Dr. Dele Johnson, Apostle of dream interpretation as fondly called, reveals how people, including believers, allow the ignorance about dreams and their interpretations to destroy their lives and destinies. In this interview with Christian Benefits, Apostle Johnson, the convener of the popular Dream Conference , which he holds within and outside Nigeria for over 20 years running, gives a deep insight into the subject of dreams and their interpretations and how people should handle their dreams in order to fulfill their destinies. Excerpts.
How will you like to be introduced sir?
I will like to be introduced as Dr. Dele Johnson. I obtained my doctorate at Evangel Christian University.
But why do many people call you Apostle of Dream Interpretation?
The subject of dreams and their interpretations is supposed to be for those who God has called specifically into the ministry of dreams and their interpretations. I’m Dr. Dele Johnson, general overseer, Jesus Liberation Ministries, but some people prefer calling me Apostle of dream interpretation because of our specialization in the area of dreams and their interpretations and our Dream conference that we are holding over the years.
How long have you been in the ministry by now?
First, I gave my life to Jesus Christ in 1980s. I received the call of God in 1998 and started the call to ministry in the 2000s. That’s about 25 years now.
Specifically, what is the mandate of your call to ministry?
The Lord said to me: “Go liberate Zion using the apostolic prayers.” Zion refers to the born again believers who are still being oppressed by the devil. So, I am sent by God to go and liberate them.
What are the platforms on which you run this mandate?
As I said earlier, we have held several Dream conferences for over 20 years running that involves deliverance and impartation. We still hold our Dream conference within and outside Nigeria like in North America, Italy and France. We are planning our next Dream conference for the U.K. We also take our Dream conference to churches accross the country. Many people have dreams but most of them cannot interprete their dreams until they have an encounter with those God called into the ministry of dream interpretation to help them.
What are the differences between dreams, visions and trances?
Visions are still pictures or videos that you see and hear. Dreams are images with voices that play out in our mind and spirit when we sleep. Trances are when you are in between consciousness and unconsciousness. Dreams, visions and trances are nearly the same. The only difference between them is the times of their occurrences. They are all revelations. Even a still small voice is a revelation; so also an audible voice. When the written word is stirred up and there is an understanding it becomes a living word or Rhema. It becomes a revelation. All these acts of revelation are by the Holy Spirit. They are all revelations that are not only statements but also have videos where you see the pictures and the activities and also hear the voices play.
What is the place or the significance of dreams in the lives of people generally?
The best thing to look at is how dream is very important to God, and then to us. In the scriptures we read God spoke to people through dreams and visions. The scripture notes that God didn’t speak to Moses in riddles or parables but by mouth to mouth. Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 are two of several scripture references on how dreams and visions are very important to God and man. For instance, Joel 2:28, God says, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions.” The prophecy of Jesus was pronounced through a dream. Through a dream God saved the life of Jesus at infancy from the hands of Herod. It is written in Job I came to you once. I came to you twice but you cannot perceive me. I came to you in the night to save you from destructions. God realized that during the day activities will not allow us to pick the signals from Him. So, He comes to us in the night. It is foolishness to determine how God will speak to you. God has varieties and he chooses the medium by which He wants to speak to us. God told Peter that he didn’t know the spirit of what he was teaching when He told him in the dream to eat some animals. This particular dream was a figure of speech by which God was saying to Peter that don’t say the people are dirty. I have made them clean.
What are the inherent dangers in ignoring, dismissing or forgetting dreams?
Ignoring, dismissing or forgetting dreams is very dangerous. Dreams are from God. There are three sources of dreams: The first source is God, the second source is the devil and the third source is from the activities of the previous day. If a dream is an attack from the devil you have to take it seriously. If it is an instruction from God you also have to take it seriously. Instruction brings distinction. Successful people in life are beneficiaries of instructions. They heard the word, ran with it and their lives got transformed. There are three forms of knowledge: Common sense knowledge, principal knowledge based on what one read and revelational knowledge, which it is beyond what you read or that is brought or given to you.
What should people do instantly they woke up from dreams?
What we should do as children of God is to first accept that dream is a medium of communication. If you are biased about it you will not take it seriously. It will be like throwing the baby away with the bath water. Secondly, when you wake up, sit up, recall the dream, write it down and ask the Holy Spirit to interpret it to you. In case you are not used to the Holy Spirit speaking to you, look for the people, particularly ministers that are gifted in dream interpretations to interpret it to you. However, please note that no dream interpreter can force their interpretations on you because you are the final decider to check the spirit of their interpretations if it bears witness with the scriptures. I have interpreted 45 dreams in one of our Mega Dream platform. Our church members and visitors usually confirm the correctness of my dream interpretations by saying either yes, that’s true or thank you. I don’t ask them if they are correct. Most times I just ask them, does this make sense? If someone interprets a dream and it is wrong you will know, and also if it is correct.
How can people know the dreams that are attacks from the devil?
If the devil attacks you in the dream, you will wake up with agitation, anxiety and fears. If you are a child of God, you will know in the spirit that something is not right. Therefore, you pray to neutralize the attack. But you cannot deal with what you don’t understand. This is where the understanding of dreams comes to play. Seeing a bull in the dream is a witchcraft representation; even dogs, leopards and cows. This is seen in Psalm 11 where they represent wickedness. When you see a bull in the dream it is about a congregation of wickedness ,which you should pray about for days effectively. So, understanding dreams is key. Even if a dream is from God you will also need understanding in terms of instructions, direction and warning because God also speaks to us through dreams to admonish or chastise us. I always ask people, how did it (their dreams) end? If the end is bad, then you need to do something about it. The reason God showed you is because He has equipped you. No dream; no matter how good or terrible, is the final. You can arrest any dream from coming to pass. You are even supposed to arrest dreams. Also, if you don’t pray about a good dream it will not happen. The Bible says war with your prophecy. Every dream is a prophecy. So you must pray through to actualize it.
What do you have to say about eating in the dream?
Eating in the dream is not good. The devil has perfected the act of poisoning people through dreams. When you eat in the dream there are three possibilities: one, the poisoning of your health, two, your initiation into witchcraft, three, an exchange of blessings in the order of Esau and Jacob. The devil does not have any originality. It is what he sees God do that he does. He doesn’t create anything. However, there is an exception to eating in the dream like if you eat fruits in the dream it is healing. God is telling you to concentrate more on vegetables, which is good. It is not all eating in the dream that are poisonous. The agents of darkness cannot present healthy fruits in the dream except rotten ones because their intentions are evil. Someone picking pepper in the dream means hardship. But if you are picking few for the purpose of something it could also be healing. Pepper has healing effects. God may be telling you that is the area of your life He is dealing with it. (Continues).
