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.

¹⁹Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. -John 5:19

Did you ever do something you wanted to do or go somewhere you wanted to go, or get something you wanted to get and you didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as you should have?

When it comes to writing my own story, I’m very specific about what I want, my goals, my bucket list, and what I need to do. However, I’ve found that without seeking God about what to do, all of my striving and accomplishing will be in vain. I’ve done things I thought were going to be awesome, when it my heart I knew I shouldn’t, and I ended up not enjoying an experience at all.

The Bible says that the Blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and HE adds no sorrow to it. In other words, God is the only one who can enable you to truly enjoy your life and your experiences. Jesus only did what God told  Him to do, and as a result – He did everything He was supposed to do on earth.

The Bible says God will give you the desires of your heart, if you delight in Him. So whether you’re setting goals, planning a vacation, making a career move, or whatever else may be on your heart this year, make sure you know it in your heart it’s something God wants you to do. Because if it’s not, you’re going to get a second-class experience.

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?