Dare to Dream

Do you have a dream? I think one of the best things we can do to make our everyday lives better is to dream big, bold, faith-filled dreams. You can dream about what the future holds, about what new things you can accomplish with God’s help…keeping in mind that God’s Word says that He can do much more than we could ever imagine or dream (Ephesians 3:20).

However, in order to realize any dream—a new career, a stronger marriage, big things for your children—it’s important to look at, and adjust, your attitude. When you change your attitude from pessimism to optimism, from fear to faith, you are on the road to seeing your dreams come true.

For example, when you’re tempted to think, it’s too hard or, I’m too old, remind yourself that your attitude determines your altitude.

· Instead of, I can’t do it … you can choose to think, I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13).

· Instead of, This is impossible … you can think, Nothing is impossible with God! (Matthew 19:26).

· Instead of, What if it doesn’t work out... you can think, What if it does work out! (Hebrews 11:1).

The truth is, any time you follow a dream God puts on your heart, you have a part to play in seeing it happen. You’ll have to plan. You’ll have to make sacrifices. You’ll need to persevere on days when you feel like quitting.

But God will never ask you to do something without giving you the ability to do it. And the good news is when your power seems insufficient, God’s power IS sufficient. If you’ll do your part, God will be faithful to do His. So don’t give up on your dream when you feel too weak or incapable. Remember that God promises us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV), My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

When I first started ministering, I had a big dream to help every hurting person on the planet by teaching God’s Word. My ministry certainly grew, but it didn’t happen overnight, and it took a lot of work. There were meetings where attendance was disappointing. And there were times when we wondered where the money we needed was going to come from. But rather than give in to discouragement (and that would have been easy), we kept at it.

We worked hard doing all we could to obey what we knew God had put in our heart, and God did what we couldn’t. When one ministry door closed, a better door would open. Time after time, God’s grace was sufficient.

The same is true for you. If you’ve given your dream to God, and you’re willing to do your part to see it through, God is going to do what you can’t do. That’s what grace is—God’s undeserved favor, and the power of God to do with ease what you could never do on your own.

God’s Word is full of big dreams and daring dreamers. Of course, we know that on many occasions God spoke to people through literal dreams, but I like to think about the dreams the heroes of the Bible must have carried in their hearts:

· After being anointed by Samuel, while tending his father’s sheep, David must have dreamed about what it would be like to be king.

· While wearing a coat of many colors, Joseph must have dreamed about what the favor on his life could mean.

· Pregnant with the Messiah, Mary must have dreamed about the upcoming joys of motherhood.

· Traveling on ships from city to city, Paul must have dreamed about what the early church could become.

Dreaming big dreams is part of our spiritual DNA. It’s rooted in hope and fueled by faith. God doesn’t just allow us to dream, He created us to dream big, think big, imagine big and make big plans for our life.

So, let me encourage you today: Dare to dream. Dream about where God can take you. Dream about what God can teach you. Dream about how God can change your situation. Dream about how high you can go and how many people you can help. If you will start dreaming, you’ll see your joy will increase. Ask God to give you a dream that will bless not only your life, but the lives of others. And then—taking one step at a time—do what He puts in your heart to do and trust Him to do the rest.