Today, I want to talk to you about dreams. How often do you sit and dream? I do it all the time. I day dream about all kinds of situations in my life. I have visions of what a right relationship would look like and see myself there. I think dreaming is something important that we have missed in our lives. I was in church on Sunday and heard this message. Then I went back to a totally different church and heard the same message about vision and dreams on Sunday night. Do you think God was trying to tell me something? In the last couple of weeks I have had two very strong revelations from the bible about dreams. So here we go.
We all have dreams. As I have said before, when I was in high school, I dreamed of going to Annapolis and then on to fly F-14s for the US Navy. Well that one didn't come to pass but that's OK. Top Gun is still one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the end because Tom Cruise overcomes tragedy and saves the day. It's my kind of movie.
I also dreamed about going to law school one day and becoming Perry Mason. I was going to argue cases and be the greatest lawyer ever to walk the planet. Well that partly happened. I did graduate law school and technically I am a lawyer but I don't practice much. If you have ever had me as your lawyer, you know I am no Perry Mason. ;) But I am happy with me and I am glad I went to school. When I told people about my dream some of them said I would never make it. Some said it to my face and some said it behind my back but that's OK. That dream was working inside me and guess what, I made it.
Now here is a dream that I am going to share with you that I have never made public. Only a few people know about this one but I want to share it with you now. For years I dreamed of being the President of the United States. I could see myself in the Oval Office. I could see myself making right decisions and governing wisely. I read scriptures about how when the righteous rule the people rejoice. Many people say they wouldn't want the job but I wanted to be the go to guy. I wanted to see if I had what it took. If you come into my office you will find many books about presidents, the white house and being president. It was definitely one of my long term goals. Today, I don't really want to be President anymore. Why you ask, because it isn't my calling. I am beginning to wake up to what the Lord has called me to do and I know that isn't it.
So what I have been doing the last couple of days is working on my dreams. I am writing them down and beginning to think about them. Many studies show that when we write down our dreams and think about them regularly, this process acts like a magnet drawing us closer and closer to our dreams and goals. That's pretty cool stuff huh.
See, I think it is important to dream big. When I dreamed about losing weight, I would see myself skinny. I would see myself doing all kinds of things. One thing that really embarrassed me about being big was I couldn't water ski which was big with my family. But I would see myself being skinny and attractive. I started confessing everyday that I weighed 205 pounds. I did this for over a year without dropping a single pound but that dream was resonating inside my spirit every day. That dream was working inside me and pointing me the right direction. Then one day, that dream popped in my spirit and the transformation began. But guess what, I didn't stop at 205. I went all the way down to 185. See when we dare to dream and then keep those dreams in front of us, amazing things can happen.
Now let me tie this to a place you may not really understand. God. Guess what, he has dreams. He has dreams about you. The bible says that He has plans for you. Plans for your good. It says in another place that he knew you before the foundation of the world. Since before the world was founded he was dreaming about you. That's pretty far out there stuff huh.
Well I want you to get a picture of this. Think for a minute about that perfect guy or that perfect girl or maybe a car, etc. Picture him/her/it in your mind. Think for a second about whatever your goal is. See yourself in a right relationship (See the Box). See yourself succeeding. How does that feel? Does it touch a nerve in the core of your being? Does it release a warm feeling inside you? This might blow your mind but the Lord sits around dreaming of you the same way. He pictures you in his mind successful. He pictures you in his mind with the right person. He sees you enjoying yourself and it brings great pleasure to His soul. He gets excited about His dreams for your life. He has a good life planned for you. He sees you and He spending time together doing things that you love.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A Minion's Hope
Today I want to talk to you about hope. I belive the single most devistating thing that can happen in your life is to loose hope. Hope is one of the most important parts of our lives but how often do we hear someone say, "Don't get your hopes up." That is one the of the dumbest things I have ever heard. I want you to get your hope sky high. OK, I can immediately hear people saying, "He has flipped out. I hoped that this would happen or that would happen and it didn't. When I hoped for that situation to work out in my life and it didn't, that hurt me deeply and I would have been better of not to have gotten my hopes up at all."
Let me say, I certainly understand your point. I have done the same thing. I got my hopes up that a certain area of my life would change and it didn't. A few months ago, I got my hopes up about a certain relationship and that didn't work. I used to get my hopes up all the time that I could go on a diet and loose weight. I used to get my hopes up that I would be in a great relationship with a woman and that didn't work. Even recently, I got my hopes up about a situation that didn't work out like I wanted. So I should have just let it go. I should have not hoped at all. Think about it. Wouldn't it have been better if I hadn't hoped. If I had just expected failure. That way I wouldn't have felt the disappointment and in some cases pain of the failure. I can see what you mean by your question above. Maybe you were even right.
Well, not so fast. The critical question about hope is in what or where do I place it? If I place my hope in you that you will do something or you place your hope in me that I will do something, at some point we will both be disappointed. Why? Because we aren't perfect. Also, sometimes we put our hope in a person who isn't capable of doing what we want anyway. Think of it this way, if you put your hope in me that I will be able to dunk a basketball. I can 100% gaurantee you that you will be disappointed. I am 5'7" tall and my verticle jump won't get me there. That's not really important in the grand scheme of life but what if you put your hope in a friend or relationship to make you happy?
What if you looked to a girl or guy as the thing that was going to make you happy in life? That other person is going to make a mistake somewhere and disappoint you. It will probably hurt when they do. See, they weren't made perfect so they are not capable of being perfect. Everyone is going to make mistakes and when the mistake involves you, it is going to hurt. "OK," you say, "if you want me to have hope and hope is so critical to my life, who or what do I put my hope in?"
Some of you who read this are ahead of me and know exactly where I am going. That makes me smile. I will tell you where I put my hope. I put my hope in God. He isn't just a train ticket to Heaven. He is what keeps me going here. I know that he cannot fail. If I put my trust in him, there is no area we cannot conquer. I desire with all my heart to have a godly mate. I want a woman I can cherish, protect, care for, and grow with. I want one that I can talk to. You know my personal feelings from reading the Box. So when I get around someone who I think is a good candidate, do I put my hope in her that she will be what I am seeking? Nope, I put my trust in God. He said He would provide all my needs so I put my hope in Him that He will provide what I need. I don't hope in the woman, I hope in God. When I do this, there is such great peace because no matter what comes up, my hope is in God. If I have a good night or bad, it doesn't matter because my hope stays where it belongs. Guess what, as I have done this, I have seen deliverance and help from God in every area where I put this to work.
Recently on Facebook there was a person who stated that they were Wiccan (sp?). My response was, Why? I certainly respect their right to be Wiccan. That wasn't really what I was asking. Then someone else posted that this person was Wiccan because they chose their religion just like I did. Well I appreciate their response as I do believe they were honestly trying to help me out but what I wanted to know is why did you chose to be Wiccan? I can tell you why I choose to be a Christian. It's because God still helps me everyday. It's because when I call on Him, He answers. It's because when things seem like they are coming apart, I can go to Him and He makes me to be at peace even though it looks like I am in deep trouble. When I place my hope in Him, it centers and grounds me. All of the sudden, my world turns right side up and things look good again.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion
Let me say, I certainly understand your point. I have done the same thing. I got my hopes up that a certain area of my life would change and it didn't. A few months ago, I got my hopes up about a certain relationship and that didn't work. I used to get my hopes up all the time that I could go on a diet and loose weight. I used to get my hopes up that I would be in a great relationship with a woman and that didn't work. Even recently, I got my hopes up about a situation that didn't work out like I wanted. So I should have just let it go. I should have not hoped at all. Think about it. Wouldn't it have been better if I hadn't hoped. If I had just expected failure. That way I wouldn't have felt the disappointment and in some cases pain of the failure. I can see what you mean by your question above. Maybe you were even right.
Well, not so fast. The critical question about hope is in what or where do I place it? If I place my hope in you that you will do something or you place your hope in me that I will do something, at some point we will both be disappointed. Why? Because we aren't perfect. Also, sometimes we put our hope in a person who isn't capable of doing what we want anyway. Think of it this way, if you put your hope in me that I will be able to dunk a basketball. I can 100% gaurantee you that you will be disappointed. I am 5'7" tall and my verticle jump won't get me there. That's not really important in the grand scheme of life but what if you put your hope in a friend or relationship to make you happy?
What if you looked to a girl or guy as the thing that was going to make you happy in life? That other person is going to make a mistake somewhere and disappoint you. It will probably hurt when they do. See, they weren't made perfect so they are not capable of being perfect. Everyone is going to make mistakes and when the mistake involves you, it is going to hurt. "OK," you say, "if you want me to have hope and hope is so critical to my life, who or what do I put my hope in?"
Some of you who read this are ahead of me and know exactly where I am going. That makes me smile. I will tell you where I put my hope. I put my hope in God. He isn't just a train ticket to Heaven. He is what keeps me going here. I know that he cannot fail. If I put my trust in him, there is no area we cannot conquer. I desire with all my heart to have a godly mate. I want a woman I can cherish, protect, care for, and grow with. I want one that I can talk to. You know my personal feelings from reading the Box. So when I get around someone who I think is a good candidate, do I put my hope in her that she will be what I am seeking? Nope, I put my trust in God. He said He would provide all my needs so I put my hope in Him that He will provide what I need. I don't hope in the woman, I hope in God. When I do this, there is such great peace because no matter what comes up, my hope is in God. If I have a good night or bad, it doesn't matter because my hope stays where it belongs. Guess what, as I have done this, I have seen deliverance and help from God in every area where I put this to work.
Recently on Facebook there was a person who stated that they were Wiccan (sp?). My response was, Why? I certainly respect their right to be Wiccan. That wasn't really what I was asking. Then someone else posted that this person was Wiccan because they chose their religion just like I did. Well I appreciate their response as I do believe they were honestly trying to help me out but what I wanted to know is why did you chose to be Wiccan? I can tell you why I choose to be a Christian. It's because God still helps me everyday. It's because when I call on Him, He answers. It's because when things seem like they are coming apart, I can go to Him and He makes me to be at peace even though it looks like I am in deep trouble. When I place my hope in Him, it centers and grounds me. All of the sudden, my world turns right side up and things look good again.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion
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