Have circumstances, adversities, what people say, what the media says, or what the economy says affected your dream? Did you carry the dream for about six months only to decide that it will never come to pass and then abort it?
Or is that dream still somewhere deep down on the inside of you? If it is, then it's time to cultivate it. It's time to create a proper atmosphere in your life so that your dream will become a reality.
It all starts as an image in your heart. I like to say it this way - your heart is the canvas. The Holy Ghost is the artist. The Word of God is the oil. As you fellowship with God, the Holy Ghost will paint an image on the canvas of your heart of the way God sees you - not the way the world sees you.
When I get up every morning, I don't look to just what I can see in front of me, I look for something that God is the builder and the architect of. Hebrews 11:8 (NASB) says,
Even though God called this man and placed a dream in his heart, Abraham was required to obey, and to walk by faith. It's the same way today. If you want the kind of results Abraham got - then you will have to walk by faith like Abraham did.
By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going...He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
(Heb. 11:8)
When you obey God, it will never be "if" it comes to pass...it will be "when" it comes to pass. It's just a matter of time. In fact, God says that if we will not grow weary and if we will not faint, then we will reap in due season. With God there is always a due season.
I don't know about you, but that's what motivates me to keep going on no matter how long I have to stand.
The Holy Spirit gave me some vital keys which I trust will be a blessing to you in creating an atmosphere for your dreams to become realities.
1. Know Where You're Going
If you are confused about your dream, then it will never become a reality. I heard someone say that if you don't know where you're going, then you'll probably end up somewhere else.
You might say, "Well, how do I find out where I'm supposed to be going?" You find out by fellowshipping with God.
You will never change your present location until you are sure of your destination. I know exactly where this ministry is headed. I didn't say I know every step, but I know the plan of God for this ministry God gives me one step at a time.
If you're in a leadership role, everyone involved in what you're doing needs to know the vision. That also goes for the head of the family. Make sure that everybody in the home knows the vision of that family. Spend time with God so you can know His vision for your life and then you can run with it.
2. Write the Vision
God never does anything haphazardly. He always has a plan. How do you get the plan of God? Once again, through fellowship. And once you get it, Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run."
Every time you read the vision that God has put in your heart, it keeps you focused. It motivates you. What is it that causes you to rise up He each morning? What is it that puts a smile on your face when you talk about it? Whatever it is, write it down and keep it before you so you can run with it until it becomes a reality!
3. Associate With the Right People
Don't associate with non-dreamers. Don't associate with people who are always saying, "Impossible! We can't do it! We can't make it! No way!" Love them, pray for them, minister to them, but don't pal around with them. Don't become their buddies. They'll bring you down to their level!
Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with wise men will be wise." Association is important. Who you associate with can make you or break you. It's very important that you hang around people of faith.
Get around people whose vision is greater than yours. Let them pull you up to their level. Fellowship with those who believe and practice in their own lives that all things are possible to him who believes.
4. Replay Your Previous Victories
I once heard another minister say, "Your life will always move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts". Whatever is most dominant in your thinking, that's the direction your life will go.
Your memories keep two files: One file is failures and one file is successes. One file is filled with unpleasant experiences and the other file is pleasant experiences. Your memory will recall whichever file you desire to look into most frequently.
If you're constantly thinking sickness and disease, poverty, lack and want, and "Nothing good ever happens to us," then that is the direction your life will go. Replaying past triumphs and past victories is a powerful way to keep your attention focused on your dream.
In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul said, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Go to that file in your memory where God has got you through time and time again. Realize that if He has done it once, He can do it again. Make a list right now of all the victories that God has brought to pass in your life. Then read them out loud every time Satan tries to tell you, "Impossible!"
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