Dream Big

[00:00:06] Welcome to the Walking in Step with God podcast. Here we empower you to walk

[00:00:12] boldly with God. Visit our website at walkinginstepwithgod.org for resources,

[00:00:18] videos of our messages and more information about our ministry. Once

[00:00:22] again that website is walkinginstepwithgod.org. Hello welcome to Walking in

[00:00:30] Step with God I'm Steve McDonald. Today we explore the topic Dream Big as we

[00:00:36] wrap up our series Living a Courageous Life. Over the course of this series we

[00:00:41] have explored a variety of topics that are part of living life boldly and

[00:00:46] courageously in our Walk with God. We have learned time and time again that

[00:00:52] with God we can achieve things that would never be possible on our own. Today

[00:00:58] I would like to explore how we can pursue our hopes and dreams even as

[00:01:03] we walk with God. I have often mentioned the importance of seeking out God's will

[00:01:10] for your life but this does not mean we cannot have our own hopes and dreams.

[00:01:16] Today I want to explore the idea that we can have hopes and dreams and we can

[00:01:23] dream big as we walk with God. Let's discuss three ways to dream big in

[00:01:29] our Walk with God. Let's learn how we can align the greatest desires of our

[00:01:35] hearts with God's will for our lives and His perfected plans. Before we dive in

[00:01:43] let's take a short break. I'll be right back. Have you been yearning for a

[00:01:51] deeper relationship with God especially in the unusual times we're in? Here's

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[00:02:02] spiritual guidebook you need to navigate this transformative journey you're

[00:02:07] embarking on. Filled with inspiring messages, this book is written to ignite

[00:02:12] your thinking and illuminate the path toward a rich intimate relationship

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[00:02:23] reflective prompts, and space to journal your thoughts. Visit www.100stepsbook.com

[00:02:30] to order your copy of the standard or special edition today and strengthen

[00:02:36] your bond with the Creator. Again that's 100stepsbook.com

[00:02:41] 100stepsbook.com. Welcome back. Let's continue in our discussion of three

[00:02:48] ways to dream big even as we walk with God and seek His will for our lives.

[00:02:55] Number one, align with God's purpose for your life. One of the ways we can

[00:03:04] pursue our dreams is to reflect on how we show up in the world and God's

[00:03:09] purpose for our lives. Finding our purpose is a journey that can take

[00:03:14] place over many months, years, or even decades. I can honestly say that I

[00:03:22] believe I am still discovering my purpose. We can ask God to lead and guide

[00:03:28] us to our purpose for our lives. I believe the more we surrender and

[00:03:32] yield to Him the sooner we will learn of our purpose and gifts God has

[00:03:38] planted within us. If you are unsure about your purpose, reflect on your

[00:03:46] strengths and skills. What would you say is unique about you? What types of

[00:03:52] activities give you great joy? What are the ways that you interact with

[00:03:56] others in your community? It is likely that your dreams involve utilizing

[00:04:01] strengths that God has planted within you. Ask God to provide you with

[00:04:07] clarity and understanding of the gifts He has provided to you and the

[00:04:12] purpose that He has in store for you. Seek out ways to align your dreams

[00:04:18] with His purpose for you and prepare to be amazed. Number two, dream

[00:04:27] boldly and trust God. One of the most common themes I have spoken

[00:04:33] across many messages is to seek out God's will for your life. I have shared

[00:04:39] that God and only God knows the perfected plans for you. While I stand by

[00:04:44] this, I also want to share with you today that seeking out God's will for

[00:04:48] your life does not mean that you cannot have or should not have your

[00:04:53] own desires and dreams. God wants us to dream boldly and seek out

[00:05:00] things in life that we truly desire. That being said, I believe that the

[00:05:06] angle we should pursue is one where we can dream big but maintain a

[00:05:11] willingness to yield to God's will for us. I believe that the biggest

[00:05:16] dreams we can think of will pale in comparison to God's perfect plan

[00:05:21] for us. Of course our dreams may have very

[00:05:26] different objectives and goals than God's plans,

[00:05:29] but I also believe that God is willing to help us achieve the goals and dreams

[00:05:33] that we desire that align with His will. I believe the best thing we can do is

[00:05:40] dream boldly but always maintain a posture that yields to God's will.

[00:05:46] We can present our dreams to God, but in that request

[00:05:50] we can be sincere in asking Him to help us achieve our goals

[00:05:56] only if they align with His plans for us. Number three,

[00:06:04] embrace the journey. Life is a journey and our walk with God is no

[00:06:10] different. Often our hopes and dreams are

[00:06:13] goals that can only take place over time. We learn, we grow, and we adapt as we

[00:06:19] seek out our dreams. Our walk with God is also a process of learning, growing, and

[00:06:26] adapting. As we grow closer to God we find ourselves

[00:06:30] letting go of things in our world that are not aligned with God.

[00:06:35] One of the things we learn as we grow closer to God is the importance

[00:06:38] of seeking out God's will. In seeking out God's will we will

[00:06:42] learn one day at a time of the importance of trusting

[00:06:46] God. Trusting God is a journey in and of itself.

[00:06:51] Trusting God with our dreams requires a posture of faith.

[00:06:55] We must trust that God knows best over our own

[00:06:59] knowledge and wisdom. Dreaming big and dreaming

[00:07:03] boldly truly requires an embrace of the journey to seek out God's will.

[00:07:08] Seeking God's will and guidance day by day in prayer and looking for signs

[00:07:13] that He is leading and guiding us is an exercise of patience

[00:07:18] and trust. If we truly seek to be on a path where we can pursue our dreams

[00:07:25] let us also embrace the journey to walk with God.

[00:07:30] Trusting His guidance step by step day by day.

[00:07:37] In today's episode we explore three ways we can dream big even as we walk with

[00:07:50] God. We learned of the importance of seeking

[00:07:53] out our purpose in life and aligning it with our dreams.

[00:07:57] God has planted gifts in all of us to prepare us

[00:08:00] for our purpose in life. The sooner we find our purpose the sooner

[00:08:05] we can find ways that align that purpose

[00:08:08] with our hopes and dreams. We discuss the idea that we must not be afraid to dream

[00:08:13] boldly but to have faith and trust in God in the

[00:08:17] process. We can and should have dreams but let's

[00:08:21] not forget that God always knows best. Let us find a posture that shares our

[00:08:26] desires hopes and dreams with God but does so in such a way that

[00:08:30] places trust in God's wisdom above our own yielding to God's plans

[00:08:37] above our own plans. Lastly we discuss the idea that it is important

[00:08:43] to embrace the journey of seeking out our dreams.

[00:08:48] Achieving our goals and dreams is rarely something that can occur overnight.

[00:08:52] We can align our journey and walk with God

[00:08:55] with a posture of patience. We can continuously seek out God's instruction

[00:09:00] in guidance through petition and prayer. God truly desires us to dream

[00:09:06] big and seek out our dreams. The world has a way of presenting dreams

[00:09:11] filled with material things, wealth, fame, and power but we should keep our eyes on

[00:09:18] God to learn of the ways that our dreams can be aligned with his plans for us.

[00:09:23] We can place our trust first and foremost with the one

[00:09:27] who knows us better than we know ourselves.

[00:09:31] We can dream big hand in hand with God's will. Let's close out in prayer.

[00:09:41] Dear Lord God, we come before you today thankful of this message. Thank you for

[00:09:44] the wisdom that you have bestowed upon us.

[00:09:47] Thankful for the series, Lord, in helping us learn that we can

[00:09:51] live life courageously and boldly if we walk hand in hand with you.

[00:09:57] Today we discuss the idea that we can dream big that we need not feel like

[00:10:01] we need to completely surrender our hopes and dreams

[00:10:04] to still be able to serve you and to follow your will.

[00:10:08] We learned today that we can come to you, Father, with our hopes and dreams,

[00:10:14] with our biggest hopes and dreams. But let us be mindful that you know best,

[00:10:18] you know us best, you know the gifts that have been planted within us,

[00:10:22] you know the best path for us in life so we may not know

[00:10:26] what we certainly do not know everything there is to know.

[00:10:30] So we lean on you, Lord, to lead and guide and order our steps

[00:10:33] that as we present our hopes and dreams to you and we dream big with you

[00:10:37] that you can orchestrate a path that certainly aligns with your will first

[00:10:43] and foremost but allows us to also be able to pursue

[00:10:48] our dreams. And if there are dreams in our heart, Lord, that also align

[00:10:52] with your will, please align us for them and please

[00:10:55] prepare us for them and equip us for them so that we can

[00:10:58] continue to serve you and seek our dreams as well.

[00:11:02] We pray this, trusting and believing in you. Amen.

[00:11:21] Are you interested in learning more about the sources guiding this message?

[00:11:25] I invite you to stay tuned after the break for our Going Deeper with the Word

[00:11:28] segment. Here we examine how God's Word provides

[00:11:32] clear guidance and direction about dreaming big.

[00:11:36] If you're catching this episode on YouTube or in our Facebook group, please be

[00:11:39] sure to click that like button and also be sure to leave your comments

[00:11:43] about today's message and dreaming big. If you are new to our ministry, please

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[00:11:53] of future messages. I'll be right back.

[00:11:58] Some messages just hit differently and if this message has touched your heart

[00:12:02] and you want to experience it again, you can watch the video online

[00:12:06] at walkingandstepwithgod.org slash messages.

[00:12:10] God bless you. The greatest way that you can get involved with this ministry is

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[00:12:19] Join the discussion by asking and engaging with questions in our community

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[00:12:26] take some time to pray for others. As our ministry impacted your walk with God,

[00:12:31] then share your story and inspire others. Lastly, you can support our ministry as a

[00:12:36] financial partner so that we can expand our reach and grow the community.

[00:12:40] Learn more about these opportunities to get involved by visiting walkingandstepwithgod.org

[00:12:45] slash get involved. Welcome to Going Deeper with the Word.

[00:12:52] In this segment, we welcome people of all backgrounds, religious or not.

[00:12:56] To review the Word of God, the Word of God provides guidance, direction and

[00:13:01] instructions for living our lives and walking with God.

[00:13:05] Today we examine how God's Word provides clear guidance and direction

[00:13:09] about dreaming big. Let's review examples of God's Word

[00:13:14] that can lead and guide our steps and back up the principles we learned

[00:13:18] in today's message. I'll be reading scripture today

[00:13:22] from the Amplified Bible. If you're watching this message online,

[00:13:26] we invite you to share your comments as we review

[00:13:30] each verse. Here's our first verse. Romans 8 verse 28.

[00:13:39] And we know that God causes all things to work together

[00:13:43] for good for those who love God to those who are called according to

[00:13:49] plan and purpose. In this verse, we are reminded of the

[00:13:55] importance of seeking out God's purpose in our lives.

[00:13:58] We learn that if we love God and seek out His purpose for us,

[00:14:03] God will cause things to work together for His plans.

[00:14:06] As we touched on today, seeking out God's purpose does not suggest that

[00:14:10] we abandon our hopes and dreams. Instead, let's bring our hopes and

[00:14:15] dreams before God but ask Him to prioritize,

[00:14:20] revealing His purpose for us. God's purpose may lead us on a journey

[00:14:25] that differs from our dreams. However, this path will likely be in

[00:14:30] harmony with the unique gifts that God has planted within us.

[00:14:35] By embracing these gifts we can find joy and fulfillment

[00:14:39] as if we had achieved our own original dreams.

[00:14:44] Have you been led to a purpose in life that you did not expect?

[00:14:48] What are the gifts that you know are planted within you

[00:14:51] that strengthen your purpose in life? Let us know in the comments.

[00:14:57] Let's have a look at another verse, Proverbs 19 verse 21.

[00:15:04] Many plans are in a man's mind but it is the Lord's purpose for him that

[00:15:08] will stand, in other words be carried out.

[00:15:12] Here is another verse that touches on the importance of seeking out God's

[00:15:15] purpose for our lives. It reveals that we can plan but we

[00:15:20] should primarily focus on seeking out and carrying out God's plan.

[00:15:26] Often, we may find ourselves pursuing a plan without seeking out God's will for

[00:15:29] that plan. Before we get any deep into our plan

[00:15:33] we should consult with God beforehand. Have you ever had a goal or dream

[00:15:40] that you spent hours days or even more to organize and plan?

[00:15:45] Did you consult with God when you pursued the plan?

[00:15:49] If not, why not? If yes, how do you think God's presence was made known

[00:15:56] in your plans? Let's look at one last verse, Matthew 13 verse 23.

[00:16:05] And the one on whom sin was sown on the good soil.

[00:16:10] This is the one who hears the word and understands and graphs it.

[00:16:14] He indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundred times, some 60,

[00:16:21] and some 30. In this verse Jesus Christ shares a

[00:16:27] parable referring to those who understand the importance of following

[00:16:31] and adhering to God's word. He explains that not only do these

[00:16:36] individuals bear fruit from their actions but he goes on to

[00:16:39] explain the exponential potential of simply seeking out God's instructions.

[00:16:45] In the same way we can infer that seeking out God's plans

[00:16:49] even amidst the dreams and goals we may have in our hearts

[00:16:53] may yield an outcome that is exponentially more

[00:16:56] than we could have ever achieved on our own.

[00:17:01] Have you had a situation and when you recognize

[00:17:04] following God's will and plans benefited you

[00:17:07] exponentially more than if you had followed your original plan

[00:17:12] without including God? Thank you for your time in reviewing these verses with me

[00:17:17] today. Please be sure to share in the comments

[00:17:20] how these or other examples of God's word have helped you learn

[00:17:25] how to dream big. Thank you for the opportunity to share

[00:17:30] encouragement. Here at Walk on a Step with God

[00:17:33] we truly appreciate your support. We are fully committed to Christ

[00:17:38] and the community. We invite you to join us in fellowship and to seek

[00:17:42] opportunities for fellowship in your local community

[00:17:45] as well. Have an amazing week and we will catch you

[00:17:50] next time. Bless you. Thank you for listening.

[00:17:57] Please share this podcast with others if this message has blessed you.

[00:18:01] Consider becoming a supporter of walking and step with God to help

[00:18:04] others walk boldly with God. Visit our website at walkingandstepwithgod.org

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