Do you remember what you dreamed about when you were a little kid? Most of us had big dreams. The sky was the limit. But somewhere along the way, we began to put ceilings on ourselves, our dreams and God. I believe this happens from having multiple attempts at making one of our dreams come true and failing miserably. Everyone will fail at some point in their life. The question is not if we fail, but instead, the question is how do we react when we fail. If we don’t properly process that failure we will never try again. We come into an agreement with the lie that dreaming only brings pain and suffering.

Failure and rejection hurt. I wish I could sit with you and tell of all the times I’ve failed in my life. I have failed so many times that I swore I would never try again. I’m so thankful God loves me too much to let me stay in that stinkin’ thinkin’ way for too long.

I recently pursued something God had put on my heart only to find myself failing, once again. Instead of sitting inside depressed with a tray of Oreos, I decided to let God into the pain of my failure. He asked me 4 questions that brought immediate peace into my so-called failure. If you find yourself in a place of hopelessness and despair, unwilling to dream again, I challenge you to sit with these 4 questions:

1. Was it a good idea or a God idea?  I am guilty of moving forward on a dream or idea because it seems like a really good idea. It may even involve something with church or ministry, which makes it seem even more so like a God idea. But the question remains:  Did God really call ME to that? So often we look at what is working for other people and we think we should head in that direction too. If God isn’t with us, then no matter how hard we work, our plans will not succeed.
2. God, how do you define success?  We are trained to define success by measuring things. We measure the circumference of our waist (or biceps for the guys), the size of our bank account and the number of followers we have on social media. But often in the Bible, we find that God does not measure the head (numbers) but instead the heart (character). God sees the big picture. Something that looks like a failure to us may be just the very puzzle piece God needed to complete the larger picture that He is always working on behind the scenes. This is where our faith and trust in him is crucial.
3. Did God lead you to the desert? Remember the Israelites and how they roamed the desert for forty years? God is the one who led them there. However, he never intended for them to stay for forty years. God was leading them to their promised land but he had to work some things out of their hearts before he could entrust them with their promised land. Perhaps the desert you or I are currently walking through has less to do with missing God and more to do with the state of our heart.
4. Is it time to overcome the opposition that is keeping us from our promised land? There was an appointed time that God said it is time to overtake your enemy and enter the promised land. I believe many of us live stuck in the desert because we fail to recognize the authority that lies within us. As believers, God has given us the authority to command any opposition to flee in Jesus name. He doesn’t ask us to dig deep and find our strength to use this authority in our lives. Instead, he asks us to have a simple faith and be willing to look silly (like march around the walls seven times and blow some horns until walls fall down).

If you feel like a failure and are afraid to dream or try again, I encourage you to sit with these 4 questions and ask the Holy Spirit what he is saying to you. He will show you which of these 4 areas may be holding you back from your destiny. God is for you. He created you to dream. It’s time to dream again.

Cheering for you,

Rachael Joy