Dreams- the realm of the impossible
We have forgotten or lost the ability we have to dream and so we forget that the impossible is possible with God. Therefore we place limitations on our experience with God because we condition ourselves to believe it can't and won't happen.
Our dreams and our right to dream should be centred on God. Our dreams come from our hopes, passions and desires - all which stem from the heart of God. Our dreams of marriage, ministry, relationships, work: all, ultimately (though they may become twisted) come from the heart of God. He is a creative God and his desire to create (or imagine, or dream) has been put in us.
It feels like the enemy has waged war on our dreaming, so much so that many say 'it's just a dream' whenever it may be a key to unlocking something, especially in the spiritual realm. God wants us to dream with Him. We can't just lock this truth away or dismiss it- it is a part of us. 'Unless there is a vision the people perish'. Thus, unless we train ourselves to dream with God, we are missing out on something.
God created us with thoughts, feelings, emotions and dreams. And then He asked us to be responsible for them. To swing one way too strongly is dangerous (head in the clouds) but to go the other way is also dangerous and difficult for our spiritual health (feet firmly on the ground at all times). We forget to expect the unexpected. We start to see the impossible as truly impossible. We become skeptical and dismissive. We lose out on experiencing God because we don't believe or think He will move 'like that'. We can miss out on so much and that's what the enemy wants. He wants a people who are afraid to dream and therefore afraid to move. The Lord is wants us to desire Him, to cry out for more, to experience and be in relationship with Him and to dream so He can answer us and be with us.
There are so many lukewarm people who have forgotten their dreams and the voice of their father. And there are many broken people who have forgotten how to dream and there are many tangled up in the fear of dreaming at all.
Let's dream with God. I've found that I don't want to dream by myself anymore - in fact I can't do it for myself. I've found that there is strength in my weakness when I need to be there for someone else because they have a dream which seems unattainable, or they've given up on dreaming all together. In God, and with one another, a dream that has died can live again simply because we dare and desire to dream with God.
We can't be afraid to cry out to Him.
The story of Abraham and the two cities is an important biblical principle given right at the start of the Old Testament - a sign of what was to come. The Lord stayed with Abraham and shared His heart with him for the cities of Sodom and Gormorrah. I've always wondered why The Lord did that and I believe it is because He wanted to hear Abraham's heart. He wanted Abraham to give voice to his God-given heart and compassion, and his dream- to find righteous men to save the cities. And The Lord honoured him. (Genesis 18)
To dream with God we need to hear His voice, we need to have a relationship with Him. 'My sheep hear my voice.' We need to hear His heart for us and for those around us. Like Moses, who knew God's heart for him, for the people of Israel in the present, and, importantly, for the future promised land.
I thought of a few steps to help us dream again
1- We have to submit our flesh- our ambition, our bodies, our needs and desires- to Him. Dreaming isn't selfish but it is right to check the thoughts surrounding our dreams. '...bringing all thoughts captive.'
2- We have to be prepared for battle - when you have a dream, there is usually a fight for it. It is a dream because it is yet to become a reality (in the natural). We have to remember His word and His promise, encouraging ourselves in that and seeking encouragement from the counsel of trusted friends.
3- We must worship Him always - praying in all things and rejoicing always. I love Will Reagan's song 'Climb'- 'I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open'. Worship opens us up to The Lord and frees us from our own hands (which tend to grasp at dreams prematurely, or selfishly) getting in the way. He is worthy of praise no matter what.
4- We give our dreams up to God so that we may receive what He has for us. It is all for His glory and He may choose to breathe life into our dreams or He may guide us into a new dream.
Our dreams and our right to dream should be centred on God. Our dreams come from our hopes, passions and desires - all which stem from the heart of God. Our dreams of marriage, ministry, relationships, work: all, ultimately (though they may become twisted) come from the heart of God. He is a creative God and his desire to create (or imagine, or dream) has been put in us.
It feels like the enemy has waged war on our dreaming, so much so that many say 'it's just a dream' whenever it may be a key to unlocking something, especially in the spiritual realm. God wants us to dream with Him. We can't just lock this truth away or dismiss it- it is a part of us. 'Unless there is a vision the people perish'. Thus, unless we train ourselves to dream with God, we are missing out on something.
God created us with thoughts, feelings, emotions and dreams. And then He asked us to be responsible for them. To swing one way too strongly is dangerous (head in the clouds) but to go the other way is also dangerous and difficult for our spiritual health (feet firmly on the ground at all times). We forget to expect the unexpected. We start to see the impossible as truly impossible. We become skeptical and dismissive. We lose out on experiencing God because we don't believe or think He will move 'like that'. We can miss out on so much and that's what the enemy wants. He wants a people who are afraid to dream and therefore afraid to move. The Lord is wants us to desire Him, to cry out for more, to experience and be in relationship with Him and to dream so He can answer us and be with us.
There are so many lukewarm people who have forgotten their dreams and the voice of their father. And there are many broken people who have forgotten how to dream and there are many tangled up in the fear of dreaming at all.
Let's dream with God. I've found that I don't want to dream by myself anymore - in fact I can't do it for myself. I've found that there is strength in my weakness when I need to be there for someone else because they have a dream which seems unattainable, or they've given up on dreaming all together. In God, and with one another, a dream that has died can live again simply because we dare and desire to dream with God.
We can't be afraid to cry out to Him.
The story of Abraham and the two cities is an important biblical principle given right at the start of the Old Testament - a sign of what was to come. The Lord stayed with Abraham and shared His heart with him for the cities of Sodom and Gormorrah. I've always wondered why The Lord did that and I believe it is because He wanted to hear Abraham's heart. He wanted Abraham to give voice to his God-given heart and compassion, and his dream- to find righteous men to save the cities. And The Lord honoured him. (Genesis 18)
To dream with God we need to hear His voice, we need to have a relationship with Him. 'My sheep hear my voice.' We need to hear His heart for us and for those around us. Like Moses, who knew God's heart for him, for the people of Israel in the present, and, importantly, for the future promised land.
I thought of a few steps to help us dream again
1- We have to submit our flesh- our ambition, our bodies, our needs and desires- to Him. Dreaming isn't selfish but it is right to check the thoughts surrounding our dreams. '...bringing all thoughts captive.'
2- We have to be prepared for battle - when you have a dream, there is usually a fight for it. It is a dream because it is yet to become a reality (in the natural). We have to remember His word and His promise, encouraging ourselves in that and seeking encouragement from the counsel of trusted friends.
3- We must worship Him always - praying in all things and rejoicing always. I love Will Reagan's song 'Climb'- 'I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open'. Worship opens us up to The Lord and frees us from our own hands (which tend to grasp at dreams prematurely, or selfishly) getting in the way. He is worthy of praise no matter what.
4- We give our dreams up to God so that we may receive what He has for us. It is all for His glory and He may choose to breathe life into our dreams or He may guide us into a new dream.