What thoughts have you allowed to occupy your heart? Is it the challenges, the things that are not yet accomplished or the opposition? Shift your emphasis today and focus on your dream. I mean a dream that God has put in your heart. Yes, a dream that formerly inspired you! You may be feeling like time is no longer on your side or the dream is no longer feasible. The scripture says “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” (Philippians 4:13)
Recover your passion. You have not missed your opportunity. You have not encountered too many challenges. You are not at a disadvantage here. God infused you with all you needed to fulfil your mission when He gave you life. Others cannot stop you. You are not defined by setbacks, challenges, breakups or losses. The Almighty God is empowering and directing you.
Start paying attention to your goals. Start thanking God for bringing you someone extraordinary, someone even better than you could have dreamed. You thought you would never be a manager. You thought you would never get a promotion. You thought that secret heart desire would never come to pass. You are increasing the negative aspect of your dreams. You are driving them down. Get your spade and begin to dig up those dreams. Though it is buried deep, you can discover it. You can revive it. It all starts with your attitudes, beliefs, and words.
I encourage you to awaken whatever God has put inside me, regardless of how much time has passed or how improbable it seems. You have to align yourself with God’s will. All ambitions originate from Him. He instilled the wants in you, and you may need to spend some time by yourself. Reflect on your heart during those peaceful times. Say to God, disclose anything I have let go of, anything I have suppressed. God, please forbid me to die with any dreams still buried inside me.Â
In the scripture, God gave Joseph a dream about his future, however, Joseph got into big trouble with his brothers because of the dream. Well, some things are better unsaid. Yes, some individuals cannot manage the dream God has given you. They might become resentful towards you. The brothers of Joseph were not upset only because their father preferred him. Neither was the problem the coat of many colours that stood for favouritism. He sought to attain greatness and to have an influence, thus they were offended.
The case is always that those who have dreams become targets for the opposition. Your opposition will try to get you to subdue that ambition by using envy setback, letdown, and hurdle. You have to dedicate yourself to staying on the course, resisting letting others influence you, events bring you down, or depressing people distract your attention from reaching your best potential.
Beloved, dreaming makes you a danger to the adversary. You drive him to absurdity. He knows you are heading toward a fresh stage. He knows he cannot stop you, and he sees you establishing a fresh benchmark for your family. The forces against you are weaker than those in support of you. Still, he will work nonstop to get us to give in, give up, and stay frozen.
This is the critical issue. You would not face resistance if you lacked anything extraordinary inside of you. You would not encounter so many obstacles if your dream were not living and advancing. The foe sees you and thinks, “Oh no, it’s another dreamer. Believing that everything is feasible and knowing that God can make a road even when one is not seen, they are a dreamer with God’s blessing.
Most times, negative experiences show that you are moving toward your destiny rather than stopping it. Every delay, every mistake, every disappointment has not stopped you from realising your goal. Every bit of this is part of the path. Joseph’s siblings idolised him. They threw him into a pit with plans to leave him there to die. But when they saw a caravan, they decided to sell him as a slave to a famous guy called Potiphar.
Joseph worked for Potiphar every year, keeping a good attitude and trying to provide his best. However, one misfortune followed another for him. Potiphar’s wife wrongly accused him, therefore imprisoning him for an offence he did not commit. Years of incarceration were his. Pharaoh dreamed one night but could not interpret it; Joseph provided the answer. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he let him out of jail and named him to run the whole nation of Egypt.
Years later, a terrible hunger devastated the country. People were desperately looking for food. Managing the food supply, a vital task at the time, fell to Joseph. Seeking food, his brothers, the same ones who had thrown him into the pit travelled a long distance and reached the palace. Though they bowed down, they did not recognise him as he stood before them. For Joseph, this was a very personal experience. These were the brothers who had betrayed him and hurt him greatly. Joseph could be expected to feel rage, resentment, and a wish for revenge.
Although this moment was important for him, the Bible says that Joseph remembered his dream upon seeing his siblings. He did not focus on the treachery, the nights of solitude, or the times he felt lost. His emphasis was on the dream God gave him. It was really guiding Joseph the whole time, directing his steps, even if it appeared that all these challenges had taken Joseph off the path. Every encounter contributed to the path he wanted to end up on. (Genesis 42:8-9)
CLING TO YOUR DREAM!
When God puts a dream in your heart and gives you a promise, He does not mean that achieving it will be free of challenges, setbacks, or obstacles. You will encounter circumstances that are not clear. You will have several chances to be disheartened and wonder, Maybe I didn’t hear God correctly. It’s important to follow Joseph’s lead and cling to your ambition during those trying circumstances. God has not brought you this far only to leave you behind. He is helping you through the challenges and holding you firmly.
I read about a story regarding a guy. Living in public housing with an extremely low income, he had a rather difficult upbringing. He was not fortunate to receive fatherly guidance. From an early age, he wanted to be a writer. His home had no kind of structure or guidance even if he was enrolled. He dropped out of school at age 15 without ever having learned to read or write.
He lived on the streets for 35 years drinking with other people who lived on the street. One day, he suddenly felt a strong desire deep inside. He told his friends, I will never drink again. This way of living wears me out. They laughed at him and responded, Sure, right. From that day on, his life was changed dramatically. He suddenly broke free from booze. He decided to go back to school at fifty-one to learn writing and obtained his degree.
This success made him very proud. Starting to compose poetry, he displayed his eloquence and ability. His love for writing was still vivid even if his past and addictions were troubling. At once, he entered a very prestigious national writing competition and came in first. Now 75 years old, he keeps inspiring others and writing, reminding them that no matter their age, pursuing goals is always feasible.
What is the message here? God has not forsaken your aspirations even if you have given up on them. Just because events in early life did not go as expected that doesn’t mean that your dream has disappeared. You still have it inside you. Jeremiah said, Your word, O Lord, is like fire shut up in my bones. (Jeremiah 20:9) I think there are dreams inside you waiting to be realised. You might sense your fate calling, like a flame. Perhaps it didn’t happen the first time. Still, that’s okay.Â
This marks a new beginning. God will finish what He starts. Though you might have missed some opportunities, God knows how to make up for lost time. He offers you another chance. I will restore all the stolen years (Joel 2:25) setbacks from others or your own choices could have cost you important time. God can make this happen to you. He will lead you toward your destined location or your destined right person.
Beloved, bring out what God has stored inside you. You might be on an unusual road right now dealing with something challenging. This is just for some time; don’t give up hope. Keep in mind that this is only a passage. One may quickly emphasise the setbacks, the disappointments, and the suffering. Still, I encourage you to keep your dream.
Remember the commitments God has made to you. Taking this step will help to revive the dreams you once considered lost. The promises you once forsook seem to be living back. God will turn every obstacle into a chance just as He did for Joseph. I decree and declare that you will fulfil your dream, achieve your goals, and become all God has created you to be in Jesus’ name
May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace.
