by Pastor Shana Wise
Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
Dreams
God speaks to his children by dreams.
Dreams can vary with the messages from God. Some can give warning, instruction, and can signify future events (prophetic).
Most people can dream. The ones who follow the true and living God, will receive messages from him. For the ones who do not follow God, or another god, they can still can dream and interpret, but they will not use the gift to glorify God. We must be careful to submit ourselves to God so that there is no room for the enemy to come in and distort the gift.
Det. 13:1-3 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
The first dream mentioned in the bible is through King Abimelech (Genesis 20:2-40). God warned him not to sleep with Abraham’s wife Sarah. Why do you think God visited him in a dream?
Jacob dreamed about a ladder extending from earth to heaven in Genesis 28:11-13. What do you think this dream represented?
Read Genesis chapters 37-50. God spoke to Joseph in dreams as a young man. He also gave Joseph the gift to interpret dreams. Joseph’s gift of dream interpretation and his relationship with God, caused him to advance from a slave to a head official of Egypt. What gifts has God given you and how are you using them for him? Have the gifts that you have been given caused you to be a blessing to other people?
Other bible verses that mention dreams
Judges 7:12-14 Gideon overheard a man telling a dream to someone confirming Israel’s upcoming victory in the battle.
1 Kings 3:4-6 The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and ask him what he wants.
Jer. 23:25-27, 23:32, 27:9, 29:8 God warns against believing false prophet dreams
Read the book of Daniel. Daniel the prophet was an interpreter of dreams. Like Joseph, his gift made room for him.
Matthew 1:20, 2:12-13 and 19-22. God spoke to Joseph in a dream concerning Mary, Jesus, and going to Egypt.
What is the difference between a dream and a vision?
The main difference between visions and dreams in the Bible is that dreams are received while the person is sleeping while visions are received while the person is awake, and they are often “in the Spirit.” So many people today claim that they have visions and dreams from God but how can they know for sure if they are? www.patheos.com
Visions
The first vision we see in the bible is with Abraham in Genesis 15:1 where God was making a covenant with him. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
Genesis 46:2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”God came to Israel and called him by his name. Have you ever heard God call your name in a dream of vision? Re-examine the verse, what sticks out to you about God speaking to Jacob and his response?
1 Samuel 3:14-16, And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 So Samuel lay down until morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son! “He answered, “Here I am.”
Read Samuel 1 chapter three for the full background of the text. Has God ever given you a word to give to someone else, but you were afraid or hesitant to give it to them? What were the results?
God gave Isaiah a vision to call Judah to repentance: 1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Ezekiel had a vision of God. Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Why do you think it is important to keep track of your dreams and visions from God?
Acts 10:1-43 Cornelius and Peter. Prayer and fasting will bring forth vision.
Acts 16:19 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
There is no distance in the spirit realm. Paul received a vision with a message from someone in another region. Have you ever had to make a request to God, by calling out someone else’s name who was not in your area?
Vision will give you confirmation and courage to do what God has for you to do.
Acts 18:8-10 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
Other visions mentioned in the bible:
The Book of Daniel
The Book of Revelation
Obadiah 1:1
The book of Amos
Habakkuk 2:3, For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
Read the book of Zechariah
Matthew 17:1-13. Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain.
Signs and Wonders
Q: What is the difference between signs and wonders?
A: A sign is a miracle that is contrary to the natural order of things and is seen as something only God could do. A wonder is something very remarkable, but the word can be used with non-religious meanings. www.quora.com
Seven signs Jesus did (www.wikipedia.com):
1. Changing water into wine at Cana in John 2:1-11 - "the first of the signs"
2. Healing the royal official's son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54
3. Healing the paralytic at Bethesda in John 5:1-15
4. Feeding the 5000 in John 6:5-14
5. Jesus walking on water in John 6:16-24
6. Healing the man blind from birth in John 9:1-7
7. The raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45
Prophets of the Old Testament who performed signs and wonders (miracles)
1. Moses. Ex. 4:1-9.
2. Samuel. 1 Sam 1-9
3. Elijah did seven great signs. 1 Kings 17:1-6, 1 Kings 17:9-16, 1 Kings 17:17-24, 1 Kings 18:30-39, 2 Kings 1:9-12, 2 Kings 2:8-11
4. Elisha. 2 Kings 2:12-14, 2 Kings 2:19-22, 2 Kings 2:23, 2 Kings 3:11-25, 2 Kings 4:1-7, 2 Kings 4:14-17, 2 Kings 4:27-37, 2 Kings 4:38-41, 2 Kings 4:42-44, 2 Kings 5:9-14, 2 Kings 5:25-27, 2 Kings 6:15-20, 2 Kings 13:14-19, 2 Kings 13:20-21
5. Other scriptures in the Old Testament that relate to signs and wonders: see chart from www.blueletterbible.com.
Signs and wonders confirm the Word of God.
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
Why do you think signs and wonders are needed with certain people?
Faith brings forth signs and wonders.
Matthew 21:21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
How have you experienced miracles in your life because of your faith in God?
Certain people have the gift to perform miracles.
Acts 19:11-12 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
Acts 8:6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
What gifts of the Holy Spirit do you have?
Other scriptures on signs and wonders:
2 Corinthians 12:12, Confirming the calling of an Apostle
Romans 15:18-19, Paul
Mark 16:17-20, Jesus speaking to his disciples
John 2:11, Jesus does miracle in Cana Galilee
1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Gifts of the Spirit
Acts 19:6, Paul laid hands people received the Holy Spirit gifts
Acts2:22, Acts 14:3, Acts 2:43, Acts 5:12, Acts 15:12, Acts 4:30, Acts 4:16, Acts 6:8, Acts 8:13, 1 Cor. 14:22, Phil. 1:28
About the Author
Dr. Shana Wise is an ordained Pastor and CEO of Wise Choice Ministries (est. 2016). She is the founder of The Well Christian Women’s Network formally known as Christian Women Preachers United. Dr. Wise is the author of women’s devotional, Acts of Intercession, The Impact of Your Election, and co-author of Basic Ministry Training Manual (available on Amazon). She received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2019 from St. Thomas Christian University. Her passion is to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, equip others to apply the Word to their lives, and demonstrate the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. She is a televangelist that appears on social media outlets and television. Shana is married to Deacon Ron Wise and is the mother of four children.
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