RESPONDING TO A DREAM
Dreams bring revelation, but they're also meant to illicit a response on our part. Until we obey what the dream is saying we won't move on in God.
If our dreams require a response from us, we will not move to the next stage God has determined for us until we have obeyed. This is the same Biblical principle that we will not be given much until we have been faithful in the little: “ And he said to him, ' Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities”. (Luke 19:17)
When a dream keeps on repeating itself over a period of time, it means either we haven't interpreted the dream correctly, or we haven't obeyed what God is trying to impart. Further revelation is dependent on our present obedience.
Watchman Nee put it this way: “Revelation is born out of previous revelation; it is never given in isolation.”
I have wondered if this principle can be extended further. Is it possible that dreams and visions are sequential, that is, they are born out of previous dream experiences? Could it be that the revelation that comes with dreams and visions is compounded, building on what we'd received before? If this is true then it's vital that we respond to these experiences correctly in order to grow spiritually.
It's also important to realize that we cannot make a dream happen. Divine dreams and visions come at GOD'S TIMING; therefore they are important because they are given at the right moment for us. The Lord has selected a particular time to communicate to us through a dream, so we need to honour this timing and respond to it.
Dreams will often be given to us by the Lord in response to a heart-felt cry we have. For this reason each dream or vision will have a specific purpose. This of course refers only to “God-given dreams” not the ordinary type we all experience nightly.
Therefore if each dream has its own distinct purpose for us, it will have a corresponding impact upon us spiritually. This impact is not in the