What would you think if you saw some wild animals with large teeth casually standing around in a dream?  What about seeing yourself on a boat in very choppy waves on the ocean? Have you ever had a disagreement or argument with someone or acted in a foolish or ugly manner and right after that, you get a negative and disturbing dream?  Well, I have. More than once! Take a look at some of the dreams I’ve had and see if any of these rings a bell with you. If so, this is good news for you; now you’ll know what these are all about and what you need to do in response.  Chances are everyone reading this has had these types of dreams. They are very common and the reason for these is to reveal behavior or attitudes that need prompt attention and correction on your part.  

Just recently, I saw one of my top favorite dream teachers (Adrian Beale) discuss how he frequently gets correction dreams.  He and his co-author Adam Thompson are both experts in dream interpretation and Biblical studies.  They have each been in ministry for a number of years and are very mature believers.  To hear Adrian say he receives regular correction dreams gave me a huge relief because it seems like I sometimes get far too many of these at certain times!

At first these dreams were very disturbing to me and I even became discouraged by what God was telling me.  But as I became more familiar with God’s character and how others like Adrian also receive these, I began to realize this was actually a very good thing that God cared enough about me to point me in the right direction whenever I was out of bounds in some areas.  I began learning to separate and renounce the condemning thoughts that came along with these dreams and to understand that God does not condemn but He does send conviction.  

This would be a good time to point out that in the Bible, we are told clearly that one way to know that you are in God’s family is by His correcting or chastising.  If you never receive any corrections or rebukes from God, it is a clear warning that something is wrong.  If this sounds like I’m overdoing it, check this verse  below.  Many who teach on dreams from a Bible-based perspective will tell you the same thing.

But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

(Hebrews 12:8 NKJV)

The majority of my own personal examples here are actually very recent – within the last 18 months or so.  For the benefit of the reader, I don’t mind telling you how God has corrected me more than once.  As you read these, I think you’ll start to see this is a lesson for everyone.

My Own Rebukes and Corrections

I had been involved in a certain church for about two years and although I agreed with about 80% of what they stood for, there were some huge issues that I could not accept and a breaking point was quickly emerging.  I began telling a friend about my thoughts concerning all this and I was quite outspoken with that friend.  At some point during the weeks when this issue was building up, I had a dream of taking off in an Air Force fighter jet on a road but, before I could get airborne, I had to first go under a set of power lines.  To make matters worse, in the dream, I understood that I was not even allowed or qualified to fly this type aircraft and it was as if I was stealing it.  It was a very awkward and almost embarrassing dream.

In classic dream symbology, flying near power lines means you have a problem with poor judgment.  The dream was so vivid, I could actually feel the jet as I was taking off because it was loaded up with armament and getting ready to go on a bombing mission.  In dream language, bombing means your words are having a destructive effect.  This began my process of learning that although a certain church leader may be wrong, my response was also wrong and I was on the way to being judged.  

I learned that God has clear warnings about speaking against the people He has put in certain offices such as pastors, prophets, etc.  I learned that even if these people are wrong, there is a correct and incorrect way of handling those situations.  Needless to say, I decided to leave that church very soon after.

Once, while going through a huge personal battle between my circumstances and God’s truth, I was having a major lack of faith.  I had a dream where I was in a boat that was spinning around and around on grey choppy ocean waves near a Navy (military) base. Immediately when I woke up, the passage from James 1:6-8 came to mind about being double minded and unstable.

Around that same time, I had been expecting some very big things to happen but, in reality, I was seeing absolutely nothing. I didn’t understand what was (not) happening and have to admit that I got really angry about the lack of results.  That night, I had two dreams back to back.  The first was a black police SUV driving recklessly at a high rate of speed in a narrow alley and spinning its wheels.  In the second, I was at a military gate check and the guard had a pocket knife opened up and pointing to my wallet as I was showing him my ID card.

In real life, I do happen to drive a black SUV.  The police symbol represented the authority that all Christians have been given according to our level of maturity.  Here, I was using my position in God’s kingdom just like the driver of that SUV – recklessly and out of order. The ID card was exactly as it looks (my own personal identity) and the knife represented my words.  Well…I think you get the point, these messages couldn’t have been any more clear.  These are all examples of being rebuked and corrected by God.

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.

(Proverbs 12:18 NKJV)

During that same time, I was in an extremely long transition where God called me out of a previous career but had not spoken to me clearly about where I was going next or what I was supposed to be doing.  Needless to say, I was having some very huge faith battles.  On more than one occasion, I looked like the Israelites who left Egypt and then complained, saying it was better back in Egypt.

I had a dream where I saw inside my refrigerator two things:  a tomato and cucumber that were both dried out and old-looking.  After several days, I came across the verse below. God had just told me I had a cold heart of unbelief and I wanted to go back to “Egypt”. 

We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;

(Numbers 11:5 NKJV)

A few months later, God began teaching me about the sin of pride.  I had two dreams that I recognized immediately were extremely negative. In the first one I was in the kitchen of the house I grew up in and I saw that someone had dropped meat on the floor near the dining room table.  I then heard someone say it was good crocodile bait.  In another dream around that same time, I saw a very small but extremely dangerous bright green reptile, so dangerous in fact, that I had to shoot it with a high-powered rifle at very close range to kill it.

In the Bible, we don’t see crocodiles or bright green reptiles but we do see a Leviathan, which in symbols, can be the same basic thing.  Take a look at that link there and you’ll find out by reading those passages that this is about satan.  Believe me, the last thing you ever want to find in a dream is that you are acting like Lucifer, who rebelled against God and turned into satan (meaning “enemy” in Hebrew).

Proper Response

The first thing you need to do when getting dreams of this nature is to understand that God’s character is to desire good for you and not destruction or judgment.  He wants you to be prosperous and successful.  In order to be that, you have to follow His standards.  If you don’t, and you continue to ignore His warnings, you are playing an increasingly dangerous game with your eternal rewards or ultimate destination.  So, the first thing to do is to have the proper understanding of God’s character.

And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

(Job 28:28 NKJV)

The next thing you need to do is have a proper attitude of humility towards God when He tells you that you’re wrong.  To reject God’s word is the sin of pride and self-righteousness.  These each will completely destroy your life and send you to hell. Hell is real and many go there; God tells us that relatively few end up in Heaven.

None of what I’m saying here is a negative message.  I’m writing this to help you avoid a very negative conclusion to your life.

If I was walking on a train track or busy road and I was about to get hit and smashed by a giant fast-moving train or vehicle, I would be very happy if someone yelled at me to get out of the way.  If it came down to it, I’d even be happy in retrospect if they went so far as to push me forcibly out of the way!  

Another proper response to one of these dreams is to ask God to help you correct the negative tendencies (sin) in your life and set you back on the right path.  A wise man or woman heeds rebukes and corrections, but a stiffed-neck person seeks his/her own destruction.  Again, it is God’s character that He desires good for you and when He reveals these negative issues in your life, it is out of His goodness that He does such things.  You must understand His nature.

Conclusion

Well, now you’ve seen my own personal examples of some ugly character issues I’ve had to fix.  You’ve seen that God does in fact warn people of behaviors that will lead to their destruction if not corrected.  You’ve now been educated a little on the reality of rebukes and corrections in dreams and what to do when you receive them.   The more you take a proper response to God’s warnings in dreams, the more He will look favorably on you and promote you in all areas of your life.

Still, to this day, I receive dreams from God about correcting behaviors and attitudes.  As I wrote above, I expect these types of dreams to continue.  In fact, I have prayed according to Ephesians 4:13 that God will continue to make me into a mature man, according to His nature, so that He can trust me with a very high calling as I have previously written about.  That only means one thing – that I will be spoken to regularly about any character issues I may still have.  

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

(Psalm 51:10 NKJV)

Here are a few things to remember:

• Do not reject a negative dream!  To do so is the epitome of foolishness or even arrogance.
• Know without a shred of doubt that God absolutely will correct and rebuke you in dreams and that it is a positive confirmatory sign of His presence in your life.
• Remember the distinction between conviction (from God) and condemnation (from the devil). Don’t accept the latter but do act on the former!
• If you are not receiving correction dreams occasionally, that may be a warning that you are possibly illegitimate and are not one of God’s sons or daughters.
• Study and understand the meanings of dream symbols from a Bible-based perspective as I frequently write about here.
• Have an attitude of humility and accept all rebukes and corrections from God and ask Him to transform you in these areas.
• Always write down your dreams and if you need help in interpreting them, please send them to me via this contact form and I will reply to you as soon as I can.

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