DMI ministers in response to Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
I just returned from a conference in Dallas where I taught on a specific subject at their request. The request was: “You Are Empowered to Live Your Dreams.” As I was preparing for this message I realized that it was not going to be easy because I had some misgivings about the validity of the whole idea! For example, I personally have never wanted to be bothered with talk of dreams because I have been too busy trying to:
* serve the Lord with my whole being; * be the best wife possible; * be the best mom to my kids; * be the best grandma ever; * all the while doing the work that the ministry entails in the most effective and godly way possible.
Frankly, that seemed overwhelming enough. Having dreams was something I’ve never really had time for, let alone pursue them! Can you relate?
The Lord began to reveal His truth to me and deal with me, all the while preparing me, not only for the conference, but also for the rest of my life! He wants me to allow Him to communicate His plan for me through the dreams that will take shape in me. Humor me while I share some of the things that He showed me; perhaps it will be a blessing to you!
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that He has a plan for us. Also, Proverbs 29:18 tells us that without a vision, we will perish. According to Strong’s Concordance, that word vision also means dream. Without a dream, we will perish—wither up, dry up and waste away. A dream helps give purpose to our daily existence, without which we soon fall into the rut of just going through the motions. How many people can you think of that once were so excited about living for God and now they are just lukewarm or not even walking with Him? They have withered up—perished, because of a lack of long-range purpose or vision. Even when desiring to serve God wholeheartedly, like my own personal example above, we begin to get ‘weary in well doing’ if we do not have a purposeful, vitalizing God-given dream to spur us on.
I came to realize that my roles as a wife and mother and even as a minister are just exactly that—roles. They are specific roles that I fulfill (hopefully in a godly fashion), but they are not my sole purpose for being on this earth. They are expressions of my godly lifestyle choices, and very fulfilling, but they should not be confused with my purpose for existing. I encourage you to recognize the difference in your own life between your godly roles and your God-given purpose, too.
Please don’t get frustrated and begin to feel inadequate because you don’t have a clue as to your purpose beyond your lifestyle roles. Be encouraged to know that it is God’s responsibility to communicate your purpose to you. And there is no specific deadline in life when you are expected to know what it is. The really good news is that, according to Psalms 37:4,5, if we will delight ourselves in Him, then He will bring the things to pass that concern us. Our responsibility is to fully give ourselves to Him, and His responsibility is to bring our dreams to pass. Therefore, the purpose of the dream in your life is not to be your assignment, it is to be your fulfillment as He works it through your life. The dream gives you purpose and clarity of direction, but it is His responsibility to fulfill it, if you pursue Him wholeheartedly. He desires that you live purposefully and powerfully, but not burdened with something that is impossible to accomplish in your own strength. And He will faithfully reveal the varying seasons of His plans for you through the varying dreams of the different seasons of your life. Because of who Christ is in you, you are empowered to live your dreams!