Healing Line

Healing Line

How Does God Use You?

by Francis MacNutt
Jul/Aug/Sep 2012

And there was silence in heaven for about half an hour... — Rev. 8:1b

I hope this article sets some of you free from needless guilt. It all begins with the fact that, by temperament, we are all either expansive and talkative by nature — or reflective and quiet. We are all either extroverted (turned outward) or introverted (turned inward). The prevailing culture in the U.S. tends to emphasize that being extroverted is more desirable, making introverts feel as if they don't belong — as if something is wrong with them. But each of the temperaments has a wonderful gift element connected to it. Extroverts are the kind of people who love parties, conversations and phone calls. They usually have many friends. When a party is over at 11 pm, they feel disappointed at having to leave. Introverts, on the other hand, usually do well to have a few close friends and are looking for a way to leave the party early, so they can go home and read a book before going to bed. Extroverts have their batteries charged by being surrounded with people, while introverts feel their energy drain away when they are with people too long.

But what does this have to do with healing?

A lot.

One of our teachings is that we are not to slavishly imitate others in their style of praying. Find out how God uses you. An ancient principle of Christian spirituality is that, "Grace builds on nature." For instance, if God has given you a compassionate personality and you are the kind of person who makes a good counselor, God is also likely to give you a gift of praying of inner healing. Because of these God–given differences, we also have different gifts of prayer and develop different styles of prayer.

People who are outgoing tend to pray in expressive ways. For many reasons charismatic–Pentecostal churches and prayer groups tend to be outgoing, characterized by loud expressions of joy and praise. These praises are often shouts of "Glory," and their prayers are directed to God. They thank God for what He has done, and they picture themselves in heaven as in those scenes in the Book of Revelation where the saints are praising God for hours on end. "And they chanted night and day, never taking a break…" (Rev. 4:8, The Message translation) By its very nature, the experience of being filled with the Spirit and praying in tongues lifts us on the wings of joy and thanksgiving.

But an introvert's preferred attitude toward prayer is not so much concentrated on what is said to God but is directed to listening to what God might be saying to us. For this we need to be quiet and turn inward, the very opposite of speaking and shouting our praises to God. For instance, in the midst of loud praise, the quiet person, instead of being inspired, might very well be silently thinking, "Be quiet — I can't pray." You can see this in the church after communion. Extroverts want to sing; introverts want to kneel down, shut their eyes and find God within themselves.

In an ideal world, each one of us would have a balance in our prayer lives, sometimes being outgoing, and at other times, turning inward to listen to God. But since we tend to lean to one side or the other, the best thing we can do is to find a church or prayer group that is attuned to the Spirit, but whose style of prayer also suits us.

The sad thing — and the reason I write this article — is that because being introverted in the U.S. is generally seen as less than ideal, an introverted person may feel that they don't belong in the great movement we see today where so many people are experiencing the Baptism of the Spirit and the wonderful gifts that God is so generously pouring out. Outgoing Christians talk about the "Frozen Chosen," and truly, some may be frozen and barely alive (spiritually), but I think this has more to do with the state of an individual's heart, regardless of personality. Sometimes it is just that some are simply quiet and put off by what seems to be shallow and noisy. Often these are the very ones who have been praying the most over the years and are really the deepest of us all.

All I am suggesting is that we need to be sensitive to the differences, and celebrate how we as individual Christians pray best. If we were less judgmental, and incorporated all of these styles somehow in our groups, we would all be blessed by what God is saying. Different prayer styles suit personality differences. Both are authentic and valuable.

As a remarkable example of the quiet gift of prayer, I remember visiting Agnes Sanford in her home towards the end of her life, and she quietly told me how she prayed by herself every morning. She then told me how that very morning Jesus had appeared and taken her to visit heaven. She described what the streets were like — how the walls were made of something like a brilliant, solid–colored light. She had not a trace of pride — she just shared quietly. It was a truly awesome, unforgettable moment in my life.


Francis MacNutt Francis MacNutt is a Founding Director and Executive Committee member of CHM. Jul/Aug/Sep 2012


Comforting Love

by Nancy Stafford
Jul/Aug/Sep 2012

I so desperately need to be reminded of God's love for me. I bet you do, too.

My own quest to know the Father's love is what compelled me to write my book The Wonder of His Love: A Journey into the Heart of God. The deeper I journeyed the more I discovered amazing facets of God's love that I had never recognized — His Lavishing and Transforming Love, yes, but also His Shadowed and Agonizing Love. God expressing His love and grace and healing in surprising ways that I never had eyes to see before. This piece, Comforting Love, is just one of the many aspects of God's love I'm discovering.

So come with me. Let's crack open our hearts and venture deeper into the mystery of His love. Let's journey together into the heart of God.

I pray, as Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, that you will grasp how "wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (Eph 3:18).

I pray that God will meet you in deep and intimate ways as He reveals to you how loved, cherished, and accepted you are in Him. I so want you to know that the God of the universe is wild about you, enthralled with you, completely consumed with love for you!

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." — Isaiah 66:13

When I was little, In the Garden was my mom's favorite hymn. Curled up in her lap, my head squooshed into her pillow–soft chest, I would rock with her in the brown nubby Ethan Allen rocker with the box pleat ruffle and the tiny creak in the spring.

Through earaches, scraped knees, and monsters under my bed, through schoolmate snubs, broken hearts, and piano recital fiascoes, this was my balm. We would rock together in the darkened living room, bathed in just a hint of a bluish light flickering from the TV room where Daddy was watching the Ed Sullivan Show. I don't remember if he even turned down the volume, but I couldn't have heard it anyway.

All I heard was her. Singing to me. And singing to Jesus.

Mom wasn't a good singer. But I didn't know that. I loved her voice, with its deep register, little rasp, and slight vibrato. But mostly I loved the softness and feel of her voice, and the intimacy it produced as the sound rumbled from her chest. I didn't so much hear her as feel her; it wasn't how her voice sounded, but how it felt that soothed and assured, healed and relaxed me.

Mom rocked me and sang that song until I was far too old for that kind of thing. When my toes touched the ground, I folded my long legs into her lap as far as possible, and when they got too long for that, I started using my own feet to keep us rocking. Then one day I realized that her strained singing and labored breathing wasn't from tender emotions, but from me crushing her lungs into her rib cage, squeezing the air right out of her. Both sad, we retired our ritual. But during all those years, rocking in Mom's lap, wrapped in her arms and nestled into her chest, I learned what God's love and comfort feels like.

I learned about "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3–4). I sensed the peace and power of the God who turns our "mourning into gladness" and gives us "comfort and joy instead of sorrow" (Jeremiah 31:13). And as I rocked in Mom's lap, I felt the blessing of Moses: "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12).

Because I'd come to know the Father of compassion who comforts us in all our troubles, I found that I could hold a weeping woman in my arms after her own miscarriage too. Because I'd come to know the God who turns our mourning into gladness, I sensed His peace and power when my dad — and recently my precious mom — went home to heaven. Because as a child I had felt the blessing of Moses, I knew I could experience confidence and rest when the security of our jobs was yanked away, our finances are strained, and our health is challenged. Because I'd come to know the God of all comfort, I continue to experience His comfort and security during times of uncertainty, failure, loss, and disappointment.

And so can you. In all of our devastations and trials God ministers comfort and tenderness to us that we can now minister to others — because we've "been there." We've become, as Henry Nouwen call us, "wounded healers." We have something to give. We can dispense God's grace and healing through the scars that were once our own wounds. "We can comfort…with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." — 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Now, as an adult, I understand why "In the Garden" was Mom's favorite hymn. It has become mine, too. I had always thought those moments in her lap, rocking and singing, were just for me. Yes, certainly, they were Mom's gifts to me, of her time and her life, but I now believe that she was stealing precious moments for herself as well.

Who can know what Mom prayed for her daughter as she rocked her and stroked her back? Did she ever cry out, I'm so tired…I've given all I can give today. Just help her sleep, Lord! Did she ever ask, What about me? Ever tell the Lord, I love my family, but what about my dreams, my talents, my hopes? Is this all You want me to do with all You've given me? Did this strong, confident woman ever feel helpless to dress the wounds of her little one? Did she shed tears over my physical and emotional pain? Did she cry out to God for wisdom, patience, and love in rearing her child?

Whatever my mom's prayers were, I believe they were beautiful encounters between her and her Beloved. I imagine that as Mom rocked me and prayed for me, prayed for herself and for the grace to raise me, God met her in that garden…and walked with her, talked with her, and assured her she was His own. As she soothed her child, Love soothed His.

"Come away," He whispers to us…and draws us into quiet places where we can walk with Him and talk with Him and simply be with Him. He meets us in the garden and comforts us there with His love. He pulls us onto His lap, rocks us in His arms, and sings tenderly over us.

And we never get too old for this. Father, You surround me with Your comfort and overwhelm me with Your tenderness. Thank You for Your gentle love, which calms, soothes, and reassures me. I know that whatever happens in my life, I can rest in the shelter of Your loving arms.

Now, Lord, please use me to comfort others. Help me to be sensitive to those around me who need Your consoling touch. Help me reach out to them with the same loving comfort I have received from You. Amen.

Excerpt from: The Wonder of His Love: A Journey into the Heart of God ©2004 Multnomah by Nancy Stafford


Nancy Stafford Nancy Stafford is an actor, speaker and author of several books. Jul/Aug/Sep 2012


The Name of Jesus

by Courtenay Bowser
Jul/Aug/Sep 2012

Not long ago, I was praying with my family for our dinner and closed my prayer with, “in the name of Jesus, Amen.” I didn’t think much of it — it’s what I always say at the end of prayer. Later, I was thinking about a time when I was praying for a dying woman in a Ugandan hospital. I remember telling her I was a Christian and asking if I could pray for her. I will never forget her response. She said, “Yes, the Christians, the Muslims, the Catholics, they all come and pray and nothing happens. So, pray if you want to pray.” I did pray for her, closing with the same, “in the name of Jesus, Amen.” When I left the hospital, the woman was still dying in her bed. I don’t believe we will ever fully understand why some are healed, delivered, restored, and others are not. However, I left that hospital challenged in my heart. I knew I would not soon forget that elderly woman’s words.

You see I believe in a God that works miracles in our lives. I believe in a God who brings freedom to our hearts and healing to our bodies. I see Him do amazing, supernatural things every day, but something had been provoked by the woman’s words in Uganda. I wanted to dig deeper, to understand more the difference in Christ’s prayers and mine.

In searching the scriptures, I ran across this story in the bible: “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon–possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor,” (Acts 19:13–17).

These men were invoking the name of the Lord Jesus without any true understanding, relationship or faith! They paid a price for this in the beating they received, but the response of the people was a greater understanding — they esteemed the name of the Lord Jesus even more. They realized that there is more to praying and getting results than just saying, “in the name of Jesus.”

How often as believers do we mindlessly finish our prayers with “in the name of Jesus?” We say it after every prayer whether we are blessing our food or pleading for the life of someone who is dying. What are we really saying? What does it really mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Has using the name of Jesus become a just a ritualistic act, a routine mention because it’s what we always do; or does the name of Jesus signify something far greater?

As I continued studying this, I found another story in which the name of Jesus is used quite differently. Peter and John were going into the temple to pray and healed a cripple man who had been begging at the gate called Beautiful. Peter also used the name of Jesus saying, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk,” (Acts 3:6, NIV).

People were astounded and amazed when they saw the man walking. They came running to see Peter and John. Then Peter said, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our father, has glorified His servant Jesus. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see,” (Acts 3:12–13, 16, NIV).

Peter proves in this story that it is not just Jesus’ name, but also the faith that comes through Him! There is power in the name of Jesus Christ when we understand what it represents! It represents the greatest love story ever told — God’s love leading His Son to the cross to redeem mankind, but it doesn’t stop there. The name of Jesus represents the continued one–on–one relationship God wants to have with us. It represents the power that raised Christ from the dead working in us, through the Holy Spirit, to bring life to others. The name of Jesus represents every miracle we’ve ever seen God do, every answered prayer, every moment in His presence, every time He held us fast in our most difficult circumstance. It represents all that we have “tasted and seen” with Him! So, when we pray in His name, it ignites a faith inside of us that is attached to hundreds of years of the history of God’s faithfulness!

At the end of the book of John, Jesus says, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:23–24, 26–27, NIV).

Jesus actually says in these scriptures that He is no longer going to ask the Father on our behalf — no, we will ask directly because the Father loves us the same way He loves Jesus. But, the name of Jesus is not a magic wand. Jesus was able to pray and speak to the Father with faith because he KNEW His Father. He spent intimate daily time in communion with His father.

There is no true faith outside of relationship. Our prayers and requests before God are just empty sentences if we don’t truly know Him! Requesting things of God “in the name of Jesus” without understanding who Christ truly is and what He represents is nothing more than waving a magic wand at our problems. God did not give us a magic wand through Christ’s death. He gave us an invitation to intimate relationship, the infilling of His Holy Spirit, and therefore the power to use His name and see lives and circumstances completely change.

Not long after studying all of this, I was taking a moment with my husband to say a quick prayer over our day. At the end, I said, “in the name of Jesus, Amen,” and reached to finish my cup of coffee. Immediately the Holy Spirit convicted me, “Think about what you are saying Courtenay!” I immediately stopped, and said it again, “in the name of JESUS, Amen.” This time however, when I said those few words, there was a faith attached to them that trusts in an almighty Father who is more than able to do what we’d asked. They were not empty, impotent words — they were full of belief in an omnipotent God!

What is it you are asking God for? What seemingly insurmountable circumstance are you facing? Does your body need healing? Does your heart need restoring? Do you need to find freedom from the things that hold you captive? Ask Him, by the power of the name of His precious son Jesus, and believe. Meditate on all the name of Jesus represents, and believe. Study the word of God, and believe!

Just recently I was in India at a burning ghat, where they burn the bodies of the dead. I will never forget what I felt in that place. I won’t forget the burning ghat because I’ve never felt such hopelessness — death after living a life devoid of joy, hope, or peace — death without ever having known the beauty of the name of Jesus. It continued to stoke my fire. I wanted to run through the streets, grab every person I saw and tell them about the name of Jesus.

We must have a bigger perspective. If used solely for ourselves, we will only experience a tiny glimpse of what the name of Jesus can accomplish in this world. We must live our lives looking outwardly! Pray — pray in faith and power. I challenge you — ask God how He wants to magnify the name of Jesus through your life today! Is there a neighbor who needs healing? Does that woman you always see at the grocery store need to know that Jesus loves her and can heal her heart? The man you always see at the bus stop, does he need to know that Christ delivers? Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the people around us every day who we can share God’s love with and pray for in the name of Jesus!

As I was walking into the grocery store the other day, I saw an elderly woman leaning out of her car, getting sick on the pavement. I walked into the store and immediately felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to find napkins and take them to her. I found a bunch at the grocery store coffee station, and hurried back outside to her. As I walked up to her, she said, “God bless you, thank you so much.” I could have said, “You’re welcome,” and stopped there. But, I happened to be writing this article and was meditating on the power of the name of Jesus. I asked her name and asked if I could pray for her; she quickly nodded yes. I prayed healing over her in the name of Jesus, and reassured that she was okay before heading back into the store. I felt such confidence as I left that something would happen in her life now. I understand the power of the name of Jesus and the word of God had been spoken over her. It does not return void!

When we understand the name of Jesus, we can walk as the disciples walked, moving in power and in love to reach those who don’t know His name. We can seek first His Kingdom and fulfill the Great Commission on the earth. We can pray for the lame, the blind, the sick, the hurting, the lost, the forgotten and the broken — in the name of Jesus — and see them healed, restored and delivered. There is power in the name of Jesus! Now, let’s use it as Christ intended, so that, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:10–11, NIV).


Courtenay Bowser Courtenay Bowser is an author and co–founder of Ignition Point Ministries. Jul/Aug/Sep 2012


Healing Dreams: Their Power & Purpose in Your Spiritual Life

by Susan Dyer
Jul/Aug/Sep 2012

  Song of Solomon 5:2 “One night as I was sleeping, my heart awakened in a dream. I heard the voice of my beloved; he was knocking at my bedroom door. ‘Open to me, my darling, my lover, my lovely dove...’”  


Dreams are a gift from a loving Father and are intended to draw you into an intimate relationship with Him. This verse is an endearing description of God coming to His Beloved in the night season and speaking words of encouragement and healing. God uses dreams to align our hearts, thoughts and intentions to His eternal purpose. He may use dreams in a variety of ways: to answer our questions; to appoint us to a new mission; to command changes in how we are to live; to commune with us concerning secrets of His heart; to promise us something yet to come; to teach us vital truths that we might have missed, and so much more. If you don’t already know this, what an exciting prospect to which you can look forward with great expectation!

My own interest and growth in understanding dreams happened because of a dream which was dramatically life changing. Shortly, after I divorced, the Lord gave me a dream to heal brokenness and to restore hope in my life. Like inner healing, this dream took me to a new place in life.

After that dream, I started to read about and study the dreams in the Bible. The following dream is a calling dream; but before the Lord could release me, there were issues He had to heal.

  I was attending a huge gathering in an open field and was looking for a place to sit. I found a high platform and climbed on top. When I looked around, I could not find my family. The top of the platform was damp. I put a blanket down to cover the moisture. I was afraid when I looked down. I knew I would fall off if I didn’t stay focused.  


The Holy Spirit began speaking to my spirit as I prayed and asked for an interpretation. He revealed latent issues in my soul of fear, abandonment, and loneliness. I sensed His purpose for this dream was to heal hurt before He could reveal His future plan for my life. “I was grieved in my spirit and visions troubled me. I asked for the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things.”(Daniel 7:15–16).

I was surprised that feelings from past experiences started to surface. These memories came from early childhood and experiences I had when I was newly married. I had put a wall around my heart to protect myself from disappointments. That wall sheltered me from future hurt, but opened the door for hopelessness and independence. This dream was a gift from God. It helped me confront issues I couldn’t face when I was awake. The dream also revealed that transition was soon to happen and I was to stay in prayer.

A dream with a calling brings a greater responsibility to take action. There’s also a possibility for a greater resistance until its fulfillment. Therefore, I was determined to fast for a year to draw closer to Him and to get specific directions as to how to proceed. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14) God was faithful. He restored, instructed and promoted me due to my decision to act on a calling, healing dream.

Types of Dreams

The Hebrew word for dream is harlam and comes from a word meaning “to make whole or healthy,” a clue to one of the functions of dreams. It is to add to our growth in wholeness and completeness as individuals. “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night… for God gives rest to his loved ones.” (Psalm 127:2)

Scripture depicts dreamers being strengthened (Gideon, Judges 7:13–15), warned (Joseph, Matthew 2:12), corrected (Abimelech, Genesis 20:3–7) and encouraged (Philip, Acts 8:5–10). In the book of Job, insight is given as to why we dream and how our dreams develop. God is always speaking, but sometimes we don’t hear the message. “For God does speak…now one way, now another…though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds...” (Job 33:14–15)

God’s heart is for us to live an abundant life and to protect us from harm, “to turn man from wrong doing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.” (Job 33:17–18). There could be issues in our soul of which we’re not aware; God uses this time to get our full attention and to deliver us from future destruction. Good examples in the Bible are when the Lord spoke in the night to prevent future mishap in the stories of Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 40–41) and also in the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2–4).

God speaks through dreams to:

  • By–pass our logic, our preconceived notions, and other obstacles of the conscious mind to connect with our spirit.
  • Heal our spirit and soul to find balance and real purpose in life, in an atmosphere not dominated by our mind.
  • Show us where we have yet to take on a Christ–like attitude in life.
  • Give divine impartation to overcome our issues, problems, or fears.
  • Take us back in time to reveal further healing.
  • Impart the required grace, mercy, and power for healing afflictions.
  • Bring repentance and healing when and if we submit to it. (Acts 10:9–16)
  • Release a dreamer to become the voice of proclamation in a dream to decree a healing or deliverance on earth.

Dream Intimacy and Power

The ability to understand dreams, as well as having God speak to you through dreams, is to be in a position of spiritual intimacy and power. Both Joseph and Daniel are recorded as saying that their ability to interpret is a gift of God. Daniel said, “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever…He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him…You have given me wisdom and power…You have made known to us the dream of the King.” (Daniel 2:19–23)

Intimacy and spiritual power increase when we know the Word of God, and this is a key in dream interpretation. It promoted Daniel and Joseph into positions of prominence and power within their communities. Prophets were respected because they too received God’s Word. They were also called ‘dreamers.’ “If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will speak to him in a dream.” (Numbers 12:6)

One of the greatest promises ever given to an individual was through a dream. God promised Abraham to make his descendants a great nation which would include a deliverer, and to do this he came to Abraham as he slept. (Genesis 15:1) This promise of God’s blessing for a nation was repeated in a dream to Jacob as he slept outside Bethel. (Genesis 28:12) It was during a dream that King Solomon was challenged by God to ask for what he really wanted as the new king, and it was in his sleep that he worshipped God and asked for the gifts of wisdom and understanding. (I Kings 3:5–14)

How to Respond to Your Dreams

God’s major purpose in giving dreams is for us to respond appropriately on earth to what He is doing in Heaven. One should pray for wisdom over all the symbols, events, and persons within a dream to gain understanding of its meaning. The following steps will help you interpret your dream. Pay attention to whether God is warning, calling, encouraging, healing or guiding. “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” (Mark 4:22)

  • Prepare your heart to hear from God.
  • Set aside a time and a place.
  • Release yourself from personal limitations.
  • Write and date the dream.
  • Ask the following:
  • Where am I in this dream?
  • Am I an observer, a participant, or the main focus?
  • What are the sub–focus(es)?
  • Are there any emotions/feelings?
  • Is there any color?
  • Note the attitude of your heart.

The most common type of dream contains more than one scene: a progressive message unfolds as the dreamer is carried along.

The first scene usually gives the setting. Like the backdrop of a play, it sets the stage so that the sealed message it contains can be understood.

Subsequent scenes enlarge upon the plot and carry it forward. Dreams can cover several different subjects and areas of our lives.

  • Friends and family members are often used as symbols.
  • Sometimes they represent ourselves,
  • Sometimes they represent another friend or family member.
  • Sometimes they simply represent the person.
  • Questions to ask yourself about someone you know:
  • How are they connected to you: family, work?
  • What is their name and the meaning in the name?
  • Describe the person with three adjectives.
  • Do you like/dislike or feel indifferent toward this person?
  • Do you admire this person?
  • What personal characteristics of this person stand out?
  • What role do they play to sustain or change the dream?
  • What spiritual quality do they have?
  • Have they been in another dream? Similar or different?
  • Questions to ask if you do nott know the person:
  • From their activity, how would you know them?
  • Is this person in other dreams?
  • Look at the context of the dream (there can be two meanings behind every thought).
  • What is God dealing with in your life?
  • What is the tone of the dream: harsh, hope, peace, etc.?
  • Symbols connect the spirit with the soul. Ask, “What does this symbol mean to me?”
  • Receive Revelation: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2)

Once you have identified what each symbol represents, put the dream aside and summarize now what you have received from the Holy Spirit. Write this final summary and let it flow not from your intellectual thinking, but by using the anointing the Lord has given for revelation.

Do not use the same formula on every dream you interpret. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and give you additional visions and revelations to back up what you feel the dream means. Here is where you are going to give the subject (or yourself) the direction and answers for which you are looking.

Find a scripture to confirm what God is speaking to you.

Get counsel from gifted interpreters of dreams. Best friends might like you too much!

Spiritual Connection in Dreams

  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams...” (Acts 2:17–18)  


God’s desire has been to enter into an intimate relationship with us. He uses dreams to align our hearts, thoughts and intentions to His eternal purpose. The objective in communicating through dreams is to establish a heart–to–heart connection. He also desires for us to experience the realities of who He is, even on our worst days. He wants us to have a living encounter with His character in an atmosphere uninfluenced by mind–set so we can appreciate His true attributes.

You can live the desires that are born in you as He teaches and encourages you in your dreams. May the Lord continue to awaken your spirit and give you fresh revelation as you connect intimately with Him. “I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” (Psalm 16:7)

Susan has been trained through John Paul Jackson’s Streams Ministries, and the steps provided to assist in Biblical dream interpretation are taken from Streams Ministries courses.


Susan Dyer Susan Dyer is a teacher, mentor, prophetic intercessor and school administrator. Jul/Aug/Sep 2012