February 27, 2017

                                                        

DAY SIX

February 27, 2017

Don’t Stop Short Of Your Dreams

“The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” Genesis 39:2a

In 1930, two young brothers named Dick and Maurice McDonald moved from New Hampshire to California to pursue the American dream of being successful.  After a few failed ventures, they struck gold when they opened a small drive-in restaurant.  By the mid-1950’s, their annual revenue was $350,000, and the brothers split $100,000 in profits.

You might think, yes, the rest is history.  But you may be surprised to know the rest of the story.  In 1954, a man by the name of Ray Kroc came into the picture.  Ray Kroc saw potential that the brothers did not see.  In 1961, Kroc bought the exclusive rights to McDonald’s for the sum of $2.7 million – now with 21,000+ restaurants worldwide, the rest of the story is history indeed.

The lessons learned from this story are:

Don’t pull up short of your God-given dream.

Don’t allow someone to out-dream you.

Don’t allow someone else to finish your dream.

Christians look to Joseph as the role model for dreaming big.  Genesis 39 holds important lessons for all dreamers.  Some lessons in this chapter that can keep us from stopping short of our dreams are:

Know that God is with us (verses 2, 21, & 23).

Know that God is aware of our actions (verse 9).

Know that God can make the bitter things in life sweet (verses 21-23).

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church will pursue our God-given dream to the fullest potential.  Pray that through the achievement of this dream will come more and better Christ followers for the kingdom of God.  Ask God to show you ways in which you have stopped short of His best for you.

February 26, 2017

                                                         

DAY FIVE

February 26, 2017

When Your Dream Is Delayed

“‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other.  ‘Come now, let’s kill him…Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.’” Genesis 37:19-20

Joseph found out what every dreamer finds out – not everyone is happy about your dream.  Joseph found out that people would envy your dream, conspire against it, speak against it, and even attack your God-given dream.  Joseph’s brothers put him in a pit and then sold him as a slave to go to Egypt.  Don’t you imagine that at that time, Joseph wondered just what in the world God was doing and if his dream would become a reality?

Remember that every God-given dream must die a human death.  That is, every dream from God will come to a place where it is impossible to accomplish the dream in human ability alone.  God is sovereign and his timing is perfect.  Remember Habakkuk 2:3b, “It (our plan to build) will certainly come and will not delay.”  Therefore, when we run out of resources and get to a place where we realize that the dream cannot happen unless God steps in, then God alone will get the glory when the dream is accomplished.  His ways are not our ways, and He does not delay a single day.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that FredWes will continue to strive forward with our God-sized dream of building a larger facility.  Pray that God will give us the endurance and stamina needed to face any temporary setbacks.  Pray that all involved will experience joy on this journey of faith.  Ask God to strengthen you also as you continue to pursue your lifelong goals despite delays.

February 25, 2017

                                                               

DAY FOUR

February 25, 2017

What A Great Dream Looks Like

“He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had.’” Genesis 37:6

In 1989, a movie called “Field of Dreams” was released.  Kevin Costner played Ray Kincella, a 37 year-old man who had never done a crazy thing in his life until he heard a voice one day that said, “Build it and he will come.”  You see, Ray had had a stormy relationship with his dad.  As a rebellious child of the 60’s, he scorned his dad who loved baseball, refusing even to play catch with him.  His father died before he could make things right.  When he plowed his cornfield over and made a baseball field, everyone said he was crazy for following his dream, but through the magic of the movie he could be reunited with his father as a young man.  The theology is certainly not correct, and the plot is nowhere near reality, but that is what makes the movies, the movies.

One thing is for certain; people will come to a place where their dreams can be fulfilled.  God’s field of dreams is not in Iowa, but rather in the hearts of His people.  How do we know what a dream looks like?  This list below gives us a good description of what a God-given dream looks like:

A God-given dream will stir your passion.

A God-given dream will be humanly impossible to accomplish.

A God-given dream will make an impression on you for a lifetime.

A God-given dream will cause you to exercise strong faith.

The enemy of our soul will attack a God-given dream.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church will be a true “field of dreams” where people can find and fulfill their dreams.  Pray that the whole congregation will be united in our dream to build a larger facility.  Pray that we can be one so that the world can be won.  Pray for church leaders to have discernment for decisions that affect this dream.  Ask God to protect our dream from the enemy.

February 24, 2017

                                            Day Three                                  

    February 24, 2017

    The Birth Of A Dream

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.” Genesis 30:22

Rachel was Jacob’s dream wife.  They were very much in love.  Like most married couples, they desired to have a child so their love could walk upon the earth.  God listened to Rachel’s dream for a child, and He answered her prayer by giving them a son.  Their dream became a reality named Joseph.

It is impossible to overestimate the power and role of dreams in human existence.  Dreams have brought us lifesaving medical breakthroughs and soul-stirring revival movements.  Some of our greatest athletic achievements are the result of a personal dream.  The United States of America is the result of a dream of real democratic government by a group of patriots.  Martin Luther King changed the course of a nation because he had a dream.  Your world and “the” world can be changed because of the dream inside you.

These dreams are your daytime dreams – your vision, your hopes, your aspirations, and your desires.  A God-given dream won’t go away.  Search your heart and mind to get in touch with the dream God has put inside you.  Then pray about it and take action! 

Fred Wes’ dream to build a larger facility finds its biblical connection in Habakkuk 2:3, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false:  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

Prayer Focus:  Pray that our church’s vision will become a reality in God’s perfect timing.  Pray that our dreams of saving friends and family through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will come about because of our new building.  Ask God to reveal or clarify your personal dream that is His will for your life and direct you in acting on it.

February 23, 2017

                                                  DAY TWO                                                    
February 23, 2017

  Don’t Let The Fire Go Out!

“Why is the house of God neglected?  Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.”  Nehemiah 13:11b

When the Olympics came to America several years ago, part of the experience was to see the Olympic flame.  For every Olympics, a flame is lit from the eternal Olympic flame in Greece and then carried to wherever the Olympic games are being held.  The flame made its way to Atlanta for the opening ceremonies by traveling all over America first.

Volunteers and heroes from all over America carried torches holding the flame from place to place.  While the flame was passing through Tacoma, Washington, Harley Sheffield had the honor of carrying it on his bicycle.  As he was crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the expansion grates on the bridge blew a tire out on his bike.  The torch popped out of its holder, fell onto the bridge, and broke into pieces.  The Olympic flame was extinguished.

Sheffield was horrified.  They would have to go all the way back to Greece and start over again!  He would go down in history as the man who allowed the flame to go out!  His panic was unnecessary because a “mother flame” was present in a trailing van as well as a replacement torch.  Thus he could resume his duty, and the Olympic flame traveled onward.

This story provides a great illustration of our walk with God.  Too many times we stumble and allow our flame to go out.  If your flame has been doused, there is not a “mother flame” to restore it.  But there is a “Father flame” who stands ready to light your torch today, and He will keep it lit.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that God will light our spiritual torches with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  Pray that Fred Wes will always be on fire for the Lord.  Ask God to make your spiritual flame burn brighter (increase your faith).  Our Scripture today tells how God enabled Nehemiah to restore the priests to their duties.  Ask Him how He can enable you to restore, rekindle, or resume something for Him that will give Him glory.

Direction In Prayer

Direction In Prayer

"And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

Jesus taught us much about prayer in example and in word.  “The Lord’s Prayer,” or as it could be known, “The Disciple’s Prayer” is a part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.  It is the model prayer, and it gives us an outline of the subjects we should pray over.

At the close of the prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray for the Father’s direction for our day.  It includes a healthy understanding of our enemy and his ability to deceive us away from the Father’s will for our lives.  Satan loves to bring the child of God into the place of temptation and ultimately, after we have surrendered to temptation, to the place of bondage.

We should pray every day for God to lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Pray that He will give us daily deliverance from the enemy’s power and deceit.  Yesterday’s deliverance was great, but we must depend on the Father to lead us daily.  The enemy never ceases his relentless attacks.  He plans and schemes to control us constantly.  Therefore, prayer should be a vital part of our daily life.

Of course, we have opportunity for complete victory over all of the enemy’s attacks.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we know who is the King of the Kingdom.  It is His kingdom to which we belong, and after prayer, we are refocused on kingdom priorities.  We know that it is His power, which is able to accomplish all of these things and also know that it is all about His glory.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that God will give the people of Fred Wes a spirit of prayer.  Pray that He will clearly direct us and protect us from the evil one.  Take time to focus on God’s greatness and thank Him for the vision that He has given our church.  Pray that during these forty days, He will reveal to you how you can use your time, talents, and treasures to further this vision for His glory.

February 21, 2017

"And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Matthew 14:32-33

These disciples had devoted their lives to Jesus and had followed Him 24/7 for the last few years. They knew that He was the Son of God and yet only after they were delivered from the storm did they cry out in worship "Truly you are the Son of God!"

What was that about?

It is our final Lake Lesson - You worship God better after you weather the storm.

Faith is a collaboration between the head and the heart. To have faith you must gain knowledge in your mind, but you also have to apply that knowledge to daily living. You encounter God in the Scriptures to understand His will and His ways, but you also must prove Him in the everyday issues and experiences of living. If His truth doesn't provide solutions for daily life then why believe it?

These water-logged disciples knew Who He was. Who He was was the very reason they were following Him. They had heard the teachings and seen the miracles watched His life and felt His touch. Just prior to getting into the boat on the other side of the lake they had witnessed a miraculous feeding of thousands. BUT, when He came to them and rescued them in midst of a terrible storm, they came to know Him in a new way. What they had known in their heart worked in the need of their life.

It was in the throes of one of the fiercest storms of a stormy life that I came to a new understanding of Who Jesus is. I have worshiped Him better since. While the waves were tossing me and the winds had turned against me I challenged God, "If these things I have been teaching about and preaching about for years don't work for me, I am out!" When they did work for me, I got in like never before! When I cried out to God, "I have lost everything that matters to me, all I have is You." God responded, "What else do you need?"

Are you in the middle of a storm? Are you struggling to stay afloat? Is your mind wanting to doubt what you heart wants to believe? Is the storm inside you greater than the storm around you?

You are ripe for a Lake Lesson! You are about to know God in new ways as Jesus proves He is beyond belief, He is bigger than life! He knows where you are in the storm, He knows about the storm within you, He knows how to get to you, He is probably on the way right now, and when He gets there He will calm the storms. After He calms the storm you will believe stronger and worship better!

We worship better after we weather storm!