God has placed dreams in the hearts and minds of everyone, both believers and non-believers. The real question is whether you pursue it or not. The decisions you make determine your direction, your future. Making good decisions is essential. Decisions made “in the moment” or impulsively, tend to be based on feelings and are often unwise. It’s important to make decisions in advance so that when a situation arises, you know what you are going to do. You already decided that you will make the decision that promotes your dream…the God-honoring decision. You must persevere and be consistent in the pursuit of your dream. These are all things that you must do, but on the spiritual side, faith is essential. A dream from God absolutely requires faith. It will be bigger than what you can accomplish on your own, otherwise it wouldn’t require faith. You have a choice to make. You must decide to move forward.

Scriptures – Matthew 9:29; Mark 9:23; Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 3:20; James 1:6-8; Habakkuk 2:3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Psalm 27:13

Verses – “According to your faith, let it be done to you.” (Mt 9:29) But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. (Js 1:6-7)

Thought – 1) You must start runnin’ down your dream by investing your time, talent, money, maybe even your reputation. Trust God and go for it! 2) You must let go of security. You can’t move forward in faith if you are hanging onto a fail-safe, the past, or whatever. A trapeze artist must let go of one bar before he can grasp the next bar and swing to the other side. Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding onto. 3) Be prepared for delays. We hate to wait, but delays will happen. Noah waited 120 years to see rain after starting his ark project, and Joseph experienced slavery and imprisonment during his extensive delay toward the palace in Egypt. Waiting teaches you to trust God. Delays never destroy God’s purpose. How you handle the waiting room reveals your faith. 4) You will experience difficulty. Circumstances and critics will cross your path. You will have problems and obstacles. You may feel you are at a dead end. Don’t despair! You are in good company. When Moses and the Israelites reached the Red Sea, they were being pursued by the Egyptian army. With mountains on all sides and the sea in front of them, it seemed their journey was at an end. BUT God parted the waters and they crossed the sea on dry land. God performs miracles; He is the great provider of “a way of escape.” So, 5) have a positive expectation. God is your deliverer. He can do anything. Don’t freak out, don’t quit, hang on. God is faithful, good, and can bring your dream to completion.

Questions – What is your dream? How’s it going? Discuss the perseverance of Bible heroes like Noah, Moses, Joseph, David. What did they face in pursuit of their dream? What is the greatest difficulty you have faced in pursuing your dream? When have you felt you were at a dead end? Describe how God has been faithful in bringing you through difficulties? How has your faith grown through your journey?

Response – Write down your dream. Describe the ways in which you are pursuing it. Journal about your faith. Describe how it grown, changed, etc.

Prayer – Gracious God, be my strength. Guide my decisions and help me grow to trust you more and more each day as I pursue the dream you have given me. Help me be faithful to the path you have set before me, no matter what delays or difficulties happen. You are my redeemer and deliverer; in You I trust. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.