1. Why you need to re-dream or re-vision.
a. You have been defeated. "Daddy, don’t kill my dream" (Debbie, my Daughter).
b. You are tired and drained of energy.
c. Times have changed.
d. You are frustrated with your life. You have lost the zest of life and twinkle in your eye.
e. People around you have changed. Your vision is tied to others.
f. You have lost your will to succeed or even fight the problems.
g. You have reached your goal. The worst status in life is when you have accomplished all you intended to do.
- Alexander the Great wept.
- Retirees quit.
- Low goals, low achievements, low satisfaction, low rewards.
People Change When
They hurt enough - fed up
They learn enough - education
They receive enough - strength
2. Learn to prioritize your thinking to conceptualize and dream anew.
a. Paul. "This one thing I do" (Phil. 3:13). "Think on these things" (Phil. 4:8).
b. Peter. "Discipline your minds to look forward to the plans God has for you, so you can live purposefully to the coming of Jesus Christ" (I Peter
1:13, ELT).
3. Go where you can hear great sermons.
a. They will inspire you with the greatness of God to work in your life.
b. They will challenge you with your spiritual obligations.
c. They will remind you what others have done for God.
4. Visit great places to experience the dreams and accomplishments of others.
a. Get caught up in their excitement.
b. Look for their commitment and discipline.
5. Be present at great events to encounter a fresh dream.
a. Promise Keepers, women’s conference, seminars, pastors’ conferences.
b. Don’t say, "I have heard it before" or "What can they teach me?" Go to immerse yourself in their experiences to get a desire for a new experience.
6. Read great books to stretch your expectations.
a. The greater the book, the greater you can dream.
b. Some books are timeless.
7. Make great promises to anticipate new dreams.
a. A promise-maker takes the first step to a new dream.
b. A prayer-intercessor drives the dream deep into the heart.
c. A promise-keeper takes steps to fulfill the dream.
8. Embrace great moments to develop a final dream.
a. Flash points start a fire. "Stir into a flame, your spiritual gifts" (II Tim. 1:6).
b. Intersections put you on a different journey.
c. Epochs are God encounters when you experience the supernatural.
d. Illustrations: marriage proposal, death, promotion, retirement, etc.
9. Learn to make better decisions to choose your dreams.
a. You make good decisions on good information.
b. You make terrible decisions on bad information.
c. You make lucky decisions with no information.
d. Therefore, the key to decision-making is to learn everything you can about your dreams/visions.
GET YOURSELF READY FOR A NEW VISION
"I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the LORD answered me and said: ’Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry . . . but the just shall live by his faith’" (Hab. 2:1-4).
1. Become spiritually alert.
a. Get God into your vision; go to where you will find Him, i.e., "your watch."
b. Watchtower, a place to watch for danger or anticipate blessings.
2. Talk to God to get a clearer vision and a stronger vision.
a. "I will watch to see what He will say to me."
b. Two-way communication. Talk to God as He talks to you.
3. You must receive your vision, you cannot think it up.
a. "What He will say to me."
b. "Wait for it."
4. Your vision is something you become; it is not something "out there."
a. "Run . . ."¨ You must do something to make the vision happen.
b. "Live by faith" is trusting God to work the vision.
5. Write what you want to accomplish.
"I thought a thought, but the thought I thought, was not the thought, I thought I thought. So next thought, I think I think I will write it down with pen and ink."
6. Be patient and flexible. "Though it tarries, wait for it: because it will surely come."
7. Tie your vision to faith and the supernatural.
a. "The just shall live (and dream) by faith."
b. The size of your God will determine the size of your vision.
c. You will never attempt the impossible until you discover what God can do.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc
