Dream Big and Go For It

²⁰Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, dreams] -Ephesians 3:20

I recently heard about a pastor who read this verse and thought, God, you want to do things way beyond anything I can ever dare ask, think, pray for, hope for, or dream of. I want that to happen in my life. He said that God spoke to his heart, “Well, when are you going to start dreaming big ? You haven’t given me anything to work with. ” He said, now every time he wakes up he dreams of what could be done through his life, dreams of what he can do to reach people, nothing is off limits!

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”

I am convinced that God wants to do unbelievable things through our lives. God is looking for people who will dream big for Him. He wants to change the world through us. But in order for that to happen, we need to allow God to shape our dreams and to believe Him that ALL things are possible to him who believes.

One of my mentors told me a long time ago, “Bubs, dream big and go for it.” I’ll never forget that.

So dream big this year -  Dream of how you can impact people this year. Dream of what you can accomplish this year. Dream of who you want to meet and  where you want to go. When you dream of this year make sure you’re THINKING BIGGER than you ever have, TALKING BIGGER than you ever have, GIVING MORE than you ever have, and ENVISIONING MORE than you ever have. Give GOD something to work with.

Who Could You Become?

I read this story by Mark Twain recently and it blessed me:

A man died and met Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven.

Recognizing the saint’s knowledge and wisdom, he wanted to ask him a question.

“Saint Peter,” he said, “I’ve been interested in military history for many years. Tell me, who was the greatest general of all time?”

Peter quickly responded, “O, that is a simple question. It’s that man right over there.”

The man looked where Peter was pointing and answered, “You must be mistaken. I knew that man on earth and he was just a common laborer.”

“That’s right,” Peter remarked, “But he would have been the greatest general of all time-if he had been a general.”

-Mark Twain

You don’t get to do life over again. You get one shot. Make sure you’re doing what you love, what you’re passionate about, and what you’re gifted at. Once you find what that is, be the best you can possibly be and watch what God will do in your life!

Who could you become if you follow your passion?

How to be Miserable and Never Have any Great Opportunities

It is pleasant to see dreams come true,but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them. -Proverbs 13:19

I’ve been talking about gifts and how when developed they’ll open doors for you. Today I want to focus on why most people never get the opportunities they want in life. Here are a few reasons:

• Pursuing Money Instead Your Passion - I’d say this makes up 90% of America. College students graduate looking for the $ and pursue dreams that aren’t in their hearts. They pursue them until their 40 and realize they’ve wasted half their lives and they got the money and the money didn’t make them happy. Get good at what you’re passionate about and the money will come.

• Trying to Develop in Areas  that You’re Not Gifted In - If you asked 10 people if you were a gifted singer and 9 of the 10 said no, I don’t care how good you think you are and might become – give it up and find something that you love and that is obvious to others that you’re good at it.

• Being More Focused on Being Discovered Rather Than Being Developed - So many people will do anything to be discovered and are never willing to pay the price that it costs to be developed. Only people who are willing to be developed will be discovered. Leaders won’t waste their time on people who only want to be discovered. Get over yourself!

These are 3 big ways to become miserable and never have any great doors open for you… Can you think of any others?

Nothing is Impossible

Nothing is impossible with God. -Luke 1:37

Catalyst Takeaway #2 – Nothing is Impossible

“You’d be dishonoring God if you don’t live your life believing you could change the world.” -Nick Vujicic

After going to Catalyst, I really recognized that nothing is too big for God. He is bigger than I could ever imagine and He wants to do in and through me more than I could ever dare, ask, think, or imagine (Eph. 3:20). Here are some of my favorite takeaways and how they relate:

It’s not about ability – it’s about availability - we get so caught up in comparing ourselves with others that we aren’t available for God to use… stop focusing on other peoples gifts, and focus on the gifts God gave you.

The size of vision God will give me is directly related to the amount of pain and discomfort I’m willing to endure – Just because it’s possible with God, doesn’t mean it is going to be easy – “The road to success is uphill all the way.”

Leadership/Seeing Your Vision Come to Pass is as Easy as Listening to God - Literally…The answer to 1,001 questions is – BE LED! I like what Perry Noble said, “Listen to Jesus and When You’re ready – He’ll blow your freaking mind!”

If you haven’t had a sleepless night over vision, you haven’t had a vision from God - What keeps you up at night? What has God put in YOUR heart? If you haven’t found that yet — spend some time seeking God.

Great Question – What would you do for God if you knew you couldn’t fail? –> You’re a coward if you don’t. Scared? If you weren’t, God isn’t in it because you could  do it.

FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real - This helped me so much… reminded me of this post by Steven Furtick that changed my life. Why are we so afraid to step out?

“Don’t You Dare Give Up on a God Who’s Never Given Up On You!” – I think we all need to hear this on a daily basis. It’s always tempting to throw in the towel and quit, but we have a God who believes in us more than anyone else.

Book Review: Put Your Dream to the Test

John Maxwell has made such a huge impact on my life through his teachings and books. Personally, I try to devour as much of his stuff as I am able to. What I love about John’s books is that he can take complicated principles about leadership and life and put them into bite sized pieces that anyone could digest.

I’ve been looking forward to reading “Put Your Dream to the Test” for a long time. I’m 23 years old and still really figuring out my strengths, my weaknesses, and what dream I am going to pursue with my life.This book really helped me get some clarity on some issues I was wrestling with.

We live in a world where it’s easy to find people that have dreams, but it’s very difficult to find people who are actually living out their dreams. There are a lot of reasons people never start pursuing their dreams, give up on their dreams, or never see their dreams come to pass. John covers all of those in his book. So no matter where you are in your journey, if you’re questioning where you are when it comes to pursuing your dream or why you’re not making progress the way you should be, read this book!

John breaks down your dream into 10 questions that put your dream to the test. The more questions you can answer successfully, the more likely you’ll be to see your dream come to pass. The questions that really impacted me were:

1.) The Ownership Question - Is my Dream Really My Dream?

2.) The Clarity Question - Do I clearly see my dream?

3.) The Reality Question- Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?

4.) The Cost Question - Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?

This book is definitely worth the read! This should be a requirement for anyone who has a dream in their heart.It’s a quick and easy read, but filled with wisdom for your life. Get this book now!

Final Grade: A     Buy it Here