Dreaming with God

    Dreaming with God is such an amazing gift. Not just goals for the future that you believe you will attain, but the seemingly impossible deep desires of your heart that are given by God and can only be fulfilled by Him.

   The question has arisen several times in my heart, "What do you dream of?". A scary question to someone who thought what God always expected to hear was the reply, "Whatever you want God." But the reality is though God desires my obedience, He is not in want of a puppet. He made me unique and wants a relationship with me and wants someone to co-labor with Him. Genesis 2:19  says, "Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name". God was and is perfectly capable of creating and giving names to the animals, but he gave that job to Adam.  He allowed someone to create with Him. He allowed someone to dream with Him.We who are also made in the image of a creative God were designed to create as well.

  So many times I would take the dreams and desires of my heart and so often shove them away when in fact most of them were inspired by God in the first place. Realizing this, I have began to look at Psalm 37:4 that says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" in a different light. Perhaps it is not trying to say if you play your cards right with God, you finally get what you want. Or even congratulations, that thing you never really desired has secretly been dropped into your heart and God is going to give it to you. No, I don't think that's it. I think when Scripture says when we delight ourselves in Him or in other words have deep focused relationship with Him that the very parts of our hearts that He created come fully alive. I like the way Mike Bickle explains it. "There’s a reason you feel a pure sense of pleasure when you do certain things. Perhaps they are the things you were truly made to do... God placed those desires in their hearts and when they express them, He draws especially near to them. God intimately knows what is in each of us. He totally comprehends the passions that He specifically designed for our hearts. When we express them, He has joy in His heart, and He means for us to experience some of this joy."

  I know that dreaming with a creative God sets hope in my heart for what is to come in my walk with Him. I have began to keep a dream journal not just of what God speaks in the night, but what He has and will lay on my heart in the day. With these  visions written out, I find encouragement because I know I can not fail in pursuing this vision when I am working with the One who finds nothing impossible. So dream on brothers and sisters!

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

"Turn your eyes toward Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of glory and grace" Helen H. Lemmel

There are some seasons of our lives that are easier than others. Either way Christ is with us.

 About this time last year, I found myself so excited for what God had for me and so deeply in love with Jesus that I found myself confessing, "It doesnt matter what happens, where you take me, or what I have to sacrifice... I will follow you!". Though these words were true, I didnt think that He would actually act upon it.

Fast forward a few months later and He took my confession dead serious as I found myself on a plane Tanzania bound and I would not return until a whole year later...the longest I have ever been away from home, my family, my friends, and my familiar American lifestyle. If I could be honest, I knew and still know that God would provide for me as He already provided the money for the plane ticket, a place to stay, and funds for the trip. But I doubted that He would provide what I needed the most, His presence. This was coming from a place of insecurity after my previous months of not hearing from the Lord the same way I had when I first started walking with Him.

When I got here,  I found that though my intent was to pour out and do ministry, the Lord wanted to slow me down and heal me of my past hurts. And I really wish I could say that every moment of it I was obedient and was continually praising Him.Yeah... not quite. Some moments I was mad and said things in sarcasm and bitterness to Him. Things like "Gee..thanks God...Ya dragged me here and now in this moment of my life where are you now?".  There were other moments where I was exhausted from the day, defeated from the personal healing I had been dealing with, and had little sleep from the night before because of spiritual warfare. Those moments I would just sit down to pray absolutely indifferent and want to give up. I know, really pathetic.

But the amazing thing is God would and continues to redeem every single one of those moments. The moments I doubt Him and if He really called me here, He would bring about a way of confirmation that I am supposed to be here by using me in a powerful way or setting up divine appointments. And He would ALWAYS find ways to encourage me in the day through the gentle whisper of His Spirit to my heart or an encouraging word from someone else that was all to timely and perfect.

Whether God calls me into another season similar to the one I have just walked through or He should call me into a completly unique season, I walk in the fact that He is faithful. I walk not by what it feels like, but by faith. And the reality is it took those times of difficulty as means to creat a foundation to build upon my mountain of testimony upon testimony. It is a way for God to prove what He has promised He will complete in me. He is and always will be my Rock. Unlike any person I have ever known, He will never change.

If you find yourself in a similar season to one I have had, keep pressing in. God is closer than you think, ready to show Himself strong and faithful. What He is drawing out of you is something too glorious and wonderful for words. This too shall pass, but until that time keep your gaze on Jesus.

Melissa