I received a comment on a last week’s newsletter that is very relevant. Many are going through a phase where aspects (or all) of our dream hasn’t arrived yet. Welcome to the club. I thought this articulated one of the excesses we can fall into: pursuing a legitimate dream God wrote on our hearts, but missing a few points of wisdom to really reach it. Listen to this heart:
“Yes, it is all true. But, If you do work on your dream, you do go after you heart’s desires, you’re not passive in Kingdom seeking, but still nothing happens. What more can you do? You have to wait on God for a miracle, in your heart’s desires. The last year I read your books, did try to follow my dream in ministry and business, but still nothing is in place. I’m actually worse off now than before. So if God does not do a miracle, we as people somehow, sometime, just need a breakthrough from God in our situation. I just want to add this, because not everything is in our hands.”
Why is my dream delayed? – There can be several reasons. Spiritual warfare is one source of delay. You really can expect a few setbacks on your way to releasing something significant in the Kingdom. So what else is new? The enemy can discourage us, but we can’t be defeated unless we volunteer to quit.
“What more can I do?” God is able to make a way when there doesn’t seem to be one. We just have to ask, expect to find one, and go out and look.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isa 43:18-19 NIV
Don’t wait! – When dreams are delayed, it’s easy to fall back and believe that I need to wait for a miracle from God. We do need miracles, but we shouldn’t wait for them. Miracles happen to people on the move. We can have the revelation prophetically for what God has written on our hearts and still fail to inherit our land because we lacked the wisdom to “make the dream come true.”
Being holy requires being wholistic – prophetic and practical at the same time. Revelation and wisdom complement one another. We have to be spiritual and practical at the same time. In reality, being spiritual really is being practical. Here are a few down-to-earth suggestions:
- Is it my dream, or our dream? – The sweet spot of finding your life purpose is where your heart and God’s heart overlap. When God shares the dream and it’s on His heart too, it feels like the wind is at our back. There’s more confidence, authority, fruit and finances. The coaching module is the perfect tool to help lay this heart foundation.
- Do you have a plan? Many people have a dream; few have a plan to implement it. For dreams to come true, they have to come out of our hearts and heads and onto a piece of paper. Having a written dream is a faith activator that helps us build a bridge between the dream and the right goals, actions and relationships that will make it come true.
- Heart Boundaries – Have you been through the coaching module and dealt with your heart boundaries? Most of us have boundaries in our hearts that represent vows from our past which have cemented into ceilings for our future. Changing the beliefs in our hearts about our own identity and potential is a key step of inner healing before we can go to the next level and see our dream come true. Learning the difference between heart and mind is easy… once you know how.
- Do you have a mentor with experience in your area of endeavor? Who else is on your team? People who are really successful always go out and get the help they need. None of us is as smart as all of us. Teams and networks are part of the Kingdom lifestyle. Being humble enough to learn from someone who has done it before is “normal.”
- Do you have cash flow for your personal and business finances? Were you capitalized adequately for the startup phase? All dreams cost money. Skipping the financial side of your dream is a pseudo-spiritual mistake that is extremely common in this hour. To date, we have not created disciples who know how to create wealth. You are in God’s freshman class, so make the adjustment and get out of the poverty mentality. You will not create wealth until you try to. It is not going to be miraculously transferred into your bank account. It’s not hard to create wealth. In fact, it’s fun! However, it’s impossible if you’re too spiritual to try. Don’t expect other people to finance your dream. They have their own dream to finance. Offerings are for priests, profits are for Kings.
- Is your dream credible? – Did you do the due diligence via a business plan on your initiative before you started? Is your idea or initiative viable financially now from a practical standpoint? Having a dream and putting the “God stamp” on it won’t magically make it come true. Discern the legitimacy of your dream by asking the hard questions and inviting others to do the same. Getting comments on a business plan is a great way to save yourself time and money. Don’t do it the hard way.
- Can you change? – When I make a decision and it turns out to be a bad one, I just make another one and move on. Mid-course corrections after setbacks and delays are a reality for all of us. We never see the future so clearly that we can make a perfect plan. This vulnerability is hard for perfectionists and it’s the reason many people coast through life and never have a written plan to get involved in the Kingdom. Plans and goals are not sacred cows – they change as we get new information and insight. There is a plan that God has written in your heart. Find it. Life is really fun when you do.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29:11-13 NIV
Suggestion – Your dream is worth some one-on-one time with someone who can encourage you and help you to make it real. Your destiny is worth it! Putting your dream first is putting the Kingdom first. There really is a place where your heart and God’s heart overlap. That’s where “life” begins.
- Read Releasing Kings and Desire to Destiny (See our store page or Amazon.com).
- Get the free newsletter, connect on Face Book to stay in touch. We use Skype to talk to people all over the world. Networking is a huge Kingdom dynamic.
- List to the sound… Beverly Lewis and I discussed Kingdom impacts in an interview, “Have fun, make money and love people.” Listen to the recorded version here. Ray Edwards and I did a second interview that is just as good. Both are about an hour and give a great summary of marketplace ministry. Attend a conference if you can.
- There are two newsletters that summarize key elements of Releasing Kings: Have Fun, Make Money and Love People and A Kingdom Primer.
- Go through the coaching module and clarify your dream – if you’re stuck, we can help you from a coaching standpoint.
- Get connected with a coach or mentor who can help you take the next step.
- Create the wealth and convert the money into your ministry dream to build the Kingdom. God has already written something vital and unique in your heart.
