Why January is a good time to review your dreams

How to review your night dreams from last year and record their interpretations – so you can benefit from their insights through the coming year.

I have found that dreams frequently relate to events three to nine months after we dream them – and even up to a year or so later. They often contain timings and road maps for the days ahead.

This means that our dreams from last year are likely to be relevant to the coming year – and it would be a shame to miss out on those insights!

This article explains, with practical pointers, why January is a good time to get organised with your dream messages – whether you are new to dreams or a seasoned dream interpreter!

If you have just come across this post and are new to dream interpretation, it is worth mentioning that dreams are symbolic in nature. You might find it helpful to read Understand your dreams: A bible-based introduction to dream language and my 3 step dream interpretation method to give you a foundation.

I approach dream interpretation from a biblical perspective. My belief is that our dreams can come from God, and understanding them is best understood within the context of an ongoing relationship with Him.

A time to review your dreams

January is often considered as a time of new beginnings: It’s a time of re-grouping after the busyness of Christmas and New Year, and a time to ‘clean house’ ready for the new things that the coming year brings.

Dreams are no exception.

I find that January is a great time to review the dreams I had the previous year and make sure my records are up to date.

As a prolific dreamer, I also find it very helpful to be able to mentally ‘draw a line’ under last year’s dreams and move on from them.

If you follow my blog regularly, you will know that:

• There are communications from heaven in our dreams.
• The messages in dreams from last year are likely to be relevant to the coming year.
• These messages are like the ‘new wine’ of the Spirit that will help us navigate the coming year successfully.

But sometimes we feel like we are drowning in dream overload – and don’t know where to start! It can feel rather like this cartoon:

Is that you with dreams? If so, the motivation of being in a new year might be just what you need to inspire you to take action – and review those dreams!

The New Year can motivate us to get our dream records in order!

I recently wrote a post about dream overwhelm, and how to cope when we have so many dreams that we don’t know where to start. You can read that article here:

Getting a grip on last year’s dreams

I don’t want you to think I’m writing this article as someone who has all their dreams from last year ‘sown up’: I’m not… and I don’t!

I’d love to tell you that last year I was extremely organised with my dreams, understood them all, and have all my records in order… but I’d be lying!!

The truth is that last year was an extremely difficult year for me, and although I had lots of dreams my interpretation activity was rather erratic. For example:

• I completely missed out the month of June, and, although I recorded my dreams, I never looked at them at all.
• For much of the year my dreams were a mystery, and I didn’t understand the meaning.
• I gave up making a summary list of my dreams altogether.

Quite frankly, as someone who teaches on the importance of dreams, it feels embarrassing!

However, the truth is, I could not have imagined what was going to happen during the autumn last year, so there was no way I could have interpreted those dreams until I had the relevant hindsight. So, I became overwhelmed by the lack of understanding and abandoned my post!

So, if you have felt like that too… you’re not alone!

But, finally, my regular habit of reviewing my dreams in January caught up with me – and came to my rescue! I have re-grouped and started getting my dream life in order again.

My annual habit of reviewing dreams in January came to my rescue!

And maybe it’s time for you to do the same:

• If you are already good at reviewing your dreams it’s a chance to go over what God did and said last year, so you can hold his words in your heart for the days ahead.
• It might be that, like me, you need to revisit last year’s dreams – to sort out your records and fill in the gaps.
• Or, if you are new to dreams, it might be the perfect time to put in place some good dream interpretation habits for the future.

Objectives for a dream overhaul

We have seen that dreams from last year are likely to be relevant to the coming year.

So, if we are to take them seriously as messages from God, it is important to develop a system for recording and reviewing them so we can apply them and hold onto them in the coming days.

For me, this involves the following tasks:

• Listing out all the dreams I recorded during the year (by date and title)
• Noting a brief interpretation if I can
• Adding dates of important life events and things God did
• Attempting to interpret dreams I missed out during the year
• Reviewing (with hindsight) whether my initial dream interpretations still seem accurate
• Highlighting important dreams and their messages
• Marking dreams that I want to revisit at some point

If you already have some sort of similar system, that’s great! Well done! Now would be a good time to make sure it’s all up to date – and meditate on some of the things God has said to you.

If not, I have previously written about these things in the following blog posts (which include screenshots to show what my system looks like in practice):

The fruit of reviewing your dreams

So, despite my tardiness in getting started, I have set myself the target of reviewing all of last year’s dreams by the end of January. I have finally got to grips with this task and have made good progress.

In revisiting my dreams, I have been working through one month’s worth of dreams at a time. Each month takes me about one day to review (I do have lots of dreams, so it may be quicker for you!!). Therefore, it will take me 12 days to review the whole year. At the time of publishing this post I am about halfway through, so I am on track to complete the process by the end of January.

And the effort has been well worth it already!

• I have finally looked at my dreams from June. And guess what? I discovered they foretold some challenging things that happened last autumn, plus confirmations of what I am meant to be doing now!
• I have been updating my dream list, and I have already discovered some encouraging things in them that I had forgotten about.
• I have had to adjust many of my interpretations in the light of subsequent events. But suddenly, things that happened last year are starting to make sense. Plus, it has been a great relief to discover God knew about them, and to know I am on the right track for this new year.

For me, the relief and peace that have already come from reviewing last year’s dreams (and I  have a few months still to review) has been priceless. In summary:

• I have discovered many treasures hidden in last year’s dreams.
• It feels good to have a better grip on what God was saying.
• It’s a relief to have his perspective on what happened.
• I have a better sense of what is coming next.
• I can draw a line under last year’s dreams and move on.

If you make the effort to do something like this yourself, I am confident that you will reap the reward.

Conclusion

If you already record your dreams, January is great time to review your dreams from last year – and get your dream records in order. The heavenly messages contained in them are likely to be relevant to the coming year, plus it feels good to be able to draw a line under them and move on to new dreams.

• Why not set yourself a target of reviewing last year’s dreams by the end of January? Start by making a list of all your dreams, then aim to spend one day on each month’s worth of dreams (and if it’s a bit late for that, set a target date that you can manage).
• The most important thing is to do something! Make an objective that is manageable – within the constraints that you have. That might be to simply list out your dreams from last year – with the interpretations you already have.

If you are new to dreams – or don’t have a system for storing and reviewing them, this is a perfect time to establish one that works for you.

• Why not make a start today?

For me, last year was challenging on many levels. But I have spent the past week reviewing last year’s dreams, and the insights and revelations contained in them are already bringing healing – plus restoring my peace, hope, and trust in God. To me, that’s priceless!

If this article has inspired you to take some practical action regarding your dream life, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below!

I trust that as you take these practical steps of faith to value your own heavenly dream messages, the God of Dreams will Himself guide you, encourage you and walk with you through the coming year.

The purpose of this blog is to provide solid biblical foundations for interpreting dreams, change mindsets in the church, and encourage others to make their own dream journey. I am primarily a writer and bible teacher – who loves dreams, and I hope you will be inspired to learn to interpret your own dreams.

It is not currently my aim to routinely engage in dream interpretations or provide training, except through writing blog posts. You can read my most up to date position on interpreting dreams here: Requests for dream interpretations.

I hope you have found this article helpful. If you want to know more, do subscribe to my emails below to receive regular dream interpretation tips.

The purpose of this blog is to provide solid biblical foundations for interpreting dreams, change mindsets in the church, and encourage others to make their own dream journey with God. I am primarily a writer and bible teacher – who loves dreams, and I hope you will be inspired to learn to interpret your own dreams.

It is not currently my aim to routinely engage in dream interpretations or provide training, except through writing blog posts. You can read my most up to date position on interpreting dreams here: Requests for dream interpretations.

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