9 replies to this topic

[Candice]

I wonder if dreams, nightmares and the like are related to spiritual warfare and any reality at all? Just the mind?

Both my husband and I have had terrible nightmares for two to three nights. There is an accusatory tone for me and death for my husband. Both of us have had bad dreams that one of my nieces dies.

If you read 'STRUGGLES THAT BIND' you know we are struggling. I'm asking the Lord, "are we being punished with dreams? Maybe we have done the wrong thing?" How can there be such doubt? My husband does not attach such things.

Also, our well went dry last night. We are so concerned - and, with my Catholic background, immediately I think I'm being punished for something.

Can any of this be true?

I don't believe my spirit is steady. It is as if it is dangling from a hook in the ceiling, swinging without a compass this morning, as before the well went dry, I had perfect peace about our situation.

[Julie Daube]

Candice, I know exactly how you feel about thinking you are being punished. I also have a Catholic background and grew up with a father who was overly critical and punished me over every little thing - even for things I didn't even do. As a result, I came to believe the lie that God was eager to punish me, even after being born again for many years. It was only relatively recently that I rejected that lie and started embracing my identity in Christ. Candice, I believe this is the heart of the issue you are struggling with. You need to remember who you are in Christ and to meditate and even recite as many Scriptures that you can find that remind you of that. You can put them on index cards and keep them with you all the time. Then when you start feeling like you're being punished, read them out loud, declaring God's truth over your life.

The following link has a list of Scriptures to get you started:

http://crossinglouis...tity-in-christ/

As for the nightmares, I think it's possible the situation you've been dealing with has made you vulnerable to a mindset or spirit of fear. If you've given fear any ground in your life, it can become a stronghold. I know this because I've struggled with it all my life and have only recently begun to experience freedom from this stronghold. I believe what opened the door for a spirit of fear to afflict me was a traumatic event in my childhood. Our house was struck by lightening; no one was hurt, but my mom was on the phone at the time, and sparks came out of the phone. She was knocked to the ground but was fine. That night, the nightmares started and continued for most of my childhood. Even after they stopped, I struggled with fear, worry and anxiety well into adulthood. But praise God! He has been giving me victory over this stronghold through prayer, godly counsel, and the power of His Word. I now start every day by saying, "Jesus, I choose to walk in your peace. I choose to walk in faith. I will not walk in fear." Any time a fearful thought enters my mind, I say (out loud if possible), "I have the mind of Christ, and I take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." Guess what? It works, praise the Lord!

Another way to deal with the nightmares is to use the command of faith that Jesus gave us in Mark 11:23. You can speak to the nightmares (and to any evil spirit that may be causing them) and command them to leave you in the name of Jesus.

There is more I can say but don't have a lot of time. I may post more later. Meanwhile, I declare God's peace, joy, favor, victory, proection, and blessing over you in Jesus' name! Amen.

[Julie Daube]

Here's one more thing I do if I have a nightmare involving someone I know (especially a dream of someone dying, being in an accident, etc.): I make sure to pray for God's protection over them. It's just something that seems wise to me.

Just came across this message about fear by David Wilkerson. Thought it would encourage you:

http://sermons.world...g/en/node/24173

[Charles Miles]

Candice,

I do understand that you are having some trials and struggles right now, so I will not in any way try to diminish what they are, but can I offer some suggestions for dealing with some trials? Dreams have been used for centuries to instruct and inform, but there is a danger with them. Dreams acn be #1. Holy Spirit attempting to get a message to us, or #2. bad pizza for supper the night before. Our problem becomes how to tell the difference, and I just do not know anyone who is accurate at dream understanding. As far as punishment...well, just why would a loving heavenly Father want to punish anyone with terrible dreams and a dry well? As a born again child of God, I don`t think you need worry about being much of a consideration either. How about this?....Romans8:26-28. "And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans". Even the branches that produce fruit do get pruned so they can produce more fruit, and the branch doesn`t always understand what is going on with the pruning. Maybe all we need to know is that the gardener is our Father and he knows what we need better than we know.

Often the lessons we learn do seem to be taught in a hard manner, but I do know that in my own life, I have a hard time getting the point sometimes. God WILL get our full attention for whatever reason. We are his children and he wants us to learn how to trust him in ALL things. Hang in there. "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

In Christ,

Charlie

[Sarah Baker]

Julie, thanks for the reminder that we have the mind of Christ. I need to remember that as I also struggle against fear at times.

[elizabethcog]

When I am "feeling" lost and scared or even tormented I fill my mind with any and all scripture I can think of,if I can't then I just say Jesus,there is power in His name.My feelings at times confuse me and lie to me when I am so busy trying to figure it all out,but Jesus calms me and reassures me to wait and these 'feelings' will pass,Jesus stays!

[Candice]

Thank you all again for your words of encouragement. All great points. I rarely dream at all, and this is disturbing. But, my hubby and I have been stressed a bit.

Julie, I will check out your link. Definitely a great deal of past Roman Catholic stuff, especially having spent the first 10 years of my life in Vatican I. I'm sure though that some Catholics are saved and that's good to know. Not a basher, but it is just my experience, and that of my husband's (which included abuse), that it this type of response is automatic.

PRAISE GOD!! Our well is not drained - the pump was burned out from too much irrigation and is now repaired. I thought we would surely have to spend $20K to tap into the Madison aquifer!! So many people up her have had their wells run dry over the years, we were just fearing the worst. I had whispered to God that even if the well was dry, it was just another branch coming off the tree! It gets to be where you just allow all the trials and don't look too far ahead. It still is no fun...counting down the years to heaven.

[Kevin Blankenship]

I feel that I can comment on the 'nightmare' aspect of this thread. I had been feeling deeply depressed and just.....BLAH!....lately and I called a friend just for conversation, and before hanging up the phone, I asked him what he did when he felt this feeling of gloom and doom. He told me that he would buy a bar of dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet, chocolate and eat a few squares of it. Well, I had actually tried this before, but since I was already at Wal Mart as our converstion wound to a close, I headed to the baking goods...(or was it the candy section?)....I forget which, but anyway, I bought me a semi sweet, dark chocolate bar.
Three months before this, I had bought a similar type bar of chocolate. On both times, I ate three or four little sqares of chocolate broken from the bar. Both times, I did this about an hour before bedtime. I realized that chocolate has caffeine in it, but many is the time that I have drank coffee and went to bed with no ill effect. But with chocolate, it is FAR different. Both times, I experienced very vivid, and detailed, horrifying nightmares (not monsters and such, but about bad things happening.......REAL bad). I woke up, both times, and the ordeal was so horrific that I had to give myself a minute or two to focus on where I was when i awoke. And then, a great relief swept across my mind. Mexican food can do it to me too, but not quite as bad.
I have prayed that God would give me spiritually significant dreams but I reckon that I am just not ready, or mature enough, to be trusted with spiritual things of such magnitude. Anyway, that is my guess. But I DO know about what chocolate can do. Both times that I ate the chocolate, I remember lying down and reading and drifting off to sleep, only to be awoken an hour and a half later by awful nightmares. NO MORE CHOCOLATE past 6 pm for me. There MUST be something other than caffeine in chocolate that alters the mind in someway, somehow. Cocao beans come from the jungle....so.....ain't no tellin.
I realize that this is not a very good answer to your original post Candace. But we have reached the outer boundaries of my knowledge on such things. PS: Praying for the Autumn rains to kick in where you live and bring the water table back up!!!! I didn't realize that drought conditions like this existed in our country this year, in spite of reading about all of the fires. Good Bless you. If there is anything tangible that can be done, I would be glad to help. I mean, packaged, bottled, water costs. That is the REAL crux of our spiritual status, is sacrificing for a fellow Christian. After that, and other people.

[Julie Daube]

I'm sure though that some Catholics are saved and that's good to know. Not a basher, but it is just my experience, and that of my husband's (which included abuse), that it this type of response is automatic.

Yes, many Catholics are saved, praise the Lord! I was saved in the Catholic Church, and my dad is a born-again Catholic. He is one of the most on-fire Christians I know, a true saint of God. Catholicism isn't what it was many years ago - that spirit of guilt many former Catholics grew up with is giving way to a new season in the Catholic Church. You might be interested in the following - it's about a new evangelistic movement in the Catholic Church:

http://www.usccb.org...evangelization/

I am rejoicing with you over the well - I prayed specifically about that.

[Candice]

If there is anything tangible that can be done, I would be glad to help. I mean, packaged, bottled, water costs. That is the REAL crux of our spiritual status, is sacrificing for a fellow Christian. After that, and other people.

Hi Kevin,
Thank you so very much for your heartfelt offer of water or help! We haven't had problems before and now the pump is repaired and we have plenty of water coming up. One of our wells is very deep; the other not so deep and not so productive for everyday use. Thank God we have water. I guess it is sad we only thank God when things turn out well (no pun intended!)

I'm sorry to hear you're depressed and "blah". How is your mother doing these days? This is a contagious thing. I get that way when my son goes back to school after summer. I'm alone completely and not liking it so far. Get out much to hunt with bow and arrow? Bow and arrow deer season is on and soon elk bow and arrow will start, then other big game seasons.

Your take on chocolate causing nightmares is interesting. Yes, I think chocolate is different than just caffeine like coffee. We went to Costa Rica and they had these cocoa farms and I've read something about other chemicals, including antioxidants. I don't eat chocolate often; never before bed, but maybe its something physical.

I sure hope you feel better soon. Get out and enjoy yourself too.