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Dreams

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by agedman, Apr 29, 2012.

  1. agedman

    agedman Well-Known Member
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    In both old and new testaments there is a certain communication through dreams (including nightmares).

    Who would consider dreams relevant in the life of a person in this modern age?

    Who would consider that dream analysis is a tool to understanding some underlying or subconscious difficulty or troublesome spirit (not in the use of demonic or Holy Spirit, but of the spirit or outlook of a person).

    Who would consider that dreams are a significant way in which the Spirit of God can prod a person into action or some manner of active thought?

    :sleeping_2:
     
  2. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    I agree with the author of this commentary.

     
  3. agedman

    agedman Well-Known Member
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    Then you would confirm a positive answer to all three questions?
     
  4. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    Yes, as long as the person experiencing the dream doesn't claim some new revelation from God and is convinced through the Holy Spirit that this is from God.
     
  5. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    Not me.

    Not me.

    Depends on the content of the dream.
     
  6. agedman

    agedman Well-Known Member
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    Would you extend your answers a bit.

    Why wouldn't you think that dream analysis is not a viable tool to the believer?

    Why would you consider that dreams (once considered a most important part of the human understanding) are no longer relevant in this modern age?
     
  7. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    I'll give an example of what I believe to be a dream from the Lord.

    My pastor said that he had a dream a few years ago in which the Lord revealed to him where he would be if he had never been saved. He said that it was unpleasant. He said that God was impressing on him to enter into a spirit of gratitude about his relationship with Christ that he had allowed to wane.
     
  8. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I don't see much of a difference between getting life instructions from dream interpretation vs. fortune tellers.

    We have the Bible to guide us nowadays. I believe that when the Holy Spirit was given to believers after Christ's ascension there was a transition period where things like prophetic dreams, foretelling the future, widespread demon possession gradually phased out. There are a couple of examples in the book of Acts but then you don't hear too much about these sorts of things.
     
  9. agedman

    agedman Well-Known Member
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    So, by extrapolation, if a parent reports that a child is having horrible nightmares which result in bed wetting, and terror sweats, you would not use what the child is dreaming to help discern the problem?

    I am not opposed to what you posted, but I am not certain that the Holy Spirit does not communicate the scriptures to us in our dreams which during the awakened hours will serve to enlighten our path.
     
  10. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    OK, I misunderstood and possibly jumped to conclusions regarding the intentions of your questions. I thought you were going down the path that people have dreams that can be interpreted as a message from God, as in "God told me in a dream that such-and-such was going to happen" or "God told me I should do this..."

    Of course if a child was having troublesome nightmares I would ask about the dreams in order to find out the origin of the nightmares.


    I don't see this idea in scriptures.
     
  11. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

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    I do.

    That depends on the person and how it is used. For example, I tried looking up dream analysis information 2, perhaps 3 times in my life. I didn't try looking for anything from a Christian perspective, which may have contributed to the poor results, but each time I checked, it led to things having to do with the occult or far too close to it so I immediately left it alone. That stuff is not to mess with.

    I personally do seem to have insight into dreams so if someone else asks me, I *might* say something, but usually only to family members. Other than that, I react in a flippant manner and just give ideas or don't respond. If it comes to certain people in my life though, they are aware that I'm able to offer some help so I do. Quietly. I don't want anyone to misunderstand or get under the impression that it is anything "evil" and far too many would make that assumption these days.

    I vote yes, without any reservations but with many warnings. Too many people sit and wonder if it's from God or not. If it is, YOU KNOW.

    In my own life, I've had some things happen in the past that have been hard to deal with on a spiritual level. I've specifically prayed for some type of knowledge to let me know before something else of that nature happens so that I can prepare myself and not suffer the same level of panic/anxiety. That prayer has been granted and sometimes it has been through a dream. There is no doubt about it and no need for interpretation, even from myself.

    There have been dreams I've had to sit and think about, but those ones are ones that have to do with other stuff. Perhaps it is something going on that I haven't dealt with in waking hours, or something happened that stirred up a memory from the past and there are leftover thoughts/emotions to go over. Whether it's just my brain going into action or whether I'm gently being prodded by the Holy Spirit to deal with the stuff...that I don't know and it doesn't really matter, because I get the point and try to work with it.

    Then again, sometimes dreams are just dreams. I've seen people come up with the craziest ideas about them or waste time trying to figure out what something odd meant that is fuzzy and they barely remember. If it was from above, you'd know, if it wasn't and it's fuzzy, then it obviously wasn't that important. And some you remember and they're just dreams or funny or weird or you ate something too close to bedtime. Get over it! LOL

    I do think it's relatively rare for people to have dreams that require action. People who try to figure out how to live through their dreams are wasting a lot of time and effort. Go with what happens in your WAKING hours to figure out your life. All I'm saying is that on rare occasion, dreams do mean something. Twice a year to have a meaningful dream is probably a very high estimate of how often someone has a dream that means anything, and most of the time it just is saying "hey, you repressed your emotions/ignored needed actions on a topic and need to deal with it."
     
  12. DHK

    DHK <b>Moderator</b>

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    Last night in my dream I preached a ten point sermon. Don't ask me what it was about. I have problems remembering sermons when I am wide awake, much less when I am asleep. :laugh:
     
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