Series: Dream Again

DREAM AGAIN –  Part 4

(Proverbs 29:18 MSG) If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

(Acts 2:17 NIV) “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Put the Dream to the Test

1. Does it line up with the Bible?

(1 John 5:7 NKJV)  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

2. Will it make me more like Christ?

(Ephesians 4:14-15 NLT)  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  (15)  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.

3. Do those in spiritual authority confirm it?

4. Is it focused on others?

(Mark 10:42-45 NIV)  Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  (43)  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  (44)  and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  (45)  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What will the Dream require?

• A God dream will require persistence.

(Hebrews 12:1 AMP) THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

• A God dream will require hard work.

(Philippians 2:16 NLT) Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

• A God dream will require God’s help.

(Psalms 54:4 NIV) Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

(Psalms 121:1-2 NIV) I lift up my eyes to the mountains– where does my help come from?  (2) My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

(Ephesians 3:20 NIV) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

(Jeremiah 32:27 NIV) “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

(Jeremiah 32:17 NIV) “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

DREAM AGAIN – Part 3

(Proverbs 29:18 MSG) If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

(Acts 2:17 NIV) “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

(Genesis 37:5-7 NIV) Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

(Genesis 37:19-20 NIV) “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

• Even if it didn’t start off well.

(1 Timothy 1:12-13 NIV) I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

Don’t measure the dream by who you are; measure it by Who your God is!

• Even if the journey is full of surprises.

Joseph had some surprises in his journey.

• Sold into slavery to Potiphar
• Living in a strange country far from home
• Given favor in Potiphar’s house
• Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife
• Thrown into prison
• Put in charge of all the prisoners
• Forgotten by the cupbearer
• Remained in prison for two more years
• Became second in command in Egypt

(Romans 8:28 NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

• Even if it takes a long time to realize it.

(Habakkuk 2:3 TLB) But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

(Galatians 6:9 NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Along the Way…

1. Recognize and value the process.

(1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT) So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

(James 1:2-3 NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

2. Refuse to let offense stop me.

(Luke 17:1 NKJV) Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come…

(Genesis 50:20 NIV) You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

(Ephesians 6:12 NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

3. Remember God is always with me.

(Genesis 39:2 NIV) The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered…

(Genesis 39:20-21 NIV) But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor…

(Psalms 139:8-10 NIV) If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

(Psalms 46:1 NIV) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

(Isaiah 43:2 NIV)  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

(Isaiah 43:5a NIV) Do not be afraid, for I am with you…

(Matthew 28:20b NIV) …And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

DREAM AGAIN – Part 2

 (Proverbs 29:18 MSG) If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

(Acts 2:17 NIV) “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Last Days Clarity

(Habakkuk 1:5-10 NIV) “Look at the nations and watch– and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.

(Habakkuk 2:1-2 GNB) I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the LORD will tell me to say and what answer he will give to my complaint. The LORD gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.

1.  Withdraw. (Luke 5:16 NIV)
2.  Wait. (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV; Psalm 62:5 NLT)
3. Read God’s Word.
4. Write
5. Review.

What Are You Seeing Now?

(Ephesians 1:17-18 NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

(2 Kings 3:9-14 NIV) So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them. “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the LORD called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?” But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here, through whom we may inquire of the LORD?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” “No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the LORD who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.” Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you.

1. Dreams are birthed in God’s presence.

(2 Kings 3:15 NIV) But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came on Elisha

2. Dreams go from inspiration to participation.

(2 Kings 3:16 NKJV) And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’

3. Dreams must continue regardless of what is seen.

(2 Kings 3:17-18 NIV) For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.