How many of us have had a dream or vision of something we wanted to do but it seemed so out of reach that we lost hope or gave up before actually seeing it happen?
The Bible says when there is no vision; people perish (Proverbs 29:18). When you don’t have any vision or idea of where you’re going, you lose your drive. Think about retired people. If you stop working, and you’re not picking up some sort of hobby or activity, your brain and body will slowly start to become inactive. Soon enough, you’ll have no interest in life, therefore seeing no reason for living. It’s the same with dreams. When we just go about life and don’t ask God to give us a vision, we become easily uninterested with life and are left with no hope for the future. But what happens when God gives us a dream?
Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes a heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life”.
When you have a God given dream or vision that goes unfulfilled, it creates this quenching in your heart. But when you decide to be obedient to the direction God is calling you, life springs up within.
God wants you to have dreams.
God wants you to have a vision.
God wants you to have hope.
It’s His will that we would live in the reality of Jeremiah 29:11 - that He has plans to give us hope and a future. I don’t believe that you are too old or too young to receive a vision from the Lord or a God- inspired idea. You might say,
“Well, I’m 83 years old” - God is not done with you yet.
“The doctors told me I only have a short time left”- God is not done with you yet.
“I don’t have any good skills or talents” - God is not done with you yet.
A lot of what you receive has to come from what you believe. There are many people who - despite their circumstances, had a dream or vision for their life. Because of that idea they held onto, they took action steps to see that dream a reality.
Henry Ford and the automobile.
Eli Whitney and the cotton gin.
Charles Revson and Revlon cosmetics.
The list goes on and on. These are people who believed and dreamend big.
One of the beautiful things about having a God-given dream is that He has already gone before you to pave the way of success. He has the connections ready. He knows the doors He’s going to open for you. He has the resources ready, everything. As His children, all we have to do is walk in obedience to His perfect will and freely receive all He wants to pour out.
Let’s define the word ‘idea’, because I believe when we know what it really means, we can better grasp how it relates to vision. The word ‘idea’ is defined as: to be wise; to see and know a plan. We must identify the source of each idea in our lives and know where it’s coming from. Is the idea based on my feelings or is it a God-given idea (vision) that stands in accordance with His plan for my life?
Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”.
This means we must choose to trust God with every area of our lives and with everything we do. Family, marriage, health, work, all of it. When we do this and choose to stand on His promises - by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, our thoughts will begin to align with His will.
Ideas are like seeds. They must be sewed, cultivated, watered, pruned, and developed or they will not bear fruit. People travel the whole world and spend much of life trying to actually find theirs. Little do they know, the potential already lives inside them, simply waiting to be unlocked and discovered. The seed of greatness is already there. It’s by having real wisdom that you are able to see beyond what is around you. It gives you the ability to see the untapped potential seeds God has placed within you. When you don’t act on the visions God gives, you end up missing the very thing God is trying to accomplish not only in you, but for others around you. The harvest is ready (Matthew 9:37), but there are few who take the step to discovering their God-given ideas and dreams.
Like mentioned before, you must believe big. You can’t be a little thinker and expect God to give you big ideas. You must think big. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. We serve a big God who isn’t afraid or surprised by our dreams. Some steps you can take to recognizer those God-inspired ideas consist of:
- Looking beyond what you see around you
- Renewing your mind daily with the Word of God
- Committing every area of your life to God
- Asking God to reveal His wisdom to you
- Expect with confidence that God is going to give you inspired ideas.
Maybe you’re waiting for God to move. But let me tell you, He already has. He’s waiting for you to take the next step of action so that the ideas He has put in you can be fully accomplished. You can desire to see His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. You can harness your mind to God’s word, but until you take physical action, you won’t reach full success. Words are important, but without the power of action behind them - they’re just words and nothing will really come to pass.
The key is to take one step at a time. Some people never even take that first step, because if they can’t immediately get to the top, they don’t want to bother.
James 2:14 (NLT): “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”
In other words, a person's faith has to cooperate with their actions. Actions are the evidence of your faith. Actions prove your unseen faith with results that are visible.
So make the decision now to move forward! Give feet to your faith and let your actions speak louder than your words. Pursue the dreams and visions God has put within you, and watch your life succeed in ways like never before.
