Testing Dreams

God speaks through dreams, so it is important that we understand them well. This means that interpretation and testing of dreams is essential.

Some dreams are personal. Others are for the body of Christ or for a nation.

Testing Dreams
The interesting thing about a dream is that the content of the dream cannot really be challenged. The reality is that the dreamer saw what they saw in the dream, and no one can say they are wrong about what they have seen.

The most that a friend can do is challenge the source of dream. An insightful friend might suggest that a dream did not come from God, but came from the spiritual powers of evil. They might say that it came from the dreamer’s flesh, perhaps because they had overeaten.

The other problem with the content of a dream is that the dreamer might not have recorded it accurately or clearly. They might accidently leave out some key details from their account of the dream. Gentile questions by an honest fiend might clarify the details of the dream.

Interpretation of Private Dreams
The interpretation of a dream is different, because it is a human activity with potential for error, so testing of the interpretation of a dream is essential.

If the message of the dream is personal, the person receiving the dream will often be in the best position to interpret it, because they have the context within which it was received. If the dream is for their guidance, their current situation and the experience they are going through will be important for understanding the dream.

If the person receiving the dream is unable to interpret it, they should seek advice from a friend with insight into dream.

Once the interpretation of a dream has been worked out, a wise person will seek confirmation from others whom they trust that the interpretation is correct, before acting on the interpretation of their dream.

We tend to assume that a message received through a dream can always be trusted, because the message came directly from God without human intervention. However, the message of a dream is understood through interpretation and that is a human task that can go wrong. So, testing of dreams is as essential as testing as prophecies.