HOW TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE THROUGH YOUR DREAMS & THE FOURTH WATCH
“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.”
— Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17
One of the ways that the Lord speaks to me often is through dreams. I’m also passionate about helping others gain a Biblical perspective of their own dreams.
I want everyone to nurture this gift because it’s truly life-changing!
We honor the Lord’s voice by writing down what He shows us and then spending time in His presence to understand the meaning. Sometimes that revelation comes instantly, other times it’s revealed years down the road. It all has a purpose. Many of the words and dreams God gave me are just now making sense.
If you are experiencing a season of increased dream activity, I encourage you to really take time to nurture this gift.
Remember: interpretation only comes from Christ. Avoid New Age sites that entertain worship of angels or other gods. Only Jesus should be consulted about this matter and any source must be rooted in Christ. Many people will proclaim God, but they won’t say the name of Jesus. The Risen Savior is the One who transforms.
The more you study His Word, the more you come to know His voice.
Genesis 40:8
“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Genesis 41:15-16
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
"I myself cannot do it," Joseph replied, "but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer."
Daniel 1:17
…God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
Even the promised Messiah was revealed in a dream.
Matthew 1:20-22
…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND GOD’S VOICE IN DREAMS?
It’s important because we spend a third of our lives asleep and nothing goes to waste in the kingdom. The Lord is still teaching in the night hours. If we’re busy or surrounded by the “worries of the world” God can use dreams to get our attention. Christ’s voice is able to cut through the noise of our regular day.
The Holy Spirit is still speaking throughout the day, we’re just sometimes dull at hearing or seeing when distracted.
Not all dreams are from the Lord. Sometimes we are working out life issues during the night. Dreams from the Lord are usually distinct, powerful and you can remember them. You’ll often see them in vivid color.
The enemy will also try to disrupt this very area. We can sometimes know where we are called by where the enemy loves to rattle and even attack us.
For many years, I struggled with falling asleep and often awoke still very tired and weary. The reason is because I didn’t nurture my environment the right way. When I got ready for bed, I was so anxious that I couldn’t get still. So you have to be very intentional about the hours leading up to sleep. Also, if you are having any dreams where you are constantly attacked, I encourage you to seek healing ministries that can give you insight into what’s going on. Be very mindful who the people are in those dreams.
Another reason it’s important to write down and honor the dreams Jesus gives you is because destiny might be at stake. The Lord will absolutely show you what’s to come or reveal His mysteries through dreams.
The Lord will also warn you and reveal those you should be cautious or guarded with. Sometimes He’ll outright make it direct, other times you might have bathroom, bathtub or purification dreams over time where healing still needs to happen.
Houses are usually directly tied to your life. Jesus repeatedly taught about how He is the Builder. So old homes will tie to the past, or homes can reveal the condition of your heart or someone you know.
God speaks differently to everyone, so your “dream dictionary” with Christ will reveal itself over time when you write it down and spend intimate time with the Father. My best piece of advice is to take note of anything that stands out in your dream and then search for Scripture relating to the object or scenario. If you dream of a plant, or animal, look up Scripture and then also read about its life cycle. God is the Creator of all things and certainly speaks through His creation. There’s usually a ton of revelation by searching out the “hidden treasures” with Him.
As your dreams and understanding increase, you’ll start to anticipate sleep because the Lord will reveal such majestic things you could never see in waking life.
THE MYSTERY OF THE FOURTH WATCH
The Lord comes calling with direct dreams between 3-6 a.m. and the dreams are usually very memorable and transformative. So if you are awoken, make sure to spend time in prayer to understand the meaning. Usually you’ll never forget these dreams. Even years later, you can recall them in vivid details.
“Fasting” from sleep, even though it might seem hard, will radically transform your life. I am a living testament of this truth. What I mean is if you get up even when you want to roll back over, God will speak very strongly to you during that time.
I can’t begin to explain why the Lord honors worship and prayer before the sun rises, only that something powerful really does happen.
Jesus knew this truth and He outlined what we should do.
Mark 1:35 — “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
The Romans would split a day into four “watches” and the fourth watch is the time period right before dawn. It’s often when Jesus will also rescue us.
The term shows up in both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark: “Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them, walking on the sea…. Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I—do not be afraid.’”
OTHER PREDAWN MOMENTS
Jacob wrestled with an angel until the breaking of day.
Samuel heard his name called not once, but four times, in the middle of the night.
Psalm 119:147: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”
Peter was fast asleep, in chains, when he was miraculously freed from prison.
Jesus was resurrected from the dead, in the early hours.
Mary Magdalene rushed to the Tomb in early hours.
Lamentations 3:22-23 — The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
TIPS FOR HELPING YOU DISCERN DREAMS
Keep your atmosphere as pure as possible. One of the greatest ways that God’s voice increases in my dreams is because I keep my atmosphere very clean and I don’t watch or listen to anything with cursing, violence, or corruption. This includes the news and social media. I treat my eyes and ears like children. If I wouldn’t show them something, I don’t watch or listen to it either. It’s also great to practice “no technology days” very often. Yes, it’s extreme, but it will be your favorite time to spend with the Father (and family). Trust me, your relationship and intimacy with Christ will accelerate through this discipline.
Pray and just talk and listen to the Father. He loves spending time with us in conversations. Before bedtime, we can ask the Lord to reveal His heart in ways we might be missing during the day. Be expectant of Him to speak!
Create a system for writing down your dreams. The app I use sorts everything by days. So I can see on this day, three years ago, what I dreamed and it will usually connect somehow to the now. Some apps also allow you to voice record and it’ll transcribe the message. I’m still old school and write everything down by hand, too. I keep a dream journal next to my bed so that it’s always right there.
Record exactly what you saw in the dream and how you felt. Don’t worry about the interpretation at first. Just get all the details down. What did you see? What happened? Were you in the dream or watching it like a movie? Did you see colors or black and white? If you saw colors, record what stood out. Just get it all down right away. Even if something seems out of place or insignificant, it might make sense later. The Lord will help you discern what’s important. Overtime, you’ll start to see a pattern emerge.
Going back to school denotes a time of learning with Christ. What grade were you in? Were you revisiting a class or taking a test that frustrated you? Pay attention to why. God might have you going back because you are missing a key lesson. Dreaming of random colleges could be literal, or just reflect “higher learning” in general. People in your dream could be quite literal or the meaning of their name is important, so look up the Hebrew definition of the name. God usually makes the message quite clear when it comes to people and the role they play in your life.
Family members or someone you’re in close relationship with by default might reappear over and over as a warning dream; or God is revealing something very specific that you are missing in waking life. Other times, He’s giving you a glimpse into your future. And then transportation dreams (buses, trucks, planes, trains) all reflect movement.
Dreams that repeat are reinforced messages by the Lord to get your attention. Record everything shown, down to the color, how you felt, who you saw, an object and especially numbers. The numbers will often correlate to Scripture or the Strong’s Concordance.
ENCOURAGEMENT
God performs spiritual surgery in the night season. Even the past and painful situations don’t go to waste. The Father helps you gain wisdom and understanding to heal and then teach others. We worship and pray in all sorts of ways. Prayer doesn’t just mean a verbal declaration, but we honor our Father by also recognizing His voice during the night.
It’s not enough to just write the dream down. We must constantly go back and seek His heart to gain understanding. Dreams are sometimes meant to be shared, other times Jesus uses them to draw you closer. Use discernment to know when it's the right time to share.
Instead of gaining perspective from the earth looking up, we must see everything from Heaven looking down.
Isaiah 55:8–9 God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
HOW GOD’S DREAMS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
When my mother started to die, she kept saying “I have to get ready for my trip! It’s time to go! I have to get ready!”
I was perplexed and didn’t understand because she seemed fine earlier in the day. Her cancer was progressing, but I didn’t realize that she was preparing to leave the earth that soon.
My mom was bed-bound at this time, yet she was suddenly standing and in a frenzy to prepare.
She just kept saying over and over: “Open the windows! Let the light in! I have to get ready for my trip!”
Soon I’d understand that she meant “Let the Light in.” Jesus was coming.
In the weeks that followed, Mom would have many conversations as she slept. She would ask if we could see the red cardinals that she was watching with Grandma?
She’d have all these conversations with her late brother who died years before. One time I was on night duty and watching a show with a sunset at the end.
All the sudden she woke up and said: “Oh, T, isn’t it beautiful?” Sunsets were always our thing.
Even as she prepared for death, she still recognized God’s beauty.
My family held my beautiful and precious 57-year-old mom as she took her final breath. Hospice nurses never arrived at the house, so we did it all alone. God gave us the grace to stay with her until the very end. Mom deserved that.
A few months after she passed away, Mom came to me in a dream. She wasn’t wearing wings, but looked just like herself. Only this time she was around the age of 40, and she was healthy, whole and could walk again.
During our time together, we flew on these seat cushions and looked at this majestic city underneath!
That dream helped me heal and changed my life. I realized that my mom was so happy and excited there and she wanted to stay. Though my weeping might last for the night, joy comes in the morning. Mom helped me understand that Heaven has no time. What we feel like is forever here is nothing but a blink in Eternity.
All those feathers and rainbows that I thought Mom sent me were the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Over the years, I have come to realize why God gave me that dream.
Some people teach that those who pass away are “asleep” until Christ returns. I know this is not true whatsoever because of what the Lord has revealed in my dreams. There is a Heaven that is very real and it’s alive and active. Jesus told the man on the cross that “today you will see me in paradise.” He didn’t say “when you wake up.”
Dreams can help us heal and understand God’s truth to dispel the myths taught by man. What I have seen in my dreams are something I could never create on my own.
💖What awaits us in Heaven is far more than we can ever fathom. Your loved one is so happy my friend. And not only are they happy, but they want to be with the Father more than here. A cloud of witnesses cheers us on and what seems significant now is nothing compared to the glory that awaits. Your loved one is rooting you on every step, but they also have great work to do in Heaven. We can’t understand what awaits because our human perspective simply does not have the capability to understand God’s purposes. I am here to tell you today that they love you, but Jesus loves you even more. Chase Him passionately and don’t waste another day without Him.
King Jesus is worthy of it all. You are so, so loved and the Father absolutely ADORES YOU.
Luke 23:42-43: Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Hebrews 10:32-33 TPT: Don’t you remember those days right after the Light shined in your hearts? You endured a great marathon season of suffering hardships, yet you stood your ground. And at times you were publicly and shamefully mistreated, being persecuted for your faith; then at other times you stood side by side with those who preach the message of hope.
Psalm 27:14 TPT: Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting—for he will never disappoint you!
