Chasing the God Dream

How do you know if a big dream for your life is from God? Start with the source. A God dream begins with God, not with your own ambition, and you discover it by getting into His Word. Then you pursue it, and you stay faithful in the private battles nobody sees, because that's where God prepares you for what's next.

What is a "God dream"?

A God dream is a God-sized vision for your life, your family, your community, or your workplace that God Himself puts in your heart. It usually feels too big for you, and that may be the point. You can't accomplish it without Him.

A recent guest speaker at Calvary built a message around Benaiah, one of King David's mighty men.

Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

2 Samuel 23:20

The speaker described a defining decision in his own life: to step out in faith instead of playing it safe. His challenge to the church was simple. What's your lion? What big dream has God put in your heart that you need to chase down? A God dream isn't something you wait for. There's a pursuit.

Where does a God dream come from?

It comes from God. That sounds obvious, but it's easy to miss. "Dream big" can sound like a motivational talk: set big goals and ask a big God to bless them. On Beyond Sunday, host Pastor Sean Sloan slowed down to point out what the speaker actually said: God puts the dream in your heart.

That changes how you pray. Instead of "God, bless what I'm doing," you start praying, "God, I want to do what You're blessing." The question shifts from what you want to accomplish to what God wants for your life.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

When you delight in Him, He shapes the desires themselves, so the dream you pursue is one He gave.

How do you hear God's dream for your life?

Get into God's Word. Someone asked the guest speaker how to get a vision or dream from God. He answered: "If you want to get a word from God, you got to get into God's word." That is how you discover and discern God's voice.

Pastor Sean connected this to creation. God spoke, and His word brought everything into being. John calls Jesus the Word who became flesh, the One through whom all things were made.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Jesus is not only what God said to us. He's how God said it. So if you want to hear God's voice, look to Christ and ask how He informs your life, your desires, and your dreams. Then open the Scriptures.

Pastor Sean shared a saying from his father: if you want to know the will of God, read it. God wrote it down. He isn't hiding it. The more you know Him and His Word, the more He can birth things in your heart. Then you live them out in your time and place.

Why does it matter that God is Creator?

Because everything else flows from it. Pastor Sean called this the most important theological point underneath the message: God is Creator, and you are created. If God made you, He owns your life. Stewardship is caring for something that belongs to someone else, and you are stewarding the life He has entrusted to you, dreams included.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19 to 20

Your job is to learn what God has already said and align your life with it. A dream from God is never too big or too outlandish. And it isn't only for you. If it's according to His will, it's for your flourishing and for the blessing of the people around you.

Why does God promote people who are faithful in private?

Because private faithfulness prepares you for public responsibility. The guest speaker joked about King David reading résumés for the captain of his bodyguard. One candidate graduated with honors. Another was first in his class. Then one says he chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day. His point: God promotes those who are faithful in private battles.

Jesus taught the same thing in His parable of the bags of gold. Each servant received a different amount, and each was held accountable for what he did with it.

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

Matthew 25:21

For example, think of a basketball player's free throws or a golfer's hours at the driving range. People see the championship on Sunday and miss the practice during the week. Jesus said your Father "sees what is done in secret" and will reward you (Matthew 6:6). That includes faithfulness in pain and difficulty, not just in the big moments.

Common questions

How do I know if a dream is from God?

A God dream starts with God, not with your own ambition. Discern it through Scripture and by looking to Jesus. A dream that lines up with God's Word and blesses others as well as you is worth pursuing.

Who was Benaiah in the Bible?

Benaiah was one of King David's mighty men. Second Samuel 23:20 says he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. David later put him in charge of his bodyguard.

What does it mean to be faithful in small things?

In Matthew 25, Jesus praises servants who were faithful with a few things and puts them in charge of many. God sees the unseen work you do, even in hard seasons, and He rewards it.

Is it wrong to have big goals as a Christian?

No, as long as the source is right. The goal is not to ask God to bless your plans. It is to discover what He is blessing through His Word, then pursue it with faith.