Dreaming the Dreams of God

Don't be afraid to dream, and don't let anyone steal the dreams God has placed in your heart. You can dream the dreams of God and experience an abundant life in which the Lord places His desires in you and brings them to pass. This week I want to encourage you by sharing some things God's word says about desire.

Proverbs 13:12- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree of life"

This verse from Proverbs tells us that "when desire comes it is a tree of life." That means having a dream and having it fulfilled can be source of life and healing to us. God wants to place His dreams in our hearts, and He wants to bring those dreams to pass. In light of this verse I want to encourage you to hold onto the dreams God has given you. If God has placed a dream in your heart don't let any person or any situation discourage you or quench the fire God has lit in your heart. I have had people try to "help" me by saying things that brought discouragement to keep me from pursuing the dreams God has given me. In those times if I had listened I would have settled for less than God's perfect will for me. Keep seeking the Lord and let Him fulfill the dreams He has placed in your heart.

Psalm 37:4- "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

There are two ways God gives us the desires of our hearts:
(1) He places those desires in us
(2) He then fulfills the desire.

We are told that God will do this when we delight ourselves in Him. That means we give Him the first place in our hearts, surrender totally to Him, and find our fulfillment and contentment only in Him. When we draw closer to the Lord we will be changed, and as we are changed we will find ourselves wanting what He wants. I find this to be a liberating truth that frees me to dream the dreams of God!

Philippians 2:13- "for it is God who works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure."

I find it interesting that God works in us both TO WILL (which speaks of desire) and to do. Not only does God enable us to do His will, He changes us so that we want the same things He wants. When I received Christ I found myself naturally wanting to live according to God's word (not that I'm perfect, but God changed my desire). God has a plan for every single person, and He often leads us by desire. If you have a dream from God remember that God is the one who put it there, seek His direction, and step out in obedience to follow God as He leads you into His dream for your life.

During the two years I was a student at Bible School a number of people prayed over me and told me that God has placed His desires in me. This happened frequently during the entire two years, and God used the prayers of those people and their words to greatly encourage me. One of the people who encouraged me suggested that I write down my desires as an act of faith. God has taught me and is still teaching me that He is a good Father and has placed dreams in my heart that He wants to fulfill in my life. As He does this for me, and as He fulfills the dreams He has given you, His goodness will be revealed and His name will glorified.