Know Your Enemy

Many of the dreams people ask me about are those where they’re drowning, they’ve been in a car accident, or a loved one has died. They wake up fearing the future. The question then becomes, “Can Satan give us dreams?”

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the devil can interfere with a good nights sleep. I’m convinced he can, but we can’t win a war if we don’t know and understand the enemy and what we are up against.

The Devil is real:

God created angels and they are God’s ministering spirits, messengers sent to do His will on our behalf. They do all that is good, whereas Satan and his army of demons do all that is evil. The difference is the old adage, good vs. evil.

I’m not here to dive into a theological discussion on where the devil came from, but what I do know is the devil is a fallen angel and the angels that fell with him are demons. They are spirits and they operate supernaturally in the natural realm.

“This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” Revelation 12:9

Satan is not a myth or a two-horned figure on television. He is real and our fight is against the “evil rulers, authorities of the unseen world, and against evil spirits.” Ephesians 6:12

Many times the attacks from the enemy are subtle. His goal is to create fear, confusion, and unrest. What better way for Satan to catch us unaware than when we are sleeping?

Spirits do not sleep. God is Spirit and He does not sleep. “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” Psalm 121:3-5

Spiritual beings don’t sleep. Satan and his army aren’t flesh and blood. It sounds dramatic, but they are out to annihilate us. Their goal is to destroy who we are in Christ Jesus and turn others away from Christ. We must learn to discern the spirits. 

Discerning the spirits:

The foundation to detecting if your dream came from the heavenly realm or Satan’s realm, is to see and understand with your spiritual eyes and spiritual senses.

The things of God must be spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit gives us discernment to know what is authentically right, good, or evil. Anything that changes the atmosphere, causes discomfort, or steers you away from focusing on God, is not of God.

The more we are connected to the Spirit of God, through prayer and reading the Bible, the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit. Romans 8:16

God wants us to discern the difference and tells us to test the spirits.

Testing the spirits:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (I John 4:1).

Knowing God personally and intimately is what raises our awareness to see things that are contrary to the love of God. We test the spirits against the Word of God. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” I John 1:2-3

We must learn to live and breathe in the presence of God, where His spirit flows through us. If we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, God will quicken our hearts to detect when the enemy is on the prowl. “Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit.” I Corinthians 2:14-15 MSG

“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”] But we have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians 2:12-16

Don’t give the devil a foothold into your thought life:  

We must be proactive and think on that which is good and pleasing to God. Ephesians 4:26-27 states, ”Don’t go to bed angry.” Going to bed angry is one way we give the devil permission to invade our sleep.

Pay attention if your dreams are triggered by daily circumstances, including relational conflict. Negative thoughts and behaviors during the day impact our dreams.

You can rebuke the enemies attack by gauging the dream from God’s perspective. It may be as simple as the Lord showing you a healthy way to handle a specific situation. Humble yourself, apologize, ask for forgiveness, and makes things right with those you’ve had a conflict with during the day.

“…Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right.” I Peter 3:11-12

Authority in Jesus' Name:

Fear allows the enemy to cripple and weaken the authority we’ve been given over the enemy. Fear is the absence of trust. “One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases.” Luke 9:1

Jesus didn’t just say we have authority, He said, “we have all power and authority.” Don’t forget about the power.

Listen and obey the words of Jesus and don't worry about tomorrow. When we believe, we have power. When we command, we have authority, and the devil has to flee.

Don’t let the enemy manipulate you into a state of panic. Dreams of death don’t have to, nor should they, cause fear. Instead of being frightened, turn your dream around and thank God for what He is teaching you.

A dream of death can represent the need to die to self. Remaining frightened of the future is a way that you give consent to Satan’s lie. Do you see the difference?

We don’t know what the future holds. God may prepare us for the death of a loved one, but if it's from God, He will impart His spirit of peace and comfort. Either way, focus on God’s protection and love for you and your loved ones.

When I don’t react instinctively to see God’s best for me from a dream, it’s a moment I was more than likely caught unaware.Taking authority in Jesus Name is to release the power that Christ gave you over the enemy. Focus on God’s love that has the power to dismantle all the attacks from the enemy, day or night.

Related dreams:

Cross of Steal Dream (positive message)

Satan Disguised As An Angel of Light (negative message from Satan, with a positive result)