Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat, heart racing from a nightmare so vivid it felt like a real spiritual attack? You’re not alone, and you’re not without hope.
Pastor Vlad Savchuk is sounding the alarm and offering a lifeline for those battling tormenting dreams, particularly ones filled with demonic oppression. In his recent teaching, “Defeating Demons in Your Dreams,” Savchuk reminds believers that our sleep isn’t just for rest—it’s often a spiritual battlefield.
“Your dreams, your time of sleep is actually a battleground,” he said. “But it’s also an opportunity for God to speak.”
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Savchuk points to numerous biblical examples—Joseph, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar—where God used dreams to communicate His plans. But he also makes it clear: the enemy seeks to sow seeds of fear, lust, confusion, and despair through nightmares and sleep paralysis.
“If he can affect your dream life and you wake up in screaming pain…you wake up confused, and you don’t have any affection for your spouse or you have no desire to live…that could be a sign, not just of spiritual warfare but actually of spiritual oppression.”
But what does that mean for the average believer jolted awake by disturbing dreams? First, it doesn’t automatically mean you have a demon. “Not every dream that’s bad means you have a demon,” Savchuk cautioned. “Nor does it mean if you get attacked in your sleep that you have a demon.”
Pre-order Vlad Savchuk’s Newest Book, Make the Devil Homeless on Amazon.com!
Instead, he encourages discernment. Persistent, invasive dreams—especially sexual ones or those involving fear and choking—may signal a need to address deeper spiritual issues. “Consistent spiritual oppression during sleep often points to the demonic activity,” he said.
Thankfully, the Word of God provides weapons, and we have authority in Christ to fight back—even in our sleep.
“Once you wake up, you can rebuke that dream in the name of Jesus, out loud,” Savchuk urged. “Invoke the authority and the blood of Jesus Christ. Read and declare Scriptures of authority and victory, like Luke 10:19, like James 4:7.”
For those needing deeper breakthrough, Savchuk advises seeking help from pastors, spiritual leaders, or deliverance ministers. “Sometimes you need people to actually do deliverance on you and just command any unclean spirit that has had any access to your life to be removed and renounce any access that demons might have had into your life.”
But not all dreams involving demons are attacks. Some are assignments.
“What if you’re not actually being terrorized by the devil, you’re terrorizing the devil?” he asked. “Some dreams about demons aren’t just attacks. They can be actually prophetic indicators of your calling into spiritual warfare or deliverance ministry.”
He notes that dreams of casting out demons or winning spiritual battles may signify God’s calling over someone’s life. But he gives a clear warning: “Always confirm your calling through prayer, wise counsel, Scripture and real time spiritual fruit. So you don’t launch a ministry based on a dream.”
Beyond deliverance, Savchuk offers preventive strategies to cleanse the spiritual atmosphere of your home. “Before you go to sleep, pray. Specifically invite God’s presence into your house and into your bed. Anoint your home, your room with oil. Declare God’s authority and peace,” he said.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
He also encourages Christians to meditate on Scripture and avoid spiritually dulling activities before bed. “So that your last thoughts and meditations could be directed toward the truths of God’s Word.”
At its core, Savchuk’s message is not one of fear but of power, clarity and hope.
“Never fear spiritual attacks. Let them confirm you’re doing something powerful for God,” he said. “But if you are being spiritually tormented in your dreams, remember there’s hope for you. There is help. Jesus Christ wants to set you free.”
If you’ve been haunted by dark dreams or feel spiritually vulnerable in your sleep, know this: you are not a victim. You are a warrior in Christ. And the battlefield of your dreams can become a place of victory, healing and divine encounter.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
