Dreamers

At the end of last year, the Lord began to speak to me about 2007. He told me He was releasing the dreamers again and that He was releasing a “Why Not” anointing on people. Over the next few months I began to receive a simple yet profound revelation on the dreamers being released again. In the midst of that, I had a dream where I was preaching to people, reaching inside of them, and uncapping the wells of dreams. I was activating in them the ability to dream. Let me explain what I have been seeing.

The Bible says you must become like a child in order to enter into the Kingdom. Have you ever asked a child what they want to be when they grow up? They say crazy things like, “I want to be an astronaut!” As adults, we smile and say, “Honey, you can be anything you want to be.” But really, deep inside, we don’t always believe that. Why? Because we understand “reality” as adults. We’ve lived long enough to know about statistics and odds. We understand there are 300 million people in America and maybe only five of them actually become astronauts that go to space. We don’t crush their young dreams by letting them in on our vast experience and wealth of knowledge of the “real world” but we know all about reality.

Here’s the crazy thing. God doesn’t live in reality! He is not confined by odds and statistics. Our Father isn’t intimidated by dreams that seem impossible. He’s the God of the possible and He invites us into this realm with Him. He says wild things like, “All things are possible to those who believe.” He tells us in other places that He can go “abundantly exceedingly beyond” anything we can even imagine. That encompasses our childlike dreams. As I travel around, I’m asking people, “What’s on your heart? What are your dreams?” Do you even allow yourself to dream? So many people don’t even now what is in their heart. They don’t have impossible dreams. They live safe, possible lives.Too many people, because they have encountered reality, don’t allow themselves to dream. They don’t want to get their hopes up or they don’t want to be disappointed so they don’t think about how God could use them in impossible ways. When the Lord says He can go above and beyond anything we can imagine, He is inviting us into a realm where dreams come true. I believe the Holy Spirit is beginning to uncap the ability to dream in the lives of people. If you want to write a book that changes the face of the Church, why not! If you want to be a Senator, why not! If you want to own a business that makes millions of dollars so you can start orphanages around the world, why not! Perhaps it’s on your heart to start unwed mother’s houses around the nation. Maybe you want to write a screenplay that will impact millions of viewers. I say, “Go for it!” I don’t know of one good reason why God couldn’t use you like that.

Remember, God doesn’t live in our reality. He loves to use the foolish things to confound the wise. One thing you must understand is timing. So many people have stopped dreaming because they have not understood the timing of the Lord. If you are going to be a dreamer you have to be okay with His timing. It may not happen overnight. It might not happen for years. But I would rather die dreaming then live with no dream in my heart. I have dreams in my heart. I believe many of them will come about. Perhaps not for twenty or more years, but I believe they will happen. Even if they don’t happen, I am committed to handing my dreams off to someone else. This is the beautiful thing about the generations linking. As a father, I get to pass on dreams I’ve carried for years to my sons and daughters. I get to guard the dreams in my heart and give them, alive and well, to those coming after me. This is the story of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah had a dream of Jezebel being dethroned in the land. But he never saw it. When he was taken to heaven, Jezebel was still alive. It was his spiritual son, Elisha, who saw the demise of Jezebel. It was Elisha who carried on the dream of Elijah.

Don’t allow disappointment or the fear of failure stop you from pursuing your dreams. I would encourage you to be someone who not only dreams but does something about it. Don’t sit back and wait for life to happen to you. If you want to write a book, start writing. If writing is hard for you, take a writing class at your local college. One thing I’ve been realizing is the difference between those who do things and those who don’t do things is the people who do things do things. Isn’t that profound! Cindy Jacobs was with us this summer and shared a fantastic story of the writing of her first book. She had finished her first book on intercession as a mother of young children. After she had finished it, a woman came up to her and said, “I could have written that book, I knew everything in the book.” Cindy’s response was priceless. "You didn’t though, I did."

As I write this, I realize there are other elements involved in the process of dreaming. You need to dream in community. You need to be under covering. You need to have good character. You need to love the Presence of God above all else. You need to understand the timing of God. Have all of that in place and then go for it! 2007 is a year for the dreamers. It’s a year where the Holy Spirit is going to awaken in you things you’ve long forgotten about or were afraid to pursue. You don’t have to live in “reality” because your Father doesn’t. Dream and go for it.