Influential psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung believe that dreams are simply ways that "can reveal a person's deepest unconscious wishes and desires." But a pastor declared that dreams are actually ways in which God communicates to people.
"As I share my findings, I hope you will recognize the diverse ways God speaks through dreams-and the impact these dreams have had on our world," Kendall Laughlin Jr., an author, coach and executive pastor of All Peoples Church in California, wrote on Charisma Magazine.
He noted that even the men in the Bible, like Jacob, have also encountered God through dreams. Thus, he pointed out that the LORD has been using dreams to guide people.
"Scripture is clear in that God is guiding us more than we realize, and He intends our dreams to be a significant means of His guidance," he said.
Laughlin then disclosed his own personal accounts wherein he saw how God utilized dreams to advance His kingdom.
First is about a Muslim man whom he only met during their trip to Lebanon for an outreach. The man approached the pastor and asked about the interpretation of his dream the other night. In the dream, the man saw Jesus walking in the water, inviting him to join Him.
The meaning of the dream was unveiled that evening.
"That night, we were able to see dozens of people, for the first time, encounter the freedom Jesus offers. People were healed, touched and changed as they searched for answers amid crisis," Laughlin shared.
Another circumstance is when a taxi driver dreamed about Jesus and the pastor was able to share the gospel because of it, changing the life of the former forever.
"This dream, and many others like it, have caused me to wonder-is God hiding in our dreams? Do dreams have spiritual keys to life's passages we might be neglecting? How do we know what our dreams mean?" he declared.
He revealed that his study about the spiritual impact of dreams led him to write the book, "The Dream Map."
Citing Joel 2:28-29, the pastor stressed the relevance of dreams in receiving God's revelations.
He expressed his belief that the LORD has been using dreams in shaping history, sharing about people whose dreams predicted the future and impacted the world.
Abraham Lincoln
Days before his assassination, Lincoln confessed to Ward Hill Lamon that he dreamed about his own wake in the White House.
Isaac Frauenthal
The New York lawyer and Titanic survivor dreamed about a shipwreck before boarding the ship in April 1912.
Winston Churchill
Biographer Martin Gilbert discovered the prime minister's letter to his friend, Sir Muirland Evans. In the letter, Churchill revealed about his dream, wherein London will be in danger and the responsibility to save the city and the empire will be on his shoulder.
Paul McCartney
The singer's songs, "Yesterday" and "Let It Be" are both inspired by his dreams.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Bernard Holland reportedly told The New York Times that Beethoven dreamed about his piano sonatas on instruments that have yet to be invented.
Dmitri Mendeleev
The chemist discovered about the Periodic Table of Elements in a dream, when he fell asleep while working on the orderly system of the elements' classification.
Dr. James Watson
The double helix was inspired by Watson's dream about two snakes intertwined at their heads.
Albert Einstein
The scientist saw the idea about the Theory of Relativity in a dream.
Larry Page
Page revealed during the commencement address at University of Michigan in 2009 that Google's inception actually came to him in a dream.
Elias Howe
His invention of the sewing machine was aided by his dream.
Laughlin emphasized that if God has been using dreams to impact the world, the Holy Spirit must have also used this to build the Church.
He added that almost all the theologians of the early church spoke about dreams. People like Martin Luther and Harriet Tubman were said to have received guidance through dreams, too.
Further, the pastor highlighted that as God reveals mysteries through dreams, he warned against "charlatans and fakes" who may use "divine revelation for personal gain." But he said that the Holy Spirit is able to provide "supernatural intuition" when people pray about their dreams.
Laughlin presented "truths" on how to gauge if dreams are from God.
First, they linger.
"Dreams from God have certain, intangible, spiritual qualities," he noted.
He also cited a statement from Dr. David Benner, saying that "vividness of these dreams often lasts a lifetime."
Next, they may have a "divine messenger."
"Scriptural dreams often record a divine messenger sent to the dreamer for a specific purpose," the pastor stated.
Third, they "may have overt scriptural themes or language."
He said that seeing a scriptural theme or symbol in a dream indicates that it is from God because what He is telling to people is affirmed by the Scripture.
Fourth, they cause people "to wake up in the presence of God."
Recalling Paul's experience in Acts 23:11, when he was visited by the presence of God, Laughlin shared about reports from people wherein they woke up "with a sense of peace, excitement or awe" after a "prophetic dream".
Fifth, they contain predictions that eventually happen in the future.
As stated in Deuteronomy 18:14-22, people will know if someone is a real prophet if his proclamations took place or came true. Thus, if a person's dream about something came to pass, it indicates that the dream has a "divine message."
Finally, if they pass the PEACE test.
"Peace is the indicator that we are receiving divine guidance from God, especially if peace is present in a situation that should not otherwise be peaceful," the pastor said.
Laughlin concluded by presenting his Biblical descriptions of God's voice through using the word "peace" as an acronym, which he said are the following:
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"Points to Jesus" (Revelation 19:11)
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Encourages people with hope, faith and love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
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"Agrees with the Scripture" (John 10:35)
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"Confirmed by community" (1 Corinthians 14:29)
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"Empowers life change" (Romans 12:1-2)
