5 Tips to Receiving and Remembering Your Dreams

I often hear people say, “I don’t dream.” 

My response is, “You do, but you just don’t remember.” 

That is typical. There can be many reasons why you don't remember. Sometimes, I struggle at times to remember my dreams. However, you can prepare to receive dreams and to record them in the morning. Don't let the excuse that you never remember your dreams stop you from trying these five tips.

1. Pray before you go to bed and expect that you’re going to receive and remember. If you ask God for a fish, is He going to give you a snake? (Luke 11:11) 
2. Have a consistent bedtime schedule.
3. Clean your filter. What are you watching/reading before you go to bed? Try to reflect on the day, unclog your filters by quieting yourself before God and submitting all your thoughts and actions for the day to Him. Repent if you need to.
4. Put a pen and paper or journal on your nightstand as an act of faith.
5. Try to wake up without an alarm.When I am jolted out of bed by an alarm, I am awake and there is no residue of the sleepy-dream-like state. Though if God can bring back to your memory your dreams during the day. Usually something will trigger you to remember. When I wake up without an alarm, I can wake up slowly while trying to recall what I dreamed.

If you still can’t remember your dreams, ask the Lord why. Be honest with yourself, too. Are you preparing before bedtime? Could it be medication or food that is hindering your dream life? Ask the Lord to show you what you can change. 

Also, it's ok if you don't remember the whole dream. Write down what you do remember - even if it was something simple like getting your hair cut. In addition, write down what you were feeling when you woke up. Try to write down something everyday. Trust God. He is faithful. He will speak to you in the night.

Does anyone else have other tips on how to receive and remember dreams?

God is Restoring Childhood Dreams

When you were a child, what were some of the things you wanted to be when you grew up? A singer, a doctor, a writer or maybe even an artist?

I am being very serious about this. A lot of times we laugh about the silly things we dreamed about as a child, but the reality is is that those dreams are probably more true  to who we are called to be than what we could dream up today. As adults we have lost touch with child-likeness. We have gotten caught up in responsibility, bills, and work. I'm not saying be immature again, but dream like a little child again. Let yourself float away in the awesome awe and wonder of God. When you do, nothing will seem impossible to accomplish with Him at your side!

Growing Up

Somewhere along the path of growing up I fed into lies of what was really feasible to me. I made decisions based on fear. I remember thinking, what if people don’t like my singing? I guess I won’t do that. Someone told me I had to go to school forever if I wanted to be a doctor, it was really hard, and I’d have a lot of loans afterward. Again, fear steered me straight off that path.

In fourth grade, I decided I wanted to write children’s books. Who better to write children’s books then a 10-year-old. So I wrote a story about the tooth fairy and even illustrated it. Then I went and asked my teacher, Ms. Jokela, if I could put it in the school library. She said, “No, but you can put it in our classroom library.” That was good enough for me so I did. I don’t know that anyone read it, but then I soon heard that is was very difficult to get published and that writing books was hard. So I decided I wouldn’t try that either.

I bring all this up as examples of how lies in my childhood robbed me of what could have been mine. Now 20 years later, I feel like the Lord is restoring so many things that I had forgotten about. Prayers that I know I prayed when I was little are being fulfilled now.

Today's Dreams
In the last year-and-a-half, the Lord has been reminding me of all my childhood dreams, and He's even restoring them to me! For example, I've been playing the piano, painting and writing. Those things have always spoke to me as being unproductive. Then one day the Lord said in response to the piano playing, "Well, what if you play the piano as an act of worship to me? Then is it productive?" I was stunned, and it totally changed my perspective.  "Ummm, Yes, Lord I'll play for you." I said without another thought of why I shouldn't do that.

When I was a little girl my parents used to take my sisters and I to Heritage USA in Fort Mill, SC (Jim and Tammy Bakker's Christian theme park/resort). My mom said that I wanted to go there rather than Disney World. I don't remember, but I think I said a little prayer in my heart that I wanted to work there someday. Well, 20 plus years went by, the park shut down, life happened and now there is a new ministry inside the old Heritage Grand Hotel. I happened to get a job there 8 months ago when my husband and I moved. So everyday I walk down the halls and have such fond memories. I still can't believe I work there and my office is on Main Street inside the hotel!

In addition, I've been writing a lot. As many of you know, I just released a short ebook called "Close Your Eyes Dream." I'm also writing some children's fiction which has been my dream since 4th grade - though I'd totally forgotten!

Restoring Dreams
I believe the Lord is restoring dreams right now in my life and I believe He wants to do it in yours. It's the only way to walk out our destiny by remembering and moving forward in our call. I know I'm called to write and I love it. I've always been a writer, worked as one being somebody else's voice in my career. Now I have my own voice and I'm not totally sure what that all looks like, but I'm excited. The sky is the limit. The opportunities are endless with the Lord and I'm enjoying dreaming in this season with Him - or should I say Him reminding me of my childhood dreams and then giving them back to me.

What are some of your childhood dreams? I believe God wants to restore them to you! In fact, when I've shared this testimony several folks have said something stirred in them as well. They remembered their dreams. If that's you, let me know!

Rumblings, Shakings - Getting in Position for a Massive Move of God

Last night I had a dream that was profound. 

People were saying, "Get ready it's coming." I had no clue what "it" was, but I knew it was God. So I got in position - down on my knees with my hands over my head. There was so much great expectation, excitement and terror because of the magnitude of what was coming. As soon as I got in position, the shakings and rumblings came. I can't even explain it or what happened next. (It was all in the spirit and that can be hard to explain sometimes in this realm.) Some folks were still standing up and had no clue what was going on because it couldn't be seen in the natural. I really wish there was one word to describe the emotion I was feeling, but I really have no other way to describe it but it was like excitement, terror, expectation, and massiveness. In all this, I still wanted "it" to come.  I believe "it" was the Lord. Though I had no clue in what form that would be.

I found that there are many examples of the Lord showing up in such magnitude that it's "terrifying."
He shows up on the scene with nostrils flaring and lightening and thunder as mentioned in Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22. You may remember in Revelation 1, John fell down as of dead when he met the Lord. Daniel sees a vision in Daniel 10. The folks around him don't see it, but "such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid."

Crazily enough, I woke up to thunderstorms. I excitedly poked my husband and said, "It's storming. Do you hear it?" It's like I was still in the dream. Odd that I was dreaming about rumblings and woke up to thunder. Some would say I was dreaming that because of what I was actually hearing, but I think the rumbling was actually a confirmation of what is going on the spirit and a confirmation of what my dream means. 

I believe there is a move of God coming. Call it Revival. Call it Awakening. Call it Harvest time. I believe and sense something big and possibly even "terrifying" is about to break forth in the body of Christ.

Two weeks ago I had a dream about a tidal wave sweeping through a big city. A tidal wave is pretty terrifying to me, though in this dream I experienced it as the greatest thrill ride. I blogged about it - The Ultimate Thrilling Ride of the Spirit.  I believe today's dream is about a move of the spirit as well. This morning I found this blog post, There's a Tidal Wave of Revival on the Horizon by Jennifer Miskov, a revival historian. It really confirmed what I had been sensing. 

In addition, Prophet Bob Jones' recent passing leads me to believe we have started the 1 billion soul harvest. The Lord told him in 1975, when he died and went to heaven, that he was coming back to earth and would see the beginning of the 1 billion soul harvest of youth before he died the second time. He died last Friday, February 14, 2014.

Two days before his death was the biggest snow storm to hit the Charlotte area in the last decade; followed by a 60 degree day; and on the day of his death, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake. I think it's all manifestations of the rumbling going on in the spirit.

At our church, folks are also having dreams about tidal waves, thunder and lightning in the sanctuary, etc. There is great expectation for a move of God. You can feel the electricity and the spiritual activity is really ramping up. My friend who lives there says she can hardly sleep at night because of all of the angel chatter that she keeps hearing.

I will also say there was recently 40 days of prayer and fasting and last month we started 90 days of prayer and worship at our church. Our pastor has been preaching on love and fellowship. I think these are all necessary for revival to break out. (Of course, these are just the most recent things and not an exhaustive list.)

 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:1

They were all with ONE accord as they PRAYED and also IN ONE PLACE when the power of God came. Unity of heart, and even the gathering in one place, were important for the thousands of souls that were brought into the kingdom that day. That sounds like REVIVAL to me!

This Friday, Feb. 21, there will be a memorial service for Bob Jones at our church. I know that there are going to be people from all over the world there and many great prophetic leaders. I would't be surprised if lightning and thunder showed up in the sanctuary. I wouldn't be surprised if a move of God started during the service. Bob Jones was known for his love for God, love for people and his supernatural gifting and encounters with God. How fitting that he died on Valentine's day (and my birthday if I might add.) I think Bob Jone's death is even a prophetic word to the church. I wouldn't be surprised if this next move of God was a love wave.

In the meantime, I'm getting in position and waiting with great expectation!

What about you? Have you had any significant dreams that lead you to believe that the body of Christ is about to see a great move of God?