Mystery of Dreams Blog

blog photo Recently I attended an Arthur Burk Seminar for "social entrepreneurs" called Starting Right. In the past, receiving from Arthur has been akin to taking a drink from a fire hydrant-- and this time was no excepiton. I have attempted to organize the download of material below. May your spirit capture the essence of that which flowed in the seminar, and may you choose to strategically grow in authority and dominion. May you take the calculated risks necessary--in accordance with your design to be a dangerous change agent for the Kingdom of God!

Social Entrepreneurs change the values and structures in a sector of society.
There is a sequence:

Lead with the Spirit (rather than focusing on the structure)
Change the values first (then the structure will change)
Make progress weekly
Use many resources
Build sustainably!

Being a social entrepreneur requires skill and spiritual dominion:

Skill sets alone are not good enough…. you need spiritual dominion
When encounter difficulties/problems-- go to God:
- Is this You or the enemy?
- Where am I in scripture? (many times God will show you in the form of an event or incident in scripture—look for the hidden things in that passage which will give insight and wisdom into your situation)
Lean into God—to produce changes in the Spirit what can’t be done otherwise.

We get discouraged because our expectations do not line up with what God does promise.
God only makes 3 guarantees:

God Monitors all things- everything surrounding you and your life is monitored by Father God
Everything that happens to you is Metered by God: everything is “Father filtered”
Your life will have Meaning: but it will be meaning on HIS terms and may not look like what you were expecting.

What is NOT guaranteed: success, peace, joy, your time table, safety, understanding.

The western church culture uses pain as a measure of success in our Christian walk.
REPUDIATE PAIN AS A METRIC OF ANYTHING!

Lead with the Spirit
Our inclination is to deal with structural issues first to make social change in an environment—this is backwards

Deal with the spiritual ream first before dealing with the structure
Build spiritual authority
- We need to become big spirited so God can do things His way
- We need to grow in our ability not to be overwhelmed in the spirit!
Need to settle you Father issues: know who provides! (God!—not your skills, not the church, not others)
ALLOW God to choose what He will do
Renounce the lie of powerlessness
- Poverty spirit
- Spirit of slavery--- the spirit of slavery requires liquid assets to get things done—the slave wants the finished product. The spirit of sonship sees the raw materials available to get the job done.
  - Get the scales removed from your eyes to see the raw materials and value the “wealth” that you have! (think older brother in the prodical son story—he was desiring the “liquid assets” that were dispersed to the younger brother (operating in a slave mentality) and missed the fact that EVERTYTHING the father had was available to him!)
Break unscriptural social contracts
- ex: "God owes you an explanation"—lay down your right to know why!
Reframe your definition of success
- Pain is not a metric of success.
- Success in a venture is not guaranteed—MEANING is guaranteed (on God’s terms)

When we are immature in our relationship with God, we need instant confirmation that we are doing His will. As we mature, it may take YEARS until we get the confirmation of whether we missed it or not! We need to trust that there will be meaning whether or not we can see it at the time—this promise is the foundation of our relationship with God.

What are you doing to cooperate with God to get something done that He has deposited in you?

The victim spirit often gets in there telling us it is right for things to be wrong. The devil often offers his best right before God offers His best!

It’s often easier to do 3rd level synchronization when nothing is going on than when something is going on—because when something is going on --we try to control it!

Remember: Pain is not a metric of whether or not you are walking in the will of God!!

Change the Values First (and the structure will follow)
The problem is people’s belief system.

Identify the stronghold
Identify the core value opposite of the stronghold
Grow in authority and dominion in the opposite spirit thru a thousand small right choices
Our cooperation with God will produce asymmetrical results
The “good life”—is not necessarily the “God life”

The Story of Telemakus—example of 3rd level synchronization social entrepreneur—his actions ended the coliseum games and initiated a change in the tide of the culture which actually lead the Roman Empire to fall! One man who followed God and brought down an empire! Now that is social change!

Telemakus was a monk who lived in the 4th century. He lived a simple life. (1st level synchronization.) Was asked to go to Rome--- didn’t know how he was going to get there or what he was supposed to do once he got there (3rd level synchronization). Once he got there, he ended up following the crowds into a coliseum during a gladiator fight. He was so appalled at what was going on that he cried out “in the name of God desist!” His cry was unheard, so he walked further down in the stadium and cried “in the name of God, desist!” still unheard, he walked into the midst of the gladiators and ultimately was killed there, crying out “In the name of God desist!” There was a silence, and one by one, the crowd left. His dying act caused a shift in the cultural acceptance of the games – they lost favor with the people—and since the games were also a means of income for the Roman Empire, the loss of it significantly impacted the economic stability of the Empire, which eventually led to its fall.

Now think about this in terms of our cultural perspectives of:

Success: (his attempt to intervene and stop the event didn’t look terribly successful at the time)
Peace: (this was not likely a peaceful process) • Joy (I am thinking he was not particularly feeling the “joy of the Lord” at the time)
Timetable: (he never saw the results, and his was the first ripple in the process that did not reach its culmination for years)
Pain: (if he believed that experiencing pain was a meter of being in the perfect will of God, then he would have avoided the whole situation and likely missed his destiny!)
Safety: (God used him to change a nation, and apparently his safety was not guaranteed in the process)
Understanding: (there is no indication that Telemakus understood why God was asking him to go to Rome, or what the ultimate purpose was. It is likely that even at the time of his death he felt like he had failed and had no idea of the way his death would impact the Empire.

Note that God Monitored the entire situation.
He Metered and filtered what He believed the monk could endure.
Telemakus' life had insurmountable Meaning (albeit after his death)
As he was led by the Spirit, Telemakus came in the opposite spirit, and changed the values which ultimately took down the structure. one act producing asymmetrical results.

We change values by telling our stories: TELL YOUR STORY
Sound was God’s first and most important tool. God spoke creation/structure into being.
Genesis 1: the earth was without form and void. Lack of directionality—free fall—can’t get out of it—no way out, “outer darkness”

The first thing God did was MOVE TOWARD IT PERSONALLY!
- God does messes—as we experience this , then we can walk in it
- When we are messed up, he moves toward our brokenness
Then He imposed his dominion over the darkness
Next, He released sound and created with sound Spiritual structures ride on sound.

God has taken you thru incredible things—the pain you have gone thru—the choices you have made give you a moral right to speak into peoples lives.

Being right—versus having the moral right to speak into others lives.
Speaking right things are pointless if you don’t have the authority to speak with things you speak!

We are change agents of the Most High with the power of God behind us.

Tell your story—not your vision.

Make Progress Weekly

If the devil can convince you that you’re blocked—he’s won
You have to be obedient or disobedient. There is no middle ground.
Embrace changing values at the expense of personal pain! • Voluntarily embrace pain for what you value
3 biggest stumbling blocks:
1. “It’s too hard”
2. “You don’t understand”
3. Belief that God’s standard is too high—so applying discipline is unfair

God is not worried about his reputation (or yours in some cases!):

Elijah was told to move in with a gentile widow- in a small town- can you imagine the gossip? Then the widow stops shopping for 1 ½ years--- did they think that was Elijah stealing for her too??
Reece Howard who had a reputation for healing the sick, healed a man, who then died! Go figure!

God’s agenda transcends our reputation.

Envision it!

God often gives us a picture of what we are working towards in the future—though it may get “reframed” along the way
Dreamers—taste and savor the end product before it happens
Daily step into whatever God brings before you even when you don’t understand why—“I believe—help me in my disbelief!”
Engage in whatever God brings before you—whether or not you can see how it fits or not
When the student is ready, the teacher will show up!

It is OK to have process!

It is OK to “be”
Today you are a source of pleasure and power in God’s hand! God is strategic
Savor the fact that God is not intimidated by your brokenness!
We are a card in God’s hand: He plays the card that you are—not worrying about the card that you’re not.
Again: God plays the card that you are, not the card that you wish you were or think you should be!
God always has one more move…..

Get out of survival mode:

When we are in survival mode we don’t take risks because doing nothing is safer than taking the risk.
Much of the church is operating in survival mode.
How do you spell faith? R*I*S*K! (thank you John Wimber!)

When embarking on a project we want to do the outside work first— Start with your spirit because HE knows where He’s taking you and you don’t!

There is an uprising in the church of monastic communities—praying and fasting for external change—But they have no earned authority.
Remember: speaking the right thing is pointless if you don’t have the authority to speak the things you speak!!
Instead, you need to look at the organization/government/city you want to change, find out the iniquity operating there—the principle of God being violated and embrace the value that is the opposite.
Only after a thousand small righteous choices will you gain the earned authority to bring about social change in the environment.

leeza pic Things may get worse before they get better!

Don't you hate it when people tell you that? In a culture of fast food and plastic surgery, we are practically programmed for expectations of instant gratification. We feel entitled to good things and get easily discouraged when things don't dramatically improve immediately with the slightest movement on our part. Many times we bring these cultural attitudes into our relationship with God-- especially concerning healing and deliverance. We begin our healing process and become immediately discouraged or even disillusioned because things are not turned around as quickly as we anticipated. We complain because a onetime prayer session didn't unravel years of bad decisions. We lament as we struggle to figure out which renouncement or pronouncement will be the "magic prayer" to release us from years of generational toxic waste. Our vision becomes narrow and distorted as we view our circumstances thru the lens of our own pain and struggles, rather than that of a Sovereign God who is invested in far more than our own personal comfort.

Yet, at the same time, there is a valid expectation that God is able to change things in the twinkling of an eye-- He is able to instantaneously turn things around and propel us into our destiny. He is able to bring immediate freedom from bondage and sin.

Then there are those of us who have invested years in our healing process- repentance, proclamations, deliverance, generational renouncements, Christian counseling, Theophostic, Sozo..........you name it, we've tried it-- and you guessed it-- in some arenas things are actually worse-- as Bob Wiley says to his shrink in What about Bob?....."I'm doing the stuff!!!" Aaahhhhhhh!

This is the tension we contend with daily-- our attitudes and expectations versus God's ways which of course, we don't really comprehend. When we embark on a healing journey and things seem to get worse, we often need help in discerning the true nature of our circumstances--Here are some questions to ponder:

Is this a sin issue? Spiritual warfare? -- If so--what is the legal ground? An opportunity for painful growth? A time for sacrifice? A time to sow in tears? A time to face natural consequences? Are we seeking something outside of the timing of God? --Soulishly pushing into issues that can only be properly negotiated thru the leading of the Holy Spirit? Yikes! No wonder we need to press into God-- healing the human soul and spirit is far too complex for our tiny brains!

Today I am going to address bad dreams and inner healing-- as well as some dream diagnostics to consider when one embarks on a healing process that seems to have gone awry. For those who use their dream life as a gauge for the spiritual climate in their life, it can be disconcerting to have a string of bad dreams after beginning the process of healing prayer. Aren't things supposed to get better? Shouldn't you start having healing dreams... or at least, some good understandable self condition dreams? What does it mean when the prayer times meant to bring healing and peace trigger a slew of bad or even demonic dreams?

Well, before you start to fall into fear, discouragement or worse... here are some things to consider and leverage to position yourself to move forward; or in the worse case scenario: fail forward!

Oozing Issues
Most healing prayer times/experiences are incomplete--- if this is an issue that has been "festering" for awhile, the initial prayer time can be like ripping a scar off an infected wound--- all the pus starts pouring out! In this kind of scenario, you might start having soul dreams processing the gunk that remains. These dreams can be distressing but helpful in identifying prayer points so you can specifically address the unresolved/raw areas which still need healing. While it may feel like you can't get away from your issues (you live them all day, then dream them all night); if you pay attention to these dreams -- you can quickly identify the unresolved areas of healing you still need to work on. As you fully process the issues, the dreams will lessen and eventually go away. You can actually chart your progress thru these dreams ("Oh good!-- This time I wasn't paralyzed when they tried to steal my purse-- I fought back!)

With soul or self condition dreams, my motto is: pray them once, then release them to God and move on! Pray the parts of the dream that disturb you "Lord, help me to safeguard the authority you have entrusted to me-- help me to identify any ways in which I am vulnerable to giving others opportunity to usurp that which belongs to me-- show me any legal ground..." etc. Thank God for the positives shown in the dream (thank you Lord that my hair was amazing even though I let them steal my purse! (It's important to have an accurate view of yourself and not overemphasize the bad as this opens you up to the mesmerizing spirit ) Then release the dream and its issues to God, and wait for the next dream to chart your progress!

Deeper Wounding
Sometimes we (and those praying for us) are unaware of the true nature and depth of our wounding. In cases like this, a well intentioned prayer/therapy/healing time can be like opening Pandora’s box. When there is hidden trauma, our spirits need a high capacity to experience and hold on to God's presence to be able to negotiate and face the trauma. It is mandatory that God is the one directing the timing and focus of the healing-- not a gung-ho therapist or even our own desire to face things and get on with life. The dreams that come from unintentionally opening up a deep trauma that you are not prepared to face, can be out of control fear dreams at night and anxiety during the day. Dreams where you face terror, fear or feel powerless -- dreams where you re-live the trauma again and again and feel triggered when you wake up. This is a sign that things are not in order and may need to be shut down or refocused because (1) it is not the appropriate time (2) people helping you lack the necessary resources or experience to address the underlying issues with which you are dealing (2) the healing needs to be refocused by the Holy Spirit (3) there is a capacity issue which prevents you from moving forward in addressing painful issues or causes you to get "stuck" in the trauma (4) the issue is only being addressed in the soul and deeper spiritual trauma issues are being exposed.
Here are some links to some excellent resources giving additional info on capacity and healing:

The Life Model
Brain Science, Emotional Trauma, and the God who is with us
Immanuel, Emotional Healing, and Capacity

Demonic Vulnerability
When someone is severely traumatized, many times they are opened up to the demonic (thru the actual trauma or their own wrong response from the fear or pain) When trauma gets opened up and is not handled properly, the unresolved issues may give the enemy legal ground to attack thru demonic dreams and harassment. This can come from (1) unaddressed inner vows (2) word curses spoken over you (3) generational curses on your gift, destiny, name, design (4) ungodly spiritual ties, soul ties or community ties (4) sin/wrong responses to pain which have not been repented (5) deception (6) unaddressed/unidentified connections between dissociated parts and higher level demonic beings (7) intentional programming from government or cult groups one was been exposed to knowingly or unknowingly

Opening up a Curse
Sometimes when we get to a certain point in our healing "all hell" seems to break out. This can be a sign that one has opened up a generational curse. These curses can be associated with a number of things. (1) It can be a curse associated with healing process (i.e. if anyone in the family addresses these issues they will be cursed, if you speak these issues out loud--you will be cursed, if you betray the evil--you will be cursed etc.) (2) it can be a curse which is activated when you reach a certain level of health, revelation or step into your destiny/design/gifting. (3) It can be a curse which is activated when you commit a little sin in an arena in which one of your ancestors committed iniquity (violating God's law/principles- especially if they used their gifting to transgress)
Usually these curses are a result of an ancestor making an intentional or implicit transaction with the enemy to get power by selling off future generations. (Think masons, witchcraft, cults, druids, secret societies etc.)You can check the Archives for more on how to address such curses.

Warfare gone awry
One thing we must always be aware of during a prayer or worship time is what we are lining ourselves up with. Unfortunately, in our zeal, the body of Christ often ends up taking on the enemy unintentionally thru well intentioned but ill advised prayers and words. We end up engaging the enemy instead of letting the light we carry drive out the darkness and this gives the enemy legal ground to engage us.....which can mean a slew of demonic dreams.
Here is a short primer:
(1) It is all about legal ground.
(2) We have been given dominion over the earth. If we see a demon, we have the legal right as Sons of God to tell it to leave. (Now if you have not taken away the legal ground it has in someone's life, or on the land, etc. it can come back again. This is why many deliverance times are an exercise in futility and completely unnecessary. Take care of the legal ground (sin, lie, deception etc) and the demonic will leave on its own as John 1:5 reminds us: the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it....
(3) We have NOT been given dominion over the heavens. So we do not naturally have authority over higher level celestial or cosmic beings (Note Michael the archangel told Satan "the LORD rebuke you") Jude 8 warns: in the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. When we "shout" down the spirit of abortion, Jezebel, Satan, etc, we are taking on these principalities and powers outside of the parameters that God has established for us. This gives the enemy legal ground to attack us. So if you attend a prayer meeting where you tell Satan where to go, then start having dreams about a him coming after you--- repent for going outside the authority structure that God has established, appropriate the blood of Jesus, and the torment will stop.
Sometimes it is a little more subtle. If you are partnering with or a member of an organization or church group that has taken on principalities and powers in a wrong manner, the enemy can follow those "ties" right to you! So be aware of what you are partnering with! In these cases you can renounce that particular practice and ask God to sever those particular ties with the group, while affirming all that is good. You can even leverage that situation to repent for/pray for and bless the group with wisdom and discernment as they are inevitably feeling the consequences of such actions!
Additional resources on this issue:

Needless Casualties of War

Understanding the Powers

Covenant with Death
The last issue I want to address which can come up in the midst of one's healing journey and reveal itself in your dream life is opening up a covenant with death as referenced in Isaiah 28:

You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death,
       with the grave we have made an agreement.
       When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
       it cannot touch us,
       for we have made a lie our refuge
       and falsehood our hiding place."

In this scenario, an ancestor makes a covenant with death (think-- selling off the generations for avoiding the consequences of evil and avoidance of death.) Then when a person many generations later wishes they were dead, has suicidal thoughts etc, it opens up the covenant and is magnified. One may start having uncontrollable suicidal thoughts and dreams in which they are trying to die or kill themselves. In prayer times, the demonic hides behind this covenant (there is legal ground for them to stay--- the person's which that they were dead)
Another scenario is when a mother wants to abort her child, but doesn't. The child's spirit can perceive this and want to die- aligning themselves with the spirit of death and affirming a generational covenant. Thoughts of suicide may become overwhelming during the time that the mother, years earlier was contemplating abortion.
If the mother did have an abortion, she may have unintentionally opened up a covenant with death and experience suicidal thoughts- becoming stronger on the anniversary of her abortion.
In dealing with these and other scenarios, the answer is simple-- repentance, and taking refuge in God as outlined in Isaiah 28:

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
     "See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone
     a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
     the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

     I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line;
     hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
     and water will overflow your hiding place.
     Your covenant with death will be annulled;
     your agreement with the grave will not stand.

My favorite part of this scripture is when it goes on the describe how the demonic will experience "sheer terror" from this message as the scourge comes and washes them away-- mornimg after morning; day by night...

So as you embark on your healing journey, I bless you.
May you relentlessly pursue a deeper relationship with your God and Lord.
I bless your ability to position yourself so that God is the author of your healing.
I bless you with peace in the knowledge that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!
I bless you with discernment of God's seasons and provisions. May God protect you from any influences: internal or expternal, that would soulishly try to push you prematurely into a place outside of the timing or resources of God.
I bless your ability to discern those who are safe to share and partner with in your healing journey.
May God lead you to those who posess the wisdom, experience and resources to accompany you on this journey.
I bless you to appropriate the blood of Jesus over any areas in your life which remain uncovered through your own sin or wrong responses to pain. Likewise, I bless your ability to appropriate the blood of Jesus over any generational issues which remain uncovered, by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

As you battle things "not of this world", I bless you with wisdom to discern when zeal is circumventing the ways of God. I bless you to position yourself under the authority structure that God has designed for our protection- and to allow Him to fight the battles for us that are beyond our design or earned authority.

I bless you to take dominion and authority over your dream life-- even when it feels negative and out of control. May your spirit rule over your soul and may you access the resources of heaven as you sleep.
I bless you to position yourself to receive healing and spiritual dreams.
I bless your ability to lucid dream-- that you may take care of some issues as you sleep!
I bless your ability to "dream forward"-- trusting that God can help you to leverage even the most negative or demonic dreams to your advantage.

For those of you who are afraid to go to sleep at night because of tormenting dreams, I bless you with a revelation of the Love of God-- as perfect love casts out all fear.
May your capacity to receive from Jesus--the lover of your soul grow and grow!
Drink deeply from the river of life--- dip into the healing waters and wash away the residue of pain and sin! Appropriate all that God has for you--his beloved child.
Pursue the truth and trust that the truth --no matter how painful or difficult to bear-- will indeed set you free.

I bless you,
in Jesus' name.

Lately, I have been receiving a lot of despairing emails and calls from people who have been plagued by bad dreams—so much that they have considered asking God to shut down their dream life altogether. Now these aren’t your average bad dreams—these are devastating dreams; with witches, demons, robbers & evil men- trying to rape, kill, and terrorize. The kind of dreams where you wake up in a cold sweat and start to dread going to sleep each night. The kind of dreams your spouse has to awaken you from because you are groaning in your sleep. The kind of dreams that rob you of sleep and drain you of energy even in your waking hours.Ugh.

While I totally understand the despair, I would like to offer an alternative response: embrace these dreams as the gifts they are.This may seem crazy—but let me tell you a story I just heard which may give you a new perspective.The story (heard on a Plumbline Ministries video) goes something like this: a man and his son were driving together. The son looked up and was disturbed to see a number of vultures circling in the sky. “There must be a dead animal somewhere,” he sadly exclaimed. His father wisely pointed out that if the animal were, in fact, dead, then the vultures would have landed. Then the dad asked the child what he thought they could do if they were going to help the wounded animal. The son pondered this, then said, “Well, I guess we wouldn’t want to kill the vultures—because they are our marker for where the wounded animal is.”
Exactly.The demonic is the marker for the wounding. So let me give you a strategy for leveraging demonic harassment in your dreams to greater healing and spiritual dominion.

(1)   Choose to put things in proper perspective. If dark spiritual influences could kill you- believe me--you would already be dead! If the worst thing they can do is give you a bad dream—yes, it is annoying, but seriously, it is just a bad dream! Don’t put too much weight on it—instead leverage it for change.

(2)   “Dream forward!” (leverage the dream). This requires an action plan. Here are some suggestions—
     ·         Interpret the dream- in general, what is the main essence of the dream? (i.e. let’s say that a witch is stabbing you in you on the couch in your livingroom, and you tell her to leave in the name of Jesus, but she doesn’t . The essence of this dream is that witchcraft – perhaps word curses are preventing you from finding rest/peace in your day to day life and that you do not have the authority to deal with it at this time.
    ·         Look for clues as to the arena—is this occurring at work, home, spiritual community, in your friendships? Drilling down to the specifics is essential to putting this all to an end!
     ·         Note the feelings in the dream- (likely the big 6--fear, anger, shame, disgust, sadness and hopeless) These feelings are the manifestation of the wounding, sin , or generational issues – and succumbing to them often throws the door wide open to further harassment.
     ·         Pay particular attention to “proclamations” made in the dream—by yourself or others. These can give you strategies for dealing with the situation/issues opening you up to such dreams.
     ·         Be attentive to what works and what doesn’t work in the dream—it’s been said that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result! (In the dream above, calling on the name of Jesus doesn’t work—which implies that there is legal ground for the attack (think generational, or intentional occult activity in your own life for which you have not fully repented- could also be aligning yourself with a group that is engaging in witchcraft (knowingly or unknowingly) In a legal ground issue, you can tell it to leave all you want, but until you repent for the initial entry point, you won’t be able to fully appropriate the blood of Jesus.
     ·         Pray the dream. The great thing about praying a dream, is that you don’t even have to understand it! Just pray the dream line by line asking for wisdom, resources, strategies, revelation, at each point in the dream. Pray for revelation of the specific legal ground which has opened you up to this attack, or if it is a training dream, look for evidence of what areas of earned authority and dominion you need to develop.
     ·         Don’t take revelation from a dark dream. Consider it a marker showing you there is an issue which needs to be dealt with—go to God for the revelation, not the dream. (So if a witch or dark being talks to you in the dream, consider the source- their allegiance is to the Father of lies) I only use it as a reference point for strategies to come in the opposite spirit. So if they tell me that I will never get ahead, I think, “hmmmmm this is a strategy to keep me from moving forward into something good that God has for me,” and pray to that effect. If they say “I will kill you” I think “Hmmm this is an attack on my spiritual vitality, on the very essence of my spiritual life,” and pray accordingly.
     ·         Release the dream. You don’t want to spend a lot of time mulling over a dark dream—interpret it, learn from it, glean strategies, pray it, then release it! I only pray thru dreams like this once- then release them to God.
     ·         Eagerly wait for the next dream and chart your progress! This is how you flip the bad dream experience—seeing it as “Father filtered.” Seeing it as an opportunity to address your frailties and grow in dominion—one prayer time may take care of it!—However if it is related to a longstanding issue which has been complicated by deep wounding and wrong responses, -- don’t stress—it all comes out in the wash- and your next dream, will let you know how well you did
     ·         Be intentional in leveraging your dream life. Pray each night that your spirit would rule over your soul specifically as you dream. Ask God to grow you in dominion over your own dream life. Ask God to give you additional revelation in your dream. Ask God to increase your ability to lucid dream. Be intentional. Be specific. And expect God to answer you. Make those nightmares work for you!

(3)   During your waking hours, intentionally pursue earned authority in the opposite spirit. This is where you need to really drill down your area of weakness/sin. So if you are being victimized, you need to strategically not only work on growing in dominion and establishing proper boundaries, but also intentionally protect the boundaries of others (remember, NOT being victimized only brings you to zero—you need to be in the positive numbers to push back the enemy (light drives out the darkness). If people are cursing you, intentionally start blessing. If people are trying to kill you be life giving etc. Earned authority.

So next time you have a series of dark dreams, remember that the light drives out the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.(John 1:5) Don’t focus so much on the “vultures” only so much as to pinpoint the wounding/issue that draws them! The moment that wounded animal in the story receives help /strength/ healing and “closure”, and starts to get up on it’s feet again, the vultures will leave. End of story. There is nothing for them to feed on. No yelling, no shouting them down, no telling them where to go. They simply leave on their own-- quietly and willingly.Taking aim at them, only prolongs the process. You may get relief for a time, but if the root issue remains, they will come back full force. Let them serve God’s higher purpose. …and grow in dominion and earned authority in the process!

Lately there have been a number of questions about sex dreams posted on the forum. Since many blog readers never make it to the forum, I thought I would bring a lot of what I posted there here: so gird yourself up as we jump right in!

Question: If I have a problem with masturbating in my dreams or wake up stimulated, does this mean I need deliverance from Incubus or Succubus? Repenting for the masturbation doesn’t seem to work—the dreams keep coming back.
Answer: Incubus/ Succubus?—I seriously doubt it—but here is the breakdown of each component of the question.......

Incubus and Succubus are demonic spirits which appear in human like form to have sex with humans. This requires either (1) an overt invitation (2) some sort of legal ground (usually in the family line) where an invitation or generational permission has been made allowing this perversion to occur, or (3) intentional abuse at the hand of an occult savvy abuser.

Remember-- this is a spiritual transaction and experience. You would know if this was happening-- and I don't see it as relevant for most individuals. These experiences involve an actual visitation from this type of spirit not just dreams in which you are having illicit sex, or wake up physically stimulated or sexually satisfied. In cases where it is occurring, the person has to repent for the legal ground (either their own invitation or that of their ancestors or those in authority over them) then appropriate the blood of Jesus. They may also have to deal with the residual memories and demonic transfers that occur during this transaction.

Masturbating in twilight sleep
This is more an issue of the flesh than a spiritual attack. There are a number of things this could be attributed to-- sexual addiction, sexual tension, self soothing, poor self--esteem, history of sexual abuse. The approach would be anything from (1) avoiding romance novels, sexually explicit movies, and having normal relations with one’s spouse etc.,.(2) finding more appropriate and life-giving ways of self-soothe (3)dealing with a possible sexual addiction (4)dealing with inner healing issues. (I am sure there are more possibilities-- this is just off the top of my head!)

Masturbating in a dream ok- this is completely different-- remember-- dreams are parabolic. Even though you may wake up all stimulated (or satisfied), it is still a dream. There is nothing demonic about this. (Unless a demonic creature is stimulating you) So look at the context of the dream to figure out what arena you are trying to stimulate yourself in. What is the metaphor? Is it simply that you are trying to self sooth thru soulish pursuits? Is it self-talk? Gossip? Sarcasm? Are you tallying your self worth thru the number of facebook friends you have? By the size of your ministry? Remember, masturbation is making things happen yourself that should be occuring thru intimacy with God or others. Sex is supposed to happen within the context of relationship-- so the metaphor is doing it yourself; taking things into your own hands (so to speak)-- seeking to please yourself, stimulating yourself, self gratification.....look at the context for more specifics.

The solution? Your spirit ruling over your soul and flesh. Remember the dream is the symptom, not the problem-- it is a manifestation of the real issue. That is why repenting for masturbation doesn't really work-- repent for the REAL issue and those embarrassing dreams will disappear for good!

So my approach would be to ask God to shine his light on the area in which I am self stimulating...taking things into my own hands... gratifying myself etc. and hold it there long enough until I see what He sees. Then I would repent for that issue, tell God I "get it" and ask for an end to those mortifying dreams!

Each night before going to sleep, I would also ask God to help my spirit to rule over my soul and flesh-- Then as your spirit grows in its capacity-- the flavour of your dreams will change and your spirit will actually help you see what the soul is blinded to. Determining the Source
Sex dreams have many different sources, and it is important to correctly discern their etiology--
Are they soul dreams? -- in which you are processing what is going on in the natural? (this could include being victimized, gratifying your desires in a soulish manner --as well as sexual addiction- although, really, do you need a dream to tell you that you have an addiction to pornography?)
Most of the time such dreams are metaphors to get your attention.

Are they warning dreams from God? Usually these have a solution or bring your spirit to repentance/ grief to intercede on your own behalf--you may wake up with a sense of relief in knowing that you can repent and come clean; or, the solution may be outlined in your dream thru a declaration made by you or someone else.

Are the dreams initiated from the enemy? These are dark all around. No redemptive quality to them. You feel slimed. I don't recommend getting your revelation from a dark dream! Ask God to reveal any legal ground for this type of dream.

Lastly -- is it a demonic experience (Incubus/ Succubus) Notice I said "LASTLY"-- this is rare! it requires legal ground in which you, your ancestors or your abuser INTENTIONALLY sought out sex with a demonic being. A visitation/experience is different than a dream. Discern the difference. Ask God to reveal the legal ground and appropriate the blood of Jesus as a barrier between you and any covenants or agreements made with the enemy concerning your sexuality and autonomy over your body.

Sometimes to gain authority one needs to practice operating in the opposite spirit-- so if you are vulnerable in a particular arena, start intentionally pursuing the attributes of the opposite.
So, the opposite of perversion is purity, faithfulness and fidelity in all relationships- at work, home, in your marriage and with God-- renouncing all unfaithful thoughts, pursuits, ways in which you have betrayed or exploited others, ways in which you have soulishly pursued things contrary to your destiny, ways in which you have tried to gratify yourself, ways in which you or your ancestors pursued idolatry, sexual sin, infidelity, betrayal, or illicitly accessed others in the spirit or the natural.

If you are being taken advantage of sexually in your dream, it implies being spiritually violated, it also infers a victim spirit- so I would renounce that and practice walking in dominion. When people attempt to violate your boundaries, you can say, "EXCUSE ME??!!" I would also take every effort to build up and protect the boundaries of others (building equity in the opposite spirit!) Remember-- when we violate the boundaries of others, it enables the enemy to violate our boundaries- and can open up generational curses/covenants that have not yet been covered by the blood of Jesus)

leeza pic OK here it goes. This is going to be racy. This is going to be graphic. This will undoubtedly make you blush…. But this is going to help you interpret all of those uncomfortable images in dreams that you wouldn’t dare share with others!
God apparently isn’t the slightest bit shy about speaking to us through sexual imagery – consider Song of Solomon-- and judging from the number of sexual dreams I have been sent from mortified dreamers, He is not shy about speaking to us this way in dreams. So make sure your 13 yr old is not leaning over your shoulder and if you dare, read on.
Read more...
Lord, I just ask that you would filter this blog and guard the reader’s mind, body, and spirit. Protect the reader from being slimed, triggered or inappropriately stimulated. Let Your Spirit minister truth to the fears and misunderstandings about these types of dreams. Amen!

So let’s get started. When considering an act of sex in a dream, you need to consider the big picture—what is sex really about? Relationship. Intimacy. Trust. Pleasure. Ok, now that we know what we are talking about, let’s get into the details. First of all, who are you having sex with? Is it your husband? Someone you are attracted to? An old boyfriend? Your boss? Inquiring minds want to know! You will need to discern if this is a reference to your relationship with the literal person in the dream (less likely); or, whether their name, position or relationship is a metaphor. (more likely) So let’s take a look at some scenarios:

Sex with your husband/wife. This on the most basic level could be referring to your literal spouse. But let’s get real, do you really need a dream to tell you what’s going on in this arena? Usually not, so I tend to default to the metaphoric (especially when dreamer is not married in real life! lol)
Some of the things you may want to consider is that sex with a spouse can represent a major involvement or commitment. (This may be an eye opener that you are too committed to it! - i.e. do you really want to be married to your job??) It could also represent a behavior, group, issue or endeavor you are seriously involved in . Maybe even some “intercourse” which is intimate or very vulnerable in nature.
In some cases, it can even represent your relationship or commitment to God. Heresy? No—just explicit imagery designed to get your attention! Here is a classic example. You dream you are trying to “get it on” with your husband and your young children keep barging into the bedroom and disturbing you. The kids are little in the dream, but much older in real life. Interpretation: The dream is revealing some boundary issues which are interfering with your ability to be intimate with God. i.e. some of your endeavors are intruding into your alone time with God! Sound familiar? So what do you do? Pray the dream!—Lord, please help me to establish some secure boundaries concerning my time with You! (to “lock” any ‘open doors’ so to speak) so that these things will stop intruding into my time alone with You!

Sex with your boss. In this case, your boss could represent your relationship with work or your literal boss. What kind of sex are we talking about here? Are you just kissing? Hmmmm. A word play for ‘kissing up’ to him/her? Are you French kissing- a slip of the tongue eh? Examine what you are talking about-- and the appropriateness of it! Kissing can of course, suggest intimacy- so maybe the dream is revealing the intimate nature of the content of things you are sharing with each other. Look at the emotion as well as the action—are you kissing your boss because you feel you have to and are not really emotionally engaged in the act? Could it be that you are just giving him “lip service?” The metaphors are quite revealing--aren’t they?

Same sex encounters. This type of dream is bound to make most people feel uncomfortable. Usually it suggests that you are involved in something that is gratifying and pleasurable, but is just not spiritually productive or fruitful. (2 people of the same sex cannot produce children!)

What about masturbation in a dream? You wake up embarrassed and maybe even physically gratified. Yikes! This is an important dream to pay attention to. Take note of the arena in which this is occurring, because this kind of dream has a lot of connotations. First of all, sex is meant to be an expressed in the context of relationship. So going it solo is not a good thing! It may be gratifying, but it is not God’s design! Here is an example: you dream that you are masturbating in the closet. End of dream. Closets can be a reference to prayer (prayer closet) So this type of a dream could reveal that your prayer time, while stimulating and gratifying, is really just that—all words, a lot of hype, but lacking the intimate relational component with God. It happens. That’s why God gives us the shocking dreams—to get our attention! He’s not embarrassed. He’s just jealous for our affections!

I know several people who have correlated “masturbation dreams” with specific behaviors in their lives—specifically, sarcasm and complaining. One person revealed that every time they had long phone rants with friends they would have masturbation dreams (stimulating but not productive!). That will get your attention!

Ok, now we are really getting down to business. Brace yourself. We’re moving on to Dreams about oral sex. Yikes! I once had a dream that an acquaintance of mine was dying of AIDS. In the dream he said, “Yeah, I’ve been having “the big O” with _______(name of woman). In the dream I told him that as a leader in the church, this was completely inappropriate --that he needed to stop this immediately and repent! I realized in the dream that he would likely be taken out of ministry for a time of spiritual discipline.

I woke up thinking “Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! Too much information!!!!” But mercifully God immediately gave me the interpretation- “the big O” was a reference to oral sex. AIDS is an autoimmune disorder- basically in trying to protect yourself, you become your own worst enemy! AIDS can also be considered a judgment. So basically, the man in my dream was coming under judgment by engaging in inappropriate verbal (oral) “ intercourse.” This was a serious warning dream for the man- which I might add, my husband delivered, not me! (the man confirmed that this was true!) Unfortunately, the person did not heed the warning and was eventually excommunicated from his church. So pay attention to those dreams that seem unseemly! It may be that God is seriously trying to get your attention for intercession. Note that in the dream I confronted the dreamer and he was open to my edification. In real life, God also confirmed that I was to communicate this warning to the man. This is not always the case. You really need to discern what dreams are for PURE intercession and which ones God wants you to share. When in doubt…. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF AND PRAY!

What about rape? There is nothing worse than waking up from a dream in which you have been sexually assaulted, and if you have any history of abuse in your background it can be a real trigger. So you need to consider a couple of things—are there events in your life which are triggering unresolved abuse issues? Or is this a stand alone situation. Look at the dream for clues.
Rape is about exploitation. It is about others violating your boundaries. It is about usury and abuse. It is about control. It is about others imposing their will on you without your consent. The more graphic, the more specific the circumstances in which others are violating your boundaries. So, if someone is attempting to rape you and they grab your breasts, it could be that they are trying to take from you when you are not wanting to give (the breasts can represent your ability to be life-giving and nurturing to others) Is the rapist enjoying himself? Maybe it is as simple as someone taking pleasure in defiling you/putting you down/ exploiting or taking from you. Yuck.
Rape is violent. It is a sin against one’s very essence. So when you have a dream in which you have been raped, it means that your spirit has been violated to the core. Take it seriously. Look at the circumstances in your life where you are vulnerable to abuse, and take appropriate action to protect yourself.

What about other types of sexual assault. Now you need to metaphorically look at body parts. Is the attacker’s mouth involved? This is a reference to abusive/violating words. Is it oral sex? Perhaps someone is abusively addressing some issues which are very private and personal to you. Are you being fondled or grabbed? Again, this is a violation of your personal boundaries. Perhaps people are trying to get something from you, (so to speak) Or maybe they are trying to get a feel of who you are in a sneaky or inappropriate way that feels defiling! Again, look at the body parts involved. Is someone grabbing your butt? Maybe they are trying to inappropriately leverage some things that you thought were “behind” you. Perhaps they are getting off on or trying to exploit some vulnerability from your past. Or it could be a reference to abuse that you are not able to “face” at this time. These kind of dreams are never good- but praying the dream, can bring long needed healing!

Are you somehow stimulated during the assault? Perhaps God is trying to show you that you are experiencing a payoff for being victimized. This kind of dream could suggest a cycle of abuse and victimization. If you are having repetitive dreams in which you are being sexually assaulted, violated or raped, it may be an indication that you are vulnerable to the Victim Spirit. Arthur Burk has a wonderful free e-book on Overcoming the Victim Spirit. A must read for everyone!

In some dreams, the nature of the issue is obvious. For instance, if you are having sex with a prostitute it doesn’t take a whole lot to discern that you are engaging in something that is inappropriate. Perhaps you are using something for your own pleasure. Or engaging in behavior that exploits the vulnerabilities or weaknesses of others. But what if YOU are the prostitute? Yikes!—you are likely selling yourself short-- selling out – it’s not pretty. This is a warning that what you are pursuing is not the fullness of your design. It may be profitable or pleasurable, but it sins against your very essence.

So what about pornography? It is exploitive—metaphorically-- a stimulating “vision” perhaps, but addictive, unproductive and very costly to others. Many times it can be a warning about the true nature/motive behind people’s “focus.” Additionally, it can be a reference to exposing others in an inappropriate or violating way. It can also be a warning about a literal pornography addiction. Look at the context of the dream and seek God’s wisdom to discern.

Well, this has been thoroughly enlightening, but a bit depressing, and we have barely scratched the surface on these types of dreams! So I will discuss more in Part II. Lest I leave you feeling a little bummed out, Let me end with a blessing to lift your spirit! Lord, these type of dreams reveal issues that shake us to our core! But Lord, you use graphic imagery to shock us to take a look at things which we may be hesitant to look at!

So…… I bless you with the spiritual strength to face dreams which seem unseemly!
I bless your capacity to open yourself up to the Spirit – to give Him free reign to bring up issues in your dream life which He desires to address, in the manner He wants to address them!
I bless your capacity to leverage graphic dreams to their fullest potential- that you may receive the healing God offers in the core of your essence!
I bless your ability to perceive things thru God’s higher perspective, and to place the same weight on issues that He does.
I bless you with heavenly wisdom and insight in how to address longstanding issues which impact your physical and spiritual boundaries, your ability to be more intimate with God and man, and your ability to walk in the freedom of true spiritual sonship.
I bless your capacity to fearlessly address attacks to your essence and design.
I bless you with an increased capacity to receive from your Creator, the strength and fierce intentionality which brings healing, and ultimately, the freedom necessary to puruse the fullness of your design.
I bless you,
In Jesus' name.

Mystery of Dreams Blog

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