Welcome to Wednesday. Thank you for joining in on the Just RISE UP! journey. If you are curious what this is all about…read more HERE. Would love for you to join in.

Check out my video blog for this week to give you some added thoughts of where I’m personally coming from on this topic.

This week’s topic, Dreams, Purpose, and God’s Agenda (CHAPTER 4), is really weighing heavy on my heart. You see, I love to think and ponder and dream. I’m an ideas person. But, God has brought me to a place where I know that I know that I know that His agenda has greater value than my best laid plans. Do you know what I mean? I just really want to please Him with my life and my ministry. But, good intentions on my end don’t always equal God’s best.

Oh He is good, though. God has sweetly started showing me something that takes this weight off my heart. I’ve written about it with in Chapter 4 of Just RISE UP! and over the past year, this Truth is digging deeper and deeper into my understanding. When I go around and around thinking about whether or not a big brainstorm or dream is of God, He reminds me that He is my delight. Yes. I ‘ve sought after Him first and His presence. Therefore, the desires of my heart are in fact in line with where God is moving around me, what He is doing in His kingdom.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4 ESV)

Oh but I can only move forward in prayer! Prayer protects me from myself. Prayer keeps my focus centered on Him because pride is ever waiting at the doorstep waiting to make it’s appearance.

I’ve come to a place of allowing myself to dream, to ponder, to brainstorm because I’m covered. I’m covered in things that He delights in and my heart is transforming toward craving those things as well. This transformation didn’t happen overnight. No. It has come after many heartaches. Many closed doors. Many hours waiting at the Throne asking Jesus to take away my wants and desires because I want HIM more. I’m replacing those dreams I put on a pedestal with an all out pursuit of God and His presence in my life.

So, yes. We serve and love others as we do ministry with our lives. We even ask God to do big things with us. But, what about the BIG THINGS in which He is doing IN us? Oh these are everlasting and set us up to be more available to take our place in His kingdom. Our dreams and plans transform into bigger and better, more eternal, more important when we seek after Jesus first.

Thank you for letting me get real and raw here. I really just did a brain dump here. Thank you for listening! I thought I would leave you today with a quote from the end of Just RISE UP! chapter 4.

What changes for us with our new perspective is that we recognize that God alone fulfills our desires and purpose. Seeking Him first brings us to a new depth of seeing the world around us. We learn to distinguish what is fleeting and temporary about life and live for that which is eternal and satisfying to our hearts. The One who knows every hair on our heads, who hand crafted us for a specific purpose, knows what will make our hearts sing with delight. There is no need to chase tirelessly after dreams and purpose when we know we can rest in His presence to find true fulfillment of our desires. Rest in assurance that the desires God plants in our hearts and nurtures with His presence and His Word will not only bring us to wholeness but will also give us purpose. (Just RISE UP! page 135-136)

Please leave a comment with any thoughts you have or any revelations you received as you studied this week! Leave a comment…let’s chat.