Month: August 2016

Yesterday, I told you about the dreams and their fulfilment of in the life of Joseph. Today I would like to share with you the dreams of a woman from Scotland. It was the spring of 2009. This woman came from a small town, had a somewhat quirky personality, would have been perceived as weighing on the heavy side and was 47 years old, but she had a dream.

She was asked one day what her dream was and she replied, “I want to be a professional singer!” Since she was the age she was when the question was asked, the person questioning her then replied, “Why hasn’t it worked out?” Her response, “I’ve never been given a chance before now.” The next question was, “Who would you like to be as successful as? Her response, “Elaine Paige.”

The questioner was Simon Cowell. The situation was “Britain’s Got Talent.” The woman with the dream was Susan Boyle. AND the rest is history! In that moment of opportunity, Susan’s dream blossomed into reality as the audience was transformed from skeptic to outrageous supporter. The song she sang, “I Dreamed A Dream” fit the situation perfectly.

Before the year was over Susan Boyle was on stage in front of a large audience singing a duet with Elaine Paige. This would be a good time to remember you are never too old to dream a dream and see it’s fulfilment in your life.

Just because Susan’s dream had been fulfilled, she did not stop dreaming. She dreamed a new dream. She wanted to sing for the Queen and that dream was fulfilled in July 2014 before a packed stadium of people.

If a middle aged woman from a small town in Scotland can realize her dream and become an internationally acclaimed professional singer, you can realize your dreams as well. You may not know the how, YET! Your chance and opportunity may not have opened up for you, YET! But if you will continue to keep your dream alive and take the next logical step towards it, the door will open up to you in the right time and the right way. Faith has a role to play in the process towards the achievement of your dream.

Remember the words of Jesus as recorded by the Matthew in his Gospel, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. {22} If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:21-22).

Never stop dreaming! Never stop setting new goals to be achieved towards your dream! Live life to your full potential. It is in such a process you will find the greatest joy and happiness.

I just got back from experiencing the blessings, joy and powerful energy of the Global Information Network’s Dream Weekend training event. Brian Tracy spoke at a special leader’s training session on the Friday morning and then gave a three hour Keynote address on the Saturday morning. Your dreams and goals, how important are they to you?

There was a young man who had a dream of being a person of importance and influence when he was older. You can find out about his dream in Genesis 37:5-11, “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. {6} He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: {7} 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.’ {8} His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. {9} Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ {10} When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’ {11} His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.”

It was not long until the jealousy of his brothers led them to sell Joseph into Egyptian slavery. Something to consider: be careful who you tell your dreams to, because most people would rather, knock you down and steal your dreams than encourage you to live up to your full potential.

Joseph rose to prominence under his slave master only to be wrongly accused and thrown in prison. It was not long until he was in charge of the prisoners while he was a prisoner. Most people would have given up on their dream under the circumstances Joseph experienced, but he did not. He believed he had a destiny to fulfil. He did not know the how, he just knew it would be. How committed are you to your dream? Are you still moving towards it or has it become covered in dust and just a thought from the distant past?

Joseph carried on day after day persistently through what many would have believed to be repeated failure and disappointment. There came a day when circumstances and situations arose which culminated in this report. Genesis 41:41-44, “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ {42} Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. {43} He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, ‘Make way!’ Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. {44} Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.’”

Joseph’s dream became a reality. He was a person of great power and influence in the most powerful nation in the world at that time. There is a statement which is declared often in the Global information Network that is important. It goes like this, “If you can do it, I can to!”

Joseph had a dream and despite incredible obstacles, his commitment and persistence to that dream brought it into reality. Whatever your situation, whatever your dream, do not give up. If Joseph can do it, so can you! Live your life to its full potential.

The prophet Hosea makes some interesting comments in the fourth chapter of the book named after him that we should consider. He writes the Word of God to a people who have abandoned their relationship with Him. In verse 6 God says, “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” What is it they do not know? For one thing, they have lost their ability to understand the implications of reaping what you sow. They do not grasp the importance of being responsible for their actions.

How did they get into such a situation? Verses 10 and 11 tells us, “because they have deserted the LORD to give themselves to prostitution, {11} to old wine and new, which take away the understanding of my people.” They had changed their focus away from their relationship with God and centred it on a lifestyle which was hedonistic in nature. It is interesting to note the very things they thought would bring pleasure were the things which took away their abilities to understand what was really happening. They had become blind to the situation not knowing that they did not know.

There is a consequence when a society reaches such a place. Verse 14 says, a people without understanding will come to ruin!” This pattern has repeated itself down through history over and over again and it will do so in our period of history unless there is a turn around soon. It would be a good thing for increasing numbers of people to wake up, open their eyes to what is happening and take immediate action to turn their focus in the right direction.

John Newton, captain of a slave ship turned minister in 1779 wrote the poem which became the words to the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” In it Newton expressed his own heartfelt transformation. He wrote:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

People can change their vibrational frequency. It is possible to go from not knowing what you don’t know, to knowing you don’t know it, and then to becoming consciously competent at knowing something. Persistence and focussed attention at the conscious competent level can bring something to the level of conscious competence. When we make the choice to engage in this journey, we open ourselves to the possibility of preventing the situation identified in verse 6, “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” From my perspective, that would be a good thing. What do you think?

You have met people who are stuck in the past. Some event took place and now everything they experience in the present is influenced by that past event. They love to tell their story about how they were a victim back then and in fact continue to be a victim. The event, the experience, the person, whatever it was, continues to hold power over them and they do not understand this, because they are the victim.

Until such a person is willing to claim 100% responsibility for their lives, they will continue to reap the results of being a victim. I would suggest you not provide a platform for their continued victim state. You are not doing them or yourself a favour. Tough love is never easy, but it may be necessary to bring about the change someone needs. Remember, if you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always got.

No one will ever rise to their full potential if they live in a continual victim state. Rather than sympathizing with a victim allowing them to wallow in self pity, become an example of how becoming a co-creator of your destiny with God becomes a joyous journey of discovery and blessing moving to an ever brighter future. Let the demonstration of such a life be the influence to bring change to their life.

There is an interesting illustration of the principle, who do you listen to, found in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 10. King Solomon had died and his son Rehoboam had become king. The ten tribes of Israel sent representatives to Rehoboam looking for some tax relief. The king consulted the elders who had ruled under his father and they advised him to grant their request. He then consulted his peers and they said, be even more harsh than your father. Rehoboam listen to his peers resulting in the ten tribes of Israel rebelling and the Kingdom being split up.

Choosing who to listen to is a very important principle in life, because your choices will impact your future. What do you want? What do you really want? In terms of who you select to be your mentor to that goal, has this individual been where you are? Is this person now where you want to be? These questions would be a good place to start. This would have been a good procedure for Rehoboam to have followed. I am sure it was never his intention to see the Kingdom divided, and had he been focussed on a united, and flourishing Kingdom as his goal, he would have likely chosen differently.

Rehoboam had the opportunity to receive the training found in the Book of Proverbs, written by his father, but he chose not to follow it. We have the same opportunity. Are we willing to take the training and guidance of God’s Word and say, “this is who I will listen to?” Do you believe the Creator of all knows what is best?

I personally would prefer to have the instructions from the creator of something rather than second hand from someone who thinks they have a better idea. How about you?

Developing discernment into the intentions of the source of your information is an important part of the, who do you listen to process. This is how you can become more certain of the reliability of what your “gut” is telling you.

To live to your full potential you will need dependable mentors who lead with integrity and have your best interest in mind.