The stealer of dreams.
How many of us have ever had a dream?
Childhood dreams, teenage dreams, dreams for your family and children, secret dreams. Ladies did the Knight on a white charger ever come along?
Lets be honest we have all had dreams. However dreams are not the prerogative of the young.
The world knows the power of a dream, a pop song says,
Everybody’s Gotta Have A Dream
Something to keep you alive inside
Everybody’s Gotta Have A Dream
Something to dry all the tears you’ve cried
When you fall to your knees praying for the end
It’s your dream that gets you up again
Dan Ward
Martin Luther King said,
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²
The Christian must have dreams and visions of the future, after all the future is what it is all about. Joel wrote,
“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike. Joel 2:28 Living Translation
Let me ask three honest questions,
Have you ever had a dream for the things of God? A dream that involves your role in the plan of God? Have you ever discovered the awesome power of a dream?
The chances are that your answer is yes!
Another question,
Is it possible that the dream came from God?
If the dream seemed too big to be possible then the answer is probably yes.
Last question,
What happened to the dream?
The chances are that it failed to materialise or you became weary and let it slip.
I want to address the reason that this happens to normal honest Jesus loving believers.
Jesus said,
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJ
“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. NLT
Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. Message
You have a real and present enemy and his nature is that of a thief. Jesus said. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy.
It is entirely possible that the thief has stolen your dream.
Our church has a dream it’s called our vision statement, Passion Purpose and Power lie at the root and foundation of all the words and explanations.
Like your stolen dreams it came from Gods heart and has the power to infuse with energy to create excitement ….. Or be stolen by the thief!
When did you last become excited at the insight into Gods heart for us?
Has a thief stolen your initial excitement at the revelation of Gods heart? The way he has stolen other peoples dreams?
He uses many things to steal from us,
a. He waits for us to be come over familiar with the dream and vision so that we take it for granted and it looses it cutting edge in our hearts.
b. He whispers that this kind of dream is nice but “unrealistic”
c. He whispers that it’s beyond our abilities so it’s better to leave it up to others to avoid personal disappointment.
d. He filters in distractions and whispers that these other things are more urgent at this point in time.
When we allow our hearts to listen to these stealing words the Holy Spirit is offended and hurt and begins to withdraw, the result is that the dream / vision is reduced to an historical event in out already busy lives.
What has happened is that the dream from God has been stolen by the thief! Instead of being a developing reality it has become a fading concept lost in the other concerns of our lives.
What has happened to your personal dreams? What has happened to your LW dreams?
I want to introduce another concept at this point.
The thief is inferior to the dream giver!
Remember Jobs smashed and lost dreams? The thief took them and he lost them all. Family, possessions, friends, all gone along with his personal dreams and visions for the future.
Let’s look at the thief in action,
3 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” 4 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the LORD said to Satan. “But spare his life.
Please notice this, the thief could not do just what he liked, he was under the authority of your Father.
We are not at the mercy of the thief we have a father who ultimately controls him!
When he steals a Vision or Dream in essence he tries to steal from your Father as well as from you but the ownership of that dream is always the Fathers and the person He gave it too.
This means that no matter how long ago we lost the dream, no matter how we lost it “IT IS STILL OURS” not the thief’s. Stealing does not mean ownership! It only means an abuse of the Christian.
This leads me to the conclusion that what has been stolen from me I can in Jesus Name demand back! Then the thief must relinquish his control over my dreams and visions.
What Holy Spirit dreams have you lost in your personal life?
Have you lost the dream of our vision statement?
Dare you believe that you can have them back with their original fire urgency?
You can in the power of Jesus Name.
How do you do that?
1. You are honest with yourself and recognise the work of the thief.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
2. You remember the power that you have in the Name of Jesus.
13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! Jn 14:13 NLT
3. You demand your dream/ vision back from the thief in Jesus Name.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten Joel 2:25 KJV
I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. GNV
The Holy Spirit says I will restore and give back those things that have been stolen.
The thief does not rule!
Dare you think like that this morning? Dare you rise up in the power of Jesus Name and take back what has been stolen from you?
This is your day to begin to live your personal dream and vision.
Have you lost the urgency of your Dream and Vision of ? Take it back this morning Now in Jesus Name.
