In the ensuing months and years following this consultation with the industrial psychologist, our ministry went through an amazing turnaround. And, best of all, now I’m dreaming again. Not my dreams—I believe they’re the Lord’s dreams for me.
Taking a cue from my own experience, I think a large percentage of Christians have glass ceilings that need to be shattered. I suspect this is so because their faith appears to be suffocated. They function with less spiritual breathing room than they used to. Once they had dreams of what their lives could mean for God, but somewhere along the line those dreams died. How sad. Maybe you can identify with believers like that.
The problem is not something new to this generation. For example, Scripture tells us Gideon had a similar experience. When the angel of the Lord first appeared, he greeted Gideon with these positive words, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).
According to Judges 6:13, Gideon replied, “But sir … if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Gideon was referring to the oppression of the Jews by the Midianites. That’s why Gideon questioned, “Where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
Gideon wasn’t exactly in a dreaming mood, either. But, in the encounter that followed, some glass ceilings were broken right there near the winepress where he had been threshing wheat. And, when Gideon said in essence,“God, I want Your dreams for me to be my dreams as well,” it was a new and a wonderful day for Israel.
That’s what I want for myself and for you, that we dare to dream again. It’s never too late to dream God’s dreams for us. We can break through the barriers that hold us back and become-in this opportune time when God pours out His Spirit—those sons and daughters who prophesy, those older folks who dream dreams, and that younger generation which can still embrace visions (see Joel 2:28).
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
