Are You Dreaming BIG?
Dreams are not merely the nightly thoughts you experience as the brain sorts out the day's events. They are the goals and visions that fire your heart and saturate your soul with joy at the very thought of them. They are those continuing visions of what you want your life to be at its highest level of fulfillment--what you want to do, how you want to do it, what kind of person you want to become in the process.
Your destiny and reason for living are wrapped up tightly in your dreams and desires, like the genetic information inside a seed. That dream in your heart contains your spiritual "DNA," the very blueprint for who you are. Your dream is that idea, that vision for your life that burns inside of you--something you can't ignore for long. It keeps coming back to your mind because it is part of who you are; it will never leave you alone.
A dream doesn't drive you; it draws you. It is like a big magnet that pulls you toward itself. I don't believe that there is a man or woman without a dream, because God designed every member of the human race to have dreams. Without a dream, a person will be frustrated in the present and will miss his or her future.
Your dream did not even originate with you. It resides within you, but God put it there. He is the source of your dream. When people dream without God, they find it hollow and unsatisfying. Every person must come to Jesus for his or her dream to make sense. In fact, without Jesus, you might follow a dream for your life that God never put in your heart.
Not every dream is from God. There is such a thing as godless dreams. But when your dream is God's dream, it's unstoppable.
Jesus said that apart from Him we can't do anything and that all our dreams will be frustrated. The power, energy and creativity needed to fulfill our dreams must flow from Jesus.
The most common and most crucial question is, "How do I know which dreams in my heart are from God?" Here is the answer. You will know it's God's dream if:
1. It is bigger than you.
2. You can't let it go.
3. You would be willing to give everything for it.
4. It will last forever.
5. It meets a need nobody else has met.
Paul spent three years in the desert listening to God before he began his ministry. That was his seminary education. He said: "God, what is this all-consuming passion of my life? Once he discovered his dream, he lived an extraordinary life.
Paul used his greatest gifts to honor God.
Romans 12:6 says we each have gifts. God gave you the gifts you have; you didn't choose them. Fulfillment comes when you use those gifts for Him in service of your dream. Your gifts are the key to discovering God's will in your life.
Desire =dreams
God uses desire to accomplish what He wants on this earth.
God speaks to us through desires. Many Christians have come to think that their motives and desires are corrupt and untrustworthy, but the Bible says that if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature. Old things pass away, and all things become new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). That includes our desires! The Bible says you can have the mind of Christ within you. So what does it say about your desires? It says your desires, when you become a new creature, are changed. That's why God can say, "I want to give you the desires of your heart"
God can use your desires, past experiences and talents to serve your larger goals. Even if it's a skill you don't particularly enjoy, you may find it opens doors for you at key times. Not everything in our past is bound to be good. Some people reading this may have lingering pain in their lives. Some went through a divorce, grew up with angry parents or struggled with alcohol. Some had abortions, filed for bankruptcy or endured hurts that cannot be easily explained.
But each of these problems falls into the category of "all things." God wants to integrate your hurts and difficulties into your life message. He never wastes circumstances, even bad ones. Before you became a believer, God was working to redeem the problems you faced. Not all things are good, but all things will work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!
START TO EXPLORE AND JOURNAL YOUR DREAM!
My stack of dream journals have led me on an amazing journey.
My favorite verse is:
Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Then the Lord answered me and said: 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.'" If you want to move ahead in your dream, you must write it down!
Are you dreaming big ? Is your dream going to reach the kingdom?
I encourage you to read christian books on how to dream big. I have a shelf full and most of the language used in this devo today came from some of the greatest dream mentors that I have only met through print.
DREAM BIG!
If you are interested in hosting a "Dream Big" conference for your ministry please contact me . I will work with you and your community and make it fit for you. It's powerful and will stir a fresh passion in your land!
BLESSINGS
