The Good, the Bad, and the False: Types of Dreams and Origins

A visitor to the blog asked about my use of the term "bad dream". Here is the response: 

Shadow,

I define a "false dream" to be one created expressly to deceive the recipient thereof. Such dreams may actually be exactly prophetic. The demons who author such dreams occasionally predict future events with great accuracy. Often, this is because details are kept vague or because the false dreams are anchored with a spirit of deception.

A "bad" dream may be a false dream or a true dream. A true dream, to me, can even be a dream which is only the mind exploring itself, or the nature of recent life events. It is a valid dream and can be analyzed with scientific means to learn truth about the individual dreamer. A true dream can be "bad" if issues presented are stressful to the dreamer or otherwise address undesirable future events. Such dreams seem “bad” but actually benefit the dreamer by tipping her off to pray against those events, and to take action to prevent their manifestation.

In summation, a false dream is always bad, whether it is 100% accurate or fully a lie. A true dream can be from the Kingdom of God. These dreams always benefit the dreamer whether the topic seems “bad” or “good”. Another true dream is a work of the mind. This dream is risky to assess. The mind shows as true what it believes- even if it is false.

-MFM

Dream Dictionary: Car with No Driver & Taking a Left Turn

Car with No Driver & Taking a Left Turn

A visitor to the blog asked:

I had a dream that my boyfriends car was driving past with the left indicator on, the strange thing is that there was no driver. do you know what a car without a driver could mean?

 The answer follows a simple contemplation of any car which is moving without a driver. The driver is the guidance system. When there is no driver, the dream shows: This person has no guidance. Each of us should have guidance in life. Wise counselors (successful people with love, happiness, good relationships, etc.), wisdom, understanding, and the Holy Spirit are guides for most people.

Having a guidance system or driver can also symbolize a life plan or philosophy of life.

Left turn signal: A turn to the left in almost every major religion in the world signals a turn into darkness. Buddhism describes the "left hand path", which is evil. Christianity warns we should "Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil" (Pro 4:27, KJV). It seems your bf is about to take a turn for the worse. Are you going to follow him?

Alternately, such a dream can mean the person has no "drive", no personal motivation, ambition, or goals.

Note that both these interpretations overlap.

Remember: Dreams warn. You should pray to overcome any potential undesirable events seen in dreams.

Demon Moving Backwards in a Dream

Several people found this blog last month searching for "Demon moving backwards in my dream". That disturbs me. So, I prayed about it and I now have these comments for anyone seeing this dream.

First, the fact that you saw an actual demon, and not some guise like a meter man, the cable guy, or a mechanic shows demonic deception is failing against you. Somehow, you have pierced the careful shadow of deception evil always pushes before it. This is good.

The demon moving backward is working up momentum to put aspects of your life into retrograde. This is similar (on a much smaller scale) to Superman flying counter to the spin of the earth to reverse time and save Lois Lane. But, there no good intentions exist here.

The first lesson every dream interpreter needs to understand is that some dreams are the work of the enemy. The devil can, and does insert dreams into people's subconscious during their sleep.

However, no demon, no power or principality can defeat God's proclamations. First, God promises that He always leaves a way out of every challenge. So, you have a way to victory.

For Christians, victory exists not in ourselves buy in the Power of the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit. So, we pray and ask God to intervene. We also use the authority given to us:

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means harm you. (Luke 10:19)

So, Christians, you have authority over these demons. Command them like you would a person over whom you have complete authority, like a king to a prisoner. 

Suggested additional reading: Driving Backward in Dreams

(June 24, 2012) A few days after posting this, I found a testimony of a young girl who escaped from one of the IHOP churches. She reported that, when she first joined, she had a dream about Mike Bickle, the leader of that group, wearing backwards clothing, and walking backward. Later, she realized she had been deceived. She left. 

Dream Interpretation: House

Symbolism of a House in a Dream

When you dream of a house, what does it mean? Can a house have more than one meaning? The house has many meanings!

The Meaning of the House Dream

A house represents your life. Think about it. Your life revolves around your house. If you go on a trip, you return to your home. You leave from your house to drive to work 250 days a year. Each of those days, you return to your home. It is the center of your life. No matter what you do, you return home.

Christian Dream Interpretation of a House

When Christians dream about a house, the meaning can be more specific. The walls of a house are prayer. Many dreams I have interpreted for Christians in recent years involve a house: hiding in the house from trouble outside, or else watching out windows while a flood rises outside- but miraculously not breaking the windows. The Christian interpretation of a house in a dream (the walls, anyway) seems to be almost always prayer.

Prayer forms a barrier between the prayer warrior and the will of the enemy of God. Other dream symbols of prayer I have seen are a barbed wire fence and a stone wal. But, the walls of a house are the most common symbol found in Christians' dreams. "My house will be called a house of prayer..." (Mat 21:13a).

The walls of a house can represent the protecting prayers of a Christian.

Houses, Generally

A typical house can have three levels: A basement, a ground floor, and an attic. Each of these represents a different aspect of a person. The ground floor represents daily life. This is the level of life we can plainly see. The living room carries a fairly obvious meaning.  The attic represents the subconscious and sometimes it can represent an interaction with spiritual issues.

Basement

The basement stores things out of use, or which will be used at a future time. The basement, for most, was not an active part of the life plan (the ground floor). It is a place of storage, or a place to relax and recline (game room).

A dark, scary basement may represent repressed memories, something difficult to process or accept. Undesirable memories are stored in the basement.

Attic

Attics in a dream often represent the subconscious mind. Items here are stored for later use. They are available when necessary.

Third floor

Some dreamers report breaking through the attic to reach a third floor. This floor represents the spiritual life of the dreamer, not the attic.  Note carefully the construction and any instantaneous thoughts about the construction, sturdiness, or strength of the third floor. This represents your spiritual life.

When I was a new Christian, I read many books and learned many things which were New Age (demonic and broken). I dreamed during that time of finding a door at the edge of the attic. I passed through, climbed rickety stairs, and found myself in a third floor room. The walls were mostly burned out on one side. The wind blew through and pushed at me. The floor was an arrangement of new boards, nailed at odd angles. Plywood walls were also new. Everything was built haphazard. Fire had also damaged the roof and the walls adjacent the missing wall.

I could see a bright sun from there. Intense light caused me to turn my head and lift my arm to protect my eyes.

Because I was not responsible with my spiritual life, I had built a rickety, dangerous third floor. But, I could see the Son from there!

Review of house meaning, from the Basement up:

Basement: Things you infrequently use, or never want to use

Ground floor: Daily living and everyday life

Attic, things you use somewhat regularly, but are not using now; things on hold

Third floor: spiritual life

Walls (Christian meaning): Prayers

Remember: These usages are very common. But, dream interpretation is properly undertaken with prayer. The Holy Spirit leads into all understanding. And, as Joseph and Daniel both state, “Interpretation belongs to God.” This is true for dreams, visions, and anything else which requires interpretation.

Variations on houses in dreams and their meaning:

Dream Meaning New House: Something new is coming into your life. Perhaps your future holds a new life.

Dream Interpretation of a House on Fire: Something in your life requires immediate attention. It is rapidly destroying your life. Could this be less obvious? If there is a fire in your house, immediate action is necessary.

Dream of a Moving House: Your life is going somewhere. Perhaps you will move to a new place- and have a new house there. Some aspect of your life is in transition. Look for other details in the dream that may refine the interpretation and understanding.

Dream Interpretation- Flooding House: A flood represents the Judgment of God. Even Jungian interpreters have to pay close attention to this interpretation. In the history of God and His people, the flood of Noah was God’s judgment on the wickedness of mankind. Many dreams in recent years of tsunamis, or three tsunamis in rapid succession, are about judgment coming on the people of the world. And, judgment starts with the house of God. The symbol of a flood as judgment is now part of the “collective unconscious” in the idea of Jung (who, according to his own words, really just translated a book on eastern mysticism). However, for those who pray, you might just be told by the Holy Spirit that flooding waters are judgment. If the waters are into your own household, what does that mean? It could be for just one member of the home. Or, it could mean the entire neighborhood or nation.

Isaiah 59:19 "So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."

2 Peter 2:5 "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly..."

Dream Interpretation- Cleaning a House: This dream shows you are cleaning up your life. More specifically, it indicates cleaning dark spirits out. This is strongly indicated if you are sweeping the house clean. Here is a scripture establishing this:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. (Mat 12:43-44)

So, we see that casting out demons is symbolized by sweeping a house. And, of course, we see the house represents a person here. 

Conclusion:

A house in a dream typically represents life. It can convey a wide variety of messages. This is especially true when a dream focuses on your house. Details of the house (moving or on fire, for example) represent aspects of your life. However, sometimes a house is just a house. A dream about a new house may literally signal a new house coming into your life (but not when!) Because of the interconnectedness of the spiritual and the physical, moving into a new house can be a reflection of the spiritual condition. Of course, there are many wonderful people living in austere poverty because of the spiritual condition of their nation, not their own spirits.

Suggested Reading:

Dream Interpretation: Water