Daring to Dream
Genesis 37:5
Today I would like to look at the process of a dreamer.
Somebody say Process…
I want to get you to dream, because someone is waiting to be blessed and healed on the other side of your dream.
Josephs dream not only impacted him, but it also impacted his whole family.
Joseph had a dream, but the dream did not come to pass overnight, there was a process.
Tell your neighbor Process…
What is the definition of Process?
Process: A systematic series of actions directed to some end.
Did you know that the process that a product goes through can determine the quality of that product.
When it comes to Food, Cars, Gold, clothes, and even leaders.
The name on the product doesn’t determine the quality of the product, but it represents the process that product has gone through and the material inside that product.
Example:
The name on a phone doesn't determine the quality of that product, but it represents the material and process of which that phone was taken through.
The name on a car doesn’t determine the quality of that product, but it represents the material and the process of which that car was taken through.
The name on a suit doesn’t determine the quality of the product, but it represent the material and the process of which that suit was taken through.
All the name does is confirm to you the quality of the material inside the product and the process the product went through.
I can take an Apple sticker and put it on a regular cell phone, does that give it quality?
I can take a Hugo Boss tag and put it on my suit, does that give it quality?
I can take a Mercedes emblem and put it on a toyota does that give it Mercedes quality?
It is not the name on the product that makes it quality, but the material and the process the product has gone through.
Joseph went through a process to become the man of God he was and also to see his dream come to pass.
See most of us at one time or another have had a dream to do something big for God, but what can happen is our dream can be put to sleep or die in the midst of the process.
Believe it or not, all of us are going through a process.
What can happen is we can let the process steal our dream.
This morning I have come for those that are here and we have let the process steal our dream.
At one time we were dreaming big for God.
At one time we were on fire for The Lord.
At one time we were believing God to use our lives to do big things, but now somehow the process has stolen our dream.
Maybe your dream has not been stolen, but maybe it is sleeping.
Today I have come to wake up some dreams that have fallen asleep.
I've come for those Elijah’s who feel like your dream is in a cave.
I've come for those Gideon’s who may have been bullied of your dream.
I've come for those who have given up on your dream and didn’t’ even know it.
Tell your neighbor “I am getting my Dream back…”
I have come by to encourage someone to get that dream back and go for all that God has for you.
Take a risk… - Stir it up!!! - Go for all God has for you… - Now is the time...
Conant
Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.
Think about it what was the dream that you had when you first started serving God?
Has that dream become watered down?
Has that dream become dormant?
Has that dream been compromised?
Has that dream been put in a cave?
I have stopped by to encourage you and I don’t let the process steal your dream.
See a lot of times if the Enemy can't steal your dream, then the Enemy will put your dream to sleep.
He will put your dream in a choke hold and try and get it to tap out.
What do I mean by put it to sleep?
Well deep down inside you haven't given up on your dream, but you are not pursuing it either.
You will be surprised how many people actually still come to Church, but have given up on their purpose and dreams.
You will be surprised of – how many people shout, dance, and even get involved in ministry, but have given up on pursuing the call of God upon their life.
Tell your neighbor - Don’t let the Enemy put your dream to sleep…
Its ok to dream as a leader, its ok to dream as a journey group leader, its ok to dream as a business owner, its ok to dream as a college student, and its ok to dream as an individual.
Just a side note:
Your dream should always compliment the house vision.
See if God has you in this house, then I believe that your dream should compliment the overall vision of this house. Your dream will always compliment where God has you.
I would like to take a look at the life of a dreamer.
I would like to take a look at some of the things that a dreamer may go through, but if you and I stick it out our dream will come to pass.
Lets take a look at the process Joseph went through to see his dream come to pass
1. He was thrown into a pit - Genesis 37:23-24 – Practicing the Presence of God.
The pit can represent the stage of practicing the Presence of God.
How many know when you are in a pit it is just you and God.
If you don't know how to practice the Presence of God, this is when you and I can feel alone and abandoned.
Have you ever felt like you were thrown into a pit and everybody around you was gone.
Have you ever felt like no one understands what I am trying to do, where I am trying to go, or who I am trying to be.
Have you ever felt forsaken - abandoned - mistreated and Left all alone in the midst of your walk.
Imagine this is how Joseph must have felt when he was thrown into the pit.
There was no one around - no one to encourage him - no one to say it's going to be alright and the people who put him there were the ones you would expect him to be comforted by.
One thing that Joseph had going for him is that God was with him. He knew how to walk in the presence of God.
The first stage of seeing our dreams come to pass is we need to learn how to practice the Presence of God.
See we might be good at a lot of things, but one thing we should be great at is practicing the Presence of God.
That way when we feel abandoned, mistreated, alone, or neglected we can always know that God is with us, because we are practicing His Presence.
No matter what Joseph went through or where he was, he always prospered because he took God with him.
I may not be good at everything, but one thing I want to be good at is practicing the Presence of God. I know if I can get God to show up where ever I am at then I will be alright.
2. He was sold by his brothers – Learning to Love People.
Genesis 37:28
So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Being sold by his brothers can represent the stage of learning to love people .
Learning to Love People..
Imagine that... Joseph being sold by his brothers was actually getting him one step closer to seeing his dream come to pass.
Not too many of us would look at this situation as it getting someone closer to their dream.
Imagine, I have just been sold by my brothers and I am one step closer to my dream…
See we believe it now, because it has already happened, but what if we were there when it happened to Joseph - would we think - wow look Joseph is now one more step closer to his dream.
Sometimes people will do things that will either make us or break us.
You and I have two choices when these things happen to us, when you and I get mistreated or we get let down.
We can either get bitter or better. I would like to chose to get better.
I once read " Don't worry about people from your past, there is a reason they didn't make it to your future."
I believe this is where Joseph learned to have a heart for God’s people.
Even though he was mistreated he had a heart of forgiveness.
He didn’t hold a grudge against the ones who mistreated him.
See not the only do we need to practice the art of ministry, but we need to also practice the heart of ministry.
The art of ministry is what we do.
The heart of ministry is caring for people.
See I can practice the art of preaching, but do we have a heart for the people we are preaching to?
I can practice the art of using my talents and gifts, but do we have a heart for the people we are ministering to?
There is the art, then there is the Heart.
It all boils down to – why do you and I do what we do?
We should always try to keep a heart for the people, because ministry is people.
3. He was falsely accused - people Genesis 39:17-19 – Overcome Criticism.
17 -Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me.
18 - But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 -When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.
This is where he overcame the critics…
If you and I are going to pursue our dream then we need to learn how to overcome criticism.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Zig Ziglar says don't be distracted by criticism. Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.
Charles Caleb Colton: Overcoming Adversity Quotes
All adverse and depressing influences can be overcome, not by fighting, but by rising above them.
people maybe able to strip you of your coat, but they cannot strip you of your character.
People maybe able to take many things from you, but they cannot take your dream unless you let them.
4. He was thrown into prison - Genesis 39:21-23 – built his testimony
Genesis 39:20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.
Genesis 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Genesis 39:22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that [were] in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer [of it].
Genesis 39:23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing [that was] under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and [that] which he did, the LORD made [it] to prosper
When he was in the pit it was just him, but when he was in the prison had other people looking at his life.
In the prison is where you and I can develop our testimony and let our light shine before men, not in our own strength put in the power of God.
I believe the prison can represent the power of God.
In order for Paul and Silas to get out of prison the power of God had to show up.
I believe in this stage we learn how to walk in the power that is going to give us the strength to do what we need to do.
He developed the power to let his light shine.
He has an opportunity to let his light shine in the midst of a setback
5. He became in charge of the palace – His dream reached others...
Enoch shows the walk of faith, Noah shows the perseverance of faith, Abraham shows the obedience of faith, Isaac shows the power of faith, and Jacob shows the discipline of faith.
Along these lines we could say that Joseph shows the triumph of faith. Joseph never complained and he never compromised.
Let’s look at the process of Joseph:
• If Joseph’s brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt.
• If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar.
• If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape.
• If Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he is never put in prison.
• If he is never put in prison, he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh.
• If he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he never interprets their dreams.
• If he never interprets their dreams, he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
• If he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, he never is made prime minister.
• If he is never made prime minister, he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region.
• If he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region, then his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine.
• If his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine, the Messiah can’t come forth from a dead family.
• If the Messiah can’t come forth, then Jesus never came.
• If Jesus never came, you are dead in your sins and without hope in this world.
Who is waiting on the other side of the process to your dream?
Maybe there is someone here this morning who needs a little bit of encouragement because you are going through the process.
Let me mention something - Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.
Have you given up on your dream? Is your dream sleep? Is your dream in the grave?
Maybe you are here and you say Pastor Dre I just wish I could have another chance at my dream.
I was pursuing all that God has for me, but now I find myself at a point of just existing and trying to make it. If only I could have another chance.
In closing let me share with you some people who get another chance:
- Gideon after hiding in a wine press got another chance and went on to lead an Army for God – Judges 7:7 - The LORD said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I’m going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of three hundred defeat the Midianites.”
- Samson giving up the secret to his strength fell with Delilah – took out more philistines in his death than when he was alive. Judges 16:30 - Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
- Peter after denying Jesus got another chance – went on to write books of the Bible. I Peter and II Peter
- David after falling with Bathsheba got another chance – He went on to write more books of the Bible
- The prodigal son after taking his talents, his anointing, and his money left his Fathers House. He went and spent all he had and found himself in a hogs pen, but he came to his senses made his way back home and the Father greeted him at the door.
The only thing is the brother in the house wasn’t to happy, but he didn’t let that stop him from getting his dream back. From getting his call back. From getting his purpose back. Even though he made a mistake The Father gave him another chance.
You aren’t done yet there are still some books in you to write.
There are still some songs in you to sing. There are still some messages in you to preach.
There are still some CD’s in you to make. There are still some businesses in you to start.
There is still a dream in side of you… Don’t let the process steal your dream…
You were in the home and you graduated. You were in the U.T.C. and you graduated. You were involved in ministry and doing good, but now you are just maintaining.
It is time to get the Fire of the Holy Ghost back and go after all that God has for you…
Missionary - Evangelist - used of God to trail blaze – Enroll in the U.T.C.
Don't be a poster shot - be the one making the slam dunk.
Why, because souls are waiting for you and I.
4. People believed because the dream came to life. They believed because of Lazarus testimony.
Someone is waiting to get blessed on the other side of you fulfilling your dream.
People will be blessed by your dream so step out and go for it.
Billy Graham: Overcoming Adversity Quotes
Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.
