No matter our age, race, sex, or creed ALL PEOPLE share mutual interests.  No matter our backgrounds, ALL PEOPLE share common affections.  These feelings transcend understanding  and neglect to succumb to the divisions our minds so easily erect.  ALL PEOPLE desire to be loved, respected and appreciated!  ALL PEOPLE want to be successful in our respective works, live comfortably, and in safety. ALL PEOPLE HAVE DREAMS AND VISIONS.

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Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NKJV)


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Photo Credit: Patrisyu/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A dream goes beyond the notion of something one would just like to do.  A dream is a visionary creation conceived in the heart and brought forth through the mind. Dreams are visual series of thoughts, existing only in the mind and not reality itself. Dreams are unshakeable, no matter how fresh or old the vision, a dream always makes itself known. The purpose of this post is to help establish our dreams by moving the vision from the place of being a mere idea into actual existence.

God deposits dreams in the form of desires to our hearts, enabling us to have fulfillment in Him.  He wants us to use the creative edge we’ve all been given to push these concepts from concepts to realities. Once we set our hearts to make God happy, He sets us on a straight path toward meeting our goals!


Set your sights to please God, commit and entrust all you have to Him!

 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)


While the key to producing these dreams rely heavily on setting plans and goals, more importantly, is the origin of the dream itself.  Let us consider this for a moment.  No responsible parent gives their child anything harmful or too soon…would a responsible parent give a newly licensed 16-year-old a Maserati?  The GranTurismo is capable of hitting a top speed of 177 mph, going from 0-100 in 4.9 seconds! God is more responsible than we are, He doesn’t support what we don’t need and gives to us when we’re ready!

In The Parable of the Weeds, a farmer planted wheat seeds in preparation for his harvest. During the night his “enemy” planted weeds with the wheat the farmer had sown in the ground.  This story illustrates the Kingdom of God and the separation that will take place between those for Him and against Him, but it also eludes to how deceptive the practices of the enemy are.  In the same way, God plants desires within us, there is an evil influence that sneaks in to sow the bad along with the good that is to be harvested.  Our adversary makes every attempt to restrict believers with his schemes and pretentious authority. (See Matthew 13:24-29; 36-43)

Settle the source of your dream with this simple scriptural test!

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1. God gives us the ability to be successful to advance His purposes! Ask yourself, how will God’s kingdom benefit from my dream?

Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

The King James Version of this text says, God gives us the power to get “wealth.”  The Hebrew word for wealth is CHAYIL and it means much more than money!  The meaning includes strength, might, efficiency, wealth, ability, force, and army.  If God gives us the ability to obtain all these things to fulfill His covenant, then let us review what this covenant is.

This is the promise God made with Abraham, it consists of three components: a blessing, seed, and land (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:11-18; 15:1-21).  God fulfilled this perpetual agreement then and today, through faith we are all heirs of this promise!

Believers are called to be abundantly blessed.  Among a few blessings God promised Abraham,  He agreed to make Abraham’s name great, give him riches, and bless all nations through him. If we’ve received any blessing from God we should share it with all!  We were created to bring God honor!

2. Display the riches of His Glory by making His greatness to YOU known, show this in how YOU embrace and help others! Ask yourself, how will others benefit from my dream?

“Freely you have received; freely give.”

Matthew 10:8b NIV

Believers are called to reproduce.  As we teach and impart knowledge into others we continually push the kingdom forward by enabling individuals to do the same! By carrying the spirit of John the Baptist, by crying aloud and sparing not…by saying turn to God and prepare for the day of The Lord we continuously help introduce others to God!  John the Baptist not only brought people to repentance but he discipled them, in a sense, by teaching them how to live (Luke 3:1-20).

3. In the same spirit pass the baton to others so the race doesn’t end with you! Ask yourself, how can I mentor others and leave the legacy God’s given me in the earth?

The Great Commission: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Believers are called to occupy the land.  As it is written in Genesis 1:28: “And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it using all its vast resources in the service of God and man; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.” (Amplified Bible).  We may not demonstrate this as often as we should, often cowering and retreating against opposing forces, but our tongues declare it when reciting The Lord’s Prayer, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ ” (Matthew 6:9-10, NIV).


We’ve already been given the land we just need to subdue and occupy!


If your dream only benefits you or “your four and no more,” then you can be certain the influence of that dream isn’t from God. Whatever God gives you is bigger than you! He has placed eternity in the hearts of men, so we can’t fathom His Works beginning to end or understand His Ways (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Isaiah 55:8-9). When the dreams become bigger than the visionary, then that’s more like God! As Deuteronomy 8:18 teaches us, God enables us to be successful to continuously advance His kingdom and establish His covenant!

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A Vision Board is simply a visual collection of aspirations, points of inspiration, affirmations and pictures representative of one’s goal.

Dreams require planning and hard work to be achieved. Writing down your goals is key to your success! How can a goal be conquered or a vision come to pass if little or no thought is contributed towards tackling them?  Plans cause us to think more in depth.  Plans are simply visualizing a process to reach a result. Who sets out to build a house without creating a blueprint or considering the cost of a project (Luke 14:28)?  Likewise, we shouldn’t be zealous to start anything without a plan, even worst deceive ourselves into thinking it will be accomplished.

The Benefits of a Vision Board

  • Vision Boards assists in conceptualizing goals
  • Vision Boards offer visual motivation
  • Vision Boards help to shape our dreams
  • Vision Boards offer a source of inspiration and focus

After receiving a vision and clearly writing it out, the reader is inspired to run with it!

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Reflect on Your Goals.  What talents or hobbies do you have?  Do they offer a potential source of income?  What’s your passion, what career could you work in without pay?  What makes you happy?  What are your personal goals, career goals?  Don’t forget to add some spunk to your vision board!  Add pictures of places you’d like to visit or activities on your “bucket list.”  Remember, the process and journey should be enjoyed as much as the finished work.

Simplify Your Theme.  Avoid overwhelming yourself!  Pray for God’s guidance on prioritizing your dreams!  If you have many goals, consider a single theme for your board versus a collective theme.

add-subheading-2Gather Your Supplies.  As a foundation, you can use items like a poster, foam or a cork board.  Whatever you decide to use should be sturdy enough to be propped or hung up. Choose your background color wisely, pick a color that immediately makes you feel happy or represents positivity in your eyes.  Collect the images to use through magazines and the internet!  Additionally, visit your local craft aisle/store for stationery or scrapbooking goods to use!

Create Your Vision.  Before affixing anything to your board permanently create a collage of everything to your liking.  Additionally, add a picture of yourself to the Vision Board or a light mirror to help envision yourself acquiring the goal! Remember the purpose is to stop talking about your dreams and to actually start walking them out!

Placement is key!  Put your vision board in a place that is easily accessible to the eye!  Take a moment to analyze it each day and more importantly set mile markers to reach the outcome.


Prayer


Father thank you for giving us the ability to be successful!  In our ventures, I ask for your wisdom and your blessing.  Impart a spirit of prayer in us!  That we may go forth like Nehemiah as he was prayerful in the least to the greatest aspects of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  Not only did You grant him success against all obstacles, but God, You moved swiftly and the wall was rebuilt in 52 days!  Let the motivation behind our work always be to promote You!

In Jesus Name, Amen!


Here’s an interesting article from Forbes on Why You Should Be Writing Down Your Goals!


 


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