101 | Is it God’s Voice at 3 AM or the Enemy Using Your Dreams as a Playground?

Find the full episode here >>> PaulaBehrens.com/blog

Those midnight wake-up calls can leave your heart racing and mind swirling with questions. When you jolt awake at 3AM, how do you know if God is speaking to you, if the enemy is attacking, or if your mind is simply processing the day?

The predawn hours have a way of making the spiritual realm feel closer, more immediate. Throughout Scripture, God often chose these quiet moments to speak to His people through dreams and visions. Yet the enemy also exploits our vulnerability during these hours. The key isn't controlling when these moments come—it's learning to discern whose voice you're hearing.

God's communication always carries His peace, even when challenging or convicting. As 1 Corinthians 14:33 reminds us, "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." When God speaks, there's a calm undercurrent, a clarity that cuts through the noise. The enemy, however, traffics in fear, accusation, and disorientation. His goal isn't necessarily to make you believe disturbing dreams but to make you doubt your ability to hear God clearly.

Many believers have noticed that the early morning hours—what the Bible calls "the fourth watch of the night" (3AM to 6AM)—often become moments of spiritual sensitivity. Perhaps these wake-ups aren't attacks but invitations to meet with Jesus when our hearts are finally quiet enough to listen. When you find yourself staring into the darkness, try turning that moment into worship. Whisper His name, read Scripture aloud, or simply invite His presence to fill the room.

Remember, you are not powerless in these moments. The Spirit of God dwells within you, and "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Both night and day belong to God, and so do you.

Are those 3AM wake-ups leaving you anxious instead of rested? Book an Aroma of Christ Coaching Hour plus Peace Reset with me, where we'll pray through what you're experiencing and design practices that transform those restless nights into purposeful time with God. Visit paulabehrens.com/coaching to begin your journey from midnight fear to divine peace.

Send us a text

><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

Christian Coaching > PaulaBehrens.com/coaching

Become an Insider > bit.ly/insiderfamily

Join the Community >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/faithcollective

Essential Oil Favorites > WhyEssentialOils.com

Printable Bible Study for Women >>> PaulaBehrens.com/members

Christian Resources >>> FaithBuildingClub.com

Get a copy > A New Heaven and New Earth: The Book of Revelation Revisited >>> https://amzn.to/3xRp0DI

Episode Transcript

Paula Behrens (00:01):
Hey friend, have you ever jolted awake in the
middle of the night, heartracing, mind swirling, unsure if
what you just experienced wasfrom God or from something else
entirely?
Have you ever stared into thedarkness at 3 am, replaying a
strange dream over and over,wondering Lord, was that you or
is my mind just playing trickson me?
Those quiet hours before dawncan feel like a holy ground or a

(00:26):
battlefield, and sometimes it'shard to tell which.
We're going to talk about thatin just a minute, but first I'd
like to give a shout out toJynae Schmid.
She writes, "Paula offers clear, scripture based guidance that
fits easily into a busy life.
Her episodes are short, focusedand full of practical ways to
deepen your walk with God, agreat resource for Christian

(00:49):
women seeking consistency andpeace in their faith routines.
" Well, thank you, Jynae, forthose kind words.
If you'd like to leave a reviewon Apple Podcasts, it's easier
than you might think.
Just head on over to thepodcast page, scroll down to the
ratings and review section andshare your thoughts.
Not only does your feedbackhelp other women discover our

(01:11):
show, but your review could alsobe showcased on one of our
upcoming episodes.
Are you finding it challengingto maintain your spiritual
practices or yearning for a morepeaceful, God-aligned day?
I'm Paula and I've been theretoo.
Balancing spiritual habits witha busy life can be difficult.
I longed for a deeperconnection with God but

(01:32):
struggled with consistency.
Then I found the perfectapproach.
If you seek simple ways todeepen your connection with God,
this podcast is for you.
Please take a moment to followthe show, leave a review and
share with your friends who needa little biblical encouragement
today.
Are you curious about whatactually happens in the Aroma of

(01:54):
Christ coaching hour?
Let me walk you through it.
First, we'll talk about yourcurrent routine, what's working,
what's not, and where you feelstuck or dry.
Then we'll walk through yourspiritual goals, whether that's
deeper intimacy with God, morepeace or simply knowing how to
stay consistent.
Together we'll build arealistic devotional routine
that works for your real life,and I'll introduce you to ways

(02:18):
essential oils can help you feelmore grounded and connected
during your time with the Lord.
We can also talk aboutpeace-filled ways to use
essential oils during that next3 am wake-up call.
You'll leave with simple nextsteps and a fresh wind in your
spirit.
Everything we do is led by theSpirit and grounded in grace,
not guilt.
So head on over now topaulabehrens.

(02:40):
com/ coaching and book yoursession.
That's Paula BehrensB-E-H-R-E-N-S .
com/ coaching (no spaces).
All right, let's get started.
Grab your Bible, dust off yourjournal and cozy up to your
favorite beverage and let's divein.

(03:01):
You know, there's just somethingabout 3 am.
You're not distracted by thenoise of the day or the list in
your head.
It's as if the world goes stilland the spiritual realm feels
closer, somehow more present.
It's just you, your thoughtsand the unseen, and that can
feel unsettling, because how doyou really know if what you're

(03:21):
sensing is God showing yousomething or if the enemy is
poking at your vulnerabilitieswhile you're too sleepy to
resist?
I want you to know that you'renot alone in asking this
question.
Many believers have wrestledwith it.
In fact, throughout scripture,God often spoke to his people in
the night hours through dreams,visions, whispers in the dark.

(03:42):
But also in scripture, theenemy crept in during vulnerable
moments, planting fear,confusion and lies, as seen in
Job 7.14, where Satan wasallowed to scare him with dreams
and terrify him with visions.
The key isn't trying to controlwhen the moments come, it's

(04:02):
learning how to discern thevoice you're hearing in them.
Let's start here.
God is not a God of confusion.
That's not just a comfortingstatement, it's biblical truth.
First Corinthians, chapter 14,verse 33 says, for God is not
the author of confusion, but ofpeace.
So when God speaks, even if hiswords are challenging or

(04:26):
convicting, they will carry hispeace, always.
His presence doesn't stir chaosinside of you.
It brings clarity.
It may be clarity to ask you tochange something or to let go,
but there's still a calmundercurrent to it.
Contrast that with how theenemy operates.

(04:46):
He traffics in fear, accusationand confusion.
When a dream leaves you in afog of fear or shame, when it
stirs anxiety that lingers inyour chest for hours, that's a
red flag.
The devil will use thosevulnerable twilight hours to
magnify lies, especially ifyou're already weary, stressed

(05:10):
or spiritually depleted.
He wants to make thebattlefield feel like your fault
, to convince you that even yoursleep isn't safe.
But here's something powerful,your sleep does not belong to
the enemy, it belongs to theLord.
Psalm 127.2 reminds us, hegives his beloved sleep.

(05:35):
Your nighttime hours are notoutside of God's care.
If you're his, then even thehours when your conscious mind
is resting, well, it's stillcovered by his Spirit.
That means if he wants to speakto you, he can, and if the
enemy tries to intrude, God hasgiven you authority to resist

(05:57):
him, even while you sleep.
So how do you discern thedifference?
Well, one of the simplest butmost profound ways is to test
what you've seen or heardagainst the character of God
revealed in Scripture.
God never contradicts his word.
If the message in your dreamaligns with his truth, if it

(06:17):
echoes his heart as revealed inthe Bible, it's worth praying
through and asking him toconfirm.
But if it stirs condemnation,despair or anything that opposes
what God says about you as hisbeloved child, then it is not
from him.
I've also found that Goddoesn't mind being asked to

(06:38):
confirm.
In fact, he invites it.
James 1, verse 5 says, If any ofyou lacks wisdom, let him ask
God, who gives generously, andit will be given to him.
So when you wake from a strangedream, instead of spiraling in
analysis, which is what I liketo do, pause and pray, saying

(07:02):
Lord, if this was from you,confirm it and if it wasn't,
just wash it away.
That posture shifts you fromfear to faith, from confusion to
confidence.
Here's another key sign.

(07:27):
God speaks to bring life anddirection, while the enemy
speaks to bring confusion andparalysis.
Think about Joseph in the OldTestament, you know, the one
with the coat of many colors.
When God gave him dreams, theycame with a sense of purpose,
even though he may not havefully understood them, but they
aligned with God's bigger plan.
The dreams pointed him forward.
But when the enemy whispers,it's like getting stuck in

(07:49):
mental quicksand.
You just go around and aroundin circles and never move
forward.
Okay, so let's talk about thetiming.
I mean, why 3 am?
Well, many believers havenoticed that the early morning
hours often become moments ofspiritual sensitivity.
Some even call it the fourthwatch of the night, which in

(08:11):
biblical times was from 3 to 6am.
It's when Jesus walked on thewater toward his disciples,
calming their fear in the midstof the storm.
We see that in Matthew, chapter14, verse 25.
Isn't that interesting.
While they were battling thewaves and probably exhausted,
Jesus came walking toward themwith peace and with power.

(08:34):
Maybe your 3 am wake-ups aren'tattacks.
Maybe they're invitations.
Invitations to meet with Jesusin the stillness, invitations to
bring your questions straightto him instead of trying to sort
them out alone.
Sometimes God stirs us awakesimply because it's the only

(08:54):
time our hearts are quiet enoughto listen, but he never does it
to frighten or torment us.
His goal is always relationship.
Of course, our bodies also playa part.
Being human means your mind cangenerate strange dreams simply
from stress, hormones or whatyou ate for dinner.
Not every dream is spiritual,but even when they're just

(09:18):
random, mental noise, you canstill hand them to God and ask
him to guard your thoughts.
Because here's the beautifulthing.
Discernment isn't aboutdecoding every dream.
It's about deepening yourintimacy with the One who gives
you peace.
So if this has been happening toyou, I want to gently challenge

(09:38):
you.
Don't rush to label theexperience as from God or from
the devil right away.
Instead, use it as anopportunity to draw near to God.
When you wake up at 3 am,instead of lying there in
confusion, turn that moment intoworship.
Whisper his name, read a psalmout loud, invite his presence to

(10:00):
fill the room.
You'll be amazed how quicklyfear loses its grip when you
lift your focus to Jesus.
And if the dreams continue,write them down.
Sometimes patterns emerge overtime.
If they're from God, he'lloften repeat or confirm the
message in other ways, throughscripture, through godly counsel

(10:21):
or even through circumstances.
But if they're just the enemytrying to confuse you, they'll
start to fade away when yourefuse to engage them with fear,
because darkness hates beingignored.
One thing I've learned is thatthe enemy's goal isn't
necessarily to get you tobelieve the content of the dream

(10:42):
.
It's to get you to doubt yourability to hear God.
He wants to make you secondguess your discernment.
But you are not powerless.
You have the Spirit of Godinside you.
First, John, chapter 4, verse 4declares, greater is He who is
in you than he who is in theworld.

(11:03):
That means the enemy does notget the final say, not over your
days and certainly not overyour nights.
If the dreams feel oppressive orthey continue to recur, it can
also help to pray specificallyover your sleep before you go to
bed.
Ask the Lord to guard your mindand spirit, to set angels

(11:25):
around your home and to fillyour dreams with his truth.
There is power in proactiveprayer.
You're not begging forprotection.
You're standing in theauthority Jesus has already
given to you.
The enemy has no right totorment what belongs to God.
And please remember God isn'ttesting you by making his voice

(11:49):
cryptic.
He delights to make himselfknown to his children.
Jesus said in John, chapter 10,verse 27, my sheep hear my voice
and I know them and they willfollow me.
You don't have to fear missinghis voice in the noise.
If he's speaking, he will makesure you recognize it.

(12:10):
That's his responsibility asthe Good Shepherd.
Your responsibility is simplyto stay close enough to hear.
So when 3 am dreams come again,and they probably will, breathe
in deeply.
You're not alone in thedarkness.
The same God, who speaksgalaxies into motion, also

(12:30):
watches over your slumber.
If he has something to say,he'll make it clear, and if it's
just noise from the enemy,God's peace will silence it when
you call on his name.
And you don't have to solve themystery in the moment, you just
have to stay close to the Onewho holds every moment, day and
night.
The enemy may try to use thenight as a playground, but it

(12:54):
will never stop being God'sterritory.
Both the night and the daystill belong to him, and so do
you.
So are those 3 am wake-upsleaving you anxious and
exhausted instead of rested?
What if they could becomemoments of peace and even deeper
connection with God?
I invite you to book an Aromaof Christ Coaching Hour plus

(13:17):
Peace RESET with me.
In this one-hour session, I'llwalk beside you as we pray
through what you're experiencing, reset your spirit with God's
peace and design a devotionalplan that fits perfectly into
your season of life.
We can also talk aboutpeace-filled ways to use
essential oils during that next3 am wake-up call.
We'll calm the racing thoughts,protect your sleep and turn

(13:40):
those restless nights intopurposeful time with God.
If you're looking for apractical, faith-filled way to
move from fear to God's peace,I'd be honored to be your guide.
If that sounds like the stepyour heart needs right now, head
on over to paulabehrens.
com/ coaching to book yoursession.
That's Paula BehrensB-E-H-R-E-N-S .

(14:05):
com/ coaching (no spaces).
Friend, this is your time tobreathe deep, reset and live
fully in his name, today andevery day.
Book your session now, whilethe peace reset is still on the
table.
Thank you for tuning in todayand remember, just like setting
biblical boundaries, it's okayto say no to things that don't

(14:26):
serve you well, like that thirdpiece of cake at the church
potluck.
If you were blessed by thisepisode, be sure to share it
with a friend and leave a review, so that we can reach even more
women like you.
Check the show notes for allthe links.
Join us next time as wecontinue to discover how to live
on purpose in Christ.
Until then, keep leaning intoHim and walking in His wisdom.

(14:49):
See you next time.