We’ve been discussing dreams lately, and I want to share about supernatural dreams and how we can discern whether they are from the Lord. Sometimes a dream is just a “pizza dream,” but other times the Lord shares prophetic revelation with us.

      I have been sharing a series of live Q&A broadcasts with subscribers of Reed’s Revelations, an exclusive group within the MorningStar Ministries app. I invited people to ask questions about prophetic ministry, and some had to do with dreams.

      “What is the best way to discern whether a dream is from the Lord?” wrote one of the subscribers. “I've had many dreams come to pass, but also many that I thought were from the Lord that turned out not to be.”

      That is an excellent question. The best way to discern whether a dream is from the Lord is to develop your prophetic filter. Your prophetic filter is the personal frame of reference you use to evaluate whether something is from the Lord. You can develop this with help from the Holy Spirit.

      There is a certain feeling that comes with a God dream. You wake up, and it sticks with you. You may think, “Wow, this this is from the Lord.” Maybe the imagery was so vivid, your heart was racing when you woke up. It likely was not something that you were thinking about before you went to bed. It definitely leaves an imprint in your mind.

      Over time, you start to associate certain feelings and signals within you with the prophetic dreams you receive that come to pass when you are awake. You may associate A, B, and C with a God dream, and you can evaluate a new dream according to those factors. You may need to write your dreams down so you can look back on them and notice any patterns. I encourage you to write down, as best you can, all the details of any dreams you have that come to pass. I keep track of my dreams using the notes app on my cell phone, and it allows me to show others the exact dates I received the dreams.

      When you think about the God dreams you've had, what were the consistent themes? What was unique about the dreams? Which feelings came with these dreams? If a dream came to pass, were there any other signs something was going to happen? How did the dream make you feel? Did it affect you in other ways? Write down everything you can think of and make a checklist.

      Not every dream has to fit this list; you do not have to check every box each time. However, every time you evaluate a dream, you develop the language to be able to describe what happens when God is speaking through your dreams. You can begin to recognize any recurring themes for when God is speaking.

      Dreams from God are significant, even if we do not immediately know what they mean. Even Nebuchadnezzar, who couldn't recall his dream, knew that his dream was significant enough that he asked his astrologers and soothsayers to tell him what he dreamed and interpret it (see Daniel 2). Daniel the prophet did that with God’s help. After seeking God about it, he's the one who told the king his dream and its interpretation.                                                     

      So, it is important to seek God about dreams. As you became more attuned to them, you'll start recognizing what distinguishes God dreams from other dreams. They stand out uniquely, and each one has consistent markers. If you get a dream you think is from the Lord, test it or ask Him to reveal it to you. Ahead of time, you can even pray, “Lord, give me dreams that I'll know are from you. Show me what indicates a dream is from you or is just a mental construct.” Learning which recurring themes you can associate with God dreams is part of developing your prophetic filter and testing it.

      Job 33:14-18 tells us the purpose for prophetic dreams: “For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.” This passage is telling you God can give you a dream at night because your conscious mind is subdued. God can project images upon the screen of your subconscious mind as you sleep.

      Many people gauge whether a dream or word is prophetic by whether it fully comes to pass. However, receiving a dream or word about an upcoming event does not guarantee it will happen exactly as shown. Job 33:14-18 clearly tells us that prophetic dreams can also be for prevention. God can give you a prophetic dream to prevent you from dying by the sword, to cause you to change your action, to keep your soul from falling into the pit. There are also warning dreams. As with a lot of other prophecies, once you receive a warning dream, pray into it and take action. Your prayer can lessen, diminish, or delay the severity of whatever the warning may be.

      It’s important for each of us to develop our prophetic filters. That way, we can pray when we need to pray and act when we need to act. I discuss this more in my new book, Developing Your Prophetic Filter: How to Process the Prophetic, which is now available through the MorningStar Bookstore. Also, be sure to check out the MorningStar app and Reed’s Revelations.