the power of a dream

Miracle service

Hebrews 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

   1.I believe that each of us has a vision placed in the heart.

a.I’m not talking about wanting to win the lottery.

b.I’m talking about a vision deep inside that speaks to the very soul.

                                            i.     It’s the thing we were born to do.

                                         ii.     It draws on our talents and gifts.

                                       iii.     It appeals to our highest ideals.

                                      iv.     It sparks our feelings of destiny.

                                         v.     It is inseparably linked to our purpose in life.

c. When I look for the name of a person who identified and lived out his dream, I think of auto industry pioneer and visionary Henry Ford.

                                            i.     He asserted, “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one’s destiny to do, then do it.”

                                         ii.     Ford’s vision grew out of his interest in anything mechanical. From boyhood, he had a passion for studying and tinkering with machinery. He taught himself about steam engines, clocks, and combustion engines. He traveled around the countryside doing repair work for free, just so he could get his hands on machines. He became a mechanic and watchmaker. He even worked as a night engineer for the Detroit Edison Company.

d.Ford became increasingly intrigued by the idea of the automobile, and he devoted more and more of his attention to it. In 1896, he built his first car in a shed behind his house. After that, he continued to think about how to improve his early efforts, and he studied the work of other cars, builders, including that of Ransom E. Olds, who manufactured the first Oldsmobile in 1900. Out of his love for machinery and intrigue over the automobile grew Ford’s dream: the creation of an inexpensive mass-produced automobile. Until then, the new horseless carriage had been an expensive luxury item, available only to the rich. But Ford was determined to put the automobile within the reach of the common person.

e.In 1899, he helped form the Detroit Motor Company. But when his fellow organizers balked at the idea of manufacturing their product inexpensively in order to sell it to the masses, he left the company. However, he held on to his vision, and his efforts finally paid off. In 1903, he organized the Ford Motor Company and began to produce the Model T. The first year his new company produced just under 6,000 cars. But only eight years later, they produced more than 500,000. And they managed to reduce the initial retail price from $850 to only $360. Ford’s dream became a reality. Ford has been called a genius and has been credited with the birth of the assembly line and mass production.

f.   But no matter what he had going for him, his asset was his dream, his vision and his willingness to devote himself to it.

   2.A vision gives us direction.

                                            i.     Have you ever known a person who didn’t have a clue what they wanted in life, but was highly successful?

                                         ii.     I haven’t either.

                                       iii.     We all need something worthwhile to aim for.

                                      iv.     A vision provides us with that.

                                         v.     It acts as a compass telling us the direction we should travel.

                                      vi.     And until we’ve identified that right direction, we’ll never know for sure that our movement is actually progress.

                                    vii.     Our actions are just as likely to take us backward instead of forward. 

   3.A vision increases our potential.

a.Without a vision, we may struggle to see potential in ourselves because we don’t look beyond our current circumstances.

                                            i.     With a vision, we begin to see ourselves in a new light, as having greater potential and being capable of stretching and growing to reach it.

                                         ii.     Every opportunity we meet, every resource we discover, every talent we develop, becomes a part of our potential to grow toward the vision.

                                       iii.     The greater the vision, the greater the potential.

1.E. Paul Hovey said, “A blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world by the limits of his vision.”

   4.A vision helps us prioritize.

a.A vision gives us hope for the future, and it also brings us power in the present making it possible to prioritize everything we do.

                                            i.     Vision gives us the ability to measure everything we do according to whether or not it contributes to the vision, concentrating our attention on the things that bring us closer to it and giving less attention to everything that doesn’t.

                                         ii.     Ironically, many people do the opposite.

                                       iii.     They work to keep every option open which is a mistake because decision-making becomes overly complicated for them when they should have unloaded everything but the one vision.

                                      iv.     That knowledge frees you up to concentrate on the few things that make a difference, and it keeps you on the right track.

   5.A vision adds value to our work.

a.A vision puts everything we do into perspective.

                                            i.     Even the tasks that aren’t exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value when we know they ultimately contribute to the fulfillment of the vision.

                                         ii.     This is our city; this is God’s property I’m just here to see to it that He gets it back.

b.Coca-Cola has a vision to see an ice cold coca-cola within 10 feet of every human being at all times.

                                            i.     I have a vision to see a Christian, a Christ Follower full of the power of the Holy Spirit within 5 feet of every unbeliever at all times.

                                         ii.     I refuse to be a hindrance to people when they are trying to find God, seeking truth, or trying to get back to God.

1.My attitude, my spirit, my actions, and my faith are either a direct reflection of Jesus Christ or the devil.

   6.A vision predicts our future.

a.When we have a vision, we’re not just spectators sitting back hoping that everything turns out all right.

                                            i.     We’re taking an active part in shaping the purpose and meaning of our lives.

                                         ii.     Dare to have vision and act on that vision.

                                       iii.     Do it in spite of problems, circumstances, and obstacles.

                                      iv.     The bible is filled with men, women, and children, who faced adversity and achieved success in spite of it, so is all of history.

1.The great thing in this world is not so much where we are but in what direction we are moving.

                                         v.     What’s happened in the past isn’t as important as what lies ahead in the future.

1.No matter what a person’s past may have been, his future is spotless.

b.There was a 60 minutes I paid attention to many years ago where they were interviewing one of the guides from Nepal who helps climbers reach the top of Mount Everest. “Why do you do it? The interviewer asked. “To help others do what they can not do on their own,” answered the guide. “But there are so many risks, so many dangers,” said the interviewer. “Why do you insist on taking people to the top of the mountain?” The guide smiled and said, “It’s obvious that you’ve never been to the top.”

                                            i.     We are committed to helping others get to a relationship in Jesus Christ.

                                         ii.     Going to the top requires vision, and a strong commitment to that vision.

1.It's our vision is to see people saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped, empowered and serving.

2.We can’t get mad at the vision; the vision is the vision and can’t change.

a.The vision exists to motivate, encourage, and inspire us to fulfill it. 

3.One of our visions is healing. Healing physically and emotionally.

c. Healing is God work, belief, faith and expectancy is ours.

d.He desires to heal it’s in His Word, it’s in His DNA, it’s part of His eternal mission and vision.

                                            i.     Put your vision to the test.     

Matthew 13:54-58 NLT “[54] He returned to Nazareth, His hometown. When He taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, "Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?" [55] Then they scoffed, "He's just the carpenter's son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers-James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. [56] All His sisters live right here among us. Where did He learn all these things?" [57] And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in His own hometown and among His own family." [58] And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.”

Habakkuk 1:5-8 NLT “[5] The LORD replied, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it.”

·     God remind us that is was by faith people received a miracle from you.

·     By faith they reached out to touch You and they received their healing!

·     By your compassion You reached and touched them and they received healing, provision, and life.

o  When sincerity, faith, truth, belief and the timing of God collide I believe a miracle shows up!

o  Have you come expecting? Then you’re in the right place.