Dream A Little Dream

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us" (Ephesians 3:20-21, The Message).

When God wants to do something immeasurable in you, He will give you a dream: a dream in your life, for your family, about what He wants you to do, about what He wants to do in you to impact the world. There are many examples of this in the Bible: God gave Noah a dream of building an ark. He gave Joseph many dreams that elevated him to a position that would help his family during a famine. And God gave Abraham a dream that he would be the father of many nations. All these dreams were laughed at, rejected, discouraged, and utterly disregarded by those around these people and even by themselves at times.

How do you know if a dream is from God or just a thought of your own? The Bible says that God will do immeasurably above all that we can think or dream of. So if the dream you have in your heart is a little intimidating or scary, you may want to give pause to that dream and seek God for direction. If a dream comes from God, it will be so big in your life that you won't be able to do it on your own. A God inspired dream will never contradict God's word. If your dream speaks against the word of God, then it is not from God.

God may be speaking to you now about something that has been swirling around in your heart and mind for awhile but you just haven't recognized it as a God-dream. Go to God. Ask Him to confirm what you are sensing in your heart. God is faithful. He is not a giver of nothing. If He gave you the dream, He will be faithful to confirm His plans to you. Remember, God has bigger plans beyond just the individual plan He has for you. You fit into His puzzle somehow. The dreams He gives to us are for His glory. So He won't withhold His direction from you because He wants you to get it.

If you've already received confirmation that your dream is from God but are experiencing a delay in getting there, don't get discouraged. The delay is part of His plan to teach you to trust Him completely. He allows struggles and delays to come because those experiences strengthen us and prepare us for the bigger picture. James says it best:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (Ch. 1:2-5, NIV).

Yes, he meant what he said when he encouraged us to be joyful when trials come because those trials are valuable and must do a work in us to mature our character.  We must live confidently no matter what we face, even as we wait for our dreams to come true.  If the dream is from God, it will come to pass. 

One final thought:  Writing and reaching out to women through Live Confidently has been a life-long dream of mine.  I had no idea that the words spoken over me so long ago about what God was going to do through me would become, in part, this tremendous endeavor to launch this ministry.  I remember the many thoughts, prayers, dreams, visions, conversations with myself and with others, and many other details that unfolded as God moved me closer to attaining this dream.  I had many ups and downs but never stopped believing that God would bring all my hopes and dreams to pass.  This effort is ongoing but it has been the most rewarding experience, outside of nurturing and loving my family, thus far.  Never stop dreaming.  Grab your dream, protect it, pray over it, run with it, and never, ever let anyone stop you from making it reality!

Take Aways

Is there a dream you've been thinking about for a long time but didn't know how to get it off the ground?  Write down your thoughts.  Jot down the pros and cons of your idea.  What would it take for this dream to happen?  How far are you today from that dream coming to life?  Answer these questions honestly, then summarize what you've discovered and take that to God in prayer.

Every day this week, write one action step you can take to get closer to your dream.

Wait.  Wait on God to give you direction.  Surrender all of your dreams to Him.  Each time you receive a confirmation from Him about your dream, write it down.  Reflect on it often so you stay encouraged as you wait on the Lord to bring your dream to life.

Scriptures to Remember

"Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character" (Psalm 105:19, NLT)

"It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them" (Proverbs 13:19, NLT) .

"Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled" (Romans 15:4, NLT).

"And may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised!" (Deuteronomy 1:11, NLT).

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Reference

Warren, R. (2011). Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. Retrieved on September 3, 2011 from You Version.