Dream Foundations 4: RSVP

by John E. Thomas

Do you remember the last wedding invitation you received? Most come with the request to RSVP, which means “please respond.” The person who sent you the invitation would like to know in advance if you are going to attend their event.
 
In a similar way, dreams are invitations from God with “please respond” written on them. We get to do more than just ignore our dreams or feel confused, frustrated or entertained by them—we get to respond to the invitations God is giving us.
 
How do we respond to our dreams? It depends on their source.[CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HOW YOU CAN DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF YOUR DREAMS.]But with any dream, the first step we take is to talk to our Father about it.
 
How to Respond to Dreams from the Enemy
 
The enemy sends dreams to establish fear in our hearts, lie to us and separate us from God. When you’ve had a dream from the enemy, go to God and ask Him the following questions:
 

• “Should I pay attention to this dream or ignore it?”
• “Do I pray against what this dream is saying or simply refuse to believe it?”
• “Is this a warning about something that could happen?”
• “Why did You allow the enemy to give me this dream?”

 
Remember, the enemy is a liar. Therefore, most dreams from the enemy are flat-out lies, and you don’t need to believe them or be afraid of them.
 
How to Respond to Dreams from the Soul
 
Dreams from the soul often reveal strongholds or soulish desires. We can actually cause ourselves to dream about something (Jeremiah 29:8–9) if we are thinking obsessively about it, feel strongly about it or want it badly enough. When we are “wrapped up” in something, it creates a path in our brains that makes it easier for the thought, feeling or desire to come up in our dreams.
 
If you’ve had a soulish dream, respond by taking the dream to God:
 

• Confess to God that you think, feel or want what the dream revealed.
• Ask Him if something needs to change in your thoughts or feelings.
• Ask Him to show you any place where you may have been deceived concerning this stronghold or desire. (A soulish dream doesn’t necessarily mean the desire is wrong or should be dismissed, but we want our desires to filter through our spirits, where God directs them, and not just through our souls.)
• If necessary, repent for believing a lie and ask God what truth He wants to give you in its place.
• Ask God if this dream is meant to heal past issues or wounds in your soul.

 
Soul dreams are often keys to breakthrough on the journey to wholeness and freedom.
 
How to Respond to Dreams from God
 
With a dream from God, determine if it is a dream about you or someone else. I’ll write more about this later, but the simple clue is to ask who is carrying the activity in the dream. If it is you, the dream is about you. But if you are simply observing the activity, the dream is about the person you are observing.
 
If the dream is about you, ask God the following questions:
 

• “How do I pray?”
• “Is this something You want me to believe about my future and destiny?”
• “Are You changing the way I think about this situation or person?”
• “Is this a promise I should battle for?” (See 1 Timothy 1:18.)
• “Do I position myself for this to happen, or do I wait on You to make it happen?”

 
If the dream is about someone else, it is always for the sake of prayer. God is inviting you to pray for that person. There are times when you should share the dream with them, but I suggest you do so only if the following conditions are met: You have relationship with the person, you sense God prompting you to speak with them, you know the dream will release hope in their heart and you know it will help them respond to God.
 
The Key to Remember
 
Every dream, even if it is from the enemy or the soul, is an invitation from God to come and speak with Him. The worst thing we can do with a dream is pretend it didn’t happen.
 
Even if you don’t know what your dream means, write it down, pray it through and respond to God as best you know how.