“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…”

(2 Timothy 1:6, NIV)

January is a wonderful time to take time to remember our dreams. God has planted dreams and desires in all of us that will lead to great things when they are mingled with faith. Life’s challenges and adversities can often times side track us and we may settle and put our dreams to the side. However I believe God wants us to rekindle our dreams and look to Him to enable us to fulfill them.

Lets look at the word dream.

A dream is a hope of what we can be for God, a blue print of our God given assignments. It holds our passion, potential and destiny.

We all have an ordained destiny. I may take many forms. However unless it is recognized and released it will remain unproductive.

Once it is discovered it becomes a honing device, an invisible guide that helps us navigate through the precarious passages of life. It tethers us to our destiny long before we arrive.

We all have a divine TREASURE BOX full of riches God wants to release to reveal His Glory: abilities, skills, dreams, gifts, talents, unused energy.

Lets look at how we can unlock that dream for ourselves and how we can learn to be a dream releaser for others.

Develop the heart of a dream releaser (to want Gods dream over your own life  and to love others enough to encourage them in theirs)

This takes time with the Father, listening to his desires for us and studying how He  released the visions and dreams over others. ( Moses, Joshua, Peter…)

Practice having the  mouth of a dream releaser ( words of encouragement for us and others) Speaking our dreams is powerful!

Have eyes of a dream releaser (eyes to see potential) In ourselves and others

To find your dream you may need to renew your mind and seek the counsel of God.

Romans 12:2; And be not conformed to this world: but be  transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3

The word of God tells us who we are. Brides of Christ, accepted, loved, created uniquely, given a God sized dream to impact the kingdom. The word releases faith which combats fear. The Holy Spirit combats loneliness, ignites passion and burns up boredom and doubt.

A Dream Releaser Walks closely with Jesus

Matthew 14:22-32

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33

With our eyes on Jesus He takes us places we wouldn’t go. Jesus gave Peter a hand, He will give us one as well, we are to give ours to others. We need to help each other to focus on Jesus when we are in the midst of a storm. We need to also encourage each other to seek the Lord for the dream that God has placed in them and then flan the flame of courage needed to chase it.

 A Dream Releaser Intercedes: 

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

Jesus prays for us. We need to pray for ourselves and for our friends. To know how to pray we need to spend time with each other to find out what dreams God has given so that we know how to pray.

A Dream Releaser Encourages: 

Acts 20:2 – When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.

Dream releasers, like Paul, give encouragement  through their mouths: Speak encouragement.

Proverbs 18:21a that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Speak life to each other.

Proverbs 12:25 says that “Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop: but a good word makes it glad.” and “pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

 A Dream Releaser Loves:

Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

A Dream Releaser sees potential and recognizes gifts in others.

Jesus saw the potential in Peter long before it was realized . He even changed his name from Simon (a hearer) to Peter (a bedrock, a massive rock ledge) Look for the potential in others, ask God what it is and then let them know what they can do and become.

So I want to encourage you today to stir yourself up and get your fire back. Start speaking victory over your future. If one dream has died, dream another dream. Put yourself in a positive, faith-filled environment. Get around people of excellence who live passionately. Fan the flame that is in you so you can move forward into all God has in store for you! Ask God to show you the potential in others, those seeds of greatness that need your encouragement to grow. Lets give our broken dreams to the Father and ask Him to restore our passion and vision, ours and each others!