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As we've seen, God often has to enlarge the person inside us before we can take up His destiny for us. In order to attempt an Everest- sized assignment, our spirit man must tower over the task. And one of the best ways to build ourselves up in the invisible realm is through prayer.
In this lesson, we'll continue our discussion on dreaming big dreams for God. I'd like to discuss some observations about developing a covenant relationship with God over your destiny through prayer:
God Has A Dream For You
Let's review some facets of God's non-discrimination policy in distributing dreams. First, God doesn't bestow a special destiny on us because we deserve it. Do you find it strange that Satan is always trying to insert good works into our relationship with God? In the same way, God doesn't choose someone because that person is particularly gifted. If anything, God gives, "gifts in the raw," that must be refined. Refining involved stretching, heat, removing things, adding alloys, etc. Many don't follow their destiny because the trek is strenuous.
Dreams are also like seeds. They can appear dead and dried up for years, and still germinate. They can be eaten for today rather than planted for tomorrow. They can drift along until they find cooperative soil to take root. When a seed is neglected, either it doesn't sprout, or the growth is stunted. And finally, as Robert Schuller once said, we don't know how many apple trees lie in one apple seed.
Take a moment to meditate about God's seed in your life. We must take root before we bear fruit.
I want to encourage you on one point, when the enemy dregs up your doubt. God intentionally chooses people based on their disqualifications. Paul states the reason why He does that: "...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD'" (1 Corinthians 1:25-31).
Second, God doesn't limit His gifts based upon our sex. We are talking about the big dream and visions. Obviously, some ventures are biologically-based. Only Hollywood and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie, "Junior," could pull off a male-pregnancy. But, we should not let our upbringing, church traditions, or other prejudices stop us from following God's path. God inspired Deborah the Prophetess and Joan of Arc to break stereotypes, and do great things for God. Willingness is the key. If one person is disobedient to a destiny, God looks for another.
"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (2 Chronicles 16:9a).
God's Dreams Require A Lifetime Commitment
God often lays a destiny on someone--also known as a, "Call"--that requires a lifelong commitment to fulfill. You'll notice that many of the same qualities are found in other covenant commitments, such as marriage.
First, there is a commitment of time. Perhaps, it's best to use Biblical examples of what I'm talking about. Noah had a big call on his life; it took 120 years to build the ark. Abraham had a large God-given vision; he had to wait 25 years before Isaac was born. Jesus had to wait 30 years before he entered his destiny. I know I've used these statistics before, but they bear repeating.
Beyond that, many Biblical figures committed themselves to a destiny that would only be fulfilled after their deaths. David prepared the buildings materials and detailed plans for his son, Solomon, to build the first temple (1 Chronicles 29). Abraham was promised as many descendants as the dust in the earth, a promise God could only make good after the patriarch's death (Genesis 13:16). Jesus was promised that He would receive the nations as an inheritance (Psalms 2:8).
So, we shouldn't be surprised when delays occur: "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3).
Second, our pledge to follow God's path stretches us. "Mount Everest can grow no larger, but we can," is what the explorer said.
Before we start up, we must grow up. There is an idea floating around that, once you commit to do God's will, one door of opportunity after another opens before you. If that were the case, Everest would have remained unconquered. David faced nothing but closed doors for years. None of the "right" doors opened for Joseph. He faced a doorway to death, as his brother tossed him into a cistern. Then came a doorway to slavery. Next, there was a prison door.
Climbers of Mount Everest made numerous attempts to scale the mountain before they conquered it. They outgrew the mountain, as you will, when you follow God's dream for you. On the other hand, young children quit when an activity becomes difficult, when things aren't going, "their way," or when they experience discomfort. Such epitaphs litter the tombstones of many marriages. If we struggle to obey God's bidding, immaturity says, "Those problems mean this isn't God's will for me."
Hebrews 11 shows the reverse; opposition grows as you gain on God's destiny. For the Everest mountaineers, their attitudes set the aptitude for their altitudes. And as our faith matures in an area, the enemy cannot easily shake us there.
Next, we must commit to the costs. Jesus warned: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (Luke 14:27-33).
The reason I used the term, "commit to the costs," rather than, "count the costs," is in keeping with the covenant theme. For example, who can ever afford a child? The average cost of raising a child to the age of 17 is $200,000. You don't wait until you can afford a child; if you want a kid, you commit to the cost of raising one. In general, a self-respecting parent doesn't abandon a baby when the price of raising that child goes up. When you take on a God-given vision, it's like committing to raising a child. If there are strings tied to that destiny: how you spend your time, your money, your energy, etc. You do what is needed, just as you would with a child. Gradually, a commitment by choice becomes a custom of habit.
On many TV sitcoms, writers make changing a baby's diaper into a common comedy sketch. Men are pictured wearing gas masks and hazard materials suits, while they hold dirty diapers at arms-length with yard-long barbecue tongs. That portrait may be true for spanking-new fathers. After awhile, men get to use to changing their child's diaper without thinking about it. When my son was young, because my wife is a nurse and worked every other weekend, I had to take care of my son both days. I got the hang of dealing with diapers rather quickly.
So, as you pour yourself into a dream, you need to commit to the costs. As you do, you put on the same mantle of faith that clothed the men and women of Hebrews 11. We are called to make, "either/or," choices when we follow God's destiny. That means when we when I choose one thing, I make a choice against others. I narrow my focus, my commitments, and how I spend my time. You can't dabble in many things if you want to follow the Lord's dream. Dabblers don't write history.
What happens if you don't follow your destiny?
We can sell out our destiny for temporal hungers. Esau, as Isaac's first- born, was guaranteed the family's wealth and his father's blessing. But, he undervalued that destiny, and sold it to Jacob for what amounted to a "fast-food" meal (Genesis 25:29-34).
If you get hungry for something other than God, perhaps a church won't get built. You don't have enough money to do all the things God wants you to do, and all the appetites you want to indulge. And if you quit following God's dream, your child may give up on their own God-given dream.