CHAPTER 3 - DREAMS AND VISIONS
Judging Dreams and Visions
Yes, dear fellow believer every dream or vision must be judged to see if it glorifies God, man or the devil. In today’s society it is very important to know this principle of glorifying God to examine the motive behind the dream or vision. This is not always obvious at first glance but with the Lord’s Grace the determination will not be prolonged. Hearing from God must be discussed in an open fashion by comparing everything to the Word of God because dreams and visions are only one way for God to communicate with man. Although dreams and visions can come from God they must be judged by the same standards of words and thoughts. This means they must be proven according to 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. KJV
And 1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. KJV
Since the origin of dreams and visions are in the spirit realm they must be judged by the spiritual principles of God’s Word. This means dreams and visions must be perfectly in agreement with the high standards of God’s Word to be associated with the Mind of Christ. All words have a spiritual origin that started with a spiritual being. The good words spoken in truth are from God while the evil words are generally motivated by the devil. The words spoken in the spirit realm are known as thoughts and the combination of various thoughts make up reasoning. If the thoughts are on a godly fashion we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. KJV
This is also known as being spiritually minded according to Romans 8:5-6
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. KJV
Romans chapter 8 verses 5 and 6 mentions the great contrast between the thoughts of God leading to life and peace or the thoughts of the carnal mind which lead to death. This does not mean that being carnal minded is constantly thinking about evil but what it points out is that if the natural realm is all you consider when thinking about your life you are abiding in death and will most certainly die apart from God. Observe the verse of scripture 1 Corinthians 2:16 in it’s context which also points out the difference between hearing the things (words, thoughts, dreams, visions) of God as opposed to hearing things of the natural persuasion.
1 Corinthians 2:9-16
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. KJV
These verses clearly reveal that when one is natural minded (carnal minded) they do not choose to believe in the truths of God’s word because it requires a relationship with God. No person can believe in the power of God’s Word unless they know God as their personal Savoir and Lord. In contrast to those with no relationship with God all those who spend time in Word’s God inside the revelation of God’s Love for them can easily believe in the promises of God set forth in His Word. This is why verse 13 states we compare the spiritual teaching of the Holy Ghost to the spiritual teachings of God’s Word. Since both came from the Heart of God they will always agree. The pureness of the source being directly from God makes all the information consistent and immutable. Notice 1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. KJV
The three persons of the Godhead being one is synonymous with all three being in total harmony with each other which shows complete agreement. This agreement between the Love of the Heavenly Father, the living Word of God which is Jesus and the all present Spirit of God which is the Holy Ghost brings us into God’s dealing with man in the New Testament. In the Old Testament the Lord used a different approach when speaking to His servants because they were not born-again of God’s Spirit so He had to speak to them outwardly instead of inwardly. In the New Testament we are told in Romans 8:14-16 that God’s Spirit will bear witness with our spirit.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: KJV
The primary way God speaks to all beings, Heavenly and Earthly is His Word. The Word of God is the exact same thing as the Voice of God. Since that is the case today and has always been the case throughout history you can understand what the Spirit of God bears witness to. The Holy Spirit upon the earth bears witness to our spirit when truth is presented to us. All believers upon the earth generally agree that the Lord can and does speak to His Children. The major problem that faces many Christians today is trying to determine exactly what God is speaking to them. This can be remedied by taking the simple approach that God’s Written Word is God speaking directly to you. Truly, the Lord can say nothing that would contradict His Word. Therefore, no dream or vision from God can state anything that conflicts with God’s Holy Written Word. We know that sounds simple and it should be simple. The only thing that is making it difficult for many people upon the earth to hear God’s Voice and believe His Words is that the devil can also speak to people’s heart and other people can speak to your heart as well. Since there are two sources (one good and the other bad) of words, thoughts, dreams and visions that can communicate with your heart you must be on guard for erroneous information.
Proverbs 4:20-24
20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips. NIV
The quick answer for staying on track with God’s Will for your life is to spend enough time with God to accurately understand His Ways and His Word. This means you must be willing to read God’s Word consistently and devote yourself to practicing His Ways. The Word of God is what we typically read in the Holy Bible and the Ways of God are the characteristics of God’s Nature. The Ways of God are reflective of how His Holy Spirit will work in your life and in the lives of those around you. The Ways of God are always motivated by the Love of God and His Ways always have a scriptural basis derived from His Word. Once you know God’s Ways you can more accurately understand the Person of God and once you know God’s Word you can better understand God’s direction for man. Both the Word of God and the Ways of God will take time to develop and understand that both are necessary to help you fulfill the perfect Will of God for your life. This understanding of God is absolutely critical for you to properly discern the dreams and visions you may encounter because how can you truly prove what is good or evil without the reference of God’s standards. Everything in the earth today is measured by some standard if it has any real practical value because without a solid frame of reference there is kiosk. Just like our days are measured by God’s Sun so must our life be measured by God’s guideline, not man’s. Therefore we can simply state that all dreams of divine purpose are from God and all evil dreams (nightmares) are from the devil. The degree of good and evil may vary and that is why many do not know what to do with specific dreams. We just identified that all dreams of purpose are from God which means that the Lord inspired the dream or vision for the purpose of guiding you according to His Will for your life. Likewise, when a nightmare comes it is an attempt from the wicked one to bring to pass the torment of fear that allows his evil works into your life. This simple categorization of dreams tie back to the first two original sources but since man was given an imagination he can produce dreams and visions from his own heart as we stated in Chapter 2 of this article.
Genesis 6:5
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. KJV
And Psalm 126:1-3
1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. KJV
Realize that dreams and visions are portions of movies that your spirit is watching. When your spirit has been exposed to various things in this earth quite often your own spirit will rehearse what it experienced earlier that day, or that week, or that month, or even years ago. You have heard it said that if you imagine yourself doing something over and over again you can prepare yourself to do it in real life. In Ecclesiastes 5:2,3 we see that dreams can come from the present activities in your life.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. KJV
For example, I remember a time when we worked on picking weeds out of our landscaping for a whole weekend. These were not short 4 to 5 hour days it was more like 10 to 12 hour days. The week after that weekend I dreamed of weeds, now I did not try to interpret those dreams as a message from God or an attack from the wicked one I simply knew it was a reflection of my pass activity. Since the dream was not able to make any impact upon me (neither good or bad) it flew away after a couple of nights. This is why we highlighted the phrase of verse 2 which states, “Be not rash with thy mouth” because if you constantly speak about the negative dreams or visions you see those images will take root in your thought life, thus annoying (attacking, provoking) your spirit. However, speaking against them or in some cases ignoring them all together will cause them to leave the spirit of your mind.
Job 20:4-9
4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8 He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
9 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. KJV
Dreams (or visions) can fly away on their own if no serious attention is paid to them. Visions (and dreams) can also be chased away with a firm rebuke in the Name of Jesus because when you speak to things (images included) they must obey you, due to that Name. Your inner man is created to strengthen your life, if it produces an image that you seem to show no interest in it will expend it’s energy elsewhere. Your spirit will constantly look for things that you delight in to enhance your experiences in life.
Proverbs 20:27
The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. KJV
The heart of man will search for the things you think about hoping to produce a favorable response. Your heart is not trying to misguide you it is only trying to find answers to your problems in life. Since the Lord God created us to realize that if we can see it inwardly (in our heart) it is very possible for us to believe for it outwardly. You were created to produce good, not just any good thing but specifically what you have need of. Notice this in Isaiah 29:8
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. KJV
This imagery was ordained of God to allow hope to be infused into your heart until you can obtain the desired results in the natural. The verse 8 we just read in Isaiah 29 calls this the appetite of the soul. Every person’s soul has a taste for certain delicacies and when given idle time it will try to satisfy these desires. We have heard testimonies of how the hope of what someone saw in their heart kept them steady until the real thing materialized. The heart of man was created by God to allow you to operate just like God. When properly guided you have the power to create a beautiful work of art for God and others to enjoy in this earth. This creative process is spiritually initiated by starting on the inside of your heart and working toward the outside of the physical realm. When misguided away from God you will create a work of wickedness to glorify the works of the devil or the lust of other men or the pride of your own life. This happens quite often when men spend too much time imagining themselves as a great one. This was the case with King Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel.
Daniel 3:1
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. NIV
The image made of gold was not identical to the image King Nebuchadnezzar saw when he had a divine dream from God. In that dream the image was diverse as recorded in Daniel 2:31-33
31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. KJV
This image from God represented 4 kingdoms and of those 4 kingdoms the current kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar was first. His kingdom was also a more wealthy kingdom as noted by Daniel 2:37 through 39.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. KJV
Not only did Daniel clearly state that the God of Heaven gave King Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom that ruled over a large portion of the known earth, but the Lord also gave him power, strength and glory. Daniel told the king that he represented that head of gold which explains why King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of all gold. The image God originally showed the King looked awkward and inconsistent but it’s purpose was foretelling the future to enlighten mankind. However, King Nebuchadnezzar’s image was all gold to look pretty for man and to magnify his own interest (image) in the sight of men. This pride of his heart ultimately lead to his humiliation in Daniel chapter 4 verses 26 through 37. The important teaching to understand from this example of King Nebuchadnezzar is how did this physical image originate. As noted in Daniel chapter 2 God gave the king a dream and in this dream King Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the head of gold. Now since the king had an image that could be re-presented by the words of Daniel the king could accurately use his own imagination. The king being human (fleshly, selfish) did not desire to understand the events coming after his reign, being short sighted he only concentrated on his own greatness. This lust of the flesh and the pride of life will always give Satan a place to entice men with temptation. The devil knows that any man, especially those with authority and wealth, would like to exalt them selves above others. The devil is all too eager to lend a helping hand to aid men in their own destruction.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. KJV
Thus, the devil will bring this picture of a golden image to the king and convince the king that it is all for the glory of God. This is why King Nebuchadnezzar had everyone to bow down and worship this image (idol) in Daniel 3:4-7. Many times people don’t realize they are violating God’s Will by building statues of themselves, they simply lack the knowledge of God’s Word concerning that issue. No truly humble man before God desires to see an image of himself receiving glory for the good things in his life performed by God. Remember commandment number two of the “Ten Commandments”.
Exodus 20:3-5
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; KJV
And Leviticus 26:1
Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. KJV
If one allows an image to be made resembling himself is this not an idol. Whether one is bowing down to in worship or others are looking up at in admiration, are they not both ungodly? Remember this image comes from the imagination of the heart which is spiritual. Now because dreams and visions are temporary in the spirit realm and are limited to the sight of the one imagining there is always a temptation (if evil) or tendency (if good) to reproduce this image in the natural. When the image is made with the elements of the earth it has changed it’s form into the natural and ceased from being limited by one’s own imagination to the imagination of many. It also has increased it’s time upon the earth because it is not limited to just temporal thoughts but now has a more permanent dwelling. This is how people bring physical life to spiritual things. We know man can not create life apart from God but he surely can produce a work of his hand that projects a certain spirit that is alive in their own heart, hoping to make it come alive in someone else’s heart. Does not horror movies project fright (fear)? Does not love stories project romance and passion? Does not the cross of Jesus represent hope and healing for a dying world? Yes, my faith friend, be certain that every image in the earth today came from someone’s imagination. That living dynamic spirit of thought can easily be a dream or vision that was captured to represent a snap shot of their prevailing thoughts. Man’s quest to achieve eternity doesn’t stop with a statue but it also carries unto calling things after their own name.
Psalm 49:10-12
10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. KJV
It does not matter if the park bench is named after a man or the whole town is called by his name, if the carnal man can keep his image alive through others he will. This is not to say all imagines are bad or that calling something after the name of someone else is evil. What we are stating is that if you desire to call things after your own name to promote your own imagination you are prideful because you seek not God’s glory but your own. This is why we discourage people from spending too much time thinking upon themselves. Those who are self absorbed often feed pride that produces vanity (vain thoughts) creating problems for themselves and others.
Ecclesiastes 5:7
For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. KJV
This is another verse that shows us that we have the power to create dreams. We know that what we talk about repeatedly will create an image (paint a picture) in our heart. That same image will be represented by our imagination and we will have to make a decision concerning our imagination. We must determine if we like that image and would like to see more of it or do we dislike the image and would like to see less of it. When we make no decision about the image it will probably go away if it is from our own heart. However, if the image is from the devil we will have to resist it by pleading the Blood of the Lamb over our mind and commanding the image to go in the Name of Jesus. If the imagine is from the Lord ignoring it will not work because it was given to us for a purpose. The sooner we understand His purpose for the dream the better for us and anyone else who may be involved. No man can resist (ignore or disobey) God’s direction for their life and have a clear conscious with God. Therefore we must humbly accept from the Lord those things revealed to us through a dream or vision. If you are not sure about the dream or vision you don’t have to do anything about it because faith and patience always prevails when your heart is sincere. However, generally speaking if it is from the Lord we will already know what it means and what we should do about it, if anything. If we examine that same verse in the Amplified Version of the Holy Bible we see a clear indication that we should be spending our time thinking about the Lord and magnifying His goodness. God’s Word which is His expressed will for our lives should be magnified above any dream or vision because God’s Word is faithful and His Word has already been proven for all mankind.
Ecclesiastes 5:7
For in a multitude of dreams there is futility and worthlessness, and ruin in a flood of words. But [reverently] fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is]. AMP
When we keep our mind on Jesus the dreams and visions from God become very obvious and His purpose for the dream and/or vision becomes increasingly apparent. Many don’t realize that they have some say so in what comes into their mind. They believe they have the right to speak what they desire to speak. They also believe that if someone is using a foul mouth they have the right to go somewhere else more wholesome. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us authority to take control of our thought life but we must realize that it is solely our responsibly to guard our heart and mind. Many in the world today think that they have no control over the thoughts and pictures that come into their mind but that would contradict 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 which states:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. KJV
Notice first that our weapons are not carnal or we could say they are not natural. This means that the battle is in the spirit realm where we already stated dreams and visions come from. In verse 5 we see the very first thing we must judge, notice it is imaginations. This is why we stated that imaginations unchecked can produce negative influences in your life and the lives of others who are in your sphere of contact. The second item mentioned is every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The first thing deals with your own personal imagination while the second thing deals primarily with the thoughts and/or doctrines of others. The second item is very easily identified as all ungodly things going on in the world today including false doctrine. This must be stated plainly because everything that mentions the Name of God is not from the heart of God. There are many religious books in the world today but just because the book is believed by the author to be good information about God does not guarantee that the teaching is godly. Generally, all religions mention God but the majority of religions in the world today are ungodly. We, as Christians, are commissioned to support one Gospel only, and that one Voice, one Thought, one Dream, one Vision, one Doctrine is the message of Christ Jesus who was crucified and raised from dead for the justification of all mankind. Any other religion that teaches otherwise is accursed according to Galatians 1:6-9.
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. KJV
Since the dream or vision must glorify the purpose of God in your life to be authentic we need to include the witness and wisdom of the Holy Ghost. This will get rid of a lot of thoughts and imaginations that show themselves as exalters of men. For example, if you constantly dream that you are making the winning jump shot at the end of the game with shot clock running out of time while you are playing organized basketball. There is a strong possibility that your own heart fabricated that dream because of several reasons. One being you watch a lot of basketball that exposes your inner man (spirit and soul) to the game where you see plenty of basketball players hit that shot. Yet another thing to notice would be the emotion that comes with the dream feelings of pleasure and sense of satisfaction which would exalt you. This is a good thought (imagination) but it is not serving the purpose of glorifying God. However, if you have a dream where it was 10 seconds left in the game and you saw yourself catch the ball from a team mate take two steps and shoot it with the clock running out and the ball when in the night before the game against the team you saw in your dream. It is very possible that the specific dream could be from the Lord. The things of God are more exact and can be proven, whereas the things of man can not be proven and are typically more general (less specific). Generally when the Lord gives you a dream it is to foretell a segment of your future or help prepare you for the future. The dream or vision is given to you with a purpose, that purpose may be to help you make the right upcoming decision as shown in Acts 16:9-10
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. KJV
In this example the Apostle Paul with his ministry team were seeking for a place to preach the Gospel and this vision helped the apostle (and his team) to stay on track with God’s Will for them. Notice that verse 10 states immediately after the vision they knew it was from the Lord, so no confusion or fear came from the vision. In this example we also notice that the vision brought peace and satisfaction to the ministers of God because it was an answer to their prayers. These types of dreams are commonly done for the same reasons as prophecy which is to edify, exhort and comfort according to 1 Corinthians 14:3. If you were anxious about a big game coming up and your heart was working overtime when thinking of it then you need to calm down. The Lord will sometimes show you the end result if it will help rest your soul. Many athletes will testify about how they knew what was going to happen before it took place. This is not a mystery it is simply the gifts and graces of God upon the Christian and Non-Christian alike. Remember, the Great God that we serve will bless the righteous and unrighteous due to His overwhelming heart of compassion. However, the true Saint of God will give God the praise for the victory whereas the unrighteous will probably exalt man or their ideology, which could be a false God. Anything that you physically see or physically hear is open game for your spiritual imagination. Just like if you hear a scream your heart will start racing and the majority of people on the earth would think something negative. On the positive side I can remember plenty of times Angela and I have heard the children laughing and we started laughing also by only imagining what they were laughing about. Obvious, hearing certain sounds and seeing certain things with your eyes will make a deeper impression in your soul which will make it easy for your imagination to reproduce. God created your imagination to work for good through the avenue of the Holy Spirit bringing good thoughts back to your mind according to John 14:26.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. KJV
Remember we said earlier that God always speaks but it may not be with His voice of words because if God shows you a picture that is still God speaking to you. Although the picture is three-dimensional it usually will represent a combination of words by the representation of things. The Lord uses this technique of picture speaking because sometimes one picture is worth a thousand words. When the Lord shows you a picture it is because He knows the picture presentation will serve His purpose more clearly in your mind. The better the Christian understands what the Lord is saying to them the better it is for the person and the Lord. The sad part about this process is that it works just as good in the negative because the enemy will try to the best of his ability to bring back to your mind negative imagines of things that bring you down. Notice 2 Peter 2:8 where the Apostle Peter was speaking of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, living in the land of Sodom during a time of excessive wickedness.
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) KJV
This verse is simply pointing out that while Lot exposed his eyes and ears to the ungodly ways of the wicked it brought vexation (torment, suffering) unto his soul. We could say that while Lot noticed their wicked lifestyle he gave too much place to the devil by allowing their evil behavior to stir his thoughts in a negative direction. The word “vex” means to upset or anger by small irritations producing displeasure, to annoy, to bring trouble. This is what happens when a person consistently or continuously keeps a living picture with sound in front of their eyes and ears. The Lord will always encourage you to guard your heart (spirit and soul) by avoiding all unnecessary visual (eyes) evil and all unnecessary audible (ears) evil. The reason I use the word unnecessary is because some professions require you to observe and hear horrific sites and sounds because of the occupation. A person in the armed forces, medical personal and emergency personal would all qualify as people who have to work around distressing situations. There are also certain ministers and social workers who must hear negative information about someone else on a consistent basis. Generally, the Lord does counsel us to avoid the things that are wicked and negative to keep our mind clear of evil.
Romans 16:19
For while your loyalty and obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you well versed and wise as to what is good and innocent and guileless as to what is evil. AMP
And Psalm 119:9-11
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. KJV
And Psalm 119:37
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. KJV
Avoiding negative conversations will aid your soul in maintaining a clean imagination. The mind works in such a way that as soon as you hear words about something your mind will immediately try to paint you a picture. Have you ever heard about a spouse of a friend and because you have never seen them you imagine that they look a certain way. Often when you meet them in person they look different from what you imagined. Have you ever imagined your future marriage partner to find out when you actually got married it was not the same person you imagined. This is the reason so many people have a problem with blind dates because it is difficult to live up to someone’s imagination. Your imagination was given to you by God for you to create things that were never seen by your natural eyes. This type of creation allows the Lord to show you something spiritually for your representation physically. Your imagination was also created to show good wholesome pictures based on the images that have previously flashed before it. The more your eyes see outwardly the easier it is for your imagination to dream about what it likes to see. Day dreaming is simply allowing your imagination to show you some spiritual entertainment while you are awake. Whereas night dreaming is your mind being shown a scenario while you are sleeping or entering into sleep. Although dreams can come up within us randomly we must realize that we have some influence on what types of dreams we prefer and/or dislike. Man has the power (authority) to establish dreams in their life but of course that same authority gives you the right to disallow other negative bad dreams. If I decide to speak forth what I have dreamed about or imagined it will give life to that dream or vision. The addition of words to your dreams gives them additional space in your life. Every time someone speaks words into the atmosphere they are either planting new seed or watering a previously planted seed. If you repeat what you are dreaming consistently you are giving more life and strength to the dream. When anyone speaks words out loud it is depositing the thing you speak into your heart. It really doesn’t manner if it is good or bad according to your words you will be blessed or cursed. Although some may say, “There is no in between when it comes to the things of God or the things of the devil”. That statement alone may be true but as long as man is in the equation he is the middle ground (the in between) until he commits to one side. The Holy Bible does speak of a middle ground where there is a place of not good or not necessarily bad. The things, thoughts, images and words that fall into that category are called idle which basically means they are non-productive items (elements, issues). Jesus had this to say about idle words in Matthew 12:35-37
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. KJV
The Lord was not in favor of us speaking idle words because when you speak a lot of idle words you are not choosing your words with purpose. The Christian is encouraged by the Holy Bible to speak as the oracles of God according to 1 Peter 4:11
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. KJV
The Lord Jesus Himself also told us that we live by every Word of God.
Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. KJV
This scripture alone should persuade us to speak the same words that God speaks. The words that God speaks are written in the Holy Bible so we can use the scriptures as a foundation for our vocabulary. Furthermore, in James 3:10 it is stated that we should not speak both bad and good words.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. KJV
We notice that the Apostle James was speaking to Christians so we can add that to what Jesus told us as a second reference that we should only speak good words. Since gray words (idle conversation) is unprofitable and bad words have negative effects on our life it is safe and wise to speak the word of God exclusively. We know there are always those who reason speaking God’s Word all day long is too fanatical but they are not properly assessing the situation. The situation we find ourselves in while we are living on the earth is that God supports our good words while the enemy of our soul enforces the bad words we speak. This lets us know that speaking God’s Word is our prerogative and only enhances our living right. When we speak what God has already spoken it gives us the advantage in every area of life. Please don’t misunderstand us (ihlcc) we are not proposing to walk around all day quoting scriptures and please don’t do that if you are working. The holy word of God teaches us to keep our tongue while we work. What we are saying is that you should realize that the sky is God’s creation so when you speak about the sky don’t curse it. The Lord gave breath to people so when you speak about people please do not think evil about them or curse another person in your heart. For those who hold grudges in their heart are thinking negative (imagining evil, bad dreaming) and those thoughts will attract the evil spirits of the devil. Remember fostering evil thoughts from an evil spirit is what provoked King Saul to try to kill David, the Lord’s anointed in 1 Samuel 19:9-10
9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. KJV
Although the evil spirit did not kill Saul it did influence his mind (his imagination) to do evil. Do not think for one minute that the evil spirit came from the Lord. The writers in the Old Testament had no revelation of the devil, therefore they thought every spiritual thing came from God. We have already shared scriptures that clearly state that there are two very diverse spiritual kingdoms operating in the earth today, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. One is a Kingdom of Light where Jesus reigns as our Loving Savoir and the other is a lesser kingdom of darkness where Satan rules as an unmerciful tyrant. If there is ever any doubt as to the role of a good God and His distinction from the evil one notice John 10:7-11
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. KJV
Let there be no doubt that Jesus so loved you that He gave His life to pay for your sins. These are not the actions of a mean God or an evil God but rather a merciful and loving God whose constant desire is to help you. We only point out that thinking the wrong thoughts will produce a dark cloud over your head and that atmosphere of darkness will certainly allow the evil one to steal your joy, kill your positive dreams and even destroy your physical body if not dealt with properly. You must choose to think on good things and openly speak about the good things of God. Dreams and visions must be handled in the same manner that you handle words. You must judge every dream or vision with the exact standard you judge every thought. The only thing on this earth that can properly judge thoughts, intentions and desires is the Word of God according to Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. KJV
The Word of God is so powerful that it can even divide between the soul and the spirit. This is very important because you need to know exactly what is the difference between thoughts produced from your soul and thoughts produced from “another spirit”. When we use the word “another spirit” that is specifically speaking about your influence by the Spirit of God or the spirit of darkness. When you were born again the Spirit of God inside of you produces good (godly) thoughts. However, those that are not born again are subject to the spirit of darkness that is in the world. This spirit of darkness is easily influenced by the evil one because fear and selfishness motivates it. This can be understood by going back to what we stated earlier, remember God can give you thoughts and the thoughts of God will be based upon (found in) His Holy Word. They will be thoughts to prosper you according to Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. NKJV
Notice the Lord was very clear to state that He is not the one handing out thoughts of evil which is another witness that the Lord does not send evil spirits upon people. The Lord desires to give you peace and hope and a bright-blessed future, which is based upon His promises coming to pass in your life. On the contrary, the enemy of your soul tries to give you evil thoughts to create evil images that manufacture haunting dreams (nightmares) to frighten and torment you. We must guard our heart to only think of good and reject any and all evil things both spiritually and physically. This means mentally we must take a stand by not allowing our eyes and ears to behold or listen to the evil workers of darkness. We (ihlcc) know this is no easy task since the majority of the world is full of wickedness and evil but the objective of purifying our mind is obtainable through God’s Grace. The Holy Bible states, “We can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us” paraphrase of Philippians 4:13. Therefore we must take courage to strive for being completely holy unto God which means spirit, soul and body are all glorifying God in perfect unity. Yes, this requires commitment to God’s Word with the rewards of peace and life more abundantly. Just think the more freer you are the more freer you can help others to become. Like our earlier example of pulling weeds that whole weekend, if I would have said I always dream about weeds I would have given permission for the picture of weeds to re-occur in my dreams and/or visions. Be careful not to speak what you don’t desire because assuredly whatsoever you say you will have according to Mark 11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. KJV
Whether good or bad your words (spoken thoughts) will produce in your life, we hope that you have enough spiritual sense (God’s wisdom) to realize it.
Proverbs 18:20-21
20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. KJV
And Matthew 12:36-37
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. KJV
This is the reason all dreams and visions must be judged accurately and are not to be taken lightly. If we choose to ignore an ungodly thought that only came to us one time probably no damage can be done to us. However if we choose to ignore the same ungodly thought (dream, vision, image, etc…) that comes to us consistently we are choosing to allow the evil one’s influence in our mind. The best approach to defeat the evil one’s attacks against us is to be a doer of God’s Word by resisting the evil thought (dream, vision, image, etc…) in the Name of Jesus.
James 4:6-7
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. KJV
We submit to the scriptures from God first, then we take that same knowledge to resist the devil. We must know if the thought (dream, vision, image, etc…) is good or bad and if we identify the thought as bad according to God’s Word we must resist it. Standing looking at something is not resisting it but rather speaking to it by commanding it to, “Go in the Name of Jesus!” is scripturally resisting it. The first key is recognizing who is the source behind the thought and the second key is being diligent to cast it away from you and your family.
1 Peter 5:6-9
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. KJV
The responsibility to be successful here on this earth is squarely upon your shoulders because God has already given to mankind His Holy Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. If men decide to be diligent in their pursuit of holiness they will be able to judge any dream or vision through the grace of God. Now that we know each and every dream and/or vision must be judged according to God’s righteousness we will discuss some differences between the realm of soul and the realm of the spirit. Since both have access to spiritual activity one must use discretion to properly identify which realm they are in. The only way we know how to do this effectively is by the Holy Word of God through the illumination of God’s Holy Spirit.