Sometimes I have dreams that contain very evil things, whether done by me or by someone else, and when I wake up I remember them and feel bad. I have had conversations with other Christians about such dreams and have received different responses, so I was really happy to read this passage in “Through the Eyes of Jesus”, a book written by Alan Ames from private revelation given to him.
The story is written from Jesus’ perspective:
We lay down to sleep and Matthew lay next to Me. “Master, when we sleep and sometimes have bad dreams, or dreams of doing wrong, is it a sin?” he asked.
“Matthew, you can expect when you are most vulnerable, the evil one will try to confuse you. Sometimes for those who are close to God, the only time he can play his tricks is when you are asleep. If you reject in your sleep what you reject when you are awake, then it is not a sin. It is when you welcome these dreams of evil, of lust, of greed, that you sin,” I replied.
“But, Lord, they seem to be there often, and when I wake, I feel so disappointed in myself for allowing them to happen,” whispered Matthew.
I responded, “My friend, the fact you feel this way shows that you do not welcome them, and that you do reject them. It is not your fault if he puts these thoughts in your mind, but it is your love of God that helps you to reject them. Do not be so worried. As long as you reject these thoughts, you do not sin.”
Matthew was a lot happier now, for he had serious concerns that he was at fault. He understood that evil placed in front of you does not make you a sinner; it is the acceptance of it that does. He closed his eyes and slept soundly.
These books are a gold mine as they chronicle a short period of Jesus’ life with his apostles and give great insight into the apostles’ personalities, especially of Judas Iscariot, who had many good qualities, including a love for all mothers, but who had grievous faults as well that he allowed to overcome him. Private revelation is just that, private, and so you are not bound to believe it or take any notice of it whatsoever (standard private revelation caveat!).
