Can You Rely On Dreams For Guidance?

Jude 1:8
In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

Apostle Jude writes to the church. Like other previous Apostles who have written to the church, he too is concerned about people who can mislead the church. He warns the church about these misleading teachers. He tells the church that these liars are not obvious because they have sneaked into the church, Jude 1:4. They are not easy to spot but they are within the church.

If such dangerous people were in the church at the time of the Apostles, they must also be with us even today. Apostle Jude then goes ahead to describe them and their message. He also argues that if God punished angels who sinned he will not spare these misleading teachers.

In our text today, Apostle Jude tells us that these people engage in the abuse of their bodies and other immoral things. On what basis do they confidently do these evil things? The Apostle tells us, that they do all these on the basis of their dreams. They have a dream and they claim it is guidance from God. Can you rely on dreams for guidance?

1 Samuel 28:6
He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.

It is true that sometimes God can speak through dreams. When God speaks through dreams, the strength of action is not the dream but God. A dream from God cannot contradict the already revealed word of God. If you have a dream whose contents contradict Bible teachings, that dream is not from God.

If you watch a movie on the secret rapture, then later at night you dream that rapture has taken place secretly, you have been left on earth with sinners as saints disappear to heaven, that dream is not from God. That dream is influenced by the movie. That dream contradicts the Bible on the manner in which Jesus will return. That dream is not from God.

If you dream that you went to hell and saw people burning including people you know, then you came back on the surface of the earth and were relieved to be back, that dream is not from God. That dream contradicts the Biblical teaching on hell and where hell is. There is no place in the universe that is currently burning sinners. A hell where it is satan burning people is not biblical at all. It is satan who should be burning in hell and not him burning people, Matthew 25:41. Such a dream is not from God by all means.

The dreams of Joseph, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel were from God. They were dreams with the obvious interpretation or God sent a special indisputable dream interpreter. God cannot send a dream and then later you struggle hunting an elusive meaning. God who gives dreams also gives the interpretation. But take note, not all dreams are from God!

Some dreams could be our subconscious mind reacting to our continuous stress. When you are worried about something. When you are disturbed intensely or for a prolonged period of time, your mind may start playing dreams of distress, like death, or near-death experiences. Once the stress ceases, the dreams cease. Such dreams are the mind’s self-preparation in the event the worst comes to pass. Such dreams are not from God!

Some dreams could be a result of eating heavily late at night. If you change that habit those dreams disappear. Such dreams are not from God and are not to be used for guidance.

Not every dream has meaning. If we insist on finding meaning for every dream, we will find a meaning that will suit our curiosity, but it will be at best balderdash. If a dream has any significance, it will not contradict any biblical teaching and it will find a straightforward interpretation.

Since we dream daily when asleep, we should be careful, lest we keep attributing guidance to dreams that are routine and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. We may end up worrying when we shouldn’t be worrying. We may end up taking instructions from interpreters who have no divine mandate and thereby we get misled.

The false religious leaders of Jude’s time based their false teachings and capture of members to fake dreams. They acted on the strength of their dreams. They acted because they had a dream. They did not care to know if God approved the dream as a means of communication. They were misled by the dreams. Probably they falsely thought that any dream is divine guidance. The strength of our actions should never be dreams but God’s revealed will. We do not rely on dreams for guidance, we rely on God!

Dear God, save me from bad dreams. Dear God, give me the healthy dreams of heaven and a better life. Dear God, save me from being disturbed by dreams that You haven’t sent. Save me from reading too much into any ordinary dream that I come across, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/