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What dreams does God have for your life? Now, my question was not “Does God have dreams for your life?” Because God’s Word teaches us that God as our creator, does have a plan and a dream for your life. Some people think that you can do whatever you want with your life, as long as you don’t do anything bad. They believe that you are in charge of the course of your life. You can live life according to your plans and desires, but you will miss God’s best. God’s dream and plan for your life envisions the best possible life you can have. Your best life is a life following God’s dream and influencing others for God. Your best life is a life seeking the expansion of God’s kingdom on this earth.

So let’s come back to my initial question “What dreams does God have for your life?” The Bible will give you the general parameters of God’s dreams for you. But you’re going to need to hear from God directly to get the specifics. God’s got a dream for your life and He wants to tell you about it. Ask Him and He will. God’s dream for your life is going to face challenges. In our current message series, we’re looking at the life of Joseph, as he follows his God-given dreams.

Last week, we learned from Joseph’s first challenge to his dreams. God had shown Joseph that he would be a leader over his brothers, indeed over his whole family. Yet, his brothers, whom he was supposed to lead, intended to kill him, but instead sold him as a slave to Egypt. The challenge to Joseph’s dream last week was of external circumstances and people who were trying to stop his dreams.

Today, my message is entitled “Resisting Temptation.” External circumstances or people can’t stop God’s dreams for your life. It may appear that they do for a time, but as you continue to follow God, you will see His dreams fulfilled. Today we’re going to talk about internal challenges to your God-given dream. In many ways, these challenges are more serious, because you can stop God’s dreams for your life by giving in to temptation. Although nobody else can mess up God’s dreams for your life, you can and many people do mess up God’s dreams for their lives. Now, God is a God of second chances, but it’s so much better to get it right the first time. So let’s think about what temptation is all about for a minute.

James 1:13-15 (NIV)  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. …

Resisting Temptation (Genesis 39:6-20)Read More »

Today, we continue our message series called “Keep Your Dream Alive.” In this series, we are studying the life of Joseph, found in the book of Genesis. Our objective is to learn principles from how God worked through Joseph’s amazing life. God’s Word is not just a bunch of entertaining stories from long ago. God’s Word was written to instruct us and teach us how to live for God in the 21^st century.

My message today is called “God-Given Dreams.” Joseph is often referred to as the dreamer, as if he came up with his own dreams. However, as we’ll see today, Joseph’s dreams were God-given dreams. God communicated with Joseph concerning his future through dreams. When you look back through the book of Genesis, you see God communicating with people in a number of ways. God communicated with Abraham through a vision. God appeared to Abraham’s son, Isaac and spoke to him. God appeared to Isaac’s son Jacob in a dream that we’re going to look at today. Finally, we’ll always be examining the God-given dreams of Joseph.

What about today? How does God communicate with people now or does He? There is a widespread teaching today that God no longer communicates with people supernaturally. The age of miracles, dreams, spiritual gifts and visions is past. We can read about it in the Bible, it happened back then, but God no longer does supernatural things, they say. This teaching, called cessationism, says that all supernatural miracles ceased at the end of the apostolic time and we no longer need God’s supernatural power because we have the Bible. The devil can still do supernatural things, but God doesn’t. The problem with the doctrine of cessationism is that it isn’t biblical, there is not a shred of biblical evidence for it.

The Bible was written to show us what God is like and how he interacts with people. We see God working supernaturally from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible prophesies that God’s supernatural work will continue until Jesus returns.

Acts 2:17 (NIV)  In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.   …

God-Given Dreams (Genesis 37:5-11)Read More »

Today, we begin a new message series called “Keep Your Dream Alive.” Every person has a dream, although not everyone knows what that dream is. The dream we’re going to be talking about in this message series is your special, unique dream that God has for your life. People have all kinds of dreams that are not from God. Some people dream of winning the lottery. Others dream of great accomplishments that never happen. Others dream of things that are ungodly. But God has a dream and plan for your life that He wants you to keep alive and live out.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. …

Building on Your Past (Genesis 29:14-30:24)Read More »