UNDERSTANDING DREAMS AND VISIONS (Part III)

UNDERSTANDING DREAMS AND VISIONS (Part III)

Acts 2:17-18

¹⁷‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.

       I. UNDERSTANDING VISIONS

“Where there is no vision (revelation, oracle, perception, forethought, prophecy), the people perish.”  Proverbs 29:18

“Pictures are the language of the Holy Spirit”. Dr. Yonggi Cho

1.    Types of Visions

A.   Natural or day dreaming: an image in your mind produced by your imagination

(i.)          As you close your eyes, images pass through your mind.

(ii.)         These images can change according to words or circumstances

(iii.)        Pictures pass through our minds 24 hours a day, and many of these pictures are ignored because our minds are occupied with other thoughts while awake.

Definition - act are power of receiving abstract objects is if they were visible

B.   Spiritual: eyes closed or to gaze and inwardly see an inspired appearance or the opening of the physical (or spirit) eyes and ears to see and hear into the spirit realm.

2.    Purpose of Visions

A.   Visions and dreams have the same purpose, but visions occur during a conscious time and dreams during sleep.

B.   Through visions God can make Himself known (seen).

Numbers 12:6

⁶ Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.

C.   Visions can edify, encourage, confirm, give direction, show future events, or reveal God’s glory.

Ezekiel 8:4

⁴ And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

Hosea 12:10

¹⁰ I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”

3.    When, Where, How and to whom did visions come?

A.   Given to men and women alike

(i.)          While in meditation in their homes.

Acts 10:1-5

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ² a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ³ About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

(ii.)         In worship or prayer.

Acts 22:17-18

¹⁷ “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸ and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.

(iii.)        Balaam, Peter, Paul saw visions as if in a trance with eyes open.

(iv.)        Jeremiah had visions while in deep meditation.

(v.)         Zechariah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Ananias, John, Jesus with Peter, James and John, and the women at the tomb had visions during the course of their everyday lives.

4.    Results of Visions

A.   Lives were changed forever as God’s glory and power was revealed.

B.   People became humble and in awe, were cleansed, filled with compassion to heed God’s call, and received a burning desire to reach fallen humanity.  ACTS 9:3; Acts 26:19

C.   Whether coming out of sleep or going into sleep, awake or in a semi-trance, when a person saw a vision (outwardly or inwardly), God’s message was always clear, awesome, shaking. The person knew it was from the Lord and not just from their own thinking.

D.   Visions brought encouragement, strength, needed direction, and God’s word and covenant were confirmed.

5.    Are visions for Today?

A.   “Where there is no vision (spiritual revelation which is prophesied), the people perish ” Proverbs 29:18

B.   “And it shall come to pass in the last days . . . prophecy . . . visions . . . dreams.” (Acts 2:17-18)

C.   The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever!

6.    Preparing for Visions

“Imagination is more important than knowledge…knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein

“I want to know God‘s thoughts the rest are just details.” 

Albert Einstein

A.   Natural visualization necessary

(i.)          Imagination can change the world

(ii.)         Through vision you see ahead, solve problems and see yourself succeeding

B.   Control your Thought Life

Phil 4:7-8

⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

     II. INTERPRETING DREAMS

A. Natural Dream Symbols and What They Represent

Symbols                                                                                                                         Definition

Bus or                                                                                                                                  Crowds

Dust                                                                                                                                Confusion

House                                                            Your own view of yourself

Car                                                                Not only transportation, but male ego

Travel                                                            Your life’s journey

Treasures                                                      Ego part of us

Money                                                           Our energy also a desire for security and Power

Clothes                                                          Our inner feelings

Water (drowning)                                           Source of Life

Circles                                                                                                                           Wholeness

Lower floor of tall building                              Physical condition

Upper floor of tall building                              Mental State

Basement                                                       Inner man / spirit of man

Sex          Thought of committing adultery or balancing of masculine & feminine natures

Wars / Battles                                                 Battle going on inside

Falling                                       Feeling helpless, not on solid ground psychologically

Falling MYTH                           That you will die in real life if you hit the ground in a dream

Holding on to a ledge                                     Barely hanging on to a bit of growth

Someone else driving you around                 You feel you do not have control of your life

Flying                                                             Escaping real life

Paralyzed                                                       Desire to avoid danger (coming out of REM)

Naked                                                       Desire to release inhibitions / to be a child again

Taking a test                                                   Facing a test in real life

Being late                                                       Goal you fear you may not reach

Losing teeth                         Losing your grip or bite on a situation, fear of losing looks

Animals

Charging animals or people chasing you     Your emotions, either aggressive part of us

                                                                      or raging fear

Other animals                                                Our emotions, desires, or creative expression

Birds                         Our thoughts, ideas, even spiritual beings, such as eagles, doves

Snakes                                                           Subtlety, trickery, danger and fear

Large Animals                                                Imitation

Weather Conditions

Storms                                                             Storm going on in your life (look at the setting)

Colors

Red                                                                  Passion…Anger salvation and courage

White                                                                Purity holy

Black                                                                Fear, Evil

Blue                                                                  Hope, healing. Also the blues

Yellow                                                               Fear or lack of courage

Green                                                               Life

Types of People

Police, Judge, etc.                                Authority, such as parents, church, your conscious

Kings, Presidents, etc.                         Good quality leadership in you

Criminals, liars, etc.                              Bad part of you, part out of balance

Shadows                                              Undeveloped areas of your life

Babies                                                  New areas of growth

Death in a Dream

Dying              Part of you that is dying out, such as bad habits,

                       or a good quality dying in you that you have ignored or self ego is dying

Note: Physical death is usually illustrated symbolically.

Ex.  Butler and Baker.....

Biblical numerology

Number one is unity

Number two is agreement

Number three is the transit Trinity

Number four represents the earth the four corners of the earth

Number five represents Grace

Number six represents The number of man

Number seven represents perfection

Number eight represents New beginnings

number 9 represents the gifts of the spirit manifest

Number 10 represents judgment

Number 11 represents Mercy

Number 12 represents the government of God

Number 13 represents double either double blessings or double curses

GIANTS

GIANTS

1 Samuel 17:1-51

 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. ³ And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. ⁴ And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. ⁶ And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. ⁷ And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. ⁸ And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

¹² Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. ¹³ And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth-lehem. ¹⁶ And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. ¹⁷ And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; ¹⁸ And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. ¹⁹ Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ²⁰ And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. ²¹ For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. ²² And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. ²³ And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. ²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. ²⁵ And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. ²⁶ And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ²⁷ And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. ²⁸ And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. ²⁹ And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ³⁰ And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner. ³¹ And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.

³² And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. ³³ And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ³⁴ And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: ³⁵ And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. ³⁶ Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. ³⁸ And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. ⁴⁰ And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. ⁴³ And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. ⁴⁵ Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ⁴⁶ This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. ⁴⁸ And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. ⁵³ And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. ⁵⁴ And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

INTRO

       I. HOW GIANTS IN THE BIBLE WERE FORMED

Gen 6:4

⁴ There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Giants in the Bible come from Nephilim (Gen 6:4) – Means violent or causing to fall

     II. HOW GIANTS ARE FORMED IN OUR LIFE

1.      Sin that becomes deeply rooted in family

Familiar Spirits – Deep rooted problems in your family (iniquity) that has demonic origin.

2.      Can Manifest as:

Systemic Poverty  - Lying  - Divorce  -  Sexual Perversion  -  Barriers to Progress - Mental Illness  -  Inability to Cope with Stress

Once giants die, that which they occupied becomes yours

3.      Giants aim to keep you out of your Promised Land

Numbers 13:33 – 14:1-4

³³ And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

¹ And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. ² And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! ³ And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? ⁴ And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

  III. HOW GIANTS MANIFEST

1.      They show up when you least expect them – David just showed up “David heard them” (v. 23)

2.      They love to challenge you. – They won’t leave you be  (v 8-9) – Every day for 40 days

3.      They specialize in provoking Fear  but they are never hat they seem to be– (v.11) “dismayed and greatly afraid” 

 IV. HOW TO DEFEAT YOUR GIANT

1.      Make up your mind you will fight your giant (v.32) “thy servant will go and fight”

2.      Don’t look at your own ability (v. 33) thou art not able

3.      Don’t consider the giants track record.  (v. 34) “a man of war from his youth”

4.      Consider your history with God –Fight on your own terms lion and bear

5.      Rest in Covenant (v. 36) Uncircumcised

6.      Don’t underestimate your anointing “I have not proved them”

7.      You must draw near your giant. (v. 40)  He drew near and ran”

8.      Overcome demonically induced intimidation. (v. 44)  “Philistine cursed David by his gods

9.      Know who’s Battle it is “I come to you in the name of the Lord

10.  Talk Smack to your Giant

⁴⁶ This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel  ⁴⁷ And all this   assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

11.  Set up a memorial