Are You Brave Enough to Dream Again?

GRACE, THE RULE BREAKER

Right now. Today. Grace is giving you permission to dream again.

I know what you're thinking... "But..."

Yes. Sometimes, our present takes up so much oxygen we cannot even fathom aspiring to do more, to be more. And yet, God is calling us to dream... again.

Yes. Again.

Is Your "Enough" Enough?

There are many things I like about Mary's betrothed, Joseph.

Number one, he loved that woman. Loved her enough not to make her a spectacle. Loved her enough not to "punish" her in the relationship.

Number two, he trusted God enough for God to trust him.\

And number three, Joseph trusted God enough to sleep.

Y'all, this was no normal sleep. This was the kind of sleep where your ever-cycling thoughts finally submit to a higher authority, the One that can and will give you rest. My first two reasons for liking Joseph were because of his submission reflected through character. The third is because of Joseph's submission of self.

Mary birthed a baby. Joseph birthed a dream.

What would it take for you to sleep like Joseph?

After Mary's big announcement, he had every reason to become an insomniac.

His fiancé is pregnant. The wedding is off. Divorce is immanent, and so is shame for the woman he loves. The life he has been planning for and the woman he has been waiting for is suddenly out of reach.

How could he possibly sleep?

What Would It Take?

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream... ~Matthew 1:20, New International Version

Physical exhaustion can take a lot out of you, but emotional exhaustion will knock you off your feet. Joseph's rollercoaster ride would wipe out anybody! Still, being asleep does not mean your mind is not awake. Grace afforded him the opportunity to experience the kind of sleep where even his unconscious mind was in a state of surrender, but it first required something of him. What will it require of you?

It doesn't take much. Just enough.

Like Joseph, it takes just enough integrity and character in your wake state. Just enough love for God and people beyond logic. Just enough God in you to create a space for grace:

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ~ Matthew 1:20-23 NIV

Joseph had a plan to divorce her quietly. Doesn't mean he was at peace about it. In fact, I submit to you he was overwhelmed to the point of complete exhaustion with no other escape available except sleep. But God's grace can use even your overwhelm to bless you.

Awake, Joseph had to be strong. Asleep, Joseph could be vulnerable.

A sleep to the point of surrender.

Sometimes, you just need your mind to turn off. You need the despair of your conscious not to show up as "what if's" in your unconscious.

You need a sleep where you can dream again, where your vulnerability silences logic.

Vulnerability Over Logic

...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid...

Logic has denied me too much in this life. How about you?

Let's pray.

Lord, help us to trust you beyond logic, to use our overwhelm to our advantage and just stop. Stop trying to make everything perfect. Stop trying to please everybody. Stop denying ourselves access to your dreams for our lives.

Grace us with your peace, your power, your presence, oh, God.

Expose us to

new glories,

new miracles,

new victories,

new challenges,

and new solutions.

Devil, we rebuke your bondage on our unconscious mind and reserve space for the angel carrying heavenly peace. No longer will you use logic to harden our hearts and consume our trust in God. We trade in our need to control for vulnerability knowing that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

We will do as Joseph did in Matthew 1:24...

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.."

We will be strong. We will be courageous. We will find our rest and our restoration in you, Lord. We will do what you command.

We take back the territory of our minds for kingdom. Let the dreaming begin.

In Jesus' name, Emmanuel, God with us, we pray and absolutely believe it will be so. Amen.

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

~Luke 1:30 NIV

Did you know there is favor over your life? God's favor. We call it grace. We are not worthy of it. We are worthy because of it. Join me this month as we take back what's ours and stand in the boldness of God's grace.

Join me CHRISTMAS EVE @ 7:00pm for a special presentation of the Christmas Story

See you next week!