Dreams, Divination, and God’s Word: Discerning Truth from Deception

Why New Age dream interpretation isn’t biblical and how Christians can trust God’s Word instead of chasing hidden meanings

By Doreen Virtue, Author of “Trust in the Lord Guided Prompt Prayer Journal” at https://a.co/d/f3zgEqq

The subject of dream interpretation is one of those areas where many Christian women may find themselves feeling a tension between curiosity and caution, because dreams are such a vivid part of our human experience. Some may wonder if God is trying to say something through their dreams. Yet, when we look carefully at how dreams are being interpreted today in the new age world we quickly see that it has little to nothing in common with the biblical examples of Joseph and Daniel.

In Scripture, when Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream or when Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, they made it absolutely clear that the interpretation came only from God and not from themselves.

“It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (Genesis 41:16).

Daniel confessed,

“No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:27–28).

These were rare and extraordinary revelations given at specific times in salvation history, and they were directly from the Lord, who used those dreams to accomplish His sovereign purposes. The authority rested in God alone, not in human imagination, not in self-help guides, and not in any kind of dream dictionary.

Contrast that with the modern practice of dream interpretation that’s so popular in the new age, where people buy books filled with long lists of dream symbols and so-called meanings, or they go to a dream interpreter who will assign personal or mystical significance to colors, animals, or objects that appear in a dream. I apologize because I co-wrote a book about dream interpretation before I was saved (and if you have that book, please destroy the book along with any other dream interpretation books you may have).

The problem with dream interpretation books is that they’re not biblical and they also contradict one another. This exposes them for what they really are, which is guesswork and speculation, rather than the infallible truth of God. One author might say that dreaming of water symbolizes forthcoming blessings, while another insists it signals danger, and still another claims it points to the unconscious, which shows that these interpretations aren’t grounded in any authority at all.

That kind of practice isn’t harmless curiosity. Dream interpretation is actually very close to divination, which God repeatedly condemns in His Word because it tries to access hidden knowledge apart from Him. We need to trust in the Lord, not in dream interpretation books.

Many women have shared with me that they’ve had dreams where a deceased loved one appeared so vividly that it felt like a visitation. Because the dream felt comforting or real, they wonder if that person truly came to see them. Yet, Scripture is very clear that the dead don’t return to visit the living.

“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

And when Jesus told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, He explained that there is a great fixed chasm between the living and the dead that no one can cross (Luke 16:26).

So when someone appears in a dream it’s not the departed person. Therefore such dreams are most likely a combination of memory, longing, and sometimes even spiritual deception, since the enemy tries to exploit our grief and stir confusion. While you can thank God for the sweet memories of your loved ones, you should never interpret these dreams as communication from the dead, because that opens the door to the same kind of spiritism and necromancy that God strictly forbids.

Sometimes people experience what seem like prophetic dreams that appear to foretell an event before it happens, and that can feel very convincing because the details line up. Yet, we need to be very careful here, since even before being saved many of us had such dreams. These foretelling dreams weren’t from God, but were more likely coincidences, products of something we read, heard or thought during the day . . . or in some cases spiritual deception meant to lure us into trusting experiences instead of trusting God’s Word.

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods’… you shall not listen to that prophet or that dreamer of dreams” (Deuteronomy 13:1–3).

Satan tries to counterfeit God’s work by offering counterfeit revelation, so we need to beware. God has already given us His complete and sufficient revelation in Scripture, so we don’t need to depend on dreams for direction. When a dream seems prophetic, the right response isn’t to exalt the dream but to run to the Bible, testing everything against His unchanging truth. Pray for God to guide you with His wisdom.

So, the question arises: does God still speak to people through dreams as He did in biblical times, or are we chasing shadows when we look for spiritual guidance in them today? The Bible never says that God has lost the ability to use a dream if He chooses, and some people testify of the Lord using dreams to draw them to Christ. We need to test the spirits with dreams, to insure that the true Jesus Christ is being confessed.

The key is that we’re never told to seek out dreams as a form of guidance, because we already have the sufficient and complete Word of God in Scripture.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

That means we don’t need to go hunting for hidden meanings in our dreams when the Lord has already given us everything we need in His Word.

That doesn’t mean you must ignore every dream you ever have, because sometimes they may reveal the condition of your heart, such as when your anxieties, fears, or even your sinful desires surface in your sleep. Examples such as these can prompt you to bring such matters before God in prayer and repentance. Yet when it comes to seeking direction or guidance, dreams are a very unstable foundation and can easily mislead. The danger lies in giving them too much authority, as if they’re prophetic when they’re not. If you allow dreams to steer your choices, you can quickly find yourself off the solid path of God’s Word and into the shifting sands of human fears and imagination.

The safest and wisest course for a Christian woman is to trust God’s sufficient Word for guidance, to test everything against Scripture, and to remember that Joseph and Daniel didn’t dabble in dream dictionaries or rely on symbolic lists. They relied entirely on the Lord.

So, if you find yourself waking from a dream that troubles you, the right response is to bring it to God in prayer. Ask Him to search your heart and to comfort you with His truth, but never chase after mystical interpretations that mimic the occult. God’s voice is clear, it’s found in His Word, and that is where your eyes should remain, because He hasn’t left you in the dark but has given you the light of His Word to guide your steps. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.

Check out Doreen’s other articles at Doreen’s Corner.