Listen to this articleIn dreams we often see the devil, in the form of different animals.
Snakes, Lions, Elephants Crocodiles, Dogs, Bees, Monkeys, Rhinos, Bulls, Wolves, Hyenas, Hippos, etc.
The different forms that we see him are meant to tell us, the way he is accessing our life, how he is attacking us, and how to defeat him.
We shall look at a few of these animals in detail, what they mean, how they attack and how to defeat them.
But there are a few key principles to know beforehand.
The Devil and Your Authority
In Genesis 1. God gave Adam authority over all animals on earth.
Genesis 1:28 (KJV)
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
When you have a dream where you are being attacked by an animal, it means you are being overcome by a problem that God has given you authority and dominion over.
If you are being attacked and chased by Lions, Dogs, Fish, Bulls and such, it means there are certain evil spirits, that God has given you power, and authority to dominate and rule over, Yet you are failing to do so and as a result they are dominating you.
Jesus puts it this way.
Luke 10:19 (NET)
Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.
I remember I once had a dream, where I saw snakes and all these lizards coming towards me, I then asked the Lord and said,
“Lord why do these things always come after your children”
Then a voice replied from heaven and said, “I am the one who sends the creatures to my children, because my children are the ones I gave the power to destroy them.”
Think of it like this, after God had given Adam authority over all living things God then brought different kinds of animals to Adam, so that Adam can name them.
Genesis 2:19 (NET)
The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
So If Adam sees a Lion coming towards him, he should understand that God is bringing it to him so that he can name it, and to do that, he must first subdue it, dominate it and rule over it.
But If Adam lacks that understanding, the moment he sees the Lion, he will start running and the Lion will chase him.
Some ask why God allowed the serpent to enter into Eden.
The serpent was allowed, so that Adam could subdue it, dominate it and rule over it.
But however Eve, submited to the thing they were meant to subdue.
So, if you’re having dreams where you are being chased by or attacked by animals, it means God has brought certain spirits into your life, so that you can subdue them, and dominate over them but because of ignorance, you are being dominated.
The First Mistake
When God gives you authority to dominate and rule over a situation he expects you to use your authority to dominate.
So, let’s say you are dreaming of being attacked by bulls.
If you pray for God to come and deliver you, he will send his angels to come and deliver you, but after a short while, the bulls will be back.
This is because, the bulls have been placed into your life for you, to subdue and to dominate.
So until you learn how to subdue and dominate that bull, it will remain an issue in your life.
So, only when you learn, how to take your authority and use it against that specific creature, will you enjoy eternal lifelong victory over that spirit.
Satan’s Boundaries
Satan can not attack you when you’re in Christ, because to attack you, he would have to attack Christ himself.
So the only way he can attack you, is if he lures you into his territory, if he lures you into the darkness, then whilst there he can attack you
I am going to look at 3 animal manifestations of the devil, what they represent, how they attack and how to use authority to dominate, subdue and rule over them.
1. The Lion
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NET)
8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.
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When the devil is revealed to you in the form of a lion, it means he is come to completely destroy your life. Usually this comes as an attack on health.
Notice that the bible says he comes as a ROARING lion.
The purpose of the Roar of the Lion is to produce fear.
Amos 3:8 (NET)
A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy?
Proverbs 20:2 (KJV)
The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion:
Hosea 11:10-11 (NET)
10 when he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will return in fear and trembling
So when the devil is coming against you as a lion, the first thing that you encounter is the roar.
This will be a sudden circumstance, or sudden news that causes you to be terrified of what is about to happen.
It may be fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of failure or fear of suffering.
The moment you agree with and accept that fear within your heart, you are surrending yourself to the spirit of fear. You have now entered the devil’s territory and he can subdue you.
You can not dominate something that you’re afraid of. You can’t subdue a spirit that you are afraid of.
Whatever you fear, becomes your master.
Hebrews 2:15 (NET)
and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.
Fear makes you a slave.
Romans 8:15 (NET)
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear
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This is one of the things that led Job into his suffering. He lived in fear of loss, fear of losing his children and his wealth, and that which he feared, is what happened.
Job 3:25 (NET)
For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come upon me.
So, when you are dreaming of Lions, know that the devil is after you to destroy you. But he will come with a roar. He will create situations, that when you see them, you will start to be afraid.
You will be afraid that someone you love will die, you will be afraid that you will lose everything.
You will just find yourself feeling like its over, like you can’t win.
If you accept that fear, then the devil will have mastery over you.
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Common Response
The most common response when these things happen, is that Christians will start praying out of fear. Some will ask God for deliverance and yes, he will come.
Some will try to rebuke and declare authority and wonder why its not working
As long as you have fear in your heart, it means in your heart you believe this creature, this spirit has power over you, and so you are conflicted.
You cant dominate, subdue and rule, what you fear.
In such cases, you will see yourself running away, and trying to hide, in your dreams. Its the spirit of fear.
The Power of Fear
Fear is an attack on the most important aspect of God. His love.
When we are afraid, it’s because we have faced circumstances where we feel like God will not intervene, God has abandoned us, God does not care, God will not listen, God will not protect, God does not love us.
We are doubting His Love.
Overcoming Fear
It is our understanding of God’s love, that gives us victory over fear.
1 John 4:18 (NET)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.
There is something that the Apostle Paul said, which when you understand it, you will never ruled by fear again.
Romans 8:36-39 (NET)
36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The above scripture is usually quoted out of context. Sometimes people quote it to say God loves us so much that he won’t allow us to go through death and struggles.
But on the contrary, Apostle Paul was facing death, suffering and persecution, but he is saying,
I am convinced that there is nothing that is in this life or in heaven that can separate me from God’s love.
Meaning, even if I go to prison, it does not mean God no longer loves me. Even if I suffer, it does not mean God does not love me. Even if I die, it does not mean God does not love me.
This understanding of God’s love that its not measured by the things you’re currently suffering is what gives you victory over the Spirit of fear.
It’s what gives you victory over the roars of the lions.
So when you get bad news threatening loss, or failure or sickness or death, you will be assured in your heart that God loves you despite the circumstances and God will use those things for your ultimate good.
So you won’t be afraid of what happens to you, because you know God is using it for your good because he loves you.
2. SNAKES
The snake represents the hypocrite, the deceiver the pretender, the liar.
Revelation 12:9 (NET)
So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth
2 Corinthians 11:3 (NET)
But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
When the devil is planning to use lies, to attack you, he will appear to you as a snake trying to bite you.
The devil may work through a person, who comes and speaks lies, that when you believe, will cause or perpetuate a problem.
The person may be a man of God who gives you wrong teaching, that when you apply it, you enter into problems.
It may be a prophet who tells you false words of God.
It may be a spouse, a workmate, or a relative, who speaks a lie.
It may be someone pretending to be good yet they are secretly working against you.
It may be a belief, a doctrine, a principle, or way of life, that is false but which you were taught growing up, and have believed all your life.
These will appear to you as different kinds of snakes.
Vipers, Pythons, Black Mambas, brown snakes, small snakes, big snakes. When you study these in the natural, you understand the spiritual deception that the devil is using to fight you.
In order to exercise authority, you must exercise it according to the word.
The word of God is truth
John 17:17 (NET)
Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.
Whilst the Lion, attacks your faith in the Love of God, through fear….
The snake attacks your standing in the truth, through lies.
So when you are having many snake dreams, pray that God exposes any deceptions, lies or hypocrites in your life.
When these things are exposed, you can deal with them, and have victory over the serpent
Because until you deal with the lie, at the foundation, you will not be able to fully exercise authority over the serpent.
Its not always so obvious. Serpents are very cunning.
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3. THE DOG
A dog is an animal you find at the house, but the dog is an unclean animal, associated with filth.
A person who is saved, and has encountered God, but goes back to live a lifestyle of an unbeliever is compared to a dog, because gogs vomit things and then go back to eat their own vomit.
2 Peter 2:20, 22 (NET)
20 For if after they have escaped the filthy things of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again get entangled in them and succumb to them, their last state has become worse for them than their first.
22 They are illustrations of this true proverb: “A dog returns to its own vomit,”
So, evildoers who know the truth, but do not value or treasure it are compared to dogs, who eat their own filth.
Matthew 7:6 (NET)
Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.
When the Devil intends to use the flesh, uncleanness or worldly lusts, to lure you into a place where he can attack you, he will appear as a dog.
Dogs attack and wound the flesh.
From experience, I have noted that in my life, Dog attacks manifest as attacks on my worldly possessions. Attacks on my finances.
But from experience I also noted that the times when dog attacks were successful against me, are times when I entertained unclean thoughts in my heart.
There are times when I entertained, thoughts that I knew were wrong thoughts that I knew would defile me.
From the time that I realised this, I have never been attacked by a dog again.
So I have understood that when the Enemy appears as a dog, he is trying to attack your fleshly possessions.
But he cant access you as long as you stand firmly in Christ. So as a dog he tries to lure you into uncleanness, into defilement.
Once defiled, you are now in his territory, and if you obey sin, you become a slave to sin.
This does not have to be overt sin, even any thoughts that defile.
Matthew 15:18-19 (WEB)
18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.
That has been my experience.
