HOW TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME
TRUE
WHAT IS A DREAM
A dream is a vision of the
future of what you what to become, or how you want your
life, business, home or family to be. It could be within
a given time period, or an indefinite time period.
A dream could also be
described as a goal which is object of effort or
ambition. A goal is an aim.
A vision is something which
you imagine to become, or imagine will happen. A vision
is a dream
A dream is a pictures
painted and carried in the mind until it is fulfilled. A
dram could be give by God without the one to whom the
dream is given desiring it. – It is not a product of the
dreamer’s desires.
A dream could be one’s aim
in life without it being a direct revelation from heaven
– In this case, a product of one’s personal; desires.
A dream–seed is the
invisible photograph of a desired miracle, goal, and
dream or vision e.g.
(a)
Abraham – nurtured that inner picture of many
generations or children through his promised son, Isaac.
Gen 15:5-6
5 He took him outside and
said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if
indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So
shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and
he credited it to him as righteousness.
NIV
(b)
The woman of the issue of blood.
Mark 5:28
28 because she thought,
"If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."
NIV
(c)
Christ – who for the joy (resurrection and
reconciliation of man to God) that was set before him
endured the cross.
Heb 12:2
2 Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
NIV
THE NEED FOR A DREAM
1.
If you
can’t define what you want, you cannot find it.
2.
If you
cannot describe what you want, you will not discover it.
3.
If you
don’t know what you want, how do you know when you get
it?
4.
If you
don’t know your destination, you will never make a
departure.
5.
If you
don’t know where you want to be, you will never leave
where you are.
6.
Tickets
are not sold based on departure, they are sold based on
destination.
7.
Dreams
give man a focus. The secret of all failure is broken
focus
Josh 1:7
7 Be strong and very
courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant
Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to
the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
NIV
Remember that Satan’s
greatest goal is broken focus (to distract us from our
focus).
(a)
Lot’s wife
– Became a pillar of salt when she stopped focusing on
the town they were fleeing to and looked back at Sodom.
(b)
Nehemiah –
He succeeded because he did not allow himself to be
distracted from the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem, despite many temptations and oppositions.
8.
Focus
creates momentum.
Phil 3:13-14
13 Brothers, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
NIV
Your energy will only take
you to your focus.
9.
“The me I
see is the me I’ll be”.
10.
Purpose
(Dream) is the touchstone of any accomplishment, large
or small. A strong man can be defeated by a child who
has a purpose. Don’t live a purposeless life. A
purposeless life is a life without direction.
HAVE A DREAM
1.
Have a
dream and pursue it.
2.
Have a
dream, a big dream. You will never go any higher than
you can dream. But you can go as high as you dream if
you work at it, believe it, and stick to it.
3.
Decide
what you want to do, what you want to be, and what you
want to own.
4.
Write it
down.
Hab 2:2
2 Then the LORD replied:
"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
NIV
STEPS TO REALIZING YOUR
DREAMS
1.
Write down your dreams and
make it plain on paper:
Hab 2:2
2 Then the LORD replied:
"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
NIV
2.
Verbalize your dream
Share it. Get as many people
involved in your vision or goal as you possibly can. Any
dream you can contain is not big enough to move you. Any
dream you can contain is not big enough to produce
partnership.
“…write down the
vision and make it plain on tablets so that A HERALD MAY
RUN WITH IT (Hab 2:2).
Prov 18:20-21
20 From the fruit of his
mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from
his lips he is satisfied. 21 The tongue has the power of
life and death, and those who love it will eat its
fruit.
NIV
3. Have a
strong desire for the actualization of your dream,
vision or goal. There must be
keen and definite desire for your dream to come to pass.
Dreams come through when desire transforms them into
concrete action.
Strong desire produces
strong determination which triggers the brain to come up
with ideas or plan on how to achieve a set goal.
Every person who wants to
win in any undertaking must be willing to cut all
sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of
maintaining the state of mind known as a burning desire
to win, essential to success.
Thomas Edison dreamed of a
lamp that could be operated by electricity, began where
he stood to put his dream into action and despite more
than ten thousand failures he stood by that dream until
he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not
quit!
A burning desire to be and
to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must
take off. Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness,
or lack of ambition. They are born of strong desire.
Edwin Barnes dreamed years
before joining Thomas A. Edison’s company of becoming
Edison’s partner. He had neither money nor enough
education to get him to his dream. He didn’t have good
clothes. But he had a dream backed up with a strong
desire. He figured out that the first step will be to
leave his community and go to the city and join Edison’s
company as a clerk, which he did. For years he worked as
a clerk, still having his dream. A time came when one of
Edison’s machines could not be marketed by his salesmen,
who claimed it will not make it in the market. Edwin
Barnes, saw it as the opportunity he has waiting for. He
approached Edison and he gave him the chance to market
it, which he did successfully. From there, his life
changed. He entered into a contract with Edison, and
eventually became a business partner of Thomas Edison.
This story shows that a man
may be poorly dressed with no one to “connect” or help
him, yet his burning desire for a change can being him
the opportunity of his time.
4. Believe in
your dream.
Believe it can be achieved.
“All things are
possible to him that believes”
(Mk. 9:23). “I can do all things
through Christ that strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
There is a difference
between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive
it. no one is ready for a thing until he believes he can
acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not more
hope or wish.
You must have faith in God
and His word to be able to succeed. Hold unto the
promises of God that is relevant to the accomplishment
of your dream. Seek God for a promise of what he will do
to assist you in accomplishing your goal.
Directed faith makes every
though crackle with power. You can rise to limitless
heights, impelled by the lifting force of your mighty
new confidence in Christ based on the words of God.
Any impulse of thought which
is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is
finally accepted and acted upon by the subconscious
mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its
physical equivalent by the most practical procedure
available. Therefore, feed your mind with words that
will boost your faith to achieve your dream. The words
of God will be best in this regard.
5. Visualize your
goal or dream come true.
Always image yourself as
succeeding with God’s help. If you can see it in your
mind, it will happen with time.
The woman with the issue of
blood visualized herself healed when she touched the hem
of Jesus garment; and when she actually touched the hem
of Christ’s garment; she got healed.
Remember, your energy and
body responds to the mind. Your mind literally controls
all the energy in your body. What your mind focuses on,
your energy will be channeled towards it.
Always look at where you are
going. See where you are going, and you will be there
with time.
When negative thoughts enter
your mind, immediately cancel it with a positive
thought. Mentally minimize difficulties; maximize your
strength by concentrating your mind on the areas of
strength.
Deny the power of difficulty
over you. Affirm the power of faith to overcome.
Believe in yourself.
Everyday practice the greatest of all positive
confession: “I can do all things through Christ that
strengthens me”.
6. Plan how to
achieve your dream or goal.
The weakness of every
dreamer is the plan. You must stay in God’s presence to
get the plan. Write out your plan. In realizing your
main dream or goal, set smaller, definite, achievable
goals. Follow-up the smaller goals with all your energy,
will power, effort and prayers.
BENEFITS OF SETTING
SMALLER GOALS IN PURSUIT OF YOUR MAIN DREAM OR GOAL
a.
It will
help you avoid a waste of time on non-essentials.
b.
It
stimulates involvement. It energizes you. It creates
enthusiasm for what you want to do.
c. It
helps to channel your energies toward priorities. The
number one key in life is the ability to value priority
and follow through. There is nothing to be compared to
knowing what needs to be done first, and doing it.
d.
It helps
you to establish check points for your growth, to see if
you are progressing e.g. assuming I have a dream of
acquiring a million naira in six months. In three
months, I should be able to know how much I have
acquired. If in six months I have not achieved my goal,
I should be able to know how close or far I am to my
goal.
e.
It will
help you fulfill the purpose of God and his
expectations.
7. Be determined
to succeed.
Ps 56:11
11 in God I trust; I will
not be afraid. What can man do to me?
NIV
Warfare always surrounds the
birth of a miracle. Nothing is ever as bad as it first
appears. Battle is the opportunity to prove what you
believe. Joseph proved that opposition is the wave that
takes you from the pit to the palace.
Accept opposition as proof
of your progress. When you habitualize your priorities
you are making progress.
Don’t let pain discourage
you. Every great man has experienced pain. It is a part
of productivity. Success never comes without
difficulties. Don’t let your mind focus on the
difficulties, but on the way forward.
8. Be dedicated
to your dream or vision.
Work hard at achieving your
goal.
Eccl 9:10
10 Whatever your hand
finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the
grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor
planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
NIV
Prov 23:13
13 Do not withhold
discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod,
he will not die.
NIV
Prov 24:30-34
30 I went past the field
of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks
judgment;
31 thorns had come up
everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the
stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I
observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: 33 A
little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the
hands to rest-- 34 and poverty will come on you like a
bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
NIV
Study to increase your
knowledge of field of endeavor. Update your knowledge
from time to time to be abreast of the latest
technology, method and research findings relevant to
your field.
If you try to accomplish
anything you must walk by the pitfalls.
Fatigue (condition of being
very tired) is the number one enemy of your progress and
joy. When fatigue walks in, faith walks out. Even Jesus
and his disciples had to take time out to rest.
Mark 6:31
31 Then, because so many
people were coming and going that they did not even have
a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by
yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
NIV
Don’t over overwork
yourself. You can achieve more in one hour if you are
rested than you can accomplish in eight hours if your
body is weary and worn out.
9. Be
disciplined.
Discipline your mind.
Eliminate negative thoughts capable of hindering the
accomplishment of your dreams. Send out negative
thoughts and negative results will return. Send out
positive thoughts, faith, hope and optimism, and the
world around you will be activated positively.
Positive results come
surging back to the positive thinker. Success starts in
your head. See yourself as a successful; person and you
will be a successful person.
Successful doesn’t come from
where you are but from the way you think. Success
doesn’t come through the ways you may think it come, it
comes through the way you think! Think positively.
Visualize success. Discipline yourself to be positively
success conscious. Your family background and financial
status has got nothing to do with your ability to be
successful. Whether your partners are poor or not, you
can still succeed. In fact, most of the successful men
today come from very poor homes. Don’t accept or give in
to your present position. Change your position by
adopting a positive mental attitude towards your life.
Whether you have somebody to help you or connect you or
not, you can still make it. It all depends on the way
you think. You have to discipline yourself to be
positively success conscious
10. Develop a
winning attitude.
Develop attitude that will
enable your realize your dream. Attitude deals with how
a person thinks and believes. Before anyone can achieve
his goals or dreams, he must make a mental and spiritual
commitment to the goal. He must continue to think
positively about it all the way to its attainment.
11. Get people
involved in your dream.
Ex 17:8-15
8 The Amalekites came and
attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to
Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the
Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought
the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron
and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses
held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but
whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were
winning. 12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a
stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and
Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the
other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13
So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as
something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua
hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory
of Amalek from under heaven." 15 Moses built an altar
and called it The LORD is my Banner.
NIV
Josh 1:7
7 Be strong and very
courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant
Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to
the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
NIV
Hab 2:2
2 Then the LORD replied:
"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run
with it.
NIV
You are not created to
succeed alone. Relationships are important. Know who God
has assigned to help you. Ask others to be a part of
your dream or goal. God never intended for you to
succeed alone. What you lack is always housed in someone
else. When you pray about your dream, ask God to direct
you to someone. He has chosen to make a contribution to
your life.
Matt 7:7
7 "Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you.
NIV
Celebrate those who love
your goals.
Prov 13:20
20 He who walks with the
wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
NIV
Move with those who will
contribute meaningfully to the attainment of your
dreams.
Define the true contribution
of every friendship.
1 Cor 15:33
33 Do not be misled: "Bad
company corrupts good character."
NIV
Each person in your life is
a current…taking you toward your goals or away from
them. There are four kinds of people in your life. Those
who add, subtract, multiply and divide. He who does not
increase you, inevitably will decrease you. Do not
expect a 3x5 friendship to grow your 16x20 dream. The
worth of any friendship of any friendship can be
measured by its contribution to God’s assignment to your
life.
Talk about your excitement.
Prov 18:21
21 The tongue has the
power of life and death, and those who love it will eat
its fruit.
NIV
Your enthusiasm breeds
excitement in others. Be excited about your vision. Your
enthusiasm will attract others to your dream. Remember
that thought and talk magnifies anything. Think and talk
positively about your dream.
Enthusiasm is the only
climate the seeds of success will grow in. If you want
others to get involved in your dreams and goals you must
exude an aura of excitement. Like Henry Ford, you can
transmit your own faith and persistence to others and
get the “impossible” done well.
No individual has sufficient
experience, education, native ability, (talents) and
knowledge to insure the accumulation of a great fortune,
or realization of any dream without the co-operation of
other people. You must have therefore the advantage of
the experience, native ability (talents) and imagination
of others minds. This is in harmony with the methods
followed by every person who has accumulated a great
fortune.
Your clothing communicates
an attitude toward the goals you are pursuing. People
see what you are before they hear what you are. You are
a walking message system to others. Joseph dressed to
create acceptance in the palace of Pharaoh.
Gen 41:14
14 So Pharaoh sent for
Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came
before Pharaoh.
NIV
12.
You need to be patient.
Lam 3:25-26
25 The LORD is good to
those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the
LORD.
NIV
Isa 40:31
31 but those who hope in
the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on
wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
NIV
The waiting period is a
season of education. Every season in your life has a
product. The waiting period is a preparation period.
Within this period or season, you learn to depend on God
not yourself to actualize your dream.
Expect your seed of patience
to produce a harvest. Every dreamer must tolerate
seasons of waiting. Waiting is not wasted time. Moses
proved that leaders are not trained in the palace, but
in the desert, each day of waiting is proof of your
trust in God.
Be willing to sometimes
dream alone. Every champion must be willing to believe
in his own dream when others seem too busy or uncaring
to encourage him. Every great inventor, such as Thomas
Edison, faced waves of ridicule and scorn before their
genius was recognized and appreciated.
Don’t forget to keep your
focus on where you are going and refuse to be
discouraged by the present circumstances that will soon
pass.
13. Compensate
those who help you to achieve your dream.
Lev 19:13
13 "`Do not defraud your
neighbor or rob him. "`Do not hold back the wages of a
hired man overnight.
NIV
Prov 22:16
16 He who oppresses the
poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to
the rich--both come to poverty.
NIV
Eccl 3:13
13 That everyone may eat
and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is
the gift of God.
NIV
God has a reward system.
Become reward oriented. If you want partnership or
employ the service of some persons to help actualize
your dream, you must decide what advantages and benefits
you may offer them in return for their co-operation. No
one will work indefinitely without some form of
compensation.
No intelligent person will
either request or expect another to work without
adequate compensation, although this may not always be
in the form of money.
Remember, that these same
people have their own dreams too. Selfishness on your
part will deprive them of the same success you want in
pursuit of your dreams. Don’t withhold their wages.
14. Live a life of
sacrifice. Plant seeds in the life of other people.
Gal 6:7
7 Do not be deceived: God
cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NIV
A seed is anything you have
or can do that can bless somebody. Your respect for
others is a seed…sow it. Your knowledge given to others
is a seed…sow it. Sow a part of yourself everyday. What
you make happen for other, God will make happen for you.
Eph 6:8
8 because you know that
the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does,
whether he is slave or free.
NIV
If what you have is not
enough to be a harvest, then make it a seed. A harvest
is anything God has that can bless you – time, money,
friends, skills etc.
CONCLUSION
1. Think
about where you want to get to in life.
2. Come
to a firm decision about your basic objective.
3. Formulate
and write your dream in a sharp, clear statement, and
eliminate all fuzziness of thought.
4. Study
and learn all that you can about your dream and how to
get there.
5. Plan
how to achieve your dream.
6. Set
smaller goals towards researching your main goal and
dream.
7. Fix
a time of achieving your smaller goals.
8. Pray
about your decision to be sure that its right and tally
with God’s will for you. If it is not right it is wrong,
and nothing wrong turns out right.
9. Give
your goal complete and unremitting effort, and never
give up trying.
10.
Apply
positive thinking.
11.
Never
assume you have it made. One goal attained leads to
another and on and on.
12.
A
combination of goal setting, positive thinking,
effective planning, visualizing and believing leads to a
successful outcome of the most of the problems with
which each of us must deal with in pursuit of our
dreams.
13.
Failure
begins in your thoughts when you hold the idea that you
are actually incapable, that you are born to lose. So to
counteract failure, develop faith. Apart from believing
in God, you have to believe in yourself as a wonderful
creature of God with great potentials.
These are the keys to making
you an achiever, and give your life a purpose and
fulfillment. Practice them and you will become whatever
you want to be, and have whatever you want to acquire.
