Philippians 3:13
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
Are you just surviving or do you still have a dream? I have found that sometimes the struggles of everyday life can weigh us down so much that our dreams get lost along the way and we wake up one day and realize that all we are doing is surviving. That isn’t what God has planned for any of us, He has plans, great plans for us sometimes we just need to be reminded of what those are.
What are your dreams? Is there a dream that has weighed heavy on your heart for years that you have set aside because you don’t think it will ever come to pass or have you totally lost what that dream was? It is difficult to press on toward what God has called you to if you have lost track of what that is. I truly believe that one of Satan’s best tools is to get us so caught up in the everyday struggles that we no longer dream of what is to come, we find ourselves bouncing from one thing to the next, never really focused on the dream God has given us. If we can just survive today and pay our bills that is enough. How does that lifestyle benefit the kingdom? A life without a dream is depressing and void of direction so it is time to figure it out! Passion is driven by having a dream, without a vision of where you are headed or a dream to motivate, you where are you going?
Living life without a dream is like being on a boat that is just being moved about and directed by the waves and currents. Without a destination in mind and no one navigating it, the boat gets beat up by every storm that comes along and there’s no real hope for the voyage because no one really knows where the boat is supposed to dock anyhow. Hopelessness can take over easily if we don’t get a clear vision of what we are called to do. We need to pray for God’s direction and if we aren’t sure what His vision for our life is we need to find it by praying and seeking Him on a daily basis and it may even take sitting down with your pastor or some other godly person in your life and leveling with them and saying, “I have no idea what I am called to do at this point in my life, I need help in finding that direction.” God does have a plan for you even if it doesn’t seem evident right now and it is a great plan, try not to allow where you are right now affect your attitude about your future. Nothing good will come from getting negative about it now.
Pray for God to give you a vision for what His dreams are for your life so you can develop the passion to persevere any storms that may come your way because you are so focused on your destination. God never meant for any of us to just wander along just surviving, so let’s all pray for each other today that God will reveal to each person reading this today what His perfect will is and that He will give us victory over any discouragement that we may be dealing with today so we can have victory like never before. Pray for the passion that is needed to accomplish great things for Him! I pray that we all rise up with a fresh new passion for what we are all called to in His name!
Quote:
“When your goals are clearly defined and intelligently set, you have, in essence, taken a major step toward programming your left brain. That frees your right brain to be it’s creative best.” Zig Ziglar
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Yahweh’s Divine Blessings upon you and yours always, Janet. I appreciate the metaphor above about a boat and drifting along without a vision. I have often prayed for revelation about my purpose and calling, but not what His vision is for my life, so this post is helpful. However, I also struggle with motivation to serve and follow Him, especially while physically weary (I work in manual labor position) or in the midst of trials because I have no idea what life in eternity will be like with Him. The whole ” streets of gold” and other descriptions about Heaven and the New Jerusalem I often hear are so elusive, intangible, and hard to believe, when compared to the limited but more familiar human experience of pleasure on earth (i.e. time spent with loved ones or in places we love). I know we can’t know everything about our life in eternity with Him, but I think I am more susceptible to disappointment because I have asked Him for details about what I can look forward to in the afterlife with Him, and what my gifts are there (i.e.am I playing instruments for the Father or just dancing or both as I worship Him?) but, I still am very unsure….Thanks for any clarification or prayer points I can bring to Him about the future to help me remain steadfast in the present.
Thank you so much for your encouragement Michelle! God doesn’t always expect great “acts” of service, He knows the burdens you bear and the physical weariness. Just be a godly example at work, let others see Him in you, that is still serving Him. Start there. As far as Heaven is concerned, I think sometimes we imagine this beautiful place, like you said, “streets of gold”, etc., and we imagine that somehow we will all be like zombies, doing nothing but repeating lines of praise and that somehow it will be a “boring” existence, but there will be so much to do! Yes, I believe we will praise God with every fiber of our being for all eternity, but I also believe we will do the greatest service for Him that we can ever do. He will have appointed things for us to do and it will be a glorious existence! We don’t get the full picture here of how wonderful it will be, or we may get over anxious to get there! God loves beauty and He loves peace, He is a fun God with a great sense of humor and He enjoys life and He wants us to enjoy it with Him for all eternity, so hold on to your hat and serve Him where you are while you are here, but get excited because His best is truly yet to come! I know there’s a lot of controversy about this book, but you may want to read, “Heaven is For Real”, sometimes a child’s perspective is the best for us to learn from. God Bless,
Janet Scott