While in Myanmar, I got the opportunity to preach in front of the church that we were partnering with. This church was full of young people that were just looking for more of Jesus. Below is the message that I presented. Please note that it is FULL of VERY BASIC language because translating is hard. I hope that these words speak to you as much as they spoke to me!
Imagine a red-headed child that jumped on her bed dreaming that she was touching the stars. I jumped and leaped around my room as if it were outer space, pretending to call the space station back on earth. My dream was to be an astronaut, explore the unknown, see things I had only ever learned about, truly be in touch with all of God’s creation! As a little girl with wide eyes and a big heart, the sky had no limit to my dreams. Anything could happen in the world of make-believe. No dream was too big for my heart to believe. Some might have and some might still say I am a day-dreamer, but I like to call myself one who strives to live life wonderfully.
Somewhere along the way, reality set in and began to affect my dreams. The responsibilities of adulthood and the pressures of the world killed my hope for the impossible. All too quickly I began to live in a box of possibilities and what was logical. The reason we were born dreamers is because God originally intended us to live life in a sin-free world. The dreams of perfection that we have are tiny glimpses of what life was like before the fall of man when Adam and Eve walked freely with God. Before the fall, life was a dream come true.
Then came that terrible day told in Genesis chapter three. The serpent tricked Eve into thinking that God was keeping something from her. He planted the seed of doubt in her heart. In his tricky ways, Satan tricked Eve into wanting more than all that God had given her and Adam. When Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, she gave up the dream of walking sinless before God.
Ever since the fall, man has struggled to dream. The sin of our hearts often leads us to wanting things that won’t last and dreams that only benefit ourselves. Instead of dreaming to make God known, we have consistently created dreams and plans to make ourselves known. This kind of dreaming leads to a life of emptiness. Along with the first sin, Satan robbed man of innocence and living the perfect dream.
This is where the good news comes in. Are you ready? The gospel of Jesus Christ is that when He laid down his life on the cross, He bought back the dream God wanted for His creation. He took it out of the hands of Satan with his great power. Because of the perfect blood Jesus shed on the cross, we can have a relationship with God and have the hope of Heaven. Jesus bought back man’s right to live God’s original dream.
That desire to live for something greater was put there for a reason. It isn’t to add more to your Facebook. It isn’t to make your name famous or to make you rich. It is impossible to fulfill this desire on your own. The big dreams we have in our heart were meant to point us to Christ and to glorify him. John 15:5 is a reminder of this from Jesus: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” Without Christ, we cannot fulfill our dreams. God created us with big dreams to teach us our need for Him, to show us that our life is about Him, and to give us an opportunity to glorify Him when He makes them happen.
You may be asking, how do I discover this dream? How do I practically live this out every day? Planted deep in your heart is a God-sized dream. Like all plants, the seed must be watered and cared for in order for it to grow and produce fruit. In order to discover your God-sized dream, you first need to know who you are and Whose you are. Write down your passions, what makes you excited what breaks your heart, what moves your feet to action, and what you would do if you had no limitations! Open your Bible, grab a pen, a journal, turn on music or just sit in silence and seek the Lord through the Word. Write down promises of God that you see in Scripture. Ask Him to reveal to you what He has purposed for you to do. Psalm 138:8 says “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.”
Remember these truths as you pursue your God-sized dreams…
God-sized dreams reflect His Word. Worthwhile dreams make the name of Jesus known all of the world. These dreams revolve around Jesus, not ourselves. They embrace the Great Commission, which says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” in Matthew 28:19-20, they pursue the good that God desires in Micah 6:8, “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” and they are done for the glory of God as Colossians 3:17 commands us by saying, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
God-sized dreams showGod’s glory in and through us. Every person is special. You all have specific passions, gifts, and abilities that only you have. You live where you live for a reason. You have certain characteristics for a reason. No two persons dreams are exactly the same. You have a specific task from God, and that is to use you how you were created for His glory! Embrace who you are and the desires God has put in your heart. Strengthen your gifts, use your resources and keep your eyes focused on Christ as you seek your passions to accomplish the dreams in your heart!
God-sized dreams challenge us and reveal to us that He is God and we are His creation. James 1:17 says that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Dreams are good gifts from God. We need Him to accomplish them. We need to write them down and then give them into His hands, trusting Him to get us where He wants us to be as we follow Him. Pursuing your dreams will change you. It will make you more like Christ. Accept the hard times as God works on your dreams so that He may increase in them.
Dreaming was never meant to be easy. Ecclesiastes 5:3 tells us that “dreams accompany much labor.” That is why so many people shy away from big dreams. It is difficult to face challenges each day, to overcome insecurity by God’s grace, and to keep going even when the future looks hard. Each one of us has a God-sized dream in our heart that gets us excited to live for something more and do the impossible. But just because God has given you a beautiful, big dream does not mean it will happen without hard times and patience.
For example, before a diamond has been cut, and polished to sparkle, it looks like a lump of coal. Diamonds are found about 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface. It takes time and energy to dig up the lump of coal, spot its potential, and create it to what we see in the store. It takes a lot of hard work to cut a diamond and it requires the knowledge and skill of a diamond cutter to make the rough stone into a priceless gem. Your dreams are just like that lump of coal, planted in the depths of your heart by God. He will make them into a beautiful masterpiece to reflect His glory.
Diamond dreams are worth the wait and the struggle. They are worth failing a few times and growing from lessons learned. They are worth the risk, even when everyone else is being safe. They are worth it because in pursuing them, you will know the Lord more deeply. Dream big. God is bigger than your dreams. He can do anything. His plans are worth waiting for and will amaze you. Don’t give up when everything seems too difficult as you work hard. Your dreams will change and you will face obstacles. Each step is one step closer. Each difficult day is a gift that the Lord would choose you, His workmanship, to be used to accomplish great things on this earth.
Dream bigger. You were meant for this.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
As always, I invite you to make my journey, your journey. Here are three simple ways:
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Also, if you are feeling called to support the World Race in a financial way, a couple of my squadmates are still in need of help. Click on their names below if you would like to know more about them!
