Do you know what God's dreams are for you? Pray and find out.
Like many Christians, I tend to focus on the everyday nuts-and-bolts of life. They're important, but they can obscure the real reason I am here - to carry out God's assignment for me.
In her book Enjoying the Presence of God, Jan Johnson urges us to ask these questions of God:
"What next? What are Your dreams for me? What is it You're doing in this world that I need to align myself with?"
The big answers to what God wants me to do are obviously in the scriptures. We are all called to go into the world to make disciples. We are all called to love God and love others.
But there are particular reasons I am here as well. What task has God in store for me to reach out to others? How does he want me to deepen my relationship with him?
To discover what God is asking me to do, Jan Johnson says I must ask him. That involves prayer - regular prayer, patient prayer. I say "patient" because this may mean waiting for an answer.
"If you spend enough time with a person, you begin to sense that person's dreams. In daily conversations with God, we begin to understand God's dreams for us."
"As our love for God grows," she writes, "His interests become our interests - evangelization of the world, peacemaking in relationships, ministering to the poor and oppressed."
We begin to filter our activities according to this godly grid - the great task or tasks he has given us. Do these activities contribute to - or take away from - the dreams the Lord has for us?
One way I have found that helps me in determining whether I am on God's track is to write out my questions in a journal and asking the Lord questions. It is something I picked up after reading Mark Virkler's book How to Hear God's Voice.
As I write, I imagine God responding to me. His answers are always in line - and never contrary - to the scriptures. Frequently, I am uncomfortable with his responses - although, I am never uncomfortable with the Lord. I know he loves me - that is clear in the Bible.
I often leave these exchanges with my mind changed. I have come to understand better what Jesus would say to me if he were before me in flesh and blood.
For major decisions, of course, we need to test what we believe God is telling us not only against the Bible, but also with godly believers we trust. As well, we must look at circumstances. We should never take a decision without considering the needs and wishes of those we love and who depend on us.
But it is genuinely exciting to pray with God's dreams in mind. What God wants will always be to our eternal benefit.
Like many Christians, I tend to focus on the everyday nuts-and-bolts of life. They're important, but they can obscure the real reason I am here - to carry out God's assignment for me.
In her book Enjoying the Presence of God, Jan Johnson urges us to ask these questions of God:
"What next? What are Your dreams for me? What is it You're doing in this world that I need to align myself with?"
The big answers to what God wants me to do are obviously in the scriptures. We are all called to go into the world to make disciples. We are all called to love God and love others.
But there are particular reasons I am here as well. What task has God in store for me to reach out to others? How does he want me to deepen my relationship with him?
To discover what God is asking me to do, Jan Johnson says I must ask him. That involves prayer - regular prayer, patient prayer. I say "patient" because this may mean waiting for an answer.
"If you spend enough time with a person, you begin to sense that person's dreams. In daily conversations with God, we begin to understand God's dreams for us."
"As our love for God grows," she writes, "His interests become our interests - evangelization of the world, peacemaking in relationships, ministering to the poor and oppressed."
We begin to filter our activities according to this godly grid - the great task or tasks he has given us. Do these activities contribute to - or take away from - the dreams the Lord has for us?
One way I have found that helps me in determining whether I am on God's track is to write out my questions in a journal and asking the Lord questions. It is something I picked up after reading Mark Virkler's book How to Hear God's Voice.
As I write, I imagine God responding to me. His answers are always in line - and never contrary - to the scriptures. Frequently, I am uncomfortable with his responses - although, I am never uncomfortable with the Lord. I know he loves me - that is clear in the Bible.
I often leave these exchanges with my mind changed. I have come to understand better what Jesus would say to me if he were before me in flesh and blood.
For major decisions, of course, we need to test what we believe God is telling us not only against the Bible, but also with godly believers we trust. As well, we must look at circumstances. We should never take a decision without considering the needs and wishes of those we love and who depend on us.
But it is genuinely exciting to pray with God's dreams in mind. What God wants will always be to our eternal benefit.
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