Pull Out Your Spiritual Antenna

God can speak to us in various ways. One of the ways that He speaks to us is through His Word; the Apostle Paul states states this is 2nd Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” We can also hear to the voice of God through His creation.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Everything that we see on earth was spoken by God into existence, and as we observe this glorious design and take note of natural signs God presents to us, we can better understand His goodness in wanting to guide us in our spiritual walk with Him. Signs from God are meant for instruction, direction, and sometimes warnings. It is important for us to co-labor with God in the realm of dreams and the prophetic. He has given you the privilege of hearing His voice, so what is He saying? Maybe you don’t feel as though God speaks to you. Many don’t. But God speaks through many ways, and once you are aware of the way that He speaks to you, it will help you expand your hearing. Everyone can hear from God, but not everyone is tuned into the right frequency, or channel. We must become good receptors and pull out our spiritual antenna in order to receive God’s transmission. That’s why I am doing this series on dreams, to help you explore the way that God communicates to us at night. It is a lost art of communication, and I believe there are hidden treasures to be discovered through learning how to properly interpret dreams from God. There are secrets that God wants to share with His children for the road ahead of us, through dreams. Today I’m going to share some basic elements of dreams to give you a foundational understanding. This should help you understand what to look for, helping you navigate interpretation with Holy Spirit.

Names

There is something about a name. A name has a depth and range of information for us, and God delights in using names as regular communication channels. This subject is not limited to people names, but also includes businesses and brands, automobile models, street signs, as well as food and outlet chains, etc.

People Names

Have you ever had a dream about a person that you have zero contact with? It could even be a celebrity, or a historical figure. It could also be someone you know of, but have little to no interaction with. What I have learned over the years is to explore the meaning behind their name. For example, I had a dream about being pregnant a few months ago. In the dream, I was going through labor. It was taking a long time, and people kept asking me questions and causing me to doubt that it was true labor (not false labor pains). I knew that I had to get away from everyone who was distracting me from laboring to bring this baby forth. So, I went down a flight of stairs with the help of a man named Nathaniel. He did not say a word to me in the dream, just held my hand and made sure that I was safe. Then, I got into a birthing room, and there were three people there to help me give birth. They were my husband’s three aunts: Lisa, Jessica, and Jodie. As soon as I got into this room, the labor pains got closer together, and I could tell that the time to push was drawing near. In the dream, I never gave birth, but when I woke up, I knew that the child was a boy and his name was Isaac.

Let’s explore the meaning of those names together. And it’s important to consider your own names meaning when the dream is about yourself. My name, Janell, means “God’s gracious gift.” This dream symbolized how we are carriers of God’s gift of grace, and the name Isaac in the Bible is significant, because he was a child of promise. God was saying that there is a promise He has placed in my heart that I am about to give birth to. It’s interesting that I had to go into another room to labor, removing distractions. The Lord showed me the significance of going down steps as symbolizing bringing Heaven to earth. And the name of the man who took me there was Nathaniel, which means “given by God.” So, God was speaking so powerfully to me in this dream that where there is a roadblock in the journey of life (for me in this dream, the problem was laboring to give birth to something), there is a promise (Isaac) and a provision (Nathaniel). This is something that I had previously been taught by the prophetic teacher Graham Cooke.

Then, the names of the three aunts who helped me labor were also meaningful. Jessica means “God beholds.” He beholds me, which means that I am precious in His sight, and He knows me. How wonderfully powerful yet intimate is that? Also, there are two scriptures that the Lord brought to my remembrance concerning the meaning of this name and the dream. The first was from Jeremiah 1:12, where the Lord says, “I am watching over my word to perform it.” God was watching and helping me labor to bring His Word of promise to birth. The other scripture that came to mind is found in Habakkuk 2:3, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” The Lord is reminding me here that there are things to come that may take a while, but to keep pressing forward, in an expectancy of its coming.

The second aunt in the dream was Jodie, which means “admired or praised.” I believe the hidden meaning behind this name in the dream was that my admiration of God and praise was going to help me give birth to this promise of God in my life. The name Jodie comes from the Hebrew word, “Judea,” and that word comes from “Judah.” The letters in the name Judah mean “praise.” And finally, the name Lisa means “oath from God,” “devoted to God,” or “my God is bountiful.” The Hebrew meaning is derived from the name Elisheba, which also references the lily flower. Jesus mentions lilies in the book of Matthew, “Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these.” Keeping all of this in mind, God is telling me that human effort won’t bring this promise to birth, but instead, it will come from the gift of His bounty (provision).

As you can see, this dream has a lot of significance when you investigate the meaning of names. I have had several dreams and visions from God about my future ministry. He has anointed me to bring restoration to withered and broken people and help them reach their God-given destinies. But right now, I am waiting for Him to appoint me. There is a difference between anointing and appointing. David was anointed king over Israel when he was young, but he wasn’t appointed to be king until 15 years later. The Bible says that when Samuel anointed David in the presence of his brothers, the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. So why was there so much time between that anointing and God’s appointing David for kingship? The answer is simple: training. David was going to shepherd God’s people, and God wanted to prepare him in warfare and learning how the palace operates. During that time, he encountered obstacles and learned how to worship his way through various problems, which kept his heart close to God’s. This is true of all of us. We have been anointed by God to bring forth the fruit of His Spirit, testifying to the world the good news of the gospel. But there is a time of training that we need before we step into our God-given role in the Kingdom. In this dream, I was given instruction of how to wait expectantly for the birth of my Kingdom mission.

Brands or Business Names

When you remember the name of a brand or business name in a dream, it usually has some significance. And sometimes the meaning can be hidden, so it’s important to explore that with the Lord. In the book “God’s Prophetic Symbolism in Everyday Life” by Adam F Thompson and Adrian Beale, they describe the hidden meaning behind the brand Harley Davidson, a renowned motorcycle brand. To most people, the brand may convey power, independence, freedom; or to others it may speak of rebellion. But for Adam F Thompson, it has a deeper meaning. Davidson is a compound of David and son. David means “beloved,” so straight away we have a “beloved son.” The name Harley is a compound of Har and ley. As ley is also spelled lee, we have here the protected or sheltered side of a field, tree, rock etc. The foundational meaning of the Har part is a reference to either hares or rocks. As we are not able to take shelter behind a rabbit, in context, Harley Davidson is a “beloved son in the cleft of a rock.” Isn’t that an amazing revelation behind the meaning of a brand name? The root understanding for the motorcycle brand’s name is the secret place of God’s presence, which is the true foundation for all power, freedom, independence, and rebellion (from the world). Harley Davidson is really a call to the secret place. As you can see, exploring the specific names of brands in your dreams gives a deeper meaning that God is wanting to show you. But it takes time to discover, and that’s the sacrifice you make when you co-labor with God. We have been given time on earth, and it is a gift to steward it wisely with God. He wants you to experience time in His presence and hear His voice.

Numbers

Another way God communicates to us in through numbers. These may come in the form of a riddle that may take one of many possible paths to decode, of which you will need the Holy Spirit to discern the proper pathway. Frequently, the numbers are simply a Scripture you are to look up and apply; and other times their treasure may be found by adding them up, or by an association they trigger. God speaks to me a lot of times through license plate numbers. For example, when I see the letters ASF, I take note of the numbers that follow. ASF is a little inside joke between me and the Father. A stands for “ask,” S stands for “seek,” and F stands for “find.” It comes from what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, ” Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” This is a game we play together. I will ask the Lord something, and then He will show me a license plate with ASF in it, and the numbers signify a verse in the Bible. So, I seek out the verse, discover it’s meaning, and a lot of times there is an answer to my question, or a provision/solution to what I’m asking for. In November of last year, I had been asking the Lord for more healing to take place in my soul. And when I parked at Target to get some groceries, there was a car in front of me that had a license plate with ASF and the number 411. I looked up verses in the Bible that were either a 41:1, or a 4:11. The one that resonated with my spirit was from Psalms 41:1. I started reading it and as I read through verse 4, my jaw dropped to the floor.

Blessed [by God’s grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him in the day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; And he will be called blessed in the land; You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies. The Lord will sustain and strengthen him on his sickbed; In his illness, You will restore him to health. As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

Psalm 41:1-4

The Lord was telling me that there was healing for my soul. And as I explored the context for that Psalm, I realized that David was dealing with sickness and betrayal from false friends. This was exactly the situation that I had been experiencing. Betrayal leaves a mark on our souls that needs to be addressed with God. If we don’t deal with the issue, there can be a physical manifestation of that wounding from our soul. So, I was led by the Lord through numbers to forgive those who had betrayed me and wounded my soul. When I took those steps with God, I saw physical pain leave my body. It’s truly amazing to me how connected our souls and bodies are, and how the Holy Spirit will administer healing to both places when we forgive others. This of course was not a dream, but it is a great example of how the Lord will direct you to scripture to answer your heart’s cry.

Consecutive numbers, like 345, may speak of a timing issue, like “it is time to act” or “the clock is ticking.” Numbers going backward can mean a counting down to something. And a sequence of 123 may say “it’s as easy as 1-2-3” or “things are falling into place.” Repeated numbers like 333 may speak of Scriptures like Jeremiah 33:3, and the sequence of 1111 may relate to John 11:11 or it may speak of alignment. You must be careful not to put any stock in anything on the internet that says angel number, or any source that doesn’t line up with scripture. The New Age religion will dress itself up to look godly, but it is not biblical, and is used to deceive many people of God. For example, we may receive revelation from angels, but we are to test the spirit. Anything that doesn’t originate from God must be thrown out. For we know that some of the biggest false religions of the world originated from an encounter with an angel. But the question they should have asked is, “Did Jesus Christ come in the flesh?” Then, the answer would have told them if the angel was aligned with Yahweh or if it was a fallen angel.

Don’t go looking for the numbers, God will use them naturally, and they will be obvious to you. If you remember a number in a dream, or even see numbers popping up in your life, take head. Write them down and explore that with the Lord. There are times when I see the number 911 on the clock, license plates, or the amount owed when I’m at a store- and it is an alert from Holy Spirit to pray. A lot of times there is an emergency that has happened, and since I prayed- the crisis was resolved. It truly amazes me how God speaks in so many ways, teaching us so that we can be “workmen that rightly divide the word of truth” as it says in 2 Timothy 2:15. My hope is that this has encouraged you to explore your dreams with God. In the next few weeks, we will be exploring more dream elements such as animals, colors, songs, smells, and settings. Be sure to subscribe so that you are alerted when a new post is published.

Below is a list of numbers and their possible metaphoric meanings. You can use this as a guide with Holy Spirit as your leader.

RESOURCES

Goll, James W. Dream Language: The Prophetic Power of Dreams, Revelations, and the Spirit of Wisdom. Destiny Image, 2006.

Parsons, John J. “Hebrew Gematria – Finding Numerical Relationships in the Texts.” Hebrew for Christians, https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Eight/Hebrew_Gematria/hebrew_gematria.html.

Thompson, Adam F., and Adrian Beale. “Songs, Names, and Numbers.” God’s Prophetic Symbolism in Everyday Life: The Divinity Code to Hearing God’s Voice through Natural Events and Divine Occurrences, Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA, 2017, pp. 45–56.