Dreams and Visions

Before I go into this, I feel that I should say that I'm just trying to understand myself and the way that God can and might use me.

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I was thinking of names. I think it was because I was telling Riki about when God changed peoples names in the Bible. I said to the Lord, "I don't know what You call me, but my mum named me Lisa."

As I was speaking (in this almost-dream state) I noticed a vessel of dark water or liquid. As I was saying my name, I saw that it appeared in writing in the liquid. I repeated myself, saying, "My name is Lisamarie" and before I'd even finished saying my surname, it was there in the liquid, just for a moment, and then it began to quickly fade away and I heard the Lord saying, "You shall be called Healed".

Now, I've never heard the Lord speak to me before. You could say that it was just a dream, but it made me feel at peace. I'd been at the hospital just that afternoon, as well as a bunch of other things. Without going into it all, I've been exhausted for the past three weeks as one thing after another has caused pain, uncomfort, and the inability to sleep. I truly believe the Lord was telling me that my prayers have not been in vain. He's working on me and I will receive my healing! HALLELUJAH!

Now, I've always struggled a little with the concept of dreams and visions - and I don't claim for this to be an example of either. I genuinely don't know.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

- Acts 2:17 

From this, I was confused - was it only men and boys who were to be blessed with dreams and visions? If so, I was very worried...

My mum says that as a child, I came downstairs in the morning and was telling her about a dream I'd had. The dream confused me because there was an aeroplane that fell from the sky and crashed, but I couldn't work out why the grass or land wasn't straight. That very same evening, the news described a plane crash onto the embankment of a motorway.

Needless to say, when my mum saw it, she was terrified and confused! As I got older, I don't recall having a dream on that scale (and I don't claim to remember that dream!) but I do remember little things happening and I knew that I'd dreamed about it before. I brushed it off as a feeling of Deja Vu, but I couldn't help wondering. Everytime I had a vivid dream which bothered me and woke me in a cold sweat, I was worried it was one of those dreams. Fortunately, it never was!

I had a couple of recurring dreams as a young child. One really bothered me and although I don't have it now, it still affects me: My brother and I were playing in the playground at school - I was in the nursery and he was in the older children's playground. The Vikings somehow came back and were trying to take and kill us all. My brother was screaming for me to get to him and to safety, but the only way was by crawling through a bunch of thorn bushes. I was wearing a skirt and was too scared. I always woke up in time, so I never knew what happened. I believe I finally crawled through and made it to my brother, and that's when the dream stopped.

I don't want to bore you so I won't bother describing any more dreams or images I've had - as I said, they may have just been dreams, but my point is, what if they're not? How would I know? If only men were to have Godly dreams and visions, where were mine coming from?

I asked a few Facebook friends who I knew I could rely on for Godly counsel (side note - I recommend everyone seperate their friends into groupings, it makes it so much easier!) and a couple responded, giving me confidence that God's gifts are not restricted by gender. 

My question is this: How do you know when God is speaking to you through a dream or a vision, and how do you know when it's "just a dream"? I'm a daydreamer by nature, I often go off into my little bubble and daydream, or just sit in a daze. Always have done. How much of it is just my overactive, vivid imagination, and how much could it be God trying to reach out to me in the only way I'm able to perceive it?

I welcome any opinions, whether an educated response or simply just a personal idea.

I open myself up for the Lord to use me in any way He sees fit. Whether He chooses to give me dreams, images and visions, or whether He has something different in mind - I welcome it, I just want to know!

Be blessed,
-Lisa