Dying to LiveSample

Could the Death of My Vision be a Gift? Have you ever had a dream or vision that died? In the Biblical story of Joseph, we see that he had a dream of his family bowing down to him (Gen 37:5-9). But God had greater purposes than Joseph could have hoped or imagined. I had a dream, too. Maybe you did, as well. Do our dreams line up with His greater purposes? As his story goes, starting in Genesis 37, Joseph found himself in a pit, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and more. This was not in Joseph’s original vision/dream. These events looked like the “death of the vision.” Are there things in your life that look like the “death of your vision”, too? But, GOD! He was with Joseph. He is with you. He never leaves us, fails us, or forsakes us. The Lord’s plan is a perfect one, even when it doesn’t match up with our plans. The Lord knows all—past, present, and future—and He only wants the absolute best for His children. When you die to your SELF and let Him have control, life will become an even more beautiful journey. When we are experiencing the “death of a vision” we have to consider that the sweet Lord is beckoning us to His greater vision and purposes. Just as the vinedresser trims the dead things off the vine so that it can bear more and greater fruit, God may have to cut away some of our self-centered dreams to make room for His bigger and better purposes for our lives. This could be called a purposeful pruning or a divine downsizing. I have experienced this personally. During an extremely challenging and heart-breaking season of my life, God birthed a new, fresh vision and compassion in my heart. He stripped away old limited visions for a grander plan. I had to die so I could live. The Lord loves us enough to help us with our distorted priorities or superficial motives. This purifying process often strips away our ego and pride to leave a beautiful gift of a totally yielded heart for His greater call. Just like Joseph, we may experience more than one death of a visIon. God often takes away something good from our lives to create room for something better. What the enemy means for evil, the Lord can turn for good. Sometimes we have to give up what we want NOW for what we want even MORE. I ultimately want to live in the sweet center of God’s will for my life. If the death of our self-centered limited vision can bring us into more fulness of His purposes for our lives, then may we die so we can live. Ponder: How can you yield your dreams and hopes for His greater glory? Are you willing to die to your plan if it can yield His greater purposes? Do you trust Him? Prayer: Lord, I need to know that you are close. Whenever my plans seem to fall apart, help me trust that You can work all things together for a greater good. I want Your greater purposes for my life.