Live Your Dream
I am writing at this time to inspire and encourage you to live your dream. You know: the word the Lord gave you. The recurring dream you have concerning your future, your children's future, your grandchildren's future. God places a dream on the inside of you that only He can make possible. Acts 2:17 instructs, "And it shall come to pass, in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams."
God, through the Holy Spirit, will place dreams and visions inside your reborn human spirit. The good news is when God deposits such dreams in you it is because He has already completed it in the realm of the Spirit, and He desires to have that finished work manifest in your living experience. Through the life of Joseph, the Word of God provides keen insight into how we can live our God-given dreams. Take time to read about the life of Joseph, starting with Genesis 37.
Have an Awareness of God's Favor on Your Life
To live your dream, you must recognize that you are favored by God. Joseph knew that his natural father favored him, because his natural father presented him with a very expensive, multi-colored coat. That type of garment was to have been reserved for those of high rank or for the family's heir. Here, Joseph was 11th in line, yet he was presented with the coat. In addition to knowing he was favored by his natural father, Joseph also came to learn that he was favored by God. You see, God gave Joseph two dreams. In the first dream, Joseph and his brother were binding sheaves in a field, and his brothers' sheaves bowed down to Joseph's sheaf. In the second dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to his star. Both dreams dealt with things bowing to Joseph. God showed Joseph that he was special. He was favored. Something special was going to occur in his life. Notice that the first dream concerned things on earth, while the second concerned things in the heavens. God was showing Joseph that there was a natural aspect and a heavenly, or supernatural, aspect to what He was revealing
Just as Joseph learned he was favored, you need to know that God favors you as well. Ephesians 1:6 tells us that those who receive Jesus as their Lord and personal savior are "accepted" in the beloved. The word "accepted" in the Greek is the word "charitoo." It is properly translated, "to indue with special honor; make accepted; be highly favored." See Strong's Concordance Gk. #5487. You have been indued with special honor. You are highly favored. You need to be aware of this truth. Because of your position as a child of God, your heavenly Father will cause His favor to operate in your life for your benefit and for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. Just as Joseph's dreams had a natural and supernatural aspect, so, too, the dreams God has given you have both a natural significance and a supernatural significance. God wants you to be well-favored and blessed, not just for you, but in order that His purposes are furthered in this earth realm. You need to know you are favored by God and that His favor on you carries both natural and supernatural significance.
These points are quite important. You see, frequently, God gives you visions, dreams, aspirations, and desires at times and in places where it seems that they are least likely to materialize. Joseph, as you may recall, was the 11th born son of Jacob. Genesis 37. His very birth order made it less likely that he would ascend to any great heights. In that time, the parents put so much into the first born. The first born received the birth right. The first born received the double portion. The first born received the blessing. The first born was expected to achieve and accomplish great things in life. The first born had the greatest opportunity to become.
Not only would Joseph's birth order generally make him far less likely to excel, but the fact that he was number 11 in line also would ordinarily make him least likely to succeed. You see, the number 11 in the Bible is associated with: human failure, disorder, disorganization confusion, (e.g., the state of the 11 disciples following Jesus' death, and after Judas committed suicide; it is one short of the number 12, which is the number of governmental perfection) and judgment (e.g., Gen. 4:11, the first judgment of man after the fall; Gen. 7: 11 – the judgment on man associated with the flood; Gen. 19:11 – the judgment of Sodom, etc.). It also denotes something that is headed toward an end or conclusion, such as when Jesus speaks of the eleventh hour (Matt. 20: 6, 9).
Can you appreciate the significance of God giving Joseph such dreams? He gave them to one whose birth order spoke of human failure, confusion, disorganization, and something ending. He seemed like the least likely candidate to be over anyone or anything.
The devil wants you to place those aspirations and dreams against the backdrop of your present circumstances and past experiences, so that you will think that the dream is a fantasy, a head trip, a hallucination, a pipe dream, or wishful thinking. As you think in your heart, so will you become. Prov. 23:7. The enemy knows this. Joseph knew where he was in the natural rank and order of things. Yet he also knew he had received a coat of many colors that was supposed to be reserved for the heir or one of great rank. He could have focused on his natural birth order, or he could have focused on the fact that somehow his father had given him that coat, and God had given him those dreams. Thank God Joseph focused on the latter. As he thought, so he became.
Do you realize that although he was 11th in rank, Joseph received the birthright of the first born?! 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 says, "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the sons of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright." God not only skipped over Reuben, the firstborn, but also numbers 2 through 10 to get the birthright to Joseph! He was supposed to wear the coat! He was supposed to have the dreams! The devil wants to get you to discount the visions, dreams and aspirations God gives you by trying to get you to focus on circumstances, past experiences, and the way things work in the natural. What you focus on will form your expectancy, and your results will be fashioned in your expectancy. That is why you must keep in the front and center of your heart what God has shown you and what God has told you.
You need to know that the God who gave you those dreams and aspirations has already seen you at the finish line of those dreams and aspirations! He has already charted the paths for you to walk in to get there. And He has already – even as you read this realize He has already – placed in you something that will put you on the path to the end result He has ordained. You possess something, right now, that will connect you to the path of what God has placed in you. As you seek the Lord and respond to His promptings, doors, situations, and circumstances will begin to fling open and rearrange. You've got to trust God and do it, partner!
Follow the Way of Favor for You
Not only has God favored you, but He has placed inside you the means by which His favor will be activated and operative in your life. I call it the "way of favor." It is your path to the life God purposed you to live. Right now, you possess some gift, some talent, something that someone needs. That gift, talent, etc., is the way of favor for you. Consider Joseph. He had two main things going for him. He could organize/manage/administer anything, and he could interpret dreams. That's basically it. Yet those two attributes, cultivated in a heart that was set on following God, are all that he needed to experience the manifestation of his God-given dreams. His gifts made room for him. David's way of favor included warfare, music, and poetry. Solomon's way of favor was wisdom. Esther's way of favor was grace and beauty. Abigail's way of favor was hospitality and compassion. Paul's way of favor was teaching and writing. You get the point? There is something you possess right now, that connects you to the dreams God has given you. Don't despise what you have. Don't compare yourself with anyone else. 2 Cor. 10:12 tells us it is unwise to make any such comparisons. It makes sense, because we each have a way of favor. If we would commit to walk God's way and move in the direction of the favor on our lives, we would each live out our God-given dreams.
Opposition is the Entrance Fee to Your Dream
Recognize that you probably will experience some form of opposition. No sooner had Joseph shared his dream when his brothers and fathers opposed him, doubting that he would ever rule over them. He was opposed, hated, a victim of deception, and forgotten, left to languish in prison. However, when God speaks a Word, He will bring it to pass in the life of the one who loves Him and believes him. All opposition must bow! Every intention and imagination from hell will fail. "For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform." Psalm 21:11. Every scheme of darkness will be overturned! God will turn what was meant for your harm into a blessing, "But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Gen. 50:20.
Your part is to do the will of God. You may be criticized. You may experience some degree of opposition or persecution just because you desire to exercise faith and do the will of God. Remember what scripture says in 1 Peter 2:15, "For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."
So don't just dream – live your dream. You currently possess what it takes. Follow the way of God's favor on your life. Know that obstacles will surely bow as you remain committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
God loves you, and so do we here at Triumph in Christ. Know that we pray for you on a regular basis.
