Dream Again

After having lost my father to cancer last year, I found myself in a state of hopelessness. Not only was my dad my natural father, but he was also my spiritual father. It was like our covering had been removed and so many of our plans and dreams had died with him. Everything we had been praying and believing so hard for was lost in a single moment. Or so it seemed.

In the midst of my pain I heard the Spirit say to me, "Dream again!" Over and over I kept hearing these words. I was reminded of Psalm 126:1 which says, "When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream." So, I began to study that verse. I found that the word "dream" came from the Hebrew word chalam which, according to Strong's Concordance, means 1) to dream 2) to recover. I realized that I was being held captive to circumstances, the death of my father and leader. However, when the Lord brings a person out of captivity, He brings about a full recovery. No longer is that person bound by their circumstances. Their vision which was limited by walls of captivity is renewed and their hope restored. The Lord was letting me know that, even in all the disappointment and pain, His plan for me did not change and He is bringing me out.

In Isaiah 60:1 AMP it says, "Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!" Notice that to arise requires effort on your part. Many of you are sitting in a spiritual dungeon acting like a prisoner not even realizing that the shackles have been removed and the doors have been opened. All that is left to do is to walk out.

So, my hope for you today is that you rise up! Don't let the enemy of your soul steal your dreams. It is time to take possession of your promised land. It's time to dream again!

Intimacy With the Father

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

About a year ago I remember asking God a simple, sincere question, “What is Your heart?” He gave me one word in response. It was “relationship”. As I pondered this thought, I realized that this is what it’s all about. Intimacy with the Father. Everything God did from creation to now was for relationship. He created us to be His family. When sin separated us from His presence, He immediately went to work to restore it and completed that work in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Right away I thought of David. Here we have the “man after God’s own heart”. Why was he called that? We know that he wasn’t a perfect man by any means. The reason he was given this title is because he was a man that would literally go after the heart of God. He sought God to do all His will (Acts 13:22). His songs express how he longed to be in the presence of God and would meditate on His law (Psalms 27:4, 119:97). This was a man who had an intimate relationship with the Father. Because of this, he was surrounded with God’s favor and enjoyed many victories even when it seemed impossible.

There is no denying that Jesus set the greatest example of all. In his ministry we see how he would separate himself from the crowds to enjoy time alone with the Father (Luke 5:16). Prayer was the key to the outpouring of miracles and revelations leading up to our redemption at the cross.

Now, we can enjoy the same level of intimacy with our Creator. The veil of separation has been removed. The world is looking for something real and has endured all the religion it can stand. What is needed and necessary is the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. We need to have such a close and intimate relationship with God that He illuminates our world around us, and so that His power may be demonstrated everywhere that we go. Just like Moses, we need to be lit up with the glory of God. That only happens when we spend time with Him.

Fulfilling Your Purpose - Step 1

The first step to fulfilling your God given purpose in life is to get a vision. In Proverbs 29:18 we read that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The Message translation says, “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves.” In other words, without the ability to see what we are aiming for (God‘s plan for us), we just blindly stumble about searching for the unknown. Chances are, we will miss our target.

Now, according to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions for vision is: the act or power of imagination. Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” The imagination is a gift from God which provides us the means by which we may envision our future. God gave you the ability to dream, and what you see and think on regularly will affect the direction your life will take.

Another definition for vision is: mode of seeing or conceiving. In order for conception to take place, a seed must be planted. To conceive an idea, a thought must be planted. The longer that thought is permitted to stay, the more it will take root in your heart and produce results in your life. "As he thinks in his heart, so is he…" (Proverbs 23:7a) "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." (Matthew 12:35) So what are you thinking on?

If you are wandering around aimlessly with no vision and no plan, the end result will be an unfulfilled life. What a tragedy! I encourage you to read God's Word. Let's look at what God told Joshua.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8)

David referred to the Word as, "...a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:105)

God has a great vision for you in His Word. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) So, dig into His Word and see what He has in store for you.

The Shepherd Who Encouraged A King

While praying earlier, God revealed something in His Word that I never noticed before. I love reading about David and Goliath and the lesson it teaches us about trusting in God's ability. Against all odds, God brought victory for His people by the hand of a young shepherd boy. What interests me is how this victory was achieved.

In studying the story, we see that David was given ample opportunity to doubt a triumphant outcome.

And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." (1 Samuel 17:33)

Instead of being moved by fear and unbelief, David recalled how God had delivered him in times past from the lion and the bear.

"Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:36-37)

What I never realized before is that he was not only encouraging himself, but also those around him who heard his words. Think about it. Here we find King Saul carrying the weight of a difficult decision. If he sends David to meet Goliath only to fail, then Israel would be made the slaves of the Philistines.

Then he (Goliath) stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." (1 Samuel 17:8-9)

This wasn't about the fate of one man, but about that of an entire nation of people. Of course, we know that David went forth at Saul's command, defeated Goliath, and spared all of Israel. This was accomplished through the faith of a shepherd boy who encouraged the heart of a king.

What You Say Is What You Believe

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13

What you are speaking is what you believe. If you speak positive things, you believe and expect positive things. If you speak negative things, than obviously you believe negative things and expect a negative outcome. Perhaps it is time to have a mental check up?

Luke 6:45 tells us that “…out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks”. By studying the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 we know that the heart of man is the soil where seed (good or bad) is sown. The seeds sown are words. Just as good soil is necessary to produce a good harvest; good seed is also important. Your good soil (heart) can only produce after whatever seed has been sown.

Let’s look at the full text of Luke 6:45(AMP):

The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

What seed are you sowing? What kind of seed are you allowing others to sow?

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8(AMP)

Once you have received good seed, be sure to water it by meditating on the Word of God. Feed the seed! In time you will see the benefits of a good and bountiful harvest in your heart and in your life.

The Power of God’s Word

…The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

Notice in this scripture that Jesus didn’t say that His words contain life, but that they are life. Think about that. When you receive God’s Word, you receive life. When you speak God’s Word, you speak life whether it is for your benefit or the benefit of those listening. Jesus spoke God’s Word (John 12:50), and His Word is life.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Now, according to Strong’s  the word “powerful” comes from the Greek word “ energes” which denotes something at work, active, and effective. God’s Word is alive and active. Therefore, when we speak God’s Word out of our mouths, we are releasing an active, living energy. In Isaiah 55:11 God tells us, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The word of God released from His mouth (it must be released) will accomplish its purpose. We know that to accomplish something requires energy or power. This scripture proves that God’s Word is powerful. As long as it is restrained, it cannot accomplish anything. However, when released, it can literally change your atmosphere, your circumstances, your life, and your world. As Jack Hayford said, “The power in His word will always fulfill the promise of His word.”

Now, in order to release something, you must first possess it. Although the blessings of God belong to us as His heirs (see Romans 8:16-17), we cannot utilize them until we have taken ownership of them. The land of Canaan belonged to the children of Israel during the time that they were in Egypt and also throughout the years that they wandered through the wilderness, but, until they claimed the land, they could not enjoy the benefits of owning it. In the same manner, we must take possession of God’s promises to us. We begin by finding out what the promises are in God’s Word, allow His Word to build faith in us through meditation (Romans 10:17), and then release the Word (promises) out of our mouths. When we do that, we are speaking the life of God into our situations. The more we speak it, the more it will reshape our circumstances for good.

Promises to live by:

For salvation – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

For healing – Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

For prosperity – I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. Psalm 37:25

There are so many great promises in God’s word that it is hard to list them all here, so it is vital that you search the Word for yourself. Just remember that “…all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20. Also, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

My First Hands-On Bible - review

My First Hands-On Bible is a perfect choice for any parent who wants to introduce God's Word to their early learners. I love how it is written in a real Bible text (NLT). The activities, discussions, etc... are simple, easy to understand, and a fun way to ignite your preschooler's enthusiasm while learning valuable lessons. I know that I am going to have a great time sharing my faith with my 3-year-old daughter using My First Hands-On Bible.

Thank you, Tyndale House Publishers, for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.