Everybody has dreams. Ones they have chased for years and others that may be brand new. They could be big dreams or small dreams. We dream about our future and where we would like to be.
We begin developing dreams from the moment we are little kids. We dream of becoming astronauts, rock stars, movie stars, pro athletes, and superheroes. We didn't know how we would get there, but we knew what we wanted and we trusted we would get there someday. And our dreams don't stop as we get older. We dream about retirement, our families, our homes, our careers, and our futures. We never ever stop dreaming.
When we dream, we need to lift them to the Lord. They will get answered one way or the other. He may respond with "Yes" or "No". Sometimes he may tell us to "Wait" or even "I got something even better". In John 15:7 Jesus says "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you."
Now, this doesn't mean you pray for a million dollars and presto you will be a millionaire. If you remain in Jesus, His dreams become your dreams. There's nothing wrong with praying to God for your future, for security, and for the things you dream about. In fact, I would encourage you to no matter how big the dream is. The worst thing that will happen is God will tell you He has something better for you. But, sometimes we get afraid of bringing our dreams to Him because we are afraid they might not get answered or we might feel they are even too big for God.
I am struck by that in my own prayer life. That I don't pray big because I am afraid of what that would look like. I worry that God won't answer it (like its too big) and even if He did, I'm nervous as to how it might actually impact me. What might be expected of me if He does answer it? If God is placing a dream on my heart, what kinds of things will He expect me to do? Maybe it will inconvenience my time and resources? I worry mostly if He tells me to wait. Yes or no, I can kind of handle - but waiting has never been my strong suit.
We have to be willing to let go and understand God will provide what is needed. If we are called to something by the Lord, He will not fail to help us. It will not be by our own strength, but by His to accomplish these things. With that, we should be willing to dream huge dreams for the Kingdom.
Since the beginning of 2013, I have felt God has been calling our church to bigger things. I have prayed that God would amaze us in such ways that our only response would be to say "WOW!" From our leadership all the way down to each member. I'd love to see our pastor at the end of the year in summarizing the prior year just say "WOW!" Now, I don't know what that looks like or what kind of work that will entail, but I pray it anyways. God wants to wow us in our daily lives. He wants to do amazing works in all our lives, not just mine or other Christians. He has great plans and dreams for the communities we live in. Are we willing to be a part of that? Do we really want this? Do we desire God to do amazing things in peoples' lives? Are we unafraid of what we may be asked to do when this does happen? If your answer is "yes", I would ask that you ask God to wow you as well.
It may be doing something in your life that you thought would be impossible to accomplish. Maybe a severely strained relationship, maybe your finances, perhaps something going on in your career. God may be calling you to something that feels impossible to do, but He provides the resources needed. If you are dealing with a struggle that seems impossible to overcome, go to God with it. It's OK to dream it. You'll never know until you ask Him.
He dares us to dream big. We have a tendency (I know I do) to either ask for straight up miracles or pray for something I may be able to accomplish. When I say miracles, I mean for health issues or something where I know my "expertise" would not serve well. This past year, I prayed that our church would have 20 satellite campuses and that our intercessory group would have 100 people attend. These things are huge and not the stuff I am prone to pray about. My logical mind gets in the way thinking of all the practical things that need to happen for it to occur. Part of me is frightened as to what kind of effort would be required on my part. Because I find it daunting and impossible, I translate that to God and never think to pray for it.
Over the years, I have met and chatted with people who have done just that. They were called by God to a path they didn't think was possible. Maybe they couldn't do it financially. Yet, they turned it over to God. A way was then made. I cannot explain it logically without saying God did it.
Let's dare to dream big and pray big!! Be prepared to give of yourself when you pray. If God is preparing something on your heart, He's also preparing you to move. But, you don't move alone. For me, God has called me to a missions trip to India next year. Its incredibly daunting and feels so scary. Yet, I trust God is preparing my heart and mind for this journey. A year ago, I wouldn't have seen this coming as an option in my life. But, I asked God I want to see the greater things and I want to see more. Lo and behold, India is where I am going. The funny part to it is that I don't know what the end result will be yet. That's exciting!!
I know when I pray big, I will say "I don't know what that looks like, but I'm praying for it anyways" Let's not be afraid to dream God's dreams or to pray big. God is listening.
We begin developing dreams from the moment we are little kids. We dream of becoming astronauts, rock stars, movie stars, pro athletes, and superheroes. We didn't know how we would get there, but we knew what we wanted and we trusted we would get there someday. And our dreams don't stop as we get older. We dream about retirement, our families, our homes, our careers, and our futures. We never ever stop dreaming.
When we dream, we need to lift them to the Lord. They will get answered one way or the other. He may respond with "Yes" or "No". Sometimes he may tell us to "Wait" or even "I got something even better". In John 15:7 Jesus says "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you."
Now, this doesn't mean you pray for a million dollars and presto you will be a millionaire. If you remain in Jesus, His dreams become your dreams. There's nothing wrong with praying to God for your future, for security, and for the things you dream about. In fact, I would encourage you to no matter how big the dream is. The worst thing that will happen is God will tell you He has something better for you. But, sometimes we get afraid of bringing our dreams to Him because we are afraid they might not get answered or we might feel they are even too big for God.
I am struck by that in my own prayer life. That I don't pray big because I am afraid of what that would look like. I worry that God won't answer it (like its too big) and even if He did, I'm nervous as to how it might actually impact me. What might be expected of me if He does answer it? If God is placing a dream on my heart, what kinds of things will He expect me to do? Maybe it will inconvenience my time and resources? I worry mostly if He tells me to wait. Yes or no, I can kind of handle - but waiting has never been my strong suit.
We have to be willing to let go and understand God will provide what is needed. If we are called to something by the Lord, He will not fail to help us. It will not be by our own strength, but by His to accomplish these things. With that, we should be willing to dream huge dreams for the Kingdom.
Since the beginning of 2013, I have felt God has been calling our church to bigger things. I have prayed that God would amaze us in such ways that our only response would be to say "WOW!" From our leadership all the way down to each member. I'd love to see our pastor at the end of the year in summarizing the prior year just say "WOW!" Now, I don't know what that looks like or what kind of work that will entail, but I pray it anyways. God wants to wow us in our daily lives. He wants to do amazing works in all our lives, not just mine or other Christians. He has great plans and dreams for the communities we live in. Are we willing to be a part of that? Do we really want this? Do we desire God to do amazing things in peoples' lives? Are we unafraid of what we may be asked to do when this does happen? If your answer is "yes", I would ask that you ask God to wow you as well.
It may be doing something in your life that you thought would be impossible to accomplish. Maybe a severely strained relationship, maybe your finances, perhaps something going on in your career. God may be calling you to something that feels impossible to do, but He provides the resources needed. If you are dealing with a struggle that seems impossible to overcome, go to God with it. It's OK to dream it. You'll never know until you ask Him.
He dares us to dream big. We have a tendency (I know I do) to either ask for straight up miracles or pray for something I may be able to accomplish. When I say miracles, I mean for health issues or something where I know my "expertise" would not serve well. This past year, I prayed that our church would have 20 satellite campuses and that our intercessory group would have 100 people attend. These things are huge and not the stuff I am prone to pray about. My logical mind gets in the way thinking of all the practical things that need to happen for it to occur. Part of me is frightened as to what kind of effort would be required on my part. Because I find it daunting and impossible, I translate that to God and never think to pray for it.
Over the years, I have met and chatted with people who have done just that. They were called by God to a path they didn't think was possible. Maybe they couldn't do it financially. Yet, they turned it over to God. A way was then made. I cannot explain it logically without saying God did it.
Let's dare to dream big and pray big!! Be prepared to give of yourself when you pray. If God is preparing something on your heart, He's also preparing you to move. But, you don't move alone. For me, God has called me to a missions trip to India next year. Its incredibly daunting and feels so scary. Yet, I trust God is preparing my heart and mind for this journey. A year ago, I wouldn't have seen this coming as an option in my life. But, I asked God I want to see the greater things and I want to see more. Lo and behold, India is where I am going. The funny part to it is that I don't know what the end result will be yet. That's exciting!!
I know when I pray big, I will say "I don't know what that looks like, but I'm praying for it anyways" Let's not be afraid to dream God's dreams or to pray big. God is listening.
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