The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2 audio video notes. When God gives us a dream, there will be many dark, devastating times – hate, pits, lies, and prisons. Do what Joseph did. Remain in your faith. God will bring us to our dream and throne.
THE POWER OF…
By Pastor Delbert Young
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential
When God gives us a dream, there will be many dark, devastating times – hate from people, pits, lies, and prisons. Do what Joseph did. Remain in your faith. God will bring us to our dream and throne.
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The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential
Scriptures: Genesis 39:2, Genesis 39:21, Genesis 40:2-3, Genesis 41:46-47, Genesis 42:6-9, Genesis 45:7-8
We are talking about The Power of Dreaming Until Your Dream Comes True. My dream has always been to retire in Florida where I could fish and enjoy my retirement and to give Judy her dream. Judy’s dream has always been to retire in Florida, but she wanted a condo on the beach where she could watch sunsets. I need you to understand something. This last year was a major year for Judy and me. Judy became very ill. It began with a cough. Then gall bladder surgery. The cough came back. They gave her medication. All the medications affected her kidneys, and she began to swell. She had kidney failure.
Judy was very sick.
She would cough uncontrollably. She would cough until she couldn’t breathe. At times she thought she was about to die. Standing would help some, but she was too weak to stand long, and to stand increased the swelling. I would hold her until the coughing eased. There were times she would ask me, “Am I going to die?” I would assure her I was not going to let her die. She’d say, “Do you promise me? I want to see my children. I want to see my grandchildren graduate. There is so much I want to do.” We’d both cry.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
We’d lay in bed at three a.m. talking about the condo we never got. Our children. Our church, and our grandchildren. We’d talk about our friends and how in such a short time everything can turn around. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced anything like this. Holding your spouse and telling them they are not going to die is a powerful, humbling moment I’d never experienced. It’s devastating. Imagine it’s 3 a.m. Your spouse is in your arms. You’re attempting to comfort. The spouse feels they could die in your arms or at any moment.
Judy’s dream has always been to retire in a condo at the beach. I had the ability, for the past several years, to provide this for her. This past year, I feared I’d failed. What if she didn’t get better? What if she had to go on dialysis and incapable of enjoying her retirement she’d waited for thirty years, and what if she could never enjoy the dream I’d promised, but failed to give her? This year, I did get it for her. She now has her dream condo on the beach.
A point is things will always come along trying to devastate your dream.
As we talked about last time, you need to keep your dream alive by keeping the coals stirred and fanned into flame.
(KJV) 2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou STIR UP the GIFT OF GOD…
(NIV) 2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to FAN INTO FLAME THE GIFT OF GOD…
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Your dream is a “gift of God.” It’s bigger than you are right now. It motivates you every day. It’s always in front of you. It gets you out of bed to do something meaningful with your life. It gives you passion and enthusiasm. And, let’s add your dream will help get you through your dark times and even help heal your body.
I told you last time three things we need to do to keep our dream stirred and fanned into flame: 1) Talk about it; 2) Pray pointed prayers seeing yourself living your dream. It will drive out doubt from your heart. 3) Step out in faith and do it. Though Judy was sick, she never gave up on her dream. She never stopped talking about her dream. She never stopped praying about her dream. Your dream has the power to get you through your darkest times and bring healing. These past weeks were our time to step out in faith and do our dream.
We all remember the story of Joseph.
Genesis 37:5 JOSEPH HAD A DREAM, and when he told it to his brothers, THEY HATED HIM all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
Notice they hated Joseph the most because of Joseph’s dream. In his dream, Joseph saw his brothers and himself binding sheaves of grain. Joseph’s sheaf rose up and stood. His brothers’ sheaves bowed to Joseph’s sheaf meaning they would bow to Joseph. No wonder they hated him because of this dream. One would think Joseph would learn there are some people with whom you don’t share your dreams, but when he had another dream, Joseph told his brothers and his father, Jacob. In this dream, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to Joseph.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Genesis 37:10-11 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father REBUKED HIM and said, “WHAT IS THIS DREAM YOU HAD? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Sometimes people very close to you can’t handle what God’s put inside you. They won’t be happy about your dream. They will be jealous, critical, or even hate you. We don’t want you to hate us or feel hurt by us because of our dream. We want you to be happy for us. Also, we should support one another’s dreams. Don’t block your dream because you’re jealous of someone living theirs. Be happy for them.
One day Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were keeping sheep.
Genesis 37:18-20 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “HERE COMES THAT DREAMER!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. THEN WE’LL SEE WHAT COMES OF HIS DREAMS.”
The reason they were going to kill him wasn’t because he was his father’s favorite, or because his father gave him a special coat of many colors. They were upset and going to kill Joseph because he had dreams for his life. Joseph dreamed of breaking out of the mold they put him in. People don’t like it when they put you in a mold, and you break out of it.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
When you decide there is something great inside you, everyone will not be happy with you. When you decide you will be debt-free, everyone will not be excited for you, and when you decide you are going to do something special with your life, people will hate you. Also when you have a dream, people will try to push it down. “Are you going to get married again? You’ve already tried it three times.” “Do you think you will get the promotion? You’re not qualified.” “Do you believe God’s going to heal you? God doesn’t heal today. He didn’t heal me.” You must remember people do not determine your destiny. God does. Your critics cannot stop your dream. Here’s a key. They may throw you into a pit and cause you grief.
They mean you harm, but God will take it and use it for your good and cause your dream to come true (Gen 50:20).
If you’re going to live your dream, you must make up your mind that nothing will distract you. Delays will come. Maybe sickness and critical people will come. People will hate you. Ask Jesus. When the enemy looks at you, he says, “Here comes that dreamer. Let’s kill it.” A person wanting to live out what God put inside is dangerous to the enemy. You are setting a new standard for your family. He will do everything he can to keep you from going to a higher level of living.
Joseph’s brothers didn’t kill Joseph. Instead, they threw him into a pit. Some Midianite merchants and slave traffickers came by and his brothers sold Joseph to them who took Joseph to Egypt selling him as a slave to an influential man named Potiphar (Gen 37:36). Obstacles, pits, delays, critical people, hateful people, sickness, etc. are not signs your dream is not valid. They are signs your dream is valid! Christy Booth said, “Our world is not falling apart. It’s falling in place.”
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Genesis 39:2 THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
Though thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold as a slave, and forced to serve an Egyptian master, the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph…” Really! Doesn’t sound like the Lord was with Joseph to me. My point is when you’re in the process of following your dream, it may sometimes seem the Lord has deserted you. He hasn’t. He will continue to prosper you. Do what Joseph did. Keep your faith. Keep a good attitude. Things can get worse before they get better.
You know the story. Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph. They sent Joseph to prison for something he didn’t do. Joseph spent years in prison. How sad. How unjust.
Genesis 39:21 THE LORD WAS WITH HIM; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.
What? Joseph is in prison, and the Bible says again, “The Lord was with him…” You could fool me. Joseph kept his attitude right. He served. He kept his faith. God blessed him in prison. Then one day…
Genesis 40:2-3 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
What a coincidence. They just happened to be assigned to Joseph. Joseph had no idea what God was doing. The cupbearer and the baker both had dreams the same night. Joseph interpreted the dreams for them. The cupbearer would be released from prison and restored to his former place. The baker would be executed and hung. It happened exactly as Joseph said. Joseph’s gifts and talents to interpret dreams given to him by God will play greatly in his dream coming true. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and get Joseph out of prison. However, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph.
Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams (Gen 41:1). He dreamed seven fat healthy cows came out of the river. Then seven scrawny cows came out of the river and devoured the fat cows. He also dreamed seeing seven full heads of grain on a stalk. Then seven scrawny dried-up heads of grain sprung up and devoured the full heads. No one could interpret his dreams, but the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about Joseph. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, had Joseph cleaned up, and brought before him.
Joseph not only interpreted the dreams, but he also gave Pharaoh the solution. The seven fat cows were seven plentiful years of abundance.
According to Joseph, the seven scrawny cows were seven years of devastating famine following the seven plentiful years. The seven full heads of grain and the seven dried-up heads represented the same showing God would surely do it. Joseph told Pharaoh he needed to put a wise man over the country, take a fifth part – 20% of everything during the seven years of abundance, and store it up making certain there was plenty for the devastating famine coming. Pharaoh said, “Humm! Who would this person be? How about you Joseph?” Joseph took the job and was over the land with only Pharaoh over Joseph. Joseph rode with Pharaoh in Pharaoh’s chariot. Pharaoh gave Joseph a beautiful priest’s daughter named Asenath to be his wife (Gen 41:45). Joseph’s dreams were coming true.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Genesis 41:46-47 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
Joseph was thrown into a pit when he was seventeen (Gen 37:2). It was thirteen years of devastating dark times of a pit, slavery, lies, and prison. Now Joseph is in the palace.
It all happened exactly as Joseph said. There were seven plentiful years followed by a devastating famine all over the land including where Joseph’s father and brothers were who ran out of food. Jacob, Joseph’s father, sent Joseph’s ten half-brothers to Egypt to find food.
Genesis 42:6-9 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, THE ONE WHO SOLD GRAIN TO ALL ITS PEOPLE. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, THEY BOWED DOWN TO HIM WITH THEIR FACES TO THE GROUND. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.” Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. THEN HE REMEMBERED HIS DREAMS…
It was a dramatic moment. What’s so powerful is how Joseph remembered his dreams. He didn’t remember the hate or the pit. He didn’t remember the hate or his brothers sold him as a slave, and he didn’t remember the lies of Potiphar’s wife. Also, he didn’t remember the prison. He didn’t remember the confusion and the lonely nights. He remembered his dreams. Joseph didn’t blame his brothers or Potiphar’s wife. Amazingly he realized everything was a part of God’s process. Later, when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he said,
Genesis 45:7-8 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “SO THEN, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Joseph realized it was all God’s process. When God gives us a dream, there will be many dark, devastating times – hate from people, pits, bondage, lies, and prisons. There will be confusing times when you feel abandoned by God and forgotten by people. There will be tears and many opportunities to become angry, bitter, and negative. Do what Joseph did. Remain in your faith. Stay close to God. Operate in your gifts and talents. God gave them to you to make your dreams come true. Keep your attitude right. Your world is not falling apart. It’s falling in place. Keep stirring and fanning your dream. Most importantly, remember your dreams. Your palace – your condo on the beach – will come.
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
The Power of Dreaming – Unlocking Your Full Potential 2
Other Related Sermons:
Dreaming Until Your Dream Comes True pt 1
DREAM sermon series video audio notes
Is Able To Save Your Souls Audio
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