Help! Tormented dreams

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Esaias

This is my last post on this thread.

That would be absolutely tragic.

Bro, please stay and post.

[houston]

Lol

[Evang.Benincasa]

Matthew 27:19

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: "Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night."

The Bible, especially the New Testament, dreams were to warn the dreamer.
Not sent by demons to torture, but from God to warn, or instruct.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Genesis 20:6

Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

Daniel 2:1

One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn't sleep.

Genesis 41:1

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

Genesis 41:8

Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

These dreams were warnings sent by God, not by devils.

No one in these dreams were a follower of the One True Living God of the Hebrews.

Still they were given dreams which were troubling, tormenting and disturbing.
All were given them to warn them and their people.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Concerning the children of God, we are instructed that God speaks to His prophets through visions, but also in dreams.


Numbers 12:6

He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.

Genesis 31:11

"Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.'

Matthew 1:20

But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 2:12

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.

Matthew 2:19

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

[Evang.Benincasa]

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the LORD's Temple forever.

John 10:14

I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,

The Shepherd knows all of His flock, and gives them protection even when they are going through the darkest valley of the impending death.

Amos 3:6-7

When the ram's horn blows a warning, shouldn't the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has planned it?
“For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Jesus will always give you a heads up, if you remember that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Therefore nothing is bad, everything is good, if we can see God working through it to use us for His purpose.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Matthew 27:19

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: "Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night."

The Bible, especially the New Testament, dreams were to warn the dreamer.
Not sent by demons to torture, but from God to warn, or instruct.

Amen.

After I converted, I began having horrible nightmares. Like, in the first week. They were constant and hard to take. I even became afraid to go to sleep. I would pray before bed and beg God to protect me.

But here's what I learned over time:

One night I had a dream in which I was walking in some kind of underground corridor or cave. I was, in the dream, like a disembodied spirit. All around me, these humanoid monsters were walking about, very grotesque looking. Then, every couple of seconds, I was shown some kind of pit, an endless black hole, and a voice would speak to me and invite me to come enjoy the abyss.

As the dream came to an end, something smacked my face and I woke up just as my head was thrust over to the side. At first, I wanted to pray and seek God for help and protection. But instead, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, I prayed and asked God what He was intending for me to understand by allowing me to have that dream. Right after I prayed, He called to mind a part of the dream. One of the monsters was actually an actor who was playing a character on a television show I enjoyed watching, but felt convicted about because of its content, but wasn't willing to submit to the Spirit's work in my life.

So I understood in that moment that refusing to yield to the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit in my life was endangering me, and that I was going to end up in some serious bondage if I didn't wake up. The dream was a message sent by the Lord to get me to snap to attention and obey Him. I stopped watching TV the next day.

Other dreams I had early on were sent by God as a means to help me overcome fear. Before I was saved, especially when I was a little kid, I used to have horrific nightmares and visitations by evil spirits. I had been subject to spiritual bondage through fear. After conversion and deliverance, God sent these dreams to help me overcome the fears I had experienced in my dreams as a little child. These were designed to strengthen my faith and embolden me against the Adversary. And they worked. They were like a spiritual regimen, something God knew I personally needed, in the way I needed, so I could become the overcomer He desired me to be.

So, from that dream, shared above, in which the Lord set me straight about watching television upwards of a dozen or so years ago, I have since learned to not pray against evil spirits when I have a bad dream and feel afraid, but rather to seek God and petition Him for understanding, to help me discern and realize why He directly sent or indirectly, permitted me, to have such a dream in the first place.

[houston]

Amen. Amen.

[Aquila]

I believe that Scripture teaches us everything we need to know to be saved and to live victorious life. But the Bible doesn't teach us everything there is to know. For example, even the origin of Satan is only hinted at. Even when Jesus walked the earth, He didn't teach everything He had to teach us (John 16:12). In fact, Christ promised that the Spirit of Truth will lead us into all truth (John 16:13), meaning that the Holy Spirit will reveal all necessary truth as we live our lives. The key to judging experiences, visions, etc., isn't necessarily always as easy as asking if it is in Scripture. One must determine if it contradicts Scripture.

So, does the Bible specifically say that demons CAN'T attack our dreams? What chapter? What verse?

We do see God allowing a lying spirit to influence Eliphaz through a dream. Eliphaz was clearly not where he should be at the time. Thus, is it not logical to conclude that it is indeed possible for demons to afflict our minds though dreams in certain circumstances? It's certainly an implication of Scripture. Some believe that God allowed this only on this occasion for the purpose of Jobs trial. But that puts God and the ways of the spirit into a box. Instead of ministering to people afflicted by spirits in their dreams, this causes many of us to skeptically deny their circumstance, which offers no true deliverance. It's only one step away from denying that demons can afflict us at all.

I believe that this doubt, skepticism, and denial that denies the very real battle many people experience isn't of God.

The Bible speaks of the shield of faith, which defends us from the fiery darts of the enemy, meaning the attacks of the enemy. I believe one line of attack can be through dreams. But this doesn't mean that a demon is in you. The spirit isn't in you or in you head. The attack comes from without.

How?

Ever hear a song in your dreams, only to wake up and realize that the same song is playing on the radio? Ever fall asleep on the couch and have a scenario in a dream, only to wake up and realize the very same scenario is taking place on a television show or radio show? Ever fall asleep talking to someone and begin dreaming about what they were taking about?

We can dream what we hear as we're sleeping.

A spiritual attack in one's dreams can come from a spirit that whispers thoughts, scenarios, suggestions, into the soul. Imagine a spirit whispering, "Murder your family.", into one's soul, one's mind, throughout the night. Imagine that it goes into great detail in how to do it. Imagine this spirit doing this for weeks and months on end. What might that person begin to dream on occasion? Imagine the effect if it whispers words of discouragement, fear, doubt, or condemnation on account of past sins. Imagine if it whispers words and acts of perversion. What effect might this have on a person's dreams?

Demons whisper false doctrines and lies into our souls, our minds, as part of their attacks. Do these attacks cease when someone sleeps? How many have a terrible dream and, in the dream, rebuke it in the name of Jesus, to not only have the dream instantly end, but to find themselves awake after calling the name, or awake actually calling the name???

That was a spirit. We know because it responded to the name of Jesus. We also know because the Holy Spirit within us impressed upon us the need to call the name.

People can feel free to not believe me, laugh, or mock me. But countless saints, preachers, and missionaries can attest to this very real experience in their lives...and the power of the name of Jesus over it.

So, ultimately, let the individual choose what interpretation of Scripture supports actual experience. Let them judge who is casting doubt and unbelief and who is affirming the reality of this battle and the sure victory that can be had over it.

[Aquila]

One might also note that demonic oppression, and even possession, can have similar symptoms as various forms of mental illness. How do we tell the difference? In Luke, we read:

Luke 8:35
Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Notice that after Jesus cast these spirits out of the demoniac the mania ceased. The man was instantly in his right mind. Nothing more was needed.

When the condition is of demonic origin, the symptoms cease immediately upon casting the demon, or demons, out. If symptoms persist, the demon (or additional demons) was not removed - or the condition is psychological/emotional and might need counsel or medical attention.

Keep this in mind when operating in the realm of spiritual warfare.

Victory over demons is assured through the authority of the name, the power of the Spirit, and the testimony of the blood.