Living Victoriously

Love The Dreams That God Has Dreamed For You

He has His angels working on your behalf to fulfill it

For the past few months, I've had my church praying for me to continue walking in the path that the Lord set for me... and they still are because the battle isn't over.  You see, God has given me direction about something that is difficult for me to follow in dealing with my future.  It requires major sacrifices and is a difficult road to tread, but I've been following it anyway because I know that God loves me and knows what is best for me. I have been tempted to go outside of His will, and have done so, because of my own heart & desires. I knew the struggle that I was having and prayed that I would have the victory over it. 

Well, I am glad that I had my church praying for me. This past month was one of the hardest to overcome in dealing with that temptation. Sometimes I failed, but lately I've had victories step-by-step.  Too often we can reason away why it is okay to go in another direction or accept other people's advice who don't know the Lord, because although we have submitted to His will in our mind, we have not surrendered the heart to His will.

Sometimes people, especially those who are not Christians, will question you of "how do you know it's God speaking to you" OR "how are you so sure that you understood what He said or what He meant".  IT IS WRITTEN that "Spiritual things are Spiritually discerned.  If they do not have God's Spirit within them, they will never understand.  They will also question "Are you sure that it is God's voice that you heard and not the devil's?"  The Bible says that Christ's "sheep hears His voice."  That means that the ones that are not His will not know His voice, hear it, understand it, etc.  People can cause you to doubt if you listen to their doubts.  That is a definite way satan will use others to knock you off the path God has chosen for you.  He even tried to do it with Jesus in the wilderness... His comments were "IF you are the Son of God..."  He kept trying to put doubt in Christ also and has succeeded in putting doubt in others about Christ not being the Son of God.

YOU know what direction God is leading YOU to follow.  Don't let other's lack of faith or doubt be yours!  Stand fast and listen to HIS voice.

As I practiced singing a song called "I Will Listen", I realized that I have not learned to love the dream that God has dreamed for me... that I am only going by head knowledge to follow in that dream instead of a heart love for it, not because of the fear of failure... but the fear of success... and the sacrifice it requires. Now is that saying something or what?!  I didn't even know that about myself until recently. I prayed every step of the way over the past few months, but was also fighting God every step of the way also, while trying to do His will.  I was still hanging on, but still trying to keep a will of my own.  I promised that I would follow through with this dream God has for me a long time ago and have been following it.  

However, it was soooo hard this past month to stick to the pledge I made.  I realized that I hadn't learned to love the dream that God has dreamed, although He is the one who is having His angels work it out for me. 

The prayer that my church prayed corporately, and individually, helped me to make it through the temptations each day and overcome day-by-day, step-by-step.  It helped me to make the right decisions even though I had to break my own heart to do it.  God opened my eyes to see that I was trying to do it in my own strength. So, one day this month (and a few other times), I dropped to my knees and pleaded with God to teach me to love what His plans are for me even if I don't know them... or quite understand them. I had to re-commit to what I pledged and I have to daily re-surrender my will, once again, to His will and pray that my thoughts, once again, will be transformed and taken captive to His thoughts.  

Is it a struggle any longer?... OF COURSE IT IS! and it is very painful and will be for a long time. But, it is one where I am not fighting myself so much because He is now putting a love for what He has planned for me... in me.  It doesn't mean that it is going to be easy, but, when I was stepping outside of His will, my flesh was at war against my mind and my heart was at war against my spirit.  God is balancing me out once again so that all of me is working together for His glory.  Praise Be The Lord!

I remember an even greater sacrifice that His Son, Jesus Christ, made for me.   It wasn't easy for Him and He even prayed that if it could pass... that it would. However, He surrendered and made the greatest sacrifice that any could ever make.  Knowing that, how can I fight against any sacrifice that my God asks of me when He gave so much to save me.  Oh, how I love the Lord! 

Thanks to everyone that prayed for me these past few months. Your prayers helped to strengthen my resolve and helped me to make it through! Please keep praying for me because the battle isn't over yet and the war isn't won yet in me. But, I know that the battle isn't mine, it's the Lord's and therefore, although I am still in it, I know what the outcome is.

I've attached the song that I sang during a recording called "I Will Listen"... and yes, it is me singing. ENJOY! AND BE ENCOURAGED TO LOVE THE DREAMS THAT GOD HAS DREAMED FOR YOU! :)