UNDERSTANDING VISIONS AND DREAMS 1

"AS for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, AND DANIEL HAD UNDERSTANDING IN ALL VISIONS AND DREAMS."
Daniel 1:17 (ESV)

1. SO passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
2. AND A VISION APPEARED TO PAUL IN THE NIGHT. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
   Acts 16:8,9 (NKJV)

• Dreams and Visions are the words used interchangeably in the Bible.

• Dreams and Visions are used to mean a message, an information, or a plan of God being communicated to an individual (Genesis 37:5-10; Acts 16:8,9).
• In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul had a vision about going to Macedonia, in which a Man of Macedonia was asking him to come to their place and help them. The Bible called it, a night vision (Acts 16:8,9).
• Before Paul had that encounter, he and his team had had a problem in knowing where they ought to go for ministry work.
• They had wanted to go to some places, but the Holy Spirit did forbid them to go: 6 NOW when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, THEY WERE FORBIDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, BUT THE SPIRIT DID NOT PERMIT THEM" (Acts 16:6,7 NKJV).
• Paul probably had the vision when he was sleeping in the night. Whatever is revealed to you when you are in a deep sleep is called a dream (Matthew 1:20; 2:13,19).
• A dream could be from God, the devil, and the activities of the day: "FOR A DREAM COMES THROUGH MUCH ACTIVITY..." (Ecclesiastes 5:3 NKJV).
• The dream from the devil, a demon, or human beings who are loyal to the devil might not have any significant meaning.
  MUCH attention and credibility should not be given to such a dream. Such dreams are usually not a good one and without any tangible meaning (Ecclesiastes 5:7).
• You might not readily understand the meaning of such dreams, because they are manipulatively and demonically influenced.
• A dream gotten through much activity should be discarded and not be given any consideration or credibility as well (Ecclesiastes 5:3,7).
• A demonic dream should not be fretted about, just pray on it and discard it in your mind.
• If you live in a neighborhood infested with demons and their activities, you might be having bizarre dreams—weird or unusual dreams.

• Take note: If the house you live or where you operate your business or work is given to idols or demonic activities (Acts 17:16); you may discover that your sleep are always manipulated, like seeing some strange things in your dreams—things scary and terrifying.

• Such things are usually caused by the operative powers in the environment. It does mean demons are present in that neighborhood.
• Demons are cultural. Some demons that have been in certain places would not want to leave the Community, Town, City, or Region (Mark 5:10).
• The demons in the mad man of Gadarenes did beg Jesus not to drive them away from that community or region: "THEN THE EVIL SPIRITS BEGGED HIM [Jesus] again and again NOT TO SEND them to SOME DISTANT PLACE" (Mark 5:10 NLT).
• They pleaded He should allow them to go into the herds of swine in the place (Mark 5:8-13; Luke 8:30-33).
• Jesus also talked about the city of Pergamos, one of the cities that letters were written in Asia minor, in the Book of Revelation 2:12,13: “AND to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, AND WHERE YOU DWELL, WHERE SATAN'S THRONE IS. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, WHERE SATAN DWELLS."
• Satan's presence was strong in Pergamos because the throne of Satan was said to be in that city.
• The church in Pergamos faces certain challenges because of the activities of Satan and demons in that city.
• The Presence of Satan and demonic activities are more and stronger in certain areas or places; Communities, Towns, Cities, or Regions, than others (Revelation 2:13; Acts 17:16).
• Thus, If you live in a house, community, town or city where demonic activities are prevalent or stronger, your sleep in the night might always be manipulated, If you are not up to par spiritually (Acts 17:16).
• A carnal Christian who lives in such an environment would always experience different manipulative Dreams—dreams that are manipulated by demons or those who are agents of the devil like satanists, occultists, and those who are diabolical or fetish (2 Peter 2:8).

• NOTE: If you live or operate your business, vocation or work, in an environment clouded with darkness where a number of evil altars have been raised or erected; it might affect not only your sleeping or dreams, but the economic activities of yours (Acts 17:16).

• An environment where those who are strong in satanism, occultism, Idolatry, and other evil practices are living or have their altars or places of worship—shrines and temples (Acts 17:16; 19:27,28; 2 Peter 2:8).
• An environment where you have the like satanists, occultists, witches, witch doctors or herbalists, and others who operate with demons; may affect you economically if you operate a business or do any work in such a place, If you are not strong as a Believer. Whoever would go to a strong man's house, the devil's house, must bind him first (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27).
• If you work under an occultist Boss or learn a trade or serve as an apprentice under a Satanist, your Life may have been touched by such and it might affect your progress negatively in whatever you do, especially If you are not a serious Believer.
• If you had swindled or stolen money or any other material thing from the fetish or the occultist Boss of yours. It may affect your progress or success economically If you had not repented and possibly do a restitution (Luke 19:8).
• If you live or do business in a house that has been dedicated to satanism, Idolatry, or occultism, that may also affect you spiritually and physically, or economically.
• If you had eaten with the devil so to speak (1 Corinthians 10:21); You will need to repent genuinely and be dedicated to God fully: "18 AND MANY WHO HAD BELIEVED CAME CONFESSING AND TELLING THEIR DEEDS. 19 ALSO, MANY OF THOSE WHO HAD PRACTICED MAGIC BROUGHT THEIR BOOKS TOGETHER AND BURNED THEM IN THE SIGHT OF ALL. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver" (Acts 19:18,19 NKJV).

1. BUT God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
2. AND HAVING BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, you became slaves of righteousness.
3. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. FOR JUST AS YOU PRESENTED YOUR MEMBERS AS SLAVES OF UNCLEANNESS, AND OF LAWLESSNESS LEADING TO MORE LAWLESSNESS, SO NOW PRESENT YOUR MEMBERS AS SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HOLINESS.
4. For WHEN YOU WERE SLAVES OF SIN, you were free in regard to righteousness.
5. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? FOR THE END OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH.
6. BUT NOW HAVING BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, AND HAVING BECOME SLAVES OF GOD, YOU HAVE YOUR FRUIT TO HOLINESS, and the end, EVERLASTING LIFE.
7. For the wages of sin is death, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. But God be thanked that THOUGH YOU WERE SLAVES OF SIN, YET YOU OBEYED FROM THE HEART THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE TO WHICH YOU WERE DELIVERED."
   Romans 6:17-23 (NKJV)

• However, the dream which has its source from God are always self explanatory.
  GOD would not speak to you as His son or daughter that you would have the need to meet someone else to interpret the dream for you.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED