Dreaming with God

If the name of this post sounds familiar to some of you it's because it's also the name of a book (pictured here) written by Bill Johnson.

Dreaming with God. What a concept. This implies that He not only loves us and cares for our general welfare but even our deepest desires mean a great deal to Him.

This is no less true, biblically speaking, than the fact that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary or that He was raised from the dead on the third day. "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4.

Some Christians I know worry about whether their dreams are from God and thus fear they are stepping outside His will should they pursue those dreams in the event they do not come from Him. I think prayer and common sense help with the discernment process but here are some ways to tell where the dreams you have are coming from. They are often a product of or are confirmed by:

1. Your Natural Abilities.

Dreams from God are often built on the foundation of gifts we tend to naturally have. Braeden Kerschner, featured in this post, could already play nine instruments and was the conductor of his high school orchestra by the time his dream of becoming the youngest guest conductor of the Boston Pops came to fruition. His dream motivated him to hone his talents and the development of his talents, in turn, honed his dream.    

2. Your Family History.

I've often been asked if I ever thought about becoming a nun (yes, it's true). The answer, in case you are wondering, is no. But if I am to be honest, I have wondered what it would be like to be a priest, and the idea of becoming one sort of intrigues me. I wasn't raised in a Christian home so I've always been puzzled as to why the desire to live a holy life stops me in my tracks. There's nothing more in this life I want than to be a holy person of God. But where did that come from?

My ancestors. I didn't know it until a few years ago, but several of them were Christians who walked closely with God and spent their entire lives serving Him in one form or another. The fact that I want to do the same is not fake or self-righteous piety. It is a longing to do and to be what I'm evidently genetically geared to do and to be.

3. The Dream Itself.

If your lifelong dream is to be some type of clergy or you want to be a missionary and live on little more than faith alone, then there really is no question of the origin of that dream. Who sits around wishing they could live their adulthood in poverty, abstaining from most of the pleasures this world has to give? No one that I know of, except for the folks I just mentioned.

I've met some of them. And do you know they actually worry they are being selfish or they wonder if this dream is their "flesh." Yikes. No--unless you think you are or want to be the next Joel Olsteen, a dream to serve God in some capacity truly comes from the heart of God.

4. Doors Unexpectedly Open.

When I was very young, my dream was to live down South somewhere. And that opportunity came along when it was time to go to college. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about the College of Charleston until after their application deadline, but I sent one in anyway.

Despite the fact that at that time they only accepted 25% of out of state students (who often applied early), my application was late, my SAT score was less than stellar as was my high school career, the College said yes when really the answer should have been no. I've lived in the Charleston area for 20 years now and have no doubt this is the place God intended for me to live. But I wouldn't have had the courage to move had this not been a persistent dream of mine since my childhood.

5. Other People.

I once met a woman who had adopted two children from Russia even though she was single. She said she did it because one day she just started to dream about it. She thought she was crazy, but right at the time this desire took a hold of her heart, everyone in her life began to talk both spontaneously and constantly about adoption or Russia! Then she met a woman who specialized in foreign adoptions. No matter where this woman went, she just couldn't get away from the issue. She realized, through praying and seeking the advice of others that this was God's will for her and He chose to communicate it through the form of a desire He put into her heart.

This list to discern the origin of your dreams and desires is certainly not exhaustive by any means. But if you are concerned about this issue, and many Christians are, then perhaps this can be a tool to help you narrow things down a bit.

Nothing takes the place of a good accountability group, and it is important to guard your heart, but not to the point where you choke the life out of what's God put inside of you. That's fear, and fear does nothing but hold a person back. Discover your gifts. Use them. You won't regret it.