STEALING IDEAS FROM THE BIBLE!
When we genuinely and sincerely accept Christ into our hearts, God changes us. We are born again, a greatly overused phrase meaning many things to many people. The world of unbelievers has stolen many of their slogans and mantras from the Bible!
For example, when our family went to Disney World many years ago, the slogan, "All things are possible for those who believe" was often repeated, the very words of Jesus! Of course, it meant something entirely different to the Disney corporation than it does in the Bible!
In the Bible, it is speaking very specifically about faith in God through Jesus Christ!
In the world, it means if you believe in any self-conceived dream, it will be possible for you.
"MAN-MADE DREAMS!
All things are possible if a dream comes from God and not from ourselves! For example, Shaquille O'Neal might dream of being a professional jockey. He might study incessantly and work out profusely to accomplish his dream. Unfortunately for Shaq, jockeys are chosen for their smaller height and weight.
Professional Jockeys average around 5 feet in height and 110 pounds. Shaquille O'Neal is 7'1" and over 300 pounds!
What type of horse would be able to hold Mr. O'Neal? A Clydesdale can be up to 72 inches tall and weigh up to 2200 pounds. The average thoroughbred used for professional racing is around 64 inches tall and averages around 1100 pounds! The problem: Clydesdales are too heavy and slow for racing!
The fastest Clydesdale might be able to beat the slowest thoroughbred but will never win the Kentucky Derby! Perhaps races specifically for Clydesdales might one day become popular but owners would still never choose Shaquille to be their jockey! Shaq may even have enough money to start a new horse-racing league in which all jockeys are required to be at least 300 pounds. In this case, with his athletic ability, he might win. But this would simply be a case of making his own dream come true.
In short, Shaquille can dream all he wants to be a jockey, work and study as hard as possible, and still fail!
BUT...
If God gave Shaquille O'Neal the dream to be a professional jockey, God could also make it come to pass - without changing the rules, without changing the horses in the race - but just as things are now. That's right. Shaq could be the winning jockey, riding a thoroughbred horse in the Kentucky Derby!
HOW?
We don't know how! Perhaps God could make Shaq lighter during the race and return him to his normal weight after the race! Perhaps he could make the horse stronger as he gave supernatural strength to Samson!
JOSEPH!
God gave Joseph a dream that he would rule over his father, other and brothers. As the youngest in the family, this was unheard of and generally would be considered impossible.
Notice that Joseph did not formulate his own "dream" or "follow his passion." He received his dream directly from God while he was merely trying to sleep! Against all odds, God used a series of setbacks and gave Joseph supernatural abilities to make sure the dream He gave Joseph came true!
DAVID!
David rose to power in a similar way. He was the youngest of eight brothers and at the bottom of everyone's list. When Samuel the prophet was told by God that one of the eight would be the next king, his family did not even consider him to be worthy of consideration! But God chose him to be the second king of Israel!
Notice that he did not "aspire" to be king; nor did his self-ambition or dogged determination play any part in his rise to the throne! That is the "Disney" version of dreams coming true for those who believe.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:1010-11
God chose David by His Word to Samuel and it did not return void! God backed up His Word to David and made certain that it accomplished His will! Certainly we have a part to play, but when God speaks a Word or initiates a dream, He is determined to faithfully bring it to pass!
God specializes in doing the impossible - but has no obligation to support every man-made dream that we envision!
For all who testify that they made their own dreams come true, there are countless others who failed in their attempts. They believe just as much, put just as much effort into making their dreams come true but fell short! Think about it. In the two hundred plus years since George Washington was elected, there have only been a total of 44 presidents! Of the millions of people who have dreamed of one day being president, only 44 have been elected! Apparently there is more to having our self-created dreams come true than believing in them!
ARE ALL DREAMS FROM GOD?
We must also judge what we dream by its source and by its fruits. Some may dream of opening a strip club but is that from God?
Hitler also had a dream. Based on his fascination with Darwinism, Hitler believed he could create a "master race" of people by killing nationalities which he deemed inferior and by eliminating the weak, sick or those with mental disorders! What sane person would believe that dream came from God? Can I go out on a limb and hazard a guess that Hitler's dream was demonic in origin? The hideous fruit of his dream was the death and suffering of millions!*
*Recent estimates indicate that 11 million were killed between 1933 and 1945 during the Holocaust!
Let's face it - not all we envision or dream will come true in this life. God's original creation was of a perfect world with no sickness, disease or death. It was a world in which no harm is done to a neighbor with no wars, crimes or even a hint of selfish behavior - in short a world saturated with the perfect love of God! But sin has corrupted the beauty of this world!
God's will, in the form of the dreams that He gives us, will always move us closer to the world that God envisioned! Our own man-made dreams will move us away! Man's ways seem right but God's ways and thoughts are higher!
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
We must prayerfully submit our own will to the will of God if we want to flow with His eternal plan, and surrender our man-made dreams, exchanging them for the dreams that God implants within our hearts!
If we do, God will be faithful to back up what He started and the world will be a better place for it!
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