"When God speaks, it's not just about hearing—it's about understanding. Revelation without interpretation leaves room for frustration." -Prophet Andrea
It's one thing to receive communication from God, but understanding exactly what he is saying is another ball game. Your relationship with him deepens when you begin to fully understand (Interpret) what God is saying to you.
Let's take dreams, for example. It's fair to say that God speaks to us through our dreams. But we don't always know what our dreams mean. Not knowing can be frustrating. Especially when you know that you know God is trying to tell you something.
For years, I've been able to remember my dreams. In fact, I can remember dreams that I had as young as 4 years old—seriously. Twenty years ago when I was awakening in the prophetic, my dreams became more vivid, intense, and accurate.
It was so real that I had to talk to my Pastor about it. I remember saying, "Pastor, why am I having all of these dreams that make no sense? I'm dreaming of animals, the elements, and all these colors, but I can't seem to interpret their meaning."
I was frustrated because I would have several dreams a night and wake up not knowing what to do with them or their meaning. I even started having dreams about my leaders and church members too. But I couldn't interpret what God was saying to me in these Dreams.
Prophetic Dream Interpretation:
The truth is that God communicates to us at times in symbols. Not all the time, but sometimes, and when you cannot correctly interpret what He is communicating, this can mess with your ability to operate appropriately in the prophetic.
Ask yourself this question: When God communicates with me, whether through dream, vision, speaking, knowing, feeling, etc., do I understand what He is trying to say?
Can I explain it to someone else clearly so that it doesn't leave me or them confused afterward? If so, then you have the ability to interpret. If not, it's something you should work on improving.
"Interpretation is the ability to understand and explain something in a way that makes sense to yourself or others by bridging the gap between confusion and clarity."
Dreams are not the only form of prophetic communication that needs to be interpreted. Visions, sounds, sayings, and encounters also need to be interpreted.
Prophetic sounds, for example, may include hearing knocking, a jingle of keys, the infamous someone calling your name, and so much more. The experiences are great, but being able to interpret them is even better.
One of the most common misconceptions concerning prophetic interpretation is that this ability is exclusively for those with the gift of interpretation. When I say prophetic interpretation, I am speaking of the ability to understand and explain things of the spirit that are symbolic, hidden, or mysterious.
Yes, some have the gift of interpreting dreams. Joseph is one of them.
"And they said to him, 'We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.' So Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please." -Genesis 40:8 (NKJV)
"And Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.' So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, 'It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.'" -Genesis 41:15-16 (NKJV)
Joseph was clear. This ability did not come from Him alone but from God.
Take a look at Daniel as well.
"As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams." -Daniel 1:17 (NKJV)
"Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.'" -Daniel 2:19-20 (NKJV)
"Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, 'The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.'" -Daniel 2:27-28 (NKJV)
That Scripture explains that God gives the wisdom and skill to do so. One thing we have now that they did not have then is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now, with God living, moving, and breathing on the inside of you, how much more can you do? Amen!
Step By Step Breakdown To Interpretation:
Remember, we are in this series How To Operate In The Prophetic, and the second step after receiving divine communication is interpretation.
Here is a step-by-step breakdown that is easy to follow for interpreting dreams, visions, or any other form of symbolic communication from God.
Write/ Record: Immediately write down or record the experience. Be a good steward of what the Lord has given you, and He will increase you with more in time. Documentation is so necessary. Don't rely solely on your ability to remember. Trust that more layers begin to unfold once you start to write it out.
Pray for Wisdom: James 1:5 (NKJV) – "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." Don't underestimate the power of ASK.
Discernment: 1 John 4:1 (NKJV) – "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God." Test your interpretation against the Bible. You should be able to find what you believe God is saying in the scriptures.
Seek Scripture First Before Other Trusted Biblical-based Dream Books or Dictionaries: God's primary communication is through His Word. When you recognize a prophetic symbol, use Scripture to connect the dots.
For example, if you have heard knocking on a door in the spirit realm. Look up knocking in the Bible. Hearing a knock in the spirit can immediately bring to mind,
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV): "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Context and Meaning: In this verse, Jesus speaks to the church of Laodicea, calling for repentance and deeper fellowship. The "knock" represents Jesus' invitation to relationship, intimacy, and salvation. It symbolizes that Christ pursues us, patiently waiting for us to open our hearts to Him.
How Does It Relate to Your Life Personally: Every symbol doesn't always mean the same thing to everyone. One example that I like to use is cats. When most people see cats in their visions or dreams, it is typically not a good sign.
But for me, on the other hand, it is typically not a bad sign. Why, you may ask? Let me tell you. I love cats. I have two. So I'm not scared of cats, nor do they mean witchcraft or Catiness to me. However, the 10% of the time that cats have been a bad sign for me, I've known it. I discovered it was off, and I was right.
That's why it's essential to do the first three steps first.
Culture Relatability: God speaks to us in ways that we can understand, ways relative to our Culture now. In Biblical times, He spoke to them according to the ways of their time. Today, He does the same. Especially if what you are looking for you don't see in Scripture, look to culture relatability. The key word is Culture, NOT carnal. Watch it. I'm not talking about old wise tales and fables, either.
Don't be afraid To Take your Time: Unless there is an urgent emergency in your spirit, take your time to search out the meaning. Pray, seek, knock. Even Daniel was wise enough to ask for time to go back and pray to get an interpretation. So should you. Don't feel pressured.
Tie it all in: After you have taken your time to do steps 1-7, you should be able to understand and explain what God is saying clearly.
I can tell you that doing the things listed above will make you a better steward of God's things. In fact, it may even increase your ability to receive communication from God.
Remember, you don't just want to be excited about God's communication with you; you also want to take it up a notch by being able to interpret what He is communicating with you.
One of the many reasons I started the Virtual Prophetic Mentorship Group was to help people grow in their ability to receive communication from God and understand what the Holy Spirit was communicating to them. I wanted to bring language to what we prophetic people experience. You should check us out if you are looking for a prophetic community.
In the meantime, I know you are going to enjoy our "How to Operate In The Prophetic Series." We have so much more in store, but by the end of it, I am sure you will have more clarity, confidence, and certainty on your prophetic journey.
We've already learned Part One: How to discover your gifts. This week, we are diving into Part Two: Interpretation.
If God gives you a message to give someone else, can you articulate it well?
That's what part three is all about so stay tuned.
I hope this empowers you to take interpreting God's message to the next level. At the very least, I pray that I have provided at least one thing to help you in your ability to operate in the prophetic.
👋🏽 Bye Now!
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