Dreams While Fasting: Understanding Spiritual Warfare and Monitoring Spirits

Whether you're an avid dreamer or not, you’ll find that when you become intentional about getting closer to God through fasting and prayer, your dreams start to come alive. And what

I mean by that is, you begin to dream more, and a lot of times, they may not be great dreams. You might experience attacks in your dreams, or find yourself doing things you’ve long given up. You may be in an old house, school, or someplace from your past, or even doing the very thing you're fasting to break free from. This is normal.

What you're experiencing is spiritual warfare. Just because you're dreaming about these things doesn’t mean you’re losing the battle—actually, it’s quite the opposite. By fasting and humbling yourself before God, you're breaking the chains of these strongholds, and the enemy is trying to keep you bound in your dreams. Life is spiritual first—we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. For something to happen physically, it must first exist spiritually. The dream world is a spiritual place, and if what happens there isn’t corrected when you wake up or while in the dream, it gives that thing permission to manifest physically.

So, you might ask, "What do I do when these crazy dreams happen during a fast?" Well, as you grow spiritually, over time, your spirit man will become stronger in the dream world and begin to rebuke these things while you're dreaming. But until you reach that point, here’s what to do: When you wake up from a troubling dream, immediately rebuke it, renounce it, and come out of agreement with it. Pastor Kevin L.A. Ewing has a great prayer titled "Prayer Against Negative and Confusing Dreams" on his blog that I recommend you pray when you wake up to cancel any negative effects of the spiritual warfare you experienced.

The next step is to grow stronger spiritually—this means reading the Word and spending time with God in prayer and worship. A way to boost the amount of the Word you receive is by playing the Bible on audio as you sleep. Your spirit never sleeps, so it will be gleaning and growing from God’s Word while your body rests. I don't recommend using YouTube for this, as it might start playing unrelated or ungodly videos while you sleep. Instead, use a Bible app that plays audio scripture, so you’re sure you're only hearing God's Word throughout the night.

Also, be aware of monitoring spirits. As you develop a lifestyle of prayer and fasting, you'll notice that having wisdom often means being slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to listen. In simpler terms, you won’t share your business as much as you used to. Since the bloodline curses that once gave demonic forces access to your life are now broken, they need to find other ways to monitor you—often through people close to you (friends, family, coworkers, etc.). Be mindful when people suddenly reach out, "just checking in" or asking what's new. Many times, this is how monitoring spirits try to regain access. Don't be fooled—ask God for wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Keep your business to yourself unless God tells you otherwise, and focus on developing spiritual discernment as you grow closer to God.

Spiritual attacks while on a fast can feel overwhelming and constant, but take heart! Remember who God is and who you are as a result of that. You are the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8), you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and you are created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). He has given you authority over Satan and all his demons (Luke 10:19). Take heart, for Jesus Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33).

I hope this blog has been a blessing to you and helps strengthen you as you continue on your journey of prayer and fasting.

Shalom!

Lyn