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!
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!
This is an excerpt from Desires of the Heart – Creating a Vision Board, originally posted on Feb 21, 2015. See the original here.
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