What has He promised you that is in agreement and loyal with what the Bible teaches?
You already know.. if it dies the death, and doesn’t ever resurrect, come alive, come to fruition.. then it of course wasn’t from God at all. Even if some think it was. Believer, we are to walk by faith in Christ, not by some lame presumption.
Listen. Let's say you have a desire to marry your girlfriend or boyfriend and then they break up with you...and then you wait (feels like forever..) for them to come crawling on back to you all in love again..but then they don’t return and you keep waiting..and then they marry someone else.
Well, guess what. That’s not the birth, death and resurrection of a dream or vision from God for you. He or she wasn't for you. God won't override their freewill. He's given us all the ability to choose. Just ask God to guide you into the future. He has a good plan for you cuz He loves you! If you stubbornly hold on saying you'll just wait until that person changes their mind to come back and marry you.. that's called presumption not faith. Trust God instead, love Him more than all.. trust that He has someone better for you. Ask.
Joseph in Genesis had dreams from God and the Lord fulfilled them. He received promises from God via dreams and then his life wasn’t always so easy at all. He suffered, he learned to serve first, but God came through one hundred percent for blessing him and others too. God used him to save a lot of people. Here’s ten posts on his life.
How does God work through the birth, death, and fulfillment of a dream or vision that God gives to people?
The Birth, Death, and Fulfillment of a Vision.
The Bible says...
The way in which God interacts with each of His children is in perfect harmony with basic principles found in Scripture. This interaction often involves the birth of a vision, the death of a vision, and the fulfillment of a vision.
As an illustration of the birth, death, and fulfillment of a vision, Scripture refers to the process of planting a grain of wheat. Although the grain has the potential to produce “much fruit,” it first must be buried in the ground and die. Only then can new life spring up to produce a harvest. (See John 12:24)
God wants each believer to grow in his knowledge of God and understanding of His ways. He will use situations and circumstances to reveal His love for us and our need for Him. God will use the disappointments, drawbacks, and dead ends in life to motivate us to look to Him for His strength and timing for fulfilling a vision. As we wait on Him, God often works in ways that we never would have expected.
The Birth of a Vision
God has a special purpose for each person He has created. All of us have desires, ambitions, talents, and special interests that can spark a vision for what we can do and be. The realization of God-given desires or goals in a person’s heart ..that can be the “birth of a vision/dream.”
This dream/vision—visualizing by faith what God intends to do in your life—then inspires and motivates a person to pursue the goal he believes he must fulfill.
Abraham provides us with an example of someone with a vision. God told Abraham, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Later God told Abraham, “Look now toward heaven, and tell [tally] the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). God gave Abraham the vision of becoming the father of a great nation.
The Death of a Vision
After a time of realizing a vision and forming plans to fulfill it, little mishaps or major catastrophes that seem to bring an end to the vision may occur. This “death of a vision” can come in the form of financial setbacks, impossible circumstances, physical deficiencies, or others who doubt the vision.
At this point, an individual can encounter intense temptations to doubt his relationship with God and question what he is doing to fulfill the vision. Satan often comes as an “angel of light” to create confusion and deceive us as much as possible. (See 2 Corinthians 11:14.) God doesn't need our help--why try in the flesh to help him?
Mr. Lu-Cifer (the devil) attempts to convince us to use our own energy and wisdom to fulfill the vision, thus directing our steps away from God’s chosen path and onto a path that can lead to disillusionment, destruction, and death. (See Proverbs 3:5-7, 14:12, and 16:25.)
Faced with the death of a vision, a person must hold on to hope, anticipating and expecting God to work out His revealed will in one’s life, even when it seems impossible. This “season” of waiting provides us with the opportunity to develop Christlike character, to realize our shortcomings and inadequacies, and to trust God to demonstrate His power and bring the vision to fulfillment. (See Psalm 27:14 and Isaiah 40:27–31.)
Abraham’s death of the vision came when his wife Sarah was unable to have a child. (See Genesis 16:1.) Rather than trusting God to fulfill the vision supernaturally, Abraham was persuaded to take matters into his own hands. He attempted to fulfill the vision by having a child with his wife’s handmaid, Hagar. “Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:2).
The Fulfillment of a Vision
With the death of a vision, one can easily become discouraged. However, discouragement should not be the end of the story. When we see no possibility for the vision to be fulfilled, we can cry out to God for intervention to make the impossible a reality.
If the vision is God’s to begin with, He will carry out His purposes and plans. (See Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 2:10, and Philippians 2:13.) Wait on Him, trust in Him, and walk in obedience to His direction. Even though times of waiting can be painful, we must not give in to the temptation to give up on God’s vision for our lives. (See Hebrews 10:35–38.)
In Abraham’s life, God worked supernaturally to fulfill His promises. He restated His vision to Abraham. “God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife …. I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her” (Genesis 17:15–16). After years of waiting, God gave Abraham a son by Sarah, even in their old age, so that he became the father of a great nation.
God is more concerned about what happens in us than what happens to us. He wants us to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows if He can build the character of Christ within our lives (Christ formed in us), then He can accomplish greater things through our lives.
As we experience the birth, death, and fulfillment of a vision, we can learn to understand God more deeply and develop more of the character of Christ. Thus, God equips us to fulfill His calling in our lives. (See Romans 5:3–5 and 8:28–29.) When the vision is fulfilled, we will be better equipped to demonstrate genuine love to others, encouraging them also to develop the character of Christ.
Muse on the text about Joseph again. He chose to believe, Joseph was severely tested, and by faith bore fruit. He went to work on the dreams of others, and God fulfilled his dreams.
Muse on the text about Joseph again. He chose to believe, Joseph was severely tested, and by faith bore fruit. He went to work on the dreams of others, and God fulfilled his dreams.
Joseph Passed Three Tests...
1.) He was tempted towards self pity, but didn't give in. No grumbling or complaining.
2.) He was tempted towards unrighteous sexual involvement, adultery, but fled. he didn't keep his coat, but kept his character. Reputation is what people think you are, but character is more important -- it's what you really are.
3.) He was tempted towards self-indulgence but overcame that too. He could have selfishly used all the wealth and power for his own revenge, but chose to forgive people.
Joseph was a...
- Providential Person - we can trust God with His great providence.
- Prophetic Witness - perhaps not with dreams, but we can forthtell of the life of Christ being witnesses with the word.
- Prosperous Provider - we can be blessed and a blessing for others.
- Pure Believer - I say keep on dreaming about doing good. Dream the dream God gives to you. He is the God of hope who raises the dead. Pray and dream of how God can help and biblically use you.
Q: Who were the three people in the Old Testament that the Bible doesn't have one bad thing to say about them? It was Daniel, Jonathan and Joseph!
Q: What do we learn from Joseph in Genesis? We learn that God will not spare you present pain if there's the potential for eternal profit.
We learn in Genesis..
- Hey, there's sadly a little bit of Jacob in all of us..to contend with. Yeah, a little more than we'd like to admit at times. I mean that self-determination that success-motivation ..at the expense of others. That selfish ambition, that relying on our own devices in the flesh where we really should remain dependent upon the Lord in prayer.
- We've heard so much about the perseverance of the saints, but it's really the perseverance of a faithful Lord! We learn that God will persevere with us in love when those of the world ..and even we ourselves have given up on God and or on ourselves. Jacob contended with God his whole life and yet God had finally won ..after Jacob got a limp remember? God persevere with him.
- We also learn this. You don't have to have a Jacob experience of periodic and repeated relapses into walking In the flesh.. you can have a consistent Joseph experience. One of fruit, faith, victory and rescuing people. There is hope in God's grace.
- We've heard so much about the perseverance of the saints, but it's really the perseverance of a faithful Lord! We learn that God will persevere with us in love when those of the world ..and even we ourselves have given up on God and or on ourselves. Jacob contended with God his whole life and yet God had finally won ..after Jacob got a limp remember? God persevere with him.
- We also learn this. You don't have to have a Jacob experience of periodic and repeated relapses into walking In the flesh.. you can have a consistent Joseph experience. One of fruit, faith, victory and rescuing people. There is hope in God's grace.
Charles Surgeon asks, “How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourselves on His great atonement, and rested on His finished righteousness. Ah! what fruit you had then!”
Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4
Sure Joseph had opposition, all who walk in faith will. He suffered a whole lot when his brothers sold him. He was tried even more, but he remained in his walk of faith for God was with him. This stability is the God-given ability to stay when others fall away. Take hold of God's grace today so that you too can stay.
Remember this. Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Abide, why strive in the flesh -- you’ll see the fruit. Faith and fruit never prosper so well as when all things are against the believer. God saw what he'd become. The Bible says of him...
“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. The archers attacked him with bitterness, and aimed in hostility. Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.." Genesis 49:22-24 Facebook.com/shareJesus
Am grateful for the birth through resurrection ideas of a vision/dream from pages 149–150 of the Basic Seminar Textbook.
