Have You Ever Considered...?

Have you ever considered that God's plans and your dreams may be one and the same? I understand that this isn't always the case. However, there could be much more truth in that statement than you realize. The reason that I'm pointing this out is because none of us should abandon our dreams unless they keep us from fulfilling the purposes of God. This is part of the journey to becoming everything He has created us to become.

This type of thinking usually causes a couple of different reactions:
1) It will scare people away from pursuing something with God.
2) It will encourage people to keep pressing after something that they know is from God.

Typically when I encounter someone who has stopped pressing after a God-given dream (something that is most desirable) it's because they haven't discovered how to trust the heart of God. This may mean that they don't believe that God has their best intention at heart. Or it could mean that they don't want to be what God is leading them to become. It's hard to say, but that's what I normally encounter. The only response that I have for people in this type of situation is to question them in the relationship. How do they approach God with their lives? Have them come to an understanding of the unconditional love of God? Is Jesus really Lord of their lives (not just in confession but in practice)?

Allow me to give you an example: When I answered the call to ministry (that I would give my life to it) it came out of a place where I knew that I wanted to do more than just sit in a pew. My relationship with God had propelled me to a place where I enjoyed sharing His Word, I had a desire to share the Gospel, and I loved helping others grow in their relationship with Christ. I wasn't sure how it would all play out but I was willing to make the journey. I allowed God to set the agenda from that point forward. I knew that my plans and God's plans were running together. It was just a matter of allowing Him to set the pace. I'm sure that I could have done what many others have done. I could have sensed the leadership of God in my life and ran in the other direction. But there was something inside of me that continued to pursue this belief that I was destined to experience more of Him. His leadership led me down a path that was very different than what I expected, but as I sit here and type these words I can't imagine my life being any different or any greater. Knowing that God wanted to use me for His purpose allowed me to fulfill my dream and His.

Here's what you and I must discover in the whole process of dreaming with God. We must allow Him to be Lord of our dreams. I've seen way too many people dream without God and wonder why they struggle. This doesn't mean that they were wrong in their assumptions but it could mean that they took the wrong path. I also want to say that just because you struggle doesn't mean that you missed God. Anything worth doing is worth going through the difficulties. I'm simply encouraging each and every one of us to find a place in our relationship with God where we are completely secure. We can know what He desires from us. We can know His direction for our lives. We can hear His voice and we can follow His instructions.

Never allow your faith to just become something that you have added to your life. From the moment we receive Jesus as Lord, He gets to call the shots. My life has been blessed by knowing people who have made career changes, forsaken every other dream to pursue God's, or chose to use their retirement to be a part of what God was doing in the earth rather than just "enjoy" the golden years. Here's what I have realized: we are never too young or too old to see God's dreams become our own.

Allow me to encourage you with one more thing: Don't automatically assume that your dreams are not from God. It could be that you aren't as far from the heart of God as you think. I believe that God places something inside each of us when we are created. I also believe that God trusts us with this part of His heart. And when our lives become consumed with understanding who He has created us to become, we will also allow Him to shape and mold our lives in this particular direction. That boy or girl in your home that dreams of being an artist, a musician, a singer, an athlete, a doctor, or an engineer - those dreams may very well be the dreams of God. It's up to us as parents to help them follow the Lord in those directions.

In the meantime...know this - He trusts you with His heart. He has done absolutely everything so that you would know that you are loved. He wants you to enjoy this life. He wants you to get the most out of it. There may be times where the things that you pursue are not God's best but He will help you to see that. He will also help you find your way to discover what His best looks like for you.

Enjoy the journey!!!