Lost/stolen Purses and Wallets

Remember to look at dream symbols in a spiritual light. A purse or wallet most likely doesn't mean a literally purse or wallet. In dreams, wallets and purses can represent your life or your identity. Think about it: your wallet or purse contains all of your personal information. It contains confidential and private information such as bank cards or financial documents, as well as your identification and picture IDs. It usually contains your money, your personal treasures.

When you lose your purse or your wallet you have to cancel the cards and go through a lot of trouble to get new ID. Thieves can use this information to pretend to be you. Sometimes wallets and purses contain things that are irreplaceable, valuable and precious to you, the owner. If you dream of your purse or wallet being stolen, God could be communicating that the dreamer has lost (or is looking for) his or her purpose, identity, or favour.

Dreaming of your purse or wallet being totally empty can be God's way of revealing to the dreamer that they are spiritually "bankrupt".

Matthew 6: 21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Your literal "treasure" is often found in your purse or your wallet (or at least your way to "access" your literal earthly treasures). So your spiritual treasures can be found in your spiritual purse/wallet... your heart, which contains your personal identity, your spiritual treasures and gifts, and those things that are valuable to you in a spiritual sense.

To check your financial status, you use your banking information contained in your wallet/purse, but God can give you a dream about your purse or wallet as a way of giving you a "status update" or report on your spiritual treasures and spiritual identity.

Matthew 12: 35, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus showed his spiritual identity in a parable of the bible, and here a purse is mentioned, so we get a biblical context to support the biblical interpretation of the symbol:

John 12:4-6, "But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,  'Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it."

Pretty cool, actually! Happy interpreting!

Animals

Isn't it amazing how many different types of animals are out there in the world and how different they are all from one another, their different characteristics and abilities? Some animals are apt at many things, others specialize in one thing and do it better than any other creature.

When it comes to animals in dreams, it is important to think about the special traits of the animal. Why did you dream of a donkey instead of a horse? What is a defining trait about donkeys? Stubbornness, perhaps? What about the defining trait of a horse? Power and strength come to mind first. Also, colour. Is it a white horse? Or brown? Colour can add insight, as white can mean purity and brown can mean humility. The size of the animal can determine it's importance, authority, or influence. Bears hibernate. Turtles are slow. Peacocks are proud. Rats are pests that feed on things left uncared for. Consider these characteristics in a spiritual context. Do you have an issue in your life left unattended to fester that may be drawing negative influences to you? Is there a large issue that sometimes hibernates for periods of time?

Is the animal dosile or wild? Nice or mean? An easy example is a dog. Did you dream of a growling, biting dog foaming at the mouth, or a waggy-tailed pooch licking your hand? Dogs are known as man's best friend. In dreams, dogs can often represent true and loyal friends. If a personal pet, it could represent protection, unconditional love, something or someone dear to you. However, to a person with a fear of dogs, or someone who has had only bad dog experiences would most likely have a warning dream with a dog representing someone on the attack or accusatory, or even a friend turning on you.

So, when looking at animals in dreams... use common sense - if you absolutely despise snakes, then dreaming of a snake on your pillow most likely means something like the dreamer losing rest and being harassed by lies or evil (remember Satan in the garden? Snakes are also known for their "long tales" - see the next paragraph on wordplay!) On the other hand, if you are a lover of snakes and dream of a snake on your pillow, the dreamer may find it fascinating and beautiful, it may be a beloved pet of yours. There are usually positive and negative meanings to every dream symbol including animals. Symbols are always relative to the experiences of the dreamer.

Something else to keep in mind: Wordplay. Yes, you read that right. God loves to play on words. I have found this to be surprisingly true in my own dreamlife! If you dream of a dolphin or a porpoise it could mean friendly co-operative people or community of people, as dolphins and porpoises are friendly, intelligent and really quite similar to humans in personality. BUT - often times porpoises can be a play on the word PURPOSE. In other words, God uses the symbol of the porpoise to bring someones destiny or purpose coming into focus. An alligator is another example - big animal with big mouth, big tail. In other words, a bossy spirited person with great influence who gossips and slanders and defends with a "tale".

As always, when considering the symbols in your dreams, ask yourself (or google) if the symbol or animal shows up anywhere in the Bible. After all, it is the Word of God. Dreams are parables, just as was Jesus teaching style of choice. If we want to learn God's language to hear what He is saying, the bible is a great place to start... That white horse from earlier is mentioned, with the rider on it named Faithful and True. Not to be confused with the pale horse that is also mentioned, whose rider is named Death, with Hades close behind.... let your spirit help you discern if the mannerisms of the animal. What was God saying back then when he mentioned ___ (whatever symbol from your dream)? He may be saying the very same to you.

To re-cap:

1. Note the characteristics of the animal (strong sense of smell, independent, gigantic mouth, etc)
2. Do you have fear/love these animals? Are you neutral? Do you get a good/bad feeling from it?
3. Wordplay
4. Is it mentioned in the Word of God?

Next time you dream of an animal, go through this list and ask the Holy Spirit to bring you insight! Happy dreaming!

Sexual Dreams... Not What They Seem

Here is a great article that gives some insight into sexual dreams and their meanings.

 

DreamLab7: Sexual Dreams...Not What They Seem To Be

Sexual dreams can be very explicit and quite embarrassing. For this reason many will keep them a secret because they are very personal and people don't relish sharing very private issues with others. If we believe that God is in control and that He is communicating in this manner it is important to trust that there is a reason and a purpose in the dream that go beyond the implication, the action, or issues the dream is highlighting. Let’s open the doors and windows and allow light to be shed on this very touchy subject.

 We completely understand the personal nature of this kind of dream but let’s remember the number one lesson in learning about dream interpretation.... dreams are symbolic. Take a step back and remember that sexual acts in dreams most likely mean something other than what they actually are. They can be dealing with the dreamers deep feelings or perhaps God is calling attention to an area of the dreamer’s life that needs healing. The Creators purpose in giving us any kind of a dream is to draw us closer to Him bring healing and help us to become what He wants us to become. Love is the foundation, the root of our relationship with God. He knows what He is doing and really and truly does not want to freak us out.

    There was a very wise man named Solomon who wrote a book, inspired by the Creator that has a lot of intimacy and sexual imagery in it. That book is called Song of Solomon. It is in the bible. I suggest that you take the time to read it. It may help you go beyond the aversion or shyness you feel about this type of dream.

    Sometimes this type of dreams calls attention to the need for healing that may concern perversion or abuse the dreamer may had experienced in the past even as far back as childhood. Another purpose for a dream like this could very well be calling the dreamers attention to the need to deal with the problem in the natural, forgiveness could be necessary and important in order for them to move forward spiritually and emotionally.

    It is so very important to consider the whole context of any dream especially when there is a sexual act involved. It could be addressing relationship or intimacy issues that don't actually have anything to do with the sexual act. Some questions to ask yourself are: The ever so significant: WHO....is it your husband, is it your boyfriend or is it someone from the past. Is the person an authority figure in your life or is it an actual person or could it be someone whose name, social standing or reputation is noteworthy in life. There are many questions to be answered in order to receive the message that will fulfill the purpose of the dream. Could the dream be about relational issues or perhaps desire for pleasure?

    I am going to give you a few examples in the hope that they will help you to put your thinking caps on. Another reminder... God loves you the messages of the night always encompass that love. Any kind of sensual act with someone close to you such as a husband or wife could be symbolic of commitment or perhaps vulnerability. In some cases it may represent intimacy or relationship with the Lord. God will sometimes give us dreams that are shocking, such as same sex encounters. Although this type of dream causes a person to feel awkward following the dream during the dream they may actually feel good, the purpose of the dream shows there is something in the dreamer’s life that is it clearly ineffective or unproductive.  The issue of rape can very literally be calling attention to an actual sexual assault or perversion of some type that occurred in the person’s life however, it may be prompting or activating personal issues that are unresolved. 

This is such a sensitive subject I am sensing very strongly that this is enough for now. I truly believe this is a subject that is worthy of personal mentoring. I would like to end with an example of a dream that caused much concern and worry for a dreamer that was looking at their dream literally instead of metaphorically.

    I dreamed that a child that was very close to me was being raped and beat up. It was so graphic; I saw the bruises and black and blue marks very clearly. Since I knew the child and the father I was concerned that the father was abusing their little girl. I of course began to pray for the child’s protection and for the father to stop what he was doing. Sometime later I had another dream with the child in it but about something happening in my church. I had a few more dreams of this sort. After mush prayer God revealed to me that the little girl in my dreams represented the church I was attending. With more prayer for my church and a problem that developed in the group with some people being asked to leave I was told by God that it was the church that needs my prayer for protection because it was being taken advantage of by some of its members. 

Wow! How enlightening. What a great learning experience concerning the need for prayer.  

How Does God Speak?

For me, one of the funnest things I've gotten to do in my lifetime is start to learn God's language. God is Spirit, and so he speaks to us in a spiritual language. Makes sense, right?

He speaks to us through a language of pictures, symbols, types and shadows. He uses signs, dark sayings, puns, riddles and wordplay.

God has always spoken to people through dreams. One third of the bible deals with dreams, visions and interpretation.  So if this is God's chosen way of communicating, we should probably make an effort to understand the language.


Imagination-station

We all have an "image center" or imagination. If I say to you, "picture in your head waffle cone with pink ice cream and a cherry on top", you are able to form an image of that in your mind. Well, just as we can form an image in our imagination, so can God. He uses this image center to speak to us in dreams.


Head-movies

Dreams are basically a succession of pictures, dialogue, and events that play out during a sleeping state of unconsciousness. It is always amazing to me when I think of the millions of dollars and the time it takes for directors and producers to create a movie. Especially to think that I belong to a God who can create a customized movie, with more vibrancy, detail, and heart, every night, for every single human being (who knows, maybe dogs and cats too!) without so much as batting an eye. That is the kind of truly creative God we have!

Parable-examples

Just as Jesus would always tell a story to illustrate a message, so God continues to use parables and stories to illustrate a message for dreamers.

Mark 4:33-34, "And with many such parables He spoke the word them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples."

The disciples didn't get it, they need the parables to be explained. Many times in the bible the disciples tried to come up with the meaning of these parables on their own, but they were always off. It wasn't until Jesus came and explained it that they finally got it. 

When they were off by themselves, they asked about the parables. Jesus told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight." (Mark 4:12)

Why so secretive?

Our natural man (our souls - meaning our own minds, by the power of our own thoughts, will, and emotions) cannot understand the things of the Spirit.

Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants and the prophets."

Numbers 12:6 says, "...If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak to him in a dream.""

So, the more we seek to understand this secret spiritual language of God, the more we are able to unlock the hidden meanings of our dreams. Why does he conceal the meanings of dreams in this mysterious way? Just to make it difficult? The answer is simple - He does it so that we will seek for the answer, and in so doing, we will seek after Him.

Proverbs 25:2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search a matter out".

Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

Dream App!

Forget your dreams? Not anymore! John Paul Jackson has produced a new iPhone application called DreamLoggr. It allows you to record your dream from the night before as a .wav file, log your dream by title and key details and recall dreams by keyword search. Now there's really no excuse... you can grab a phone and mumble your dream into it before rolling over and going back to sleep! $1.99 on iTunes.

http://www.dreamloggr.com/

 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hear From God in the "Land of Nod"

In order to understand how you can receive messages from the Lord in your dreams, it would probably help to understand how we are designed for this. A human being is basically three parts: a body, a mind (this includes your personality, your will, and your emotions), and a spirit. While your body sleeps at night, and your mind re-calibrates, your spirit never sleeps.

We are designed to need sleep in order to rest and restore our bodies and our minds. But while your body is snoring, your spirit is soaring. God is trying to speak to you all day long (whether you are a Christian or not). But during the course of the day, we will rarely hear him. We are busy with our daily tasks, and very often even if we were hearing from Him, our minds (and/or emotions) either can’t or won’t recognize it.

Even if we do feel we are hearing from the Lord our emotions can still get in the way. Doubt, confusion, disbelief, fear, anger, rebellion, anxiety, excitement… all keep the message from being absorbed. So God designed us so that there would be a time each night when those sometimes-impenetrable forces would be shut down, and that time is sleep. The mind is not conscious, the body is not distracted or active, and our spirit is alive and awake. This is when God can reach you best.

Welcome

Dreams are so misunderstood. Many people miss out on instruction, guidance, edification, warnings, calls to destiny, and even good old fashion tender lovin’ from God the Father because they don’t pay attention to or give any weight to their dreams. This is because most people assume all dreams are merely a concoction of bits and pieces of sights and information gathered in their subconscious from their day. But what if some dreams were actually messages for the dreamer?

Welcome to Spirited Along, a blog where I will share some basic dream interpretation information that anyone can use to learn more about dreams, why we have them, where they come from, and what they mean.

Acts 2:17 says, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."