How To Trust God for Your Big Dream
By Rick Warren
“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more . . . When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had?’” Genesis 37:5, 10 (NIV)
If you want to make it in a career, you have to respectfully show audacity. Sometimes following God’s dream for your life requires audacity too! Audacity is the courage to think big, to show initiative, and to take risks for a dream while facing the possibility of failure.
In Genesis 37, we read the story of Joseph, who had a dream so incredible—so audacious—that nobody in the world believed him. He dreamed that one day he would be a great leader and all his brothers would bow down to him.
Was it the truth? Yes. Was the dream from God? Yes. Was it fulfilled? Yes. Was Joseph a little crazy to tell his brothers? Yes.
When Joseph shared his audacious dream with his family, “they hated him all the more . . . When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had?’” (Genesis 37:5, 10 NIV).
Like Joseph, you’re going to have to step out in faith—even when it doesn’t make sense, even when people ridicule you, even when you’re afraid, even when the odds are against you. If God puts a dream in your heart, he will honor you when you step out in faith to do it.
When I wrote The Purpose Driven Life, the publisher told me that it was all wrong and it wouldn’t sell. Nobody reads 40 chapters; it didn’t have enough stories in it; it had too much Scripture; it was too choppy. I told them I believed this was the way I had been directed by God to do it, and they didn’t have to publish it.
I held the line, and they said they still wanted to publish it. Don’t you think they’re glad they did? Sometimes you just need a little bit of audacity because you believe in what God has told you to do.
Joseph made one audacious decision after another in faith. As a result, he got the promotion of a lifetime—he eventually became a great leader and ruled over all of Egypt.
Where do you need to be audacious? Where do you need to trust God? Maybe you need to take the initiative to step out in faith, think big, or take a risk. When you’re following God’s dream, you can know he will honor the big steps you take in faith.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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