Reading for Today:
Ps. 61, 62, 68
Gen. 42:1-17
1 Cor. 5:1-8
Mark 3:19b-35
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” — Napoleon Hill Continue reading “The dream deferred”
Tag: Dreams
The boldness to interpret dreams
Reading for today:
Ps. 40, 54, 51
Gen. 40:1-23
1 Cor. 3:16-23
Mark 2:13-22
When a world needs the boldness of the prophet, where is the church? Continue reading “The boldness to interpret dreams”
Joseph the Dreamer
Reading for today:
Psalm 41, 52, 44
Genesis 37:1-11
1 Cor. 1:1-11
Mark 1:1-13
What happens to the dream deferred?
Principles for Living in Babylon
Just some quick notes from my message last week out of Daniel 2:
Be people of prayer.
To dream and keep on dreaming
A little over two years ago, on my worst day that year, I was at my church spending the day in prayer. The Lord had told me that morning not to be on “defense” that day in prayer. Don’t ask him for the provision I so desperately needed, but ask him for what was ahead. I was not to ask for me, I was to declare victory in my city. Continue reading “To dream and keep on dreaming”
Life without regret
Speaking with boldness into this culture
“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” (Gen. 40:8)
We don’t like dreams very much. We chalk it up to what we ate last night.
But this culture is shifting. There is a realization that we can’t explain everything with scientific reason. There are movements beyond our control. So, people may dream some dreams and be interested in what it may mean.
Are we willing to be open to the Spirit of God to aid us in those moments? Can we trust the Spirit like Joseph trusted God?
This is a day we can speak boldly into our culture. Are we ready?
Goals are dreams with deadlines — um, no
It’s a very Western saying. We tend to not like dreamers. Dreamers don’t get anything done. They sit around and, well, dream.
We can’t wait that long! We need a PLAN!
Dreams in the Bible were different. For Abraham, he had a dream. If he had put a deadline on it, he would have settled with Ishmael.
For Joseph, his deadline wouldn’t have been 13 years out and wouldn’t have involved slavery and prison.
We don’t want to just “dream.” We DO want to hear from God. And then we need to understand it is our faithful walk with God that will keep the dream alive, and then we realize we can allow that dream to go past even the deadline of our own lives.
Abraham never saw that “nation” God promised. It didn’t stop him from dreaming. That deadline wasn’t up to him. It was up to God.
Dream God’s dreams. Don’t give up. Walk with him. Let those dreams stir again.
The place of longing
There is a place of waiting God will take us. He will birth a dream in us and then it seems… the dream delays. The question at that point is this: “Will you keep pursuing? Will you keep asking? Will you keep longing for what God wants to do?”
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay. (Hab. 2:3, NRSV)
We want everything in a hurry. We hear something from God and think it’s going to happen… yesterday.
Let God birth something magnificent in you that will take your attention, your time, your passion. May you long for it to happen!
I want to have new dreams planted in my heart. I want to long for God to come and get it done. I need to learn to wait, to anticipate. We need to learn to have our eyes glued to the Father and what he has for us rather than what we want for ourselves.
