Don’t Allow Your Dream to Die
Proverbs 13:12, 19 (NLT) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy…It is pleasant to see dreams come true.
What is the greatest dream in your heart? If finances and time were no object – if you were financially free and had all the time you wanted – what would you be doing with your life? How would you spend your time?
Think about that.
What are you truly passionate about? What is that burning desire that has been with you most of your life? What consumes your thoughts and vision for the future?
Many dreams and desires come and go, but the ones that stay with you for years, the ones that just won’t go away, are usually God-given. And those dreams can help you determine your calling and purpose. (Click here for further reading on Discovering Your God-Given Purpose.)
But too often, the passage of time and the reality of an unfulfilled life steal those dreams. Too many people have given up on the dream and vision for their future that they once nurtured and cherished. Due to discouragement and disappointment, they have allowed their dream to die.
Don’t allow your dream to die while you are still living! It’s never too late. God can restore to you what you have lost over the years (Joel 2:25) if you will ask Him and trust Him to do so. If circumstances beyond your control have destroyed the dream you once had, ask the Lord for a new and better dream!
John 10:10 tells us that it’s the enemy (Satan) who comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came to give us abundant life. The Message Bible says, I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
In fact, the Lord has promised not only to give you the desires and dreams of your heart, but to exceed them – to go far over and above them:
Ephesians 3:20 (AMP) Now to Him Who…is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams.
But you have to push through the discouragement and disappointment. Never allow yourself to wallow around in self-pity. Don’t be so quick to give up on the thing the Lord has placed in your heart to do.
Take the dream in your heart and lift it up before the Lord, then submit it to His will and plan for your life. If it is truly part of His purpose for you, you will know. Keep the fires of it burning by praying about it on a regular basis. Practice faith and patience until you see it fulfilled.
When your dream is fulfilled, as Proverbs 13:12 says, there will be “life and joy.” And you will be so glad you didn’t allow it to die!
