Keeping The Dream Alive!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Calvin Coolidge once said…
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful
men with great talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence, determination alone are omnipotent.
There is something to be said for those who do not give up easily on things and prevail in persistence with prayer, faith, and hope….
I think of the young man Joseph who had a dream that God gave him, one which he was thrilled so well with that he told others, ie, his brothers…
We know how the story goes, and Joseph is sold, jailed, and after some time placed as the second in command…then after many years, 20…they are found bowing, and thus, fulfilling the dreams which God had given Joseph those many years earlier.
I feel impressed tonight church to say unto you tonight…KEEP YOUR DREAMS ALIVE!!!
I know within a crowd such as we have tonight that many if not all have had dreams, hopes, ambitions, and desires to do great things. Maybe even great things for God. I want to proclaim, that If they were indeed inspired by God they will come to pass if we will not faint, but we must be persistent in the pursuit of seeing it fulfilled…
POINT ONE: PLANT THE SEED
Like Joseph, we too serve a God who speaks great hopes a plants great dreams within our hearts and minds.
I believe that God would have us to dream big things for Him, and for our lives…
There is a story of a business man who made plans to build a machine to do construction work for his business that things may be done easier. And in a dream one night God showed him exactly what to do and how to build this great machine to work efficiently for him and the business. Well, when he built it, it was the greatest thing, and there was none like it. Many wanted to buy the rights to it and manufacture it for sale, but the man held out. But God spoke to him to give the sale and permit the manufacturing of the product, so he did so. The next night in another dream God spoke to the man, and gave yet another blueprint for yet a better machine to which he could produce. It proved to be even better and much more effective in this mans business.
The moral is this….God will speak to us and lead us in our dreams…
After He does that, we must plant this dream deep into our hearts and not relinquish what He has for us.
Allow for that dream to find root and lodging there, in season there will be a harvest!
POINT TWO: WATER & FERTILIZE IT
What I mean by this is that we should give much prayer towards this and attention. May we find more of what the mind of God would be for this effort. Are there Scriptures that would support it and breathe faith in my life towards this dream and effort.
You will remember in Daniel chapter 10 where Daniel was waiting on an answer from God to a certain prayer, but it was delayed for three weeks due to resistance in the Spirit World. But because of his persistence in prayer, and not letting that dream die, an answer was loosed and came to him.
This proves to us again that we must remain steadfast and immovable in the ways of God.
Be diligent to water and fertilize this dream…to pray for it, to work towards it.
Give attention to develop something in your life that would make this dream become a reality.
Make efforts to make this a reality, don’t just sit there, but do something!!!
We have to take action sometimes in our lives in order for something to be accomplished.
POINT THREE: WAIT FOR THE GROWTH
John 12:24
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Sometimes it may seem as though our dream has died. It has fallen to the wayside and no attention is given to it, but life comes from death!
It may be at that point where it seems as though it is about to die, that new growth may come.
You may say that your dream is about dead and has died even, but I want to say to you, it has not if you have not!
Habakkuk 2:3
“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the
end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Think of these days of Habakkuk when the people were awaiting the Redeemer. From the time in the Garden to the Gospels there was no redeemer. Not that God could not do it, or had forgotten, or even changed His mind,…the time had not yet come.
But it has an APPOINTED TIME to take place. God has it ordered, just as he has a perfect time and place for your dream and vision to be fulfilled and accomplished in your life.
Even though it seems to take such a very long time, God is still not finished yet.
Phil. 1:6
“Be confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Time is not over yet church and God is not finished yet.
What he has planted in your heart some many years ago He is not yet finished, forgotten, or forgone it. It will come to pass church.
What God has spoken to you will happen!!!
What God has spoken to this church and purposed for it will come to pass!!!
We must be faithful to continue to pursue Him, to plant it deep in our hearts, water and fertilize it, and wait on the Lord to cause it to happen.
We are often tempted to give up before we see the results we desire in our lives. The bamboo farmers of Malaysia could teach us a lesson. It takes great wisdom and patience to cultivate a particular strain of a very valuable bamboo. How do they do it?
In the first year, they plant the seed, water, and fertilize it. Nothing visible happens. In the second year, they continue to water and fertilize. Nothing visible happens in the second year either. In the third year, water and fertilizer are even more necessary, yet nothing happens. There is absolutely no visible growth. In the fourth year, they do it all again. And again, nothing happens. Then, in the fifth year, they diligently water and fertilize, and the bamboo grows 90 feet in 30 days – not 9 inches, but 90 feet. This plant grows from nothing to the height of a nine-story building.
The lesson for us: Don’t grow weary in well doing, for in the end, there will be a harvest. In the end, it will come to pass.
Just as this church was planted so many years ago by man with a dream, what he envisioned back then, he may have never seen, but we will. The man may have died, but the dream hasn’t, and what God has purposed for Expressway Assembly of God will be accomplished, as we continue to pursue His will and follow His leading.
What you have dreamed for your life, if indeed inspired by God, will come to pass…
Dear brothers, and sisters, may we not grow weary and give up the fight, may we press on and see the dreams fulfilled…God is faithful, and so must we be!
Just as it took Joseph a lifetime to see happen, we too must wait on the Lord!!!
Do you need encouragement in your dream tonight?
Do you feel as though the dream is gone?
Let’s come and pray that God’s Will will be done in our lives, as well as this church. Pray for strength for the journey!!!
