What books of the bible should I read for this? And what time should I read it at?
A good starting point is to have a Bible plan. Have one that works around your own personal schedule. In my case, I have a paper version which essentially takes me through a section of Psalms/Proverbs, a chapter of the New Testament, then a chapter from the Old Testament. The plan I use gets me through the whole Bible in 2 years.
It's not set in stone though, so to speak - when I was raising my kids I wasn't able to do it every day, before kids, I was. With me working full time, I'm not as consistently working through the plan as I was before having kids. So don't worry if that is the case with you as well. The main thing is to do what you're currently doing - getting to know the Lord through His Word.
Another thing to add is to try to get yourself into some kind of Bible Study at your church. As the saying goes "iron sharpens iron". When you study the Bible with other believers you can then go deeper into its meaning especially if your priest or pastor has studied Hebrew and Biblical Greek. By regularly studying God's Word you will find that your logical mind begins to catch up with your spirit (see Romans 12:2 ).
Thirdly, or should I say firstly
keep praying to God, give thanks to Him, praise Him.
He has given you the gift of dreams and intends to use you mightily to bring others to come and know Christ.
I typically read the bible in the morning, but for this case, I'm not sure.
The mornings are my best times too.
Just a good quiet time when you can worship God and sit in His presence.
It;s likely an evil spirit. I read the entire Galatians yesterday in both languages, and it caused a dream which I fear the most. A nightmare is something that you fear, but there are things that you fear more than others. It gives me thew things I fear the most, and not just any thing I fear.
There could be a number of reasons why this is occuring. Sometimes it can be something as innocent as a game we've played or a movie we've watched. Take this to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what it was that made this thing come. Think about whether you've always had this, or whether it started recently as well. Ask the Lord to reveal what the trigger was, as it will then help to completely close it down (a bit like closing an open door that we didn't know was open).
When I was plagued by nightmares I was quite new to my faith and I confess that I truly didn't know who I was in Christ. I came to know the Lord after spending my adult life as an atheist and so had ran the gauntlet of pretty much most of the worst horror movies Hollywood could create, plus some nasty console games. So initially, I didn't have a clue as to who I had become on getting saved. But the enemy did. So, there was a need for me to repent (to turn away) from previous actions I'd unwittingly done before becoming a Christian.
I did not realise that according to the Bible - amongst all the truths in it - I was now:
- A child of God (John 1:12)
- I am a daughter of God and one in Christ (Gal 3:26, 28)
- I am a new creation and the old me had gone (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- I am chosen of God, Holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:4)
- that I have been crucified in Christ, and I no longer live but Christ lives in me and I live by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20)
These are just to name a few. But it took time immersing myself in God (praying/ worshipping) and reading the Bible/going to Bible study before my mind began to catch up with what God actually says about me in His Word.
The main turning point is the Biblical truth that God hasn't given us a spirit of fear which is found in 2 Timothy 1:7. Fear is a spirit which hasn't come from God. Instead, God has given us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. The other turning point is Luke 10:19. Jesus said that He has given me and you (and all believers) authority over ALL the power of the enemy. The enemy knows this also but doesn't want us to know this.
My thinking behind my earlier reply was to suggest, that you continue to use Bible verses to state who you are in Christ. As an old teacher, this was a learning method I used to use with my students. By repeatedly speaking outloud a statement that needs to be remembered, it will eventually become entrenched into your short term memory (will renew it). Once it's stuck in our mind, nothing can shake it. Jesus used Himself as our example when He was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. He rebuked satan with verses that He was certain of and believed in, which meant that He was able to state it with confidence when challenged by satan. As a result, satan left Him. It will strengthen your faith as you walk with Christ by continually doing this.
If you get woken up after a nightmare, declare 2 Timothy 1:7. Then state Psalm 4:8 as a statement of truth to yourself before laying back down to sleep.
Over time, you will get to a point when in both English and Romanian you will confidently state who you are in Christ and command fear to leave you alone. It may try to hang around in an attempt to falter your faith but eventually it has to obey you and leave.
Apologies for this being so long. Be encouraged, brother and I will continue to keep you lifted in prayer.
