Dreams and This Week's Challenge

I started doing a devotional by a well known speaker the other day, and I thought I’d write a little bit about that today. In their devotional, it was centered on one thing: “God gives all of us dreams.” God does give all of us dreams. He plants
desires in our hearts.

Using the Word of God, we need to be wrestling with God to find out what He is calling us to do. He is calling each of us to do something, because we have a greater purpose. Each circumstance has a greater purpose. It is not about where we are in the moment, but it is about looking forward to where we can be. There is a balance between contentment and ambition that we need to be striking here. We need to learn to enjoy the seasons we are placed in. Right now, life may be very difficult... This may not be a life-long season. We are constantly meeting new challenges and we have to keep our goal in front of us at all times. God has called us to something. What that something is----this is what we should be discovering. One thing I really want to learn is this.. I want to learn to live the dream despite the circumstances.

The concept itself is talking about God giving us dreams, but I think there is way more to the verse than simply God giving us dreams. It makes it look all happy and comfortable. But, what I got from the verse was something totally different.

Here is the verse in two different translation:

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (KJV)

Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled, but those who obey what they have been taught are happy (NCV). –Proverb 29:18

Notice the difference.
Big difference, isn’t it?

Instead of “the vision”, we see what the verse actually means. This is why I thoroughly enjoy using the Bible resources within my reach.. I love to use www.biblegateway.com and www.youversion.com which both use a number of different translations to help me grasp the verse.

Without God’s guidance or the Word of God as our guide, we become uncontrolled people with messy lives. The verse itself takes about how we need God’s Word and guidance in our lives. We cannot lead ourselves. Without God’s guidance, law and order disappear. In one translation, it states that the people run wild without His guidance. We see it all around us. When people do not follow God, chaos erupts!

I am going to connect the dots as I wrestle with “dreams” and “God’s guidance” as my study continues. When we read God’s Word does He give us guidance for our lives? Yes! Does His guidance turn into revealing what He is calling us to do? Absolutely.

Without God’s vision for our lives, we will “run wild” as one translation states. I do not know about you, but living a chaotic life does not exactly thrill me. I like a calm life with as little drama or stress as possible. According to Proverbs 29:18, I can only have this by following the guidance of God. God’s guidance can only be heard when I combine two things: Time in the Word (Bible) and spend time in prayer---talking with and listening to my Abba Father.

My Challenge..

I want to seek His guidance for my life more and more. My time in the Word and Prayer are not always what they seem. I stumble and fall. I neglect my time with my Lord Jesus, just like everyone else. I have a resolution or challenge for myself this week: I want to spend 15 minutes daily in the Word and praying about what I am reading. This does not sound like a lot to most of you. Maybe, some are thinking “that’s it!”.

I am in this for the long haul, and it is about forming habits that have an eternal value. I am hoping to blog daily about what I am reading, contemplating, and wrestling with in my quiet time, but it will just depend on a variety of things. I am hoping to write something about what I am learning even if it is a quick paragraph about each day.. And if I fail to do it, I will admit it. It is about having accountability.

I invite anyone who is willing to join me in my challenge, as I grow in God's Word and develop a more consistent prayer life. I firmly believe that committing to God's Word for 15 minutes a day and spending time to pray and wrestle with what we are being taught will grow us leaps and bounds.