Nightmares | Learn About Dreams

Most of the people on the planet have had a nightmare at some point in their life, and they aren’t typically the type of dream that most people want while sleeping. But even though having a disturbing dream may cause you to be startled so badly that you wake up, could it be possible that some of those startling dreams may actually be a stark warning from the Lord? Or is it true that all 'nightmares' are demonically sourced? Well, let’s discuss this!

I can go ahead and tell you right now that the source and purpose of any dream, nightmares included, will really depend on the context. Remember, just because you wake up startled by the imagery of a dream doesn't mean you are under demonic attack. I have had dreams where I woke up with a sense of fear. But it was in response to a dream that was a stark warning from the Lord that lets me know I needed to take action over. For in those particular dreams, what I was experiencing was a strong sense of urgency and conviction, as well as an overwhelming sense of the 'fear of the Lord'. 

An actual nightmare can bring on a sense terror and/or doom that feels demonic. You may even wake up in a panic when you experience a nightmare. For example, I had a nightmare one time where in my dream I was talking to a close family member, and for a moment I felt safe. And then all of the sudden, they manifested as a demon and their entire face and eyes changed as they began mocking me while maniacally laughing. It gave me the overwhelming sense that they had plans to absolutely destroy me. Needless to say, I woke up quite startled from this dream. Was this a nightmare? Yes, it was a nightmare. What was revealed to me in this dream, though, was that there was a spirit of mockery that had plans to tear me down by using those closest to me. As a result, I went into intense prayer and spiritual warfare because of the dream.

REOCCURRING NIGHTMARES

Sometimes people will have the same dream over and over again through their life. Sometimes it will be a life-long thing. Then at other times, the reoccurring dream will only take place during a certain stage in a person’s life. As we have covered previously, dreams are often a gauge of what is truly going on within a person’s life. And nightmares are really not much different. If you are having a reoccurring nightmare or if you are having a repeated dream that depicts negative events that are similar in nature, you really must seek God about the contents of your dreams so that you can get to the bottom of what may be going on in your life.

THE TORNADO DREAM

When I was a child, I had a reoccurring dream. In this dream I was at my school (which was the same Christian School I was attending at the time) and I was looking out the double glass doors in the back of the school building. Suddenly I saw a tornado coming towards the school. I would always run inside to warn the teachers and my classmates about the danger that was coming, but when I would open my mouth to shout or speak, absolutely no sound would come out! Nothing! Being completely unable to push out any sound, I would then begin motioning to the windows and would try my best to mouth the words “THERE IS A TORNADO COMING!”

Nevertheless, everyone would just stare at me with confused looks on their faces. And then always, the dream would suddenly end.

The basic context of this dream was this: I saw danger coming. I tried to warn others. But they could not hear me. I would try in many ways to be heard, but I failed each time. People thought I was crazy. No one would listen to me.

When I look at what I just said, it feels like I am reading a description of what my entire childhood was like. I kept trying to speak out about what I saw and felt, but it was as if no one would listen. I felt trapped, stuck, and unheard, until I stopped protesting all together. I was not aware of the message encapsulated within dreams back then, but I never forgot these dreams. They really affected me at the time.

THE DREAM ABOUT THE TRAIN TRACKS AND THE CLIFF

There was another dream that I had more than once as a kid. In that dream, I was sitting on the railroad tracks playing with a friend. We were enjoying our time together, and having so much fun. Then suddenly, we would hear a loud train horn, and we would both get up and start running away from the tracks, but the friend I was with would always stop at a certain spot in each of the dreams because they saw or perceived danger. But because I didn't see the danger, I would always keep going and would go right over the side of a cliff each time. I remember the feeling of falling so vividly to this very day. Thankfully, however, I always woke up before I hit the bottom.

This dream also says so much about what life was like for me growing up. I would be running to safety only to fall off the edge to what I am assuming was my demise.

In both dreams there was a desire for safety but it never came. This was my childhood in a nutshell. And I’ll spare you all the details of my childhood, because it’s not exactly a relevant topic for this article.

The point is, when I would have these dreams, I would always wake up extremely scared having this overwhelming sense that I wanted my mom to ‘make everything better’. They were true nightmares, but they contained a very clear message about my life.

Some nightmares will show you demonic attack - revealing bad things that satan has planned against you or someone you know. But it doesn’t have to happen! Some nightmares will even attempt to pull you deeper into agreement with further demonic activity if you are involved in something that you shouldn’t be. And, still other nightmares, like the personal ones I just shared with you, will give you a picture of what you are personally dealing with. In my case, my nightmares revealed the demonic narrative against my life which were plans to make me feel powerless, hopeless, and alone, which are 3 things I struggled greatly with for many, many years in my youth. Plainly, the recurring dreams I had revealed the way in which Satan had planned to steal (or divert) power from me, so he could control my life.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAVE A NIGHTMARE?

So, what should you do when you have a nightmare? When you have a nightmare, it may even startle you and cause you to wake up. But whether you wake up right away or a while later, you need to go into prayer immediately against any and all negative or overtly demonic messaging and imagery that were contained within your dream. Rebuke the plan of the enemy, and use the Word of God to obliterate his plan(s). Speak specific verses with intention to rebuke, tear down, or uproot at any clear messages or plans that you observed, overheard, felt, or experienced in the dream. The contents of your dreams do not have to turn factual, and if they reveal anything that is going on, you can nip it in the bud BEFORE anything progresses or manifests in the natural! As I have written about at length previously, you absolutely have a choice about what you will allow and tolerate within your life as a child of God. PERIOD!

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Psalms 91:5-7 NLT

“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.”

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Some nightmares are literally just attempts from the enemy to implant seeds of fear in your life. You can pray the following prayer anytime that you awaken from a dream and feel frightened.

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PRAYER AGAINST NIGHTMARES (AND THE SPIRIT OF FEAR)

"I thank you Lord that Your name is a strong tower, and that if I, the righteous run into it then I will be safe! So right now in the mighty Name of Jesus I take authority over every nightmares and every bad dream, and I please the blood of Jesus over myself. You say in your Word that no weapon formed against me shall prosper so I declare and decree that no nightmare shall have any evil spiritual or physical effects on me, my life, my family, my home, and etc… And, Lord, I know from reading Your Word that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind! So, therefor I will not be pushed around or controlled by a spirit of fear! I command all fear to leave my home and go back to hell where you came from — you will no longer torment me! I now declare total victory from every attack of the enemy through my dreams! My sleep from now on shall be perfect and sweet! In Jesus Name I pray these things, AMEN!"

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