Attacked By Demons In Your Sleep?

It’s not uncommon for people to wake up frightened from a nightmare once in a while, but sometimes this can be a sign that you’re facing spiritual oppression. This is especially true when the dreams seem to be frequent or following a recurring theme.

Why Demons Attack in Dreams

Think of your dreams and your rest as a battleground where the enemy can attack but where God can also speak. In Scripture, we see that God spoke to people through dreams, revealing His plans and purposes. God used dreams to preserve Jesus’s life and to speak to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar.

However, as mentioned previously, the devil also uses dreams to attack. For instance, we see in Matthew 13 that Jesus said the enemy sowed tares while men slept. In the Old Testament, as Samson slept, Delilah cut his hair. In other words, Satan loves to torment during our sleep because it’s when we are resting. This is important to understand because if he can affect the dream life, he can cause fear, sexual torment, confusion, or even a lack of affection for spouses .

If you are experiencing these as you wake up, these could be signs of not only spiritual warfare but spiritual oppression.

Now, the root cause of a bad dream could be as a result to an open door of sin or a need for deliverance. However, I do want to emphasize that not every bad dream means you have a demon, just like not every good dream means God is speaking. We must be discerning. Negative recurring themes in your dreams could be a sign.

How to Identify Demonic Dreams

• Persistent and recurring nightmares or violent encounters – Demonic dreams often persist over time. This is an important indicator as they often follow patterns of distress, violence, or oppression.

• Feelings of paralysis, choking, extreme heaviness, and oppression – In these kinds of dreams you may feel physically held down, unable to move or breathe, or overwhelmed with a heavy, dark presence.

• Sudden unexplained fear, terror, or spiritual darkness – Demonic dreams can cause a huge emotional toll that ends up following you throughout the day (feelings of intense fear, confusion, dread).

• Sexual in nature, invasive, and violating – These dreams violate your peace and purity. They often feel forced, shameful, or degrading.

• Tempting or luring you into sin – Another common demonic dreams are the ones that lead you into temptation, drawing you into lust, fear, or rebellion against God.

If you have been struggling with these symptoms, here are a few things I would recommend you do after you wake up from these dark dreams.

How to Respond to Demonic Dreams

1. Rebuke the dream in the name of Jesus out loud

As soon as you wake up, speak out loud and rebuke the dream. Don’t tolerate fear, confusion, or torment. Instead, take some time to call on the name of Jesus and cancel every assignment of the enemy with authority.

2. Invoke the authority and the blood of Jesus Christ

Next, it’s important to speak out loud and claim the victory of the cross over your mind and home. Remind the enemy that you belong to Jesus and speak the blood of Jesus over your mind, emotions, bed, and home. Remember that it’s the blood of Jesus that works as our legal defense.

3. Declare Scriptures like Luke 10:19 and James 4:7

Another tip is to make sure you are using the Word of God as your weapon. In other words, declare the Scriptures out loud and believe that Jesus has given you power over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

The Bible tells us to submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). During these episodes, stand on that promise.

4. Pray against the spirits and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment

I would also encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to show you what open doors may exist, what’s being revealed, and how to respond in wisdom. It’s important to not just react to the dreams but to also listen for the Lord’s leading.

5. Ask someone to pray with you and come into agreement

Remember, there is power in agreement. Don’t isolate yourself; instead, ask a spiritually mature leader to pray with you. Sometimes the battle requires two or more to stand together (Matthew 18:20).

6. If needed, go through deliverance. Command spirits to leave and renounce their access

If you’ve already addressed the flesh (avoiding triggers, repenting, and renewing your mind) but the torment continues, it may be demonic. At this point, I would encourage you to go through deliverance. Take some time to renounce any agreement or access the enemy has had in your life or family and command every unclean spirit to leave in Jesus’ name.

I pray this gives you practical steps to help discern why you may be having troubling dreams as well as how to respond.

Read: Recovering What the Enemy Stole