is my dream from god.

Last week I took a step, read it here. However, I’m not done conquering that fear.  This is all because a friend said, “Will you take a risk with me?” Thanks Amy Sullivan! I think I just said that sarcastically. 

But this week, I’d rather hear from you. Did you take the challenge? What are you risking? Are you following your dream?

Having a dream is scary.

There are many reasons for this. Maybe the dream seems so huge that we think that there is no way we can find the resources or knowledge to conquer it. Some of us know that when we begin to share that dream many are going to oppose our vision. And a great many of us analyze the dream and let the paralysis due to worry’s and what-if’s stop us before we take our first step.

And that’s where risking comes in. You have to be willing to step out despite those obstacles and huge road blocks that you see in your minds eye. The truth is you will never know what the journey ahead will bring until you begin the journey! [tweet that]

But for many of us,, I think there is another component to the reason why we don’t move.

Is this God’s will?

Our visions and dreams seem so elusive that we can’t tell where they came from. And that’s where I sat a few weeks ago. I knew what my heart was burdened for, and I could see the vision faintly in my mind. In the beginning I knew God had placed it there, but over time the wear and tear of my soul made me question if this was just something I had conjured.

I tossed and turned wondering what if this isn’t God’s plan, but my own made up dream?

All the while, I didn’t realize how that one question had me on pause. Risking seemed even harder because of my uncertainty and lack of self-confidence.

Today is the Day.

My pastor, Bil Cornelius of Bay Area Fellowship, released his new best-selling book Today is the Day: find and embrace your God-given dream about a week ago. I couldn’t wait to get my copy — you can get yours here.

As I settled in with the book and my journal, my spirit stirred. There was an excitement about the wisdom I’d gain. I cracked open the new book (there’s nothing like a new book) and got my highlighter ready. As I turned to Chapter One, I gasp.

There is was in bold letters.

Is My Dream from God?

My heart started pounding. I couldn’t believe there was my unanswered question staring at me off the page. Surely answers awaited.

Pastor Bil brings God’s truth to light through the journey of Nehemiah. He gives eight clues so you can test and validate the desires of your heart — your dream. To read those clues and the rest of his message, order your book here.

As each clue unfolded, I was amazed. My vision, after being a simmering ember, became a burning flame. With each clue I grew more confident in the way God was leading me and that is was time to move. To act. To do. To risk.

“If your dream seems crazy or daring, this may be an indication it’s a God-given dream. We serve a big God. You cannot achieve great things by thinking small.” Bil Cornelius

And so I took a step.

The vision God has given me is to reach out to the girls on the streets who are caught up in sex trade. Even after a year of serving on the streets, I feel I need more knowledge. So I risk and schedule a meeting with someone who knows the streets all too well.

It felt like an eternity into our conversation before I was brave enough to ask, “You know the places you’ve been. The girls you know there. Is there anyway you can take me to meet them? To get to know them?”

A long stare and pause. I blink as I feel a tear forming. I know the thought came out as uncaring and I don’t know how to have this conversation. The burden is so thick words won’t form properly at the given moment.

Quietly a whisper forms, “Alene, you don’t want to go there. It’s dark. It’s ugly. It’s brutal. It’s all about sex, drugs, hotels, and your next fix. You won’t like it.”

“I know I won’t like it. That was never the question. But I have this burden — this unquenchable burden to help those girls,” I sputter out.

And now there’s no turning back.

God created us all to be difference makers, it’s time to risk and follow those desires He has placed in your heart.

Have you stopped pursuing your dream for fear it wasn’t from God? Get Today is the Day and have those questions answered once and for all. It’s amazing the freedom that comes when you know that you know your path is a God-given journey!

What is your dream?