2019-01-10
Numbers 14:24 NIV
Caleb was truly remarkable. No retirement plan or rocking chair for this guy! At eighty-five he dreamed of owning his own mountain in the Promised Land. And even though there were giants living on it, they didn’t discourage him one bit. When the people around him saw the giants and wanted to back off, Caleb factored God into the equation and said, “We will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (v. 9 NIV). Note the words, “We will swallow them up.” As you grow in faith you’ll start to “feed off” stuff the Enemy throws at you and as a result you’ll become stronger. Bottom line: You can choose to blend in or to stand out! God said, “Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Notice, Caleb had “a different spirit,” which brings us to another dream killer you must overcome: Lack of confidence. Dreams are fragile. And they’re at the greatest risk when they’re new to you, when the people you love and respect don’t approve, and when you have no past record of success to fall back on and give you confidence. That’s the point at which you must know God for yourself and have a relationship with Him. “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32 NKJV). The word “exploits” indicates that God can show you how to exploit, utilize, profit from, and find opportunity in even the worst of circumstances.
Soul food: Isa 30-33; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
2019-01-09
Romans 4:17 NIV
When you dare to dream, God who “calls things that are not as though they were” is at work within you. But there’s a third dream killer you must overcome: Settling for average. A God-given dream will stretch you; you can’t reach for it and remain safely mediocre at the same time. The two are incompatible. When you settle for average, it’s tempting to blame it on others, or on your personal circumstances, or on the system. But the truth is mediocrity is always a personal choice. When you don’t have a compelling dream you are in danger of having your life merely slip away. Author Kenneth Hildebrand puts it this way: “The poorest of all men isn’t the one without a penny to his name. He’s the fellow without a dream…[he is like] a great ship made for the mighty ocean but trying to navigate in a millpond. He has no far port to reach, no lifting horizon, no precious cargo to carry. His hours are absorbed in routine and petty tyrannies. Small wonder he gets dissatisfied, quarrelsome, and ‘fed up.’ One of life’s greatest tragedies is a person with a ten-by-twelve capacity and a two-by-four soul.” If you feel that your life is closer to average than you want, you need to do more dreaming. Nothing will help you break out of your rut like a God-inspired dream. And if you don’t already have one, ask God to give you one. He may give it to you in an instant, or over a period of time, but He will do it.
Soul food: Isa 26-29; Luke 2:1-7; Ps 46; Prov 1:32-33
2019-01-08
Romans 4:18 NIV
The second dream killer is: Disappointment. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and no doubt you’ve encountered the gap. You’ve had to live with unfulfilled desires or had your hopes dashed, and it can damage you. Mark Twain said: “We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that’s in it – and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She’ll never sit down on another hot stove-lid again – and that is well; but also she’ll never sit down on a cold one anymore.” When something goes wrong we say, “I’ll never do that again!” What a mistake, especially when it comes to your dreams! Experiencing failure is the price you must pay to achieve success. Sometimes you must face it and overcome it repeatedly in order to be able to move forward and pursue your dream. Abraham was called to birth a nation. But before he fathered Isaac he grew impatient and fathered Ishmael, and created a bad situation he had to live with all his life. But he never stopped believing in his God-given dream. The Bible says: “He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (vv. 20-21 NIV). Note the words “was strengthened in his faith.” You must strengthen your faith each day by reading God’s Word and praying, recalling God’s goodness and reminding yourself that nothing is too hard for the Lord (See Jeremiah 32:17).
Soul food: Isa 22-25; Luke 1:67-80; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 1:28-31
2019-01-07
Genesis 37:19-20 NIV
For the next few days let’s look at some dream killers: Discouragement. An experiment was conducted with monkeys. Four of them were placed in a room with a tall pole in the center. On top was a big bunch of bananas. One of the monkeys started climbing the pole, but just as he reached out to grab a banana he was doused with a bucket of cold water. Squealing, he scampered down the pole and abandoned his attempt. Each monkey tried, and each was drenched with cold water. After several attempts they all gave up. Then the researchers removed one of the monkeys from the room and replaced him with a new one. As the newcomer began to climb the pole, the other three grabbed him and pulled him down. After trying to climb the pole several times and being dragged down by the others, he finally gave up and never attempted to climb the pole again. The researchers replaced the original monkeys one by one with new ones, and each time a new monkey was brought in, he’d be dragged down by the others before he could reach the bananas. In time, only the monkeys who’d never received a cold shower were in the room, but none of them would climb the pole. They prevented each other from climbing – but none of them knew why. The point? When God gave Joseph a dream of future greatness, his brothers resented him for it and said, “Here comes that dreamer!…let’s kill him.” Have others tried to throw cold water on your dream? Take heart. With God it’s never too late to start dreaming, or to pursue and fulfill the dream He has given you.
Soul food: Isa 17-21; Luke 1:57-66; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 1:20-27
2019-01-06
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
The story’s told about a little boy who was afraid of the dark. One night his mother asked him to go out on the back porch and get the mop, but he didn’t want to go because he was afraid. She said, “Haven’t I always told you there’s nothing to be afraid of in the darkness?” He said, “Yes, Mom, but please don’t make me go out and get that mop.” She replied, “Son, don’t you know that Jesus is always with you? Don’t you know that you are never alone? Don’t you know that you have nothing to be afraid of?” He replied, “Yes, Mom.” So she said, “All right, go out and get the mop.” He opened the back door about two inches, stuck his hand out, and whimpered, “Jesus, would You please hand me that mop?” When you attempt something you’ve never done before, it’s normal to feel afraid. When you’re asked to do a job for which you feel unqualified, it’s normal to feel afraid. When you attempt something you’ve failed at previously, it’s normal to feel afraid. But it’s in doing the thing you fear to do that you grow, and your confidence in God grows. Today God is saying to you: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” God stays with you wherever you go. That should motivate you to go anywhere He tells you to go. The truth is that when God says go, He’s not sending you somewhere, He’s taking you somewhere.
Soul food: 2 Chr 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luke 18:1-8
2019-01-05
Psalm 119:2 NIV
The Bible says, “Love the Lord…with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). “You will…find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). Do you love the Lord with all your heart? Are you trusting Him with all your heart? Are you seeking Him with all your heart? Only the burning effect of a vision will keep you from losing your way, or getting swallowed up by temporal things that make no difference in the light of eternity. Consider the birthing table; it’s designed to hold the mother in position in spite of pain and discomfort. The question is: Can you maintain a position of faith even when it means being exposed to pain and pressure? That’s what consistent prayer and Bible reading do; they hold you in place when you’d otherwise be tempted to give up, or step out of the will of God. Maybe you’re thinking if you don’t risk again you can’t be hurt again. But that also means you can’t be fruitful again! God told Eve, “In pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband” (Genesis 3:16 NKJV). Notice, at the end of the labor and pain God said He would renew the relationship between the woman and the man by restoring her desire. The point is this: There’s no cure for past pain like present desire. So whether you’re exhausted by your victories or discouraged by your defeats, allow God to draw you back to Himself. Let Him rekindle within you a desire to be all He wants you to be.
Soul food: Isa 12-16; Luke 1:39-56; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
