As a prophetic dreamer, I firmly believe that dreams can reveal profound insights about ourselves, others, God, and the world around us. They have the power to provide us with healing, clarity, and direction in our lives. However, interpreting dreams is no easy feat. To gain a full understanding of our dreams, we must be committed to an ongoing journey of self-discovery and deepening our relationship with God. Despite the challenges, this journey can be incredibly fulfilling and enriching.

Some dreams are intended to bring us closer to God. They can expose the things that hinder our spiritual growth and guide us towards the things we need or places we need to be. Above all, God desires for us to experience happiness, trust, and faith in Him. He wants us to know that we can rely on Him, even in the midst of challenging circumstances, and that we don’t have to carry our burdens alone.

Learning how to interpret your own dreams biblically isn’t hard and can be expedited if you get the proper counsel on your journey. I would love to help you with the interpretations of your dreams. You can click here to share your dream (or a prayer request). I will try my best, but remember that God wants YOU to grow in intimacy with him… So, sometimes you’ll have to pray and wait for him to reveal the interpretation.

Related Article: Am I Hearing God’s Voice? 4 Biblical Secrets To Ensure You Are!

7 Easy Steps to Interpret Christian Dreams

Dreams can provide insight into our lives and the world around us. The following steps can help you interpret your dreams in a biblical context:

1. Write down or record the emotions, symbols, and intricate details of your dream. Pay attention to how you felt during the dream, what objects or people appeared, and any other details that stood out to you.
2. Pray about your dream. Ask God to reveal the meaning and purpose of the dream.
3. Look for meaning in the symbols. You can do this by searching the Bible for scriptures related to the symbols in your dream. For example, if you dreamt about washing dirty clothes, you could search for scriptures about clothes, dirt, and washing to understand the symbolism. You can also consider your personal and cultural beliefs about the symbol, as this may shape the meaning of the dream. Additionally, the context of the dream may provide clues to the meaning of the symbols.
4. Evaluate the reason for the dream. Ask yourself why you had this dream. Was it about your emotions or a situation you are currently facing? Was it a warning or a message about the future? Or was it simply a reflection of your current state of mind or feelings?
5. Write down your initial interpretation of the dream based on the symbols, context, and reason for the dream. Remember, the goal isn’t to be perfect. Your efforts are no wasted and you’ll grow better each time you try to interpret your dreams.
6. Seek guidance from a mentor or spiritual leader to gain a different perspective on the dream. They may be able to provide additional insight or interpretation.
7. Have faith and patiently wait for the final revelation from God. Sometimes it may take time for God to reveal the full meaning of a dream, so it’s important to trust in His timing and guidance.

Interpreting dreams can be a helpful tool for personal growth and understanding God’s plan for our lives. However, it’s important to remember that dreams are not always prophetic or have deep meaning. Sometimes they are simply a reflection of our subconscious thoughts and emotions.

Wait for the Meaning

And, your dream could mean something else later. I have dreams from 5 years ago that I recorded and they just came true. I’m glad I recorded them because I have so many that I wouldn’t have remembered.

If you choose to record your dreams, you can either voice record them as soon as you wake up or write them down. Whether you prefer writing or recording, make sure to take note of every detail:

1. How did you feel?
2. How did any other people feel?
3. What stood out the most to you?
4. What is the importance of the items and symbols in the dream to you?
5. Where did the dream take place? Was the area well lit or dark?
6. What do the people and place in the dream represent to you?
7. Is the dream similar to an event happening in your life?
8. Is this a recurring dream? What similarities can you see compared to others?

Ultimately, be VERY detailed about everything in your dream. Remember that everyone’s dream experiences are unique and subjective. Steward the little God gives you well, my friends, and trust that interpreting your dreams can be a valuable tool for personal growth and understanding.

Related Article: 6 Steps to Get Better at Biblical Dream Interpretation

How to Avoid False Interpretations 

Dream interpretation in Christianity is not about personal gain or glory, but rather about understanding God’s message and will for our lives. It is important to approach dream interpretation with a humble heart and a desire to serve God’s purposes, rather than seeking to use it for our own purposes or gain. Ultimately, the goal of dream interpretation in Christianity is to bring glory to God and to further His kingdom on earth.

1. Being Selfless: Our sole purpose should be to bring God’s kingdom to earth. If we are too focused on our own desires and ambitions, we risk misinterpreting dreams.
2. Allowing God to Search Your Heart: Every day, we are presented with the choice to do good or to sin. It is important to allow God to cleanse us daily of any roots of pride, unforgiveness, shame, fear, and other negative emotions that may taint how we understand our dreams.
3. Interpret your dream loosely: It’s important to remember that not every dream has a prophetic or spiritual meaning. Dreams can also be a reflection of our inner thoughts, feelings, and even physical state. So, it’s essential to interpret dreams loosely and be open to different possibilities. Even if a dream seems incoherent or disjointed, it’s still worth writing down because it could reveal something important about our inner world. Then, you can take that pain to God in prayer can be a powerful way to process and find healing.
4. Understanding the Gospel: Our dream may be a call to receive the Gospel for ourselves or share it with someone else (sharing the Gospel can mean showing someone forgiveness rather than the Bible.) Christianity centers around accepting Jesus Christ and allowing Him to cleanse us of our sins and brokenness. It is this brokenness and sin that creates a gap between us and God. Once we let God purify us, we can share the Good News with others and bring them closer to God too.
5. Avoiding Idolatry: We should not rely solely on people or symbol books to understand our dreams. God is the ultimate teacher. Once, I dreamt I was holding onto the word “idolatry” after receiving a friend’s advice. It showed me that I trusted their guidance more than God and the Bible. Additionally, try to avoid making your dreams and the results of your dream an idol.

Avoid making your dreams and the results of your dream an idol.

Christian Dream Interpretation Books

1. The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions 
2. The Bible-Based Dictionary of Prophetic Symbols: Bridging the Gap Between Revelation and Application 
3. Dream Language: The Prophetic Power of Dreams, Revelations, and the Spirit of Wisdom
4. Illustrated Dictionary of Dream Symbols: A Biblical Guide to Your Dreams and Visions
5. The Ultimate Guide to Understanding the Dreams You Dream: Biblical Keys for Hearing God’s Voice in the Night

What is Christian Dream Interpretation?

God used dreams to convey messages in the Old Testament and New Testament. This highlights God’s consistency in speaking to humanity. All dreams in the Bible always had a purpose from God. Dreams served as a warning, directive guidance, protection, encouragement, blessing, and rebuke. However, the dreams were never for selfish nor pure personal gain. You can click this link to read all dreams in the Bible: 21 Dreams In the Bible and What They Mean!

Believers that excel at dream interpretation have a DEEP love for the Bible. Many of the symbols in your dream are also in the Bible. For instance, in Ezekiel 47:9-10 it references two symbols — fish and water. It says the water of life will bring many fish and bring forth life. Then Jesus came and did exactly that. He said that he came to gather fish and satisfy our souls with the water of life! He showed that God’s love was consistent by highlighting EXACTLY what the Old Testament promised!!

What are false prophets?

False prophets are usually individuals that don’t care to ask God what their dreams or night vision mean. A man that is too prideful to seek God will perceive the dream to mean what He wants it to. Therefore, they can lead others astray with their own selfish ambition and impure motives if they don’t submit to God’s wisdom. Also, false prophets seek idols, witches, psychics, spirits, and other divination sources to hear the spiritual world.

The ability to dream and interpret dreams are a gift from God. Joseph was a biblical dream interpreter and dreamer, so we know this isn't outside of God's order. Biblical interpretation is NOT a sin because it is a part of the prophetic ministry that God poured out on ALL of His children through the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:17: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." Seeking deeper meaning and divine revelation will help you understand messages from God, God's voice, the Holy Bible, and the love of Christ for the body of Christ. 

8 Types of Dreams from God

1. Warning Dreams: Warning dreams reveal future events that we can avoid or prepare for.
2. Divine Revelation: Divine revelation dreams can also impart a spiritual gift to you.
3. Recurring Dreams Recurring dreams can emphasis a message from God in any category.
4. Instructive Dreams: In Jacob’s Dream. Jacob was instructed that it was safe to return home and God would bless him abundantly.
5. Spiritual Warfare Dreams: A dream might show the current issues happening, such as Pilate’s wife’s dream revealing the unfair attack against Jesus.
6. Encouragement Dreams  In Jacob’s dream, God told Jacob about his future blessings. In Joseph’s dream, he was told he’d be a blessing to Egypt. (Genesis 28:12; Matthew 1:18–24)
7. Confirmation Dreams: We see that confirmation dreams are biblical from Joseph’s 2nd Dream that confirmed he would be in a place of power over his brothers. (Matthew 1:18–24)
8. Prophetic Dreams: Prophetic dreams are revelations of what will happen in future events. We see that prophetic dreams are biblical from the dream’s Joseph interpreted. And King’ Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Are you having such a dream? Here are 22 signs you’re hearing God!

Related Article: 8 Types of Christian Dreams from God

How to Improve at Interpreting Dreams

1. Wait for the meaning.

Sometimes I’m not sure why I had a dream or what it means. I’ve assumed my dream has meant something bad would happen and it didn’t. I’ve even realized that when I want something badly, I interpret the dream as God giving me what I want. I’ve learned to record my dreams and wait for God to speak.

Learning to understand your dreams is a slow journey, but it can be fun. Some of my dreams from 6 years ago are just now coming true. Funny thing is… I thought some of those dreams meant something else 6 years ago. I’ve learned to be open to being completely WRONG… God is the only one that fully knows. Be patient and let him fully tell you.

2. God will speak to you in dreams based on your personality. Let’s say that you are obsessed with jewelry. If you are dreaming about jewelry instead of your surround it could be a sign you’re in love with earthly treasures over heavenly treasures. Therefore, symbols are most likely based on your own unique personality and feelings about the specific symbol. This makes the dream more relatable to your emotions.

3. Look up name meanings and symbols. Christian symbols such as animals, places, people, and objects often have a specific meaning in your dreams. Take a biblical approach to finding the meaning by looking for the symbols within the Bible.

• For instance, in a dream about flying search for every bible verse on flying. Also, look up synonyms such as soaring, elevating, etc. I like to use openbible.com to see all the verses in the Bible with these words.
  • For flying, God promises to give us supernatural strength to keep going when we’re weary. Therefore, the Bible highlights that flying means faith and supernatural strength: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
  • Example of dreams with flying: In one of my dreams, I trusted God to drive it and it was sailing smoothly. And in one dream, I was following a GPS and driving my car in the sky. When I realized I was in the sky I fell… The dream was encouraging me to follow God’s path and not doubt! You can read more of symbol interpretations here.
• Example of dreams with names: In one of my dreams, a girl name Stephanie came and then a friend of mine received healing in His need for sex. So I looked up the name in the name meaning guide, and Stephanie means victory. I believe the dream was saying that God healed him and He was victorious in the lust department. Dreams hold significant meaning in the Bible. Go would often remain individuals he renewed and made a covenant with. You can read more on it here: What’s in a Name?

4. Dreams should not tell you to do something that goes against the Word of God. The Bible says do not murder, have sex outside of marriage, etc. If a dream is encouraging you to sin… That means you are understanding the dream incorrectly. Having a full understanding of the New Testament and Old Testament is key to understanding what God is trying to say in dreams. God’s voice in dreams is ALWAYS holy and without sin. In addition, when you interpret dreams correctly they should bring peace, healing, and greater understanding NOT confusion, fear, and pain.

If you don't feel peace, you are not fully understanding God's purpose for your dream correctly. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." 1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV God can correct you, warn you, and tell you a hard truth and you can still feel peace.

5. How do I know if I’m interpreting dreams correctly?

• The dream will bring strategy, peace, or direction and resonate with the Holy Spirit within you. And God will confirm it in other ways.
• Ask a biblically sound mentor or friend for their opinion.
• Wait patiently. Joseph had to wait over 13 years before he knew the meaning of his brothers bowing to him in a dream. Dreams can show you something important today and show you something totally different later.
• Be open to learning, being wrong, and God revealing more. Sometimes, God will give you more dreams and the first dream won’t make sense until you have had the fourth dream! I have had dreams where God explained other dreams within a new dream.. Crazy huh? The journey isn’t about becoming a great interpreter… The journey is about developing intimacy with God and learning how much He loves you. Be sure to fall in love with the dream giver and not the dream.

Related Article: 22 Signs God Is Speaking To You + Scriptures

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

6. Pride and an impure heart can cause you to misinterpret a dream. You will need to submit to God, so that He can cleanse your heart. Sometimes, we think a dream means something incorrect because the condition of our heart is not healthy. Remember, you could have a healthy heart today and tomorrow pride and pain creeps in. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 Purification of the heart is a daily activity. Check out the articles below to help you ensure you are not operating from an unclean heart. Related Quiz: Am I Struggling With Pride? OR Am I Carrying Emotional Baggage?

16+ Common Christian Dream Symbols

When interpreting your dreams and night visions it important to have biblical references. A biblical reference is checking to see what that symbol means in the Bible. And sometimes the symbol is based on your own personal experience with an object, place, or person. To be safe, I always evaluate both the word and what the dream is trying to show about my own emotions. Search around the Bible, advice articles, dream interpretation books, and learn your own dreams. This is a journey not something you’ll figure out overnight!

Biblical Meaning of Dreams

These are common symbols that will help you unlock the biblical meaning of dreams. Symbolic dreams have deeper meanings and shouldn’t be taken literally.

1. Dream About My Future Husband: Many believe that God revealed their husband through a dream. Sometimes, the dream is about emotions that are unhealed. If it’s a dream about your emotions it will usually expose the exact fears and worries you have in real life. And sometimes you are right about it being your future husband. But, remember that God is not the author of confusion. However, you need to go through a process of testing the dream and seeking God to ensure you are discerning the dream correctly.
2. Eating in a dream: Eating can represent what you are putting in your spirit. Usually good food indicates God’s word. And, bad food represents unbiblical advice or vile and demonic influences in your spiritual life. Lack of food or scraps can indicate not enough biblical nourishment in your life. Someone stealing your food can represent the enemy trying to stop you from consuming more of God’s word. “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.” 1 Corinthians 3:2 
3. Dreams Of Others: Usually a dream about someone else is based on what they represent, an issue you may have with them, or something that may happen in the distant future.
   • Represent: For instance, I dreamt of my pastor giving me an encouraging words because He represents a trusted authority figure in my real life. The encouragement meant more coming from him.
   • An Issue: I dreamt a guy and I were house shopping and looking at the faulty structure of the buildings. It turns out, the dream was showing me that we were not equally yoked and didn’t have the same ideas on biblical foundations. (Matthew 7:24-27)
   • Future Events: I had a dream about having a disagreement with a guy I liked in a grocery store. I thought this would be in the future and we would dating. Long story short, the exact dream happened and we were with a group of friends at a restaurant. Dreams don’t always happen exactly the way we expect. The grocery store in the dream may have meant he came to get spiritual nourishment (food) and when he didn’t get that from me he got mad.
4. When someone gives you money in a dream: Could the dream be showing you the giver of the money is a blessing in your life? Or, this could mean favor or financial increase. Receiving money can represent increase in some area of your life, it doesn’t have to mean actually getting cash. The money may represent heavenly treasure. Jesus told us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matthew 6:20)
5. Dreams about Babies: Babies usually signal a lot of responsibility or spiritual immaturity. I usually dream of babies and how I will commit to taking care of them. The baby could represent a huge burden, commitment, or responsibly coming into your life such as marriage, job, creative projects, etc. Also, babies could represent a lack of spiritual maturity: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2
6. Dreams About Being Pregnant: Usually means something new is being birthed or created in your life. This can be positive or negative depending on the details of the dream.
7. Wedding dream: Usually reflect where you currently are emotionally and how ready you are for marriage. The dream will usually reveal how you feel or think about some aspect of marriage and a wedding. The feeling is usually what God wants to heal or address. Or you might be making a covenant with something that goes against God’s plan for you. God is suppose to be our number one: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” 2 Corinthians 11:2
8. Dreams About God: When God shows up directly in your dream He wants to be very clear about a topic with you. Take VERY special notice to how you respond to him and how the dream made you feel. He wants to guide you! And He wants to remove doubt, fear, and give you 100% faith. (Read more: How Did God Appear?)
9. Dreams about Fish: To me, fish represent people that God wants to save and bring into the Kingdom: “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish… Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age.” (Matthew 13:47-52) Fish could also represent your dating life when referencing the phrase “there’s other fish in the sea.”
10. Barefoot dreams:
    • Jesus washed the feet of the disciples because their foot had touched the dirty world. Walking barefoot might signals that you are in the world and experiencing darkness. It doesn’t mean you are evil, just experiencing the world and it’s affecting you.
    • Being without shoes can also signal that you are vulnerable and/or you are unprepared for a journey. “.…as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness.” (Ephesians 6:11–17)
    • Removing shoes is a sign of humility, removing power, and being in God’s presence. “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
11. Dreams about shoes: in your dream this represents spiritual preparation and power.
    • .…as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness.” (Ephesians 6:11–17)
    • Shoes represent power, ownership, and victory. (The Symbolism of the Shoe with Special Reference to Jewish Sources)
12. Weird Dreams: Usually when the dream is mixed up and incoherent, that may be a signal you are overwhelmed emotionally and/or confused about something. Don’t forget to write it down and evaluate it later. And consider taking better physical and spiritual care of yourself 🙂
13. End Times Dreams: Our dreams are an accurate depiction of the spiritual realm than what we see when are awake. Sometimes, the dream isn’t showing us the end of the earth or the last days. But, it is showing us the state of the current world. I have had dreams about people’s hearts being wicked when everyone praised them as honorable people. Eventually, my dreams proved to be true when someone’s impure heart was exposed. It might be a good time to read more about revelation and see what God is saying to you about the state of the world!
14. Losing teeth: The spiritual meaning could indicate that you are not eating the meat (the Word of God) and your teeth are not strong or well nourished. Or, it could be tied to your fear of loosing something. Either way, to remove fear and have strong teeth you must read your bible more often!
15. Dreams about fruit: fruit reminds me of spiritual fruits of patience, goodness, love, self-control, etc. If it’s a healthy fruit then it’s in alignment with God. If the fruit is green it signals immaturity and rotten fruit signals evil. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:15-20)
16. Dreams About Alligators: Alligators are usually signaling a spiritual attack or an enemy in your midst.
17. Being Attacked In A Dream: Having a bad dream may indicate spiritual warfare. Did you feel helpless in the dream OR full of authority? The dream is pointing out how you feel about a situation in your natural life and how you are responding to it. If you feel powerful, keep going! If you feel helpless, renew your mind from victim mentality and stand firm in your faith!
    • “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.“ (1 Peter 5:8) “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.“ (Luke 10:19)
    • You are experiencing spiritual warfare if you dream you’re being attacked by dogs, snakes, alligators, tigers, eagles, bear, buffalo, ghost, crocodiles, moose, and lions. Understanding the behavior of the of animals signals how the attack may be done.
      • Consider evaluating how the enemy is manifesting in your relationships, job relations, financial, spiritual, and health. He usually likes to start by planting lies of doubt, anger, and rebellion that stop us from believing God is good. You can transform your mind to avoid his tactics though: Overcoming The Carnal Mind!
    • Also, evaluate what you think about each animal. That may add an extra layer.
      • Snakes are wise, sneaky, evil, and deceitful.
      • Ghosts are demonic entities. God doesn’t allow lost souls to return. (Luke 16:19-31)
      • Eagles are from the top which could be someone in authority over you.
      • Alligators, crocodiles, and lions are big and territorial: could refer to someone that is jealous of you and wants to shine brighter than you. Or an internal issue of pride, lust, anger, sin, and victim’s mentality that’s attacking you from the inside out.
      • Dogs and tigers are fast and will wear you down physically and emotionally. Moose are herbivorous and don’t eat meat, so it could indicate someone you least expect.
    • The enemy feeds on fear, so don’t let your dreams scare you. Stand your spiritual ground with these 75 prayers and spiritual warfare directional points.

If you’re not a Christian and you’re dreaming about Jesus, it’s because He wants to help you start a personal relationship with him. Here are 3 Steps to Become a Christian! Starting a relationship with God is very beneficial and He has good news for you!

Related Article: Prophetic Dream Dictionary for Christian Dream Interpretation