Big Dream? Bigger God!
BEST YEAR EVER – Part 1
January 3,
2016 · Chris Goins
Proverbs
29:18 (KJV), Where there is no vision, the people
perish…
A
God-sized VISION / DREAM Does at Least Three Things:
Genesis
12:1-2 (NLT), The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your
relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation.
I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others…”
Genesis
12:7 (NLT), Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land
to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
- It will motivate you to invite others to join the ADVENTURE.
QUESTION: What are you dreaming about in 2016? What’s God’s vision for
your life, your marriage, your relationships, your fiances, your health, your
ministry?
The
“Promised Land” and What
A God-Sized
Vision or Dream Looks Like:
1. A God-sized vision starts where you are, not
where you think you ought to be.
Deuteronomy
1:20-21 (NLT), I said to you, ‘You have now reached
the hill country of the Amorites that the Lord our God is giving us. 21 Look!
He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid!
Don’t be discouraged!’
Deuteronomy 1:22 (NLT), “But you all came to
me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They
will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’”
Deuteronomy 1:23 (NLT), “This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from
each of your tribes.”
14 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Kicks off Today
January 3 – January 17
Early Morning Prayer
Monday – Friday, 6 am
Saturday, 9 am
2.
A God-sized vision is never just about you.
It’s always about the glory of God and the good of other people.
“It’s not about you… The
purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your
peace of mind, or even your happiness… If you want to know why God placed you
on this planet, you must begin with God.
You were born by His purpose and for His
purpose.” — Rick Warren
At least six times these words show up in the
book of Exodus, “Let my people go, so they can worship me…” (Exodus 7:16; 8:1; ; 8:20; 9:1; 9:13;
10:3).
According to Isaiah 63:14, God brought Israel
out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and led His people through the desert to “…make for Himself a glorious name.”
God judged ten unbelieving spies and an entire
generation because in failing to believe His promise and purpose, according to Numbers 14:23, though they were
eyewitnesses to the glory of God, “…they treated me with contempt.”
Max Lucado says that you can “…reduce the human job description down to
one phrase: REFLECT GOD’S GLORY.”
QUESTION: What if we began to live like that? What if we began to live for one reason, and
one reason alone – to bring God great glory? What if we made Psalm 115:1 the
rallying point for our lives?
Psalm
115:1 (NLT), Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but
to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love
and faithfulness.
3.
A God-sized vision will always point you
to your “WHY” in life. It will always point you to your PURPOSE.
John Maxwell says that answering the following three
questions that will point you in the direction of discovering your “WHY” – discovering your PURPOSE in life. (I highly recommend John Maxwell's book, Intentional Living for more info.)
Question #1: What makes you
CRY?
What breaks your heart?
What disturbs you? What moves you? What creates such a burden or heartache in
you that you are motivated to take action?
A God-ordained vision will often begin as a burden.
For instance, Nehemiah’s vision began as a
burden. As he began to pray about that burden, the burden became a vision and a
dream — a dream of rebuilt walls, and a restored and revived nation.
Paul’s vision began as a burden. A burden to preach
the gospel where it had never been preached.
What bothers you? What burdens you?
What makes you cry? What troubles you most? What keeps you up late at night?
What gets you up early in the morning?
· For William Wilberforce it was slavery.
· For Martin Luther King it was
injustice and equality when it came to African Americans.
· For Mother Teresa it was extreme
poverty and people dying without knowing they were loved.
· For Billy Graham it was people who
desperately need to hear the gospel.
The people
God has used to change this planet are people who looked at an issue or problem
and thought to themselves, “It doesn’t
have to be like this. We can eradicate slavary, bring justice to every human
being, serve the poor and minister the gospel.” A divine discontent moved
them to get involved in making a difference.
Question #2: What makes you
SING?
What makes you happy?
What puts a bounce in your step? What pumps you up? What gets you excited? What
gives you joy? What fuels your passion?
When you find something that resonates in you at
a deep level. When you find something that you would do for “free,” or even pay
to do it. You’ve started to get a hint as to your “why” in life.
I love the
way Fred Buechner describes finding
the “sweet
spot” of your calling and God’s dream for your life… He writes: “The
place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s
deep hunger meet.”
Question #3: What do you DREAM
about?
If you could accomplish
anything in the world to make a difference in the life of someone else, what
would it be?
If you could do anything
you wanted and knew you wouldn’t fail, what would you do?
If you could live out
your wildest dreams, what would that look like?
4.
A God-sized vision is always bigger
than you and will require significant risk(s). It will demand faith!
“From the outset, just about every God-ordained vision
appears to be impossible.” —
Andy Stanley
“Some people say, ‘God will never ask me to do something I
can’t do.’ I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I
sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it is
probably not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible
are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do,
because God wants to demonstrate His
nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. This is
the only way the world will come to know Him.” – Henry Blackaby
“It is a dangerous business to
arrive in eternity with possibilities which one himself has prevented from
becoming actualities. Possibility is a hint from God. A person must follow
it... If God does not want it, then let him hinder it; the person must not hinder
it himself. Trusting in God, I have ventured, but I have failed—there is peace and rest
and God’s confidence in that. I have not ventured—it is an utterly unhappy
thought, a torment for all eternity.”
“We delude ourselves into thinking that to refrain from venturing is
modesty, and that it must please God as humility. No, no! Not to venture means
to make a fool of God -- because all he is waiting for is that you go forth.” — Danish theologian, Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
14 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Join the Journey
For more information on fasting,
check out this link:
To hear the entire message, check out the podcast of a2 Church
located at a2church.org/podcast
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