“So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Acts 26:19

Many people have dreams of wealth, popularity,power, and ease, but there’s another kind of dream that’s even more powerful and far more fulfilling: finding and following God’s dream for our lives.

When the apostle Paul stood before the king to explain why he had followed his path, he could have described the pros and cons of each decision along the way. But pros and cons didn’t determine Paul’s direction. Paul had a God-given vision, and he aligned his life to fulfill it. That was his defense before the king. A compelling dream will generate the obedience to push past our fears.

All pursuits promise to fill our lives with meaning, but only God can transform us, fill us, challenge us, and give our lives ultimate purpose. God gave His all, and He demands our all. In perhaps the most loved devotional book in the English language, Oswald Chambers wrote,”The only way to be obedient to the heavenly vision is to give our utmost for His highest- our best for His glory. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision.” The paradox of the Christian life. Is that when we live unreservedly for God, we find true fulfillment ourselves. Don’t be disobedient to the dream God has given you.

Zig Ziglar

Attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.- William Carey

The book of Jeremiah reveals to us a wonderful secret that will transform your life if you will read it and take it for yourself.

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, For I am [only] a young man.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am [only] a young man,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. “Do not be afraid of them [or their hostile faces], For I am with you [always] to protect you and deliver you,” says the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold (hear Me), I have put My words in your mouth. “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To uproot and break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10)

Every human being that is born is born with a preplanned purpose and are fit into the plan of God. Few there are that find that purpose and plan. Instead, many wander through life with no goals or no dreams or no vision of what might be. To be sure every child is a born dreamer and they dream of what they wish to be and do. Somewhere along the way they are told to put aside those silly dreams and to embrace the reality of life and many find a career that may pay the bills but leave them unsatisfied at the end of the day. How many do we hear say that they can’t wait until the weekend or until they can retire so they can do other things? If that’s you, then you’ve missed your dream.

The Bible teaches that God has prepared things for us that “eye has not seen and ear has not heard and that have not entered the heart of man.” Most of the time people will quote this in reference to what awaits us in heaven and it is certainly true that all that waits us is beyond our imagination. I want to submit that I believe that it’s true in this life as well if we will open our hearts and mind to the plans and purposes of God for our lives.

That God gives great vision and dreams to people has supporting evidence throughout the Bible. We read of Abraham who was given the vision and dream of being the father of a nation and to find a “city whose builder and maker was God.” That vision propelled him to leave home and its familiar surroundings and start on a journey. To be sure it wasn’t a journey without challenges and temptations. We read of occasions that God had to sovereignly intervene to keep Abraham on the proper course. We read that Abraham attempted to bring to pass his version of the dream of having a son and what a mess that made. But in the end God, who had authored the dream and given the vision brought it to pass with the exact details in which it was given.

We read of Joseph as a child given dreams that moved him on a course that was beyond his personal capacity. When he told his dreams to his family they scoffed at them, resented them and tried to squash them, but the God who had given the dream kept Joseph moving toward its fulfillment. It wasn’t an easy path. Joseph was put in a pit. From the pit he was sold into slavery and because of God’s favor he was given charge of Photifar’s house. Now when we read this part of the story, we may wonder why God allowed Joseph to be falsely accused and thrown into prison. I want to say that I believe that Joseph would have settled in and never got to the ultimate place God was taking him. It required the prison to get him to the palace. This is the method of God. God will never let you rest until you are walking in the dream and plan He has for you.

If you’re in an uncomfortable place in life, you might want to ask yourself if you’ve gotten off the path, left the dream, or forgotten the vision and God who loves you and has incredible purposes for you life is prompting you to pursue your dream again. Far too often we stop short of all God has for us. We let a negative, unbelieving, doubtful world convince us that we can’t, we aren’t qualified or we’ve missed our opportunity. It is true that on our own we can’t. On our own we aren’t capable or qualified. But the Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” And that’s the secret of success. Working through Christ, following His plans and purposes for your life. Making His dream for you your dream.

Jeremiah was told when he objected to the purposes of God that God would provide everything he needed to carry them out. God said, “Every where you go, I will go with you. Whatever I command you will speak. I have put My words in your mouth and I have appointed you over the nations.

So God says to us, “ Whatever dream I give you, whatever plans I have for you, I will help you fulfill. I will give you the ability and the opportunity. All I’m asking of you is to surrender to My purposes, dream My dream, and follow My vision and all I have promised, I will do.”

Dr. John Thompson