a Each element in a metaphoric dream is like a dot in a dot-painting that, once joined, becomes a story we are not likely to forget.

a It is the Holy Spirit who will witness with our hearts about the suitability and correctness of each element of the dream, and it is the Holy Spirit who will piece them together.

a From our experience, about 90 percent of dreams are about the dreamer.

a Dreams most often address the concerns that are weighing heavily upon the dreamer's heart.

a Asking ourselves where we are experiencing the emotions and actions similar to those portrayed in a dream is a good indicator of a dream's subject.

a Every dream has a purpose.

a G.o.d will often give dreams to those in ministry that are about the spiritual well-being of those for whom they are accountable.

a When we are experiencing difficulty interpreting a dream, we can write it down in sequence using dot points.

a When approaching G.o.d for an interpretation, we must be sure to put our hearts in neutral. The Bible warns about coming to G.o.d for guidance with idols (preconceived preferences) in our hearts.

a Dreams and visions show potential outcomesa"either good or bada"but the outcomes are not a fait accompli (a done deal).

a G.o.d shows problems, risks, and hazards so that we may take steps to put things right before they go awry.

a We are not to use a dream or vision interpretation as an excuse to act and live contrary to the Word of G.o.d.

a As dreams and visions const.i.tute prophetic ministry, their interpretation needs to be judged according to Scripture.

Making a Start a Recognize that G.o.d uses dreams as a vital means of communication.

a Write the dream out immediately on awakening.

a Record any feelings a.s.sociated with the dream.

a Ask G.o.d to help you both recall and interpret the dream.

a Put the dream into its correct sequence.

a Note any Scriptures that come to mind.

a Write out any "instant" thoughts on the meaning of the elements of the dream.

a Look up the metaphor dictionary for individual element interpretations.

a Allow the Holy Spirit to piece the message together.

a Identify the subject of the dream by considering the feelings and action in the dream.

a Ask yourself where in your life you feel this way.

a Ask yourself, "What are the current concerns of my heart?"

a Identify the theme or overall purpose of the dream by looking at it as a whole.

a Ask yourself whether the dream deals with past, present, or future? Or all three?

a If there are hidden elements not yet revealed, hold off on the interpretation.

a Once you have an interpretation, "judge" the interpretation against the questions listed earlier.

a If you are able to positively identify the dream's message, move on it.

a If the dream is genuinely about another person, begin praying for them.

a Thank G.o.d for His care and concern for you.

Part II Dream Dictionaries 101 sample Dream and Vision Interpretations Actual dreams and visions with names changed for privacy 1. Flying Dream River, Flying, Daughter, Running, Waterfall, Tricks, Riverbank I was running along a riverbank. My youngest daughter was running ahead of me. I had trouble keeping up until I remembered that I could fly. I started flying over the river and overtook my daughter. It was amazing as I flew over a waterfall and continued down the river before I turned around to find her. I saw myself do a few tricks flying in front of a group of people on the bank.

Interpretation: The river is the river of the Holy Spirit (see River). Your youngest daughter represents your offspring or future running ahead of you (see Daughter). Flying over the river means moving in a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit (see Flying). G.o.d is also warning you when you start to move more in the Spirit to watch out for self-glory (see Tricks). The waterfall suggests that you will be part of an outpouring of the Spirit of G.o.d (see Waterfall). The people you are doing tricks in front of are not yet in the river (see Bank).

2. River in Church Dream River, Church, Pulpit, Congregation, Stands I saw a river running diagonally through what was currently the church congregation's sitting area. It ran between the pulpit and the congregation. At the back of the church were huge standsa"like in a football stadium. I was concerned because I thought that the river separated the speaker from the audience.

Interpretation: The river is the flow of the Holy Spirit (see River). The fact that the river flowed in front of the speaker is a good thing. It means that the preacher is putting the Spirit before himself (see Pulpit and Congregation). When this is done, G.o.d will draw crowds of peoplea"the stands.

3. Letter Box Dream Letterbox, Mail, Abundance I was with a friend who I went to Bible College with some years earlier.

He and I were in the ministry together. We were at post-boxes collecting our mail. I opened my box, and it was literally jammed-packed with letters. There were so many letters that it took me some time to jimmy a couple of envelopes free before the rest could be emptied out of the box.

Interpretation: (The person who had this dream was no longer in a recognized ministry position.) This dream indicates that you will once again take up a ministry position as seen by the fact that you are with someone with ministry status. The many envelopes indicate invitations to speak (see Letters) and could also indicate that your ministry will be itinerant (see Mailbox). G.o.d is encouraging you with this prophetic-futuristic dream.

4. Plaques Dream Plaques, Screws, Codes I saw several plaques (shields) on which were words. I knew instinctively that the screws that were to hold them in place were positioned in such a way as to decode the messages on the plaques. Some screws were in the corners, which indicated that the corner words were the message. Some screws were in the middle, which indicated that the words in the same position (i.e. in the middle) were the words to take note of.

Interpretation: The plaques are messages from G.o.d that you will share publicly (see Plaque). This dream is to show that the deposits of revelation (encoded words) you have received are from Him (see Codes and Screws). The instinct you speak of is guidance by the Spirit of G.o.d (an inward knowing). This is an encouragement dream showing that what you are receiving is from G.o.d. Keep doing what you are doing.

5. Hotel Foyer Dream Hotel Foyer/Reception I dreamt I was in a hotel foyer/reception area.

Interpretation: (The recipient of this dream was asked whether there was some uncertainty about their tenure in their current employment position. He confirmed that finances were tight at work.) With that information, it is indicative that G.o.d is showing that you are about to check out of your current work situation and/or check into something new (see Hotel Reception).

6. Coach, Baggage, and Margaret Dream Interstate Coach, Bus Stop, Baggage, Daughter, Taxi, Cost, Margaret I got off the interstate coach I was traveling on to talk to someone, and when I returned, the coach was gone. I walked (with others) toward the next stop because my bags were still on the coach. I realized that if I didn't get to the set-down point before the bus departed, my baggage would go on with the coach. I thought of phoning (via cell phone) Margaret (who was on the bus) to ask her to offload my bags at the next stop. My daughter was in there somewhere. I thought of getting a taxi, but I realized that would cost me.

Interpretation: The bus is the ministry in which you currently work (see Bus). The bus going on before you indicates that there is concern that you will leave your current position having not dealt with baggage from that position (see Bag). The baggage is most probably unforgiveness (feeling like they owe you). Margaret means "pearl." This is a reference to Jesus as the pearl of great price (see Pearl).

The reference to the taxi costing you means that if you don't deal with this baggage by taking it to Jesus, then it will cost you (you will not reach your G.o.d-given potential).

We recommend you approach whoever it is within your ministry with whom you have the unresolved issue and ask for forgiveness for harboring resentment and bitterness toward them. Your daughter's presence indicates that this concerns your future (see Daughter).

7. Laundry Anointing Dream Laundry, Modern House, Younger, Parents, Wardrobes, Clothes, Air-Freshener, Fragrance I was in the laundry of a modern house, which was well-appointed with good cupboards and doors. In the dream, I was a young girl (a daughter) and I could hear my parents saying nice things to each other through the wall (they were in the next room). There were wardrobes in the laundry, and I understood that they had clothes in them. There was also an air-freshening device in the laundry. I pressed it and a little sprayed in my face. I couldn't turn it off, so I opened the door. The scent went throughout the house into the air conditioner and filled the house with the fragrance.

Interpretation: The new house speaks of your new, transformed, and well-fitted house as a Christian (see House). The fact that you are in the laundry suggests that you have just undergone a cleansing process (see Laundry). This is reinforced by the clothes in the cupboards. These are what you put on when you are clean. The Scripture that comes to mind is Zechariah 3:4-5.

Seeing yourself as the daughter refers to you being younger, which is often a characteristic of the spirit person (see Younger). A daughter is also a daughter of G.o.d. Your parents saying nice things to each other in the next room is representative of you being in harmony and intimate with Christ in the secret place. The air-freshener is the anointing (see Air Freshener), and getting some on your face means your heart has been anointed (see Face). Once this has been touched, the fragrance of Christ fills your whole being (house).

This is a great dream. Be encouraged. The previous pruning (cleansing) you have recently undergone has brought you to this place.

8. New Irrigation and Roof Dream Dining Table, Parents, Dressing Gowns, Expecting Someone, Upstairs, Sleep, Roof Tiles, Front Yard, Irrigation, Gra.s.s, Quickly I was sitting at the dining table talking to my parents. We were organizing something and sitting in dressing gowns. I was the daughter, but we were in the house I live in now. We were expecting someone. Someone came to the door, and my parents answered it. I went upstairs to sleep.

Workmen started working in the front yard, so I thought I would sleep. But then they also started working on the roof tiles just outside the upstairs window. I looked down, and they were replacing all the irrigation in the front yard. The workmen had diggers and excavating machines taking the dirt out and digging trenches. They were going to replace the irrigation pipes and relay them and put in new gra.s.s finishing the job that same day! It was a challenge to get it all done, but they were confident it could be completed.

Interpretation: The dining table speaks of intimacy and unity with Jesus (see Table). This is reinforced by the wearing of dressing gowns, symbolizing a just cleansed and relaxed atmosphere (see Dressing Gown).

Going upstairs refers to going to G.o.d for rest (see Upstairs).

This dream deals with the external aspect of G.o.d's mantle upon you. G.o.d is mantling you with His power (see Mantle). He is placing the anointing upon the flesh (see Gra.s.s). At the same time, He is making adjustments to your authority and covering (see Roof). It should be evident that the dream also indicates a quick work will be done.

9. Train Station Dream Railway Station, Train Departure, Spokesman, Platform, Curved, 400, Anxious I was at a railway station awaiting the departure of a train. I was with a party or group of people. I was not the spokesman, and I got rapped over the knuckles for speaking about an incident when I shouldn't have. The platform was curved like a gentle S. A train pulled in; it was the final train, the "400." I didn't think I was meant to be on this train because I couldn't see other members of my group on it. I was anxiously looking to see whether people I knew were on it, having the thought that if this was the final train, and this wasn't the one I was meant to be on, then what then?

Interpretation: The railway station says you are awaiting ministry (see Railway Station). The fact that you are not the spokesman refers to the fact that you are currently under another ministry without a pulpit profile. Getting disciplined for speaking means that you have said something that your current leadership does not like, and therefore, they are holding the pulpit from you.

The curved platform (gentle S) means that you are currently bound in the Spirit and are about to be released (see Curved).

The final train being the 400 means the spiritual train that you are really awaiting is just around the corner (see Four). Israel was in Egypt 400 years, and after the 400 years, they were delivered. This suggests that there is a spiritual time-lock at work in your situation (see Watch). You are experiencing anxiety because a ministry opportunity is closing (the 400 train leaving), and your next ministry opportunity (train) has not yet apparently arrived.

This is an encouraging dream. It lets you know that G.o.d is aware of your situation. You have no need to fear; when the 400 train departs (it appears your dream ends before it does), G.o.d's train will come. Though He may appear later than you would like, He will come!

10. Overtaking Dream and Auto Accident Dream Pa.s.senger, Automobile, Father, Overtaking, Dirt Road, Blind Corner, Not Wanting To Be There I was traveling with another pa.s.senger in a car that my father was driving. Our car was behind another car, and I knew dad wanted to overtake the car in front. Down the straight road ahead, I could see a car coming off a dirt road. It was coming in our direction. Dad nosed the car out to have a look and saw the other car and pulled back in behind the car ahead of us. We went round a sweeping left-hand bend, and then my father overtook on a blind right-hand bend with a bit of a crest. It was the sort of maneuver that if you had been in the car, you would not want to ride with that driver again.

Interpretation: Your father represents leadership of the ministry in which you are currently involved (see Father). The ministry is the car (see Automobile).

Seeing down the straight road ahead refers to having spiritual vision (see Straight and Window). The fact that you avoided a head-on with an on-coming vehicle (coming off a dirt road) suggests that because of spiritual vision you have avoided confrontation and potential catastrophe with someone doing their own thing or a country ministry (see Dirt Road and Auto Accident).

The fact that your father did not wait for a clear road before attempting to overtake suggests that leadership is in a hurry to make a decision (see Overtaking). The driver overtaking on a blind corner means that the decision which is about to be made is spiritually blind. You did not collide with any other vehicle, but you and the other pa.s.senger will have second thoughts about traveling with that leadership again.

11. Slate Tile Platform and Roof Dream Slate Tiles, Step, Roof, Platform, Length, House I saw slate tiles suspended by cables between the ground and the roof of my house. The slate tiles created a platform to step up onto the roof. The platform that the tiles provided was two tiles wide and ran the length of the house.

Interpretation: The slate tiles represent writing (see Slate). You are going to write material that will give you the opportunity to step into the pulpit (see Roof). As the slate tiles ran the whole length of the house, it appears that there will be many books to follow or the influence of your book (or books, as there were two tiles) will be ongoing, and it may also be that you use this platform to introduce others to the platform.

12. Property with a View Dream House, View, Buy, 100,000 I bought a property (house) with a view. It was situated high, and you could see a long way into the distance. It cost $100,000.00.

Interpretation: The property says that you are moving into a prophetic office (see View) by laying down your life (see Buying).

One hundred means "whole" and a thousand means "ever increasing." This suggests that it is purchased by your growth in the Spirit (see Hundred and Thousand).

13. Closing Window Dream CD Installation, Computer, Young Adults, Different Rooms, Closing Window, Noise, Joking I had gone to someone's home to let them install a CD I had on their computer. My wife had loaded the CD, so I wasn't familiar with the contents on it. There were three to five young adults, aged in their late teens to early twenties, living in the home. One of the girls whom I knew was named Ann.

I went into one room, and they into another. We spoke through a window which was horizontally long and narrow. At the same time as they were installing the CD in the other room, there was a lot of noise filling the house, and because of the noise, the window between us was being closed (in an attempt to cut out the noise).

There was a problem installing the CD, I joked about not hearing correctly. I was unable to help because I was not familiar with the material on the CD.

Interpretation: Ann means "favored graciously". Knowing that one of your daughters is named Hannah, which is the root for Ann, it is evident that this is your children in the dream.

The CD loaded by your wife suggests that your wife has been the primary input into your children's lives in their developmental stages (see Computer CD). The dream suggests that as maturing youth/young adults, your children are now entering their own independent stage of life by going into other rooms. Your input into their lives is being drowned out by the noise of your children's interests and the world (see Noise).

The window closing says that the opportunity to input is narrowing (see Window). The noise is also hindering any programming you are attempting at the moment. This is a problem amplified by the fact that you are not as personal or intimate with them as your wife. The joking may refer to not taking the situation seriously (see Joking).

14. Miniature Cricket Bat Dream Cricket Bat, Childhood, Blue, Green, Bigger, Carved, Countries I bought an ornamental miniature cricket bat (sporting memorabilia). It was signed by players of the village in which I was raised as a child in England.

When it was brought out of the trader's display cabinet, it was blue and green in color. It was bigger than I thought, and it had the players' names and initials carved into the front face of the bat.

On the back of the bat were multiple country stamps where it had been. I can remember seeing Spain and Brazil and many others. This seemed a little strange to me because of the insignificant team it represented.

Interpretation: A cricket side has twelve players (11 + 1), which reminds us of the apostles. Note that it is a miniature bat; this is because it is not in fact a bat, but rather a baton. It is blue-green in color because it carries with it influence in Heaven (blue) and earth (green) (see Blue and Green).

Your childhood village in England is mentioned because G.o.d has had this call on your life from before your birth (see Gal. 1:15).

The names are carved into the bat and not merely signed for two reasons. Firstly, it is because the bearers of this bat (baton) are those for whom the cost is their lives, and secondly, because they made their mark (see Carved)!

It is bigger than you thought because what is being presented to you (in the display cabinet) is a more significant calling than you thought. This is in line with the country stamps on the back of the bat of where it has been taken thus far (see Country).

The Lord has used a cricket bat to show you that when you get the call to bat, it is time for your innings to take up an apostolic and international ministry (see Cricket Bat).

15. The Flying Bible Dream Bible, Falling, Automobile, Highway My Bible fell out of my car as I went around a slipway (curved feeder road) onto a highway.

Interpretation: In this dream, the highway is the commercial world (see Highway). What G.o.d is saying is that it would be a mistake for you to take a secular job because you will lose the call on your life (see Bible).

16. Money Given Into Your Hand Dream Money, Suit, Insincere, Dark Blue, Dropping, Picking Up, Coins, Scrunched Up I was in a foyer speaking to someone. An insincere man, wearing a dark blue suit, came up to me and unexpectedly gave me some money.

There were two fifty dollar notes and some coins all scrunched up together. I dropped some of the coins as they rolled out of the notes. I bent over and picked it up.

Interpretation: (When asked whether this person knows anyone who wears a dark blue suit, it was discovered that he wears a dark blue suit when he does a specific contract job. At this time, this work had ceased for more than six months. Asked how the person felt about this work, it was evident that his heart was not in it. He had let some opportunities for more of this work drop by not attending an annual workshop.) This suggests that the insincere man is you when you are doing this work. With that information, it is evident that G.o.d is showing you there is going to be an unexpected and brief increase in this line of work (see Dropping), brief because only a small amount of money is involved.

Also note that you dropped the coins and picked them up. This is a picture of letting this work slip by not attending the workshop and then taking it up again. G.o.d is encouraging you to take this opportunity when it comes, as shown by picking up the coins (see Lifting).

17. Lift Dream Lift, Women, Black, Kill, Comb, Words, Entrapment Two women dressed in black were trying to kill me in a lift, and I had the sense that this would continue afterward. One had a comb with a long steel hilt, and she was trying to stab me with it. The other woman was trying to catch or entrap me in my words.

Interpretation: This is a warning from G.o.d. It applies from the point where you are moving in the Spirit (being elevated) and from thereon (see Lift). The two women are two subtle demonic forces (see Woman and Black).

The first is using the trap of pride, i.e. trying to get you to make yourself look good (see Comb).

The second is the trap of wanting to speak what people want to hear rather than what G.o.d wants you to speak (see Entrapment and Fear of Man).

18. Marathon Race Dream Running, Race, Old Man, Grey-Haired, Rerun, Champion, Timing, Crowd, Excitement, Briefcase, Carrying I was running in a long race. I was behind in the pack of runners. We had just completed running around a looped section of the track when an old, grey-haired man took me from running in the pack to catch up with the leaders. Though I had run around the looped section of the track, when he led me to the front of the pack, he took me over a section of the track I had already run over. So I had to rerun over ground I had covered before.

The elderly man was a known champion who had previously won this race. As we ran, he took hold of my briefcase and carried it for me. I was aware that the timing of this man's runs was always perfecta"he was the type of runner who measured to perfection his energy levels and would be increasing speed at the end of the race when others were spent. I was also aware that the crowd (spectators) were aware of his reputation to run through the pack, and it brought excitement to the crowd.

Interpretation: This is a very encouraging dream. The race is the race of faith (see Race). G.o.d is going to take you in the Spirit from being in the congregation up to the front as a leader (see Front). In the dream you rerun over past ground; this is symbolic of going over some things that need to be dealt with from the past (see Rerun).

I believe the elderly man symbolizes the mantle of an apostle (like Paul, see 2 Tim. 4:7). He carries your briefcase, which symbolizes your teaching, and he has run this race of faith (see Briefcase). This is in line with your consciousness of crowd excitement (see Crowd).

The fact that he times his runs to perfection is evidence that the old man is Pauline in nature. This also suggests that the latter part of your life will be more productive than the former. This is seen in the old man speeding up to the finish line.

19. Opening a Bedroom Into a Lounge Dream Visitors, Expectation, Opening Doors, Bedroom, Lounge I knew we were expecting visitors. I had a sense of joyful expectation. To accommodate the guests, I was opening a set of double doors (that don't actually exist) between my daughter's bedroom and the lounge area.