One of the things to love about God is that He doesn’t just deal in the present circumstances where there are limitations. He also talks to us and deals with us in the realm of possibility and imagination. We must recognize that the ability to imagine, envision, and dream are gifts from the Lord.
God does not deal with you just where you are now. God always wants to deal with you about where you are going. In our walk with God, our dreams and imagination play an important role in whether we succeed or fail in the individual and corporate call He has given us.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11
As we walk with God and our fellow believers, we will see what becomes of their God-ordained dreams. The Bible tells us that God speaks to us through our dreams. In Genesis 46:2, the Lord spoke to Israel through a “vision in the night.” But even if we have already been given a dream, we must understand that its fulfillment might not happen immediately. Instead, it never comes to pass without some testing.
If you have received a dream from God, if you have received a word and a direction from Him, you must sow the seeds to see its fulfillment. Just like in the parable,
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23). The seed must be tested. So if you want something, you would need to go through the process to be worthy of it.
This is true in the life of Joseph in the Bible. God put a dream in his heart, but its fulfillment came after many years of trials. He is one of the most significant examples of someone who lived his God-given destiny and purpose despite everything He went through.
One of the most incredible things about God is that He can do great things without our permission. He is sovereign, covering all aspects of our lives. When He gave Joseph his dream, it took root in the man’s spirit and gave him direction for his entire life (see Genesis 37).
A Season of Earthly Dominance
The word of the Lord that was given to us corporately and individually is that we need to get ready for a sudden season of harvest. God will bless us like we have never been blessed before, which is why we need to be prepared. The blessings that God will bring us are blessings of harvest. This will be our season of double. But the question is: Are we ready to receive all of these?
Before you receive the harvest, you have to see it. If you only see yourself as someone incapable, you might get stuck in that thinking. But when you have a God-given dream, that dream attaches itself to your spirit. It will cause you to see something from a divine perspective. You will begin to see things differently. In Joseph’s case, and perhaps in ours, the harvest is not always monetary. The harvest is the outcome of good seeds that will sow while reaping the benefit of the labor you put into your life. Harvest is the result of reaping the seeds that you have sown.
The law of God is whatever a man sows, He shall reap (Galatians 6:7). But when God puts His hand of blessing on it, it can go beyond the laws of productivity. Most people put their efforts in life into things that they will never bring a harvest. Sometimes they put their effort into empty things, pursuits, and relationships. But God is trying to get our attention so we may know that there is a harvest and it’s ready to be reaped now.
Do Not Grow Weary
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” –Galatians 6:9
Don’t settle for what you can see in the present. Ask the Lord to bring you His dreams. The sad truth is that many Christians miss their harvest. They do not understand that the harvest is something they have to reap. If you want a harvest, you do not sit around and wait for it to come to you. There is a need to take action. You sow the seed, and God multiplies it. The hardest work is not sowing the seed but reaping the harvest.
Like in Joseph’s life, the people around him became dismissive and even hateful towards his dreams. In this season, others might not understand your dream and your actions to obtain it. But you must know that you will be known for the dreams you have. There will be opposition. There will be trials. If these are God-given dreams, then even if others wouldn’t understand, they will realize God’s mighty move as it is being fulfilled. Dreams that are from the Lord cannot die.
The manifestation of your dreams might take a long time because its purpose is great. Your God-given dream might be the answer to someone’s problem. Just like in Joseph’s life, what the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good to save many lives (see Genesis 50:20).
What then will become of your dream? If God has showed it to you, remain faithful in following the directions He has laid out for you. Do not fix your eyes on the limitations and the opposition. Believe in your greatness because He is in you. He has given you authority to sow the seeds and to harvest it. God Himself will take care of the multiplication but we have to prepare our whole being to receive what He has in store for us this season.
Be ready to receive. Praise God for what He is doing now and for what is to come in harvest time!