What Do They Really Mean?

"What do our dreams mean?

Scriptures say:
Job 33:15-18:
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword."
​According to the Bible, a vision is something that occurs when a person is awake, while a dream is something that happens when a person is asleep. Studies show that we are quite possibly always dreaming when we sleep, but we only remember the dreams right before we awake. There are several cases in scripture where men remember a dream (of the Lord) upon waking.
"St. Gregory points out the many ways in which the mind is affected by images from dreams. "Sometimes," he says, "dreams are engendered of fullness or emptiness of the belly, sometimes of illusion, sometimes of illusion and thought combined, sometimes of revelation, while sometimes they are engendered of imagination, thought, and revelation together" ('Moral.,' 8:42).         God will also use this time to warn us of many things, for many reasons.

Ecclesiastes 5:3
"For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words."
"For a dream cometh through (in consequence of) the multitude of business. As surely as excess of business produces fevered dreams, so excess of words, especially in addresses to God, produces a fool's voice, i.e. foolish speech." ---Pulpit Commentary, BibleHub.com  In other words, what we see when we close our eyes to sleep is simply from the commotion of our own lives. And like talking too much, results in foolishness!

Ecclesiastes 5:7
"For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God."
This verse tells us that a multitude of dreams can be worth absolutely nothing. Sometimes we simply see what our sub-conscious thought thinks or feels, and other times it s something that we have thought or seen before, playing back randomly. And so on.

Acts 2:17:
'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."
God is still speaking to us today through dreams and visions. Unfortunately, this is the only time He can fully get thru to some of us with our full attention, or the only time we are actively 'listening'. God can push through the clutter of things we sometimes carry around in our minds through the day, but are we able to truly listen? Listening involves hearing/receiving.     The power of God (by His Spirit) is available and was given to all His children; and as it rests upon us, we are able to "prophesy, see visions, and dream (Holy Spirit inspired) dreams". Let's remain clear before God, asking His help when needed with this. I often tur to Him to clear myself from the busyness and other things on my mind, from day to day.

​Conclusion (mine, anyhow): Dreams have been around forever! And, God does use them as His word says. All dreams, of course, are not "from God" - as He did give us a mind that 'works', and is capable of imagining things. His divine nature has ways of revealing the source, and when it is from Him. Which brings me to my next point - bring all concern before the Lord, and ask Him to show you the meaning. I typically receive an answer within moments or up to a couple days. Again, sometimes other factors play a part in my listening ability at the moment...we should get still before Him, sometime throughout our day.   God will reveal if there is no meaning as well (and the dream derived from elsewhere).   Yes, demonic spirits will try to interfere sometimes, but that is another discussion. We still have authority from God though, always! We can use our mouth to confess God's Word, and send him packing.  And remember, God is never the author of total confusion. The devil is a lies and attempts to discourage us at times.
Although God works in many ways, there are some common forms or symbols people have experienced. Here are a few suggestions. I find the articles I linked to be very helpful in my life personally. I do understand we are all unique, but I feel this will clear up some of the more detailed questions you may have.

​Need help, prayer, or want to dig further? contact me. I will prayerfully point you in the direction to do so.

​Davina