About a month ago I shared Dreams vs God where I talked about my wrestle with acknowledging the dreams God had given to me. I wanted to share some of the steps that helped me to actually get started. Enjoy x
Who said that it cannot be done?
Who said that you cannot be X,Y, Z?
Noone really.
Sometimes it doesn’t even take the voice of another to dampen your flare, there is just a felt reality that somehow, it just can’t be done.
There are some desires that God puts onto your heart that you have absolutely no idea how they will materialise. They seem to you so impossible that you conclude that they are.
Your friends and family all think that it makes sense when you finally muster up the courage to tell them; but something in you just can’t move forwards to living out of the things that you feel so tangibly.
What can you even do in those situations?
It feels like a struggle between the life that is realistic and possible, and the unrealistic, impossible, but much more aligned life that you desire more than you want to admit.
What do you do?
Here are 3 things that worked for me, and could possibly work for you.
Things that I did that steadied me, propelled me, and focused me.
1. Acknowledge the fear
It is always fear that holds us back from that first step. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of potential, fear of wasted potential. Fear of lack, fear of change, fear of the unknown.
We make excuses ‘maybe next year’, ‘maybe when I have more financial security’, ‘maybe when I am older’.
We avoid the root of the pause and delay and cover it up with excuses that do nothing but eat away at your precious and limited time.
So stand up, be brave and say out loud ‘Lord I am scared.’
‘Scared of many more things that I care to admit. I am scared to disappoint you, to disappoint me. I am scared, and I need your help.’
God’s words to the fearful are kind, direct, and full of courage.
To Gideon it was ‘Go in the strength you have…. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14
To the shepherds in the field it was ‘Do not be afraid, I bring you great news’ Luke 2:10
To Joshua it was ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ Exodus 14:14
In the Bible the phrase ‘Do not be afraid’ has been counted to have been said a grand total of 356 times. One time for every day of the year!
The powerful thing about acknowledging fear is the act of standing up to the real culprit of your procrastination, delay, and wrestling. It’s like standing face to face with the enemy who has been pulling the strings in the background, staring him straight in the eyeballs and saying ‘I see you’.
But my favourite thing about this step is the beautiful and powerful weapon of warfare that we get to wield.
‘Perfect love’
‘For perfect love drives out fear’ 1 John 4:18
We do not fight fear with courage alone, but courage that is rooted in perfect love. The perfect love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
When I am scared my prayer is ‘Lord fill me with your perfect love that drives out all fear’.
What is there to fear, when the God of the universe loves us so perfectly. No failure, no disappointment can turn him away. There is no lack, no need, no limitation that He will not lovingly provide for.
So stand, acknowledge fear, run no more, and be filled with His powerful and perfect love.
2. Surrender it all
We really think that everything is dependent on us don’t we?
I laugh because we are so convinced that it is, but I think we will be surprised when we realise just how little God requires of us. He doesn’t need your skill or your qualifications, but he does need your whole life.
This is the funny thing, it is like nothing and everything all at once.
God does not require my skill or abilities (though he definitely will use them, only they don’t qualify us), but he does require your whole life surrendered.
Taking this step in the process is like taking the step off the cliff when bungee jumping, or the moment you lean back and trust the rope as you abseil down the rock face.
You are not doing much but you are giving everything to it.
It is the moment in which we show our stance on whether this dream is ours or God’s. Whether this life is our’s or God’s.
Different people will make different decisions at this point. Some will be shocked at the difficulty of surrender; and so will choose not to. Others will let go at first, and then scramble to regain control, clutching tight to what they believe they would be best suited to manage. Others still will set their eyes on things above, where Christ is seated, and remember that He is our great reward.
This bit is really the decision of whether you want your dream to be fulfilled by yourself (which can be in some cases possible) or in partnership with God (which will always mean that the dream will be bigger and more beautiful than you can imagine).
This world is full of people who have heard a promise from God but could not take this step of surrender and instead birthed ‘Ishmael’1
For me it wasn’t a one time surrender of my desires and dreams, but a continual surrender over years up to this very day, and probably long beyond the date in which this post goes online.
For me, I will take a partnership with God anyday, but that has been a choice that I have had to make over and over and over again. Always reminding myself that my life is no longer my own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) but I have been bought with a price, resurrected and now alive in Christ (Colossians 3). I want what He wants, and if these dreams and desires are His, He will give them back to me, just as He did when He provided for Abraham’s sacrifice.2
The surrender is hard, but we do not surrender to a cruel, harsh God, but to a loving Father who always has the best plans and purposes for us.
3. Start moving
If/when God puts that dream firmly back into your hands, it is time to get moving!
Me, like everyone, often wishes that overnight my ideas will become manifest realities that are both honed and refined as well as successful.
It is in human nature to want things fast, to want shortcuts, and miraculous outcomes. And I am in no means saying that God can’t work an overnight miracle BUT more often than not it is a day by day, bit by bit, journey of compounding effort, commitment, consistency and grace that takes us to where we and God desire us to be.
So what is your game plan?
What is your posture of work and prayer in this season for these dreams?
What are the rhythms, patterns, structure you need to help you keep moving forwards?
Here are some questions you can use to help you start moving:
What can I realistically commit to in this season of my life?
Be deadly real with yourself, there is really no point starting with something you are going to fail at.
How much time can I give to this a week?
What rhythm is sustainable and realistic for you right now with everything else that you have going on?
How can I take a measure of my progress?
Are you visual, are you audio, are you kinesthetic? What is be a good way to record your progress that is meaningful to you? Ideas: a calendar, voice notes, tick boxes or post-sticks.
How do I sequence my work with prayer?
This is a safeguarding measure that will ensure that we don’t accidentally begin to snatch back at the dreams we have surrendered. Ask yourself, how can prayer be incorporated into the way you work? Ideas: prayer before you start, prayer at the end, pray specifically about your dreams during your already allocated time.
Who would be a good encouragement for me to share my dreams and plans with?
We all need our cheerleaders, who can you tell about your dreams and your plans to move forwards with those dreams? Could they check in regularly with you on how you are doing? Could you find a way to update them about your progress and make sure you remain faithful with your dreams? Accountability is good!
I hope this post has helped you to find which step you may be in, and given you some tools to take the next step!
As always it is a privilege to grace your inboxes and screens!
Until next time
Love, Anna x
God had promised Abram that he would be the Father is a great nation, but he did not have any children. Instead of trusting God to fulfil his promise Abram and Sarai decided to find their own way, they took Sarai's servant and attempted to birth an heir through her. And so Ishmael was born, not the son of the promise but an attempt of man to do it themselves. Genesis 16
Genesis 22
“You are not doing much but you are giving everything to it” so powerful