Lou Engle once said, “*”God had a dream and put a body around it.” You are the dream of heaven! You explore and discover the mysteries of the kingdom of God when you tap into His imagination, seeing things from His perspective and uncover the joyous treasures of simply knowing Him! It is from that place where dreams are birthed. While dreams may come into your spirit, we can oftentimes be blinded or unprepared of the “process” of where those dreams can lead us. Looking at Joseph’s life can reveal that process:

1. Dream (Revealed, Communicated, Observed) – While Joseph’s brothers envied him, his father, Jacob, “observed” them, which literally means “to preserve and protect, to guard, to hedge about (with thorns)”. Even though he rebuked Joseph in thoughts of potential ambition in his heart, fathers guard their sons’ dreams! 
2. Pit (Betrayal/Jealousy)
3. Palace (Promotion)
4. Prison (Accusations/People’s Opinions)
5. Promise (Vision Becoming Reality)

Joseph’s dream he thought initially was to be the greatest in his family, as the sun, moon and stars bowed down to his star (speaking of a heavenly seed), and the other sheaths bowed down to his (signifying an earthly one), meaning that his brothers and parents would bow down to him. The dream of God over him was that he would use his position to give God glory, to bring salvation to his people in a time of famine. You will never be able to handle the dreams God places in your heart if ambition is rooted in your heart. You will turn it into a nightmare if you refuse to become teachable in the pit and prison! 

Joseph did not originally realize that his dream would lead him to a pit and sold into slavery because of the jealousy of his brothers. He did not realize that his dream would lead to false accusations that would imprison him for 2 years. A dream will present jealousy from others and betrayal from others, but just know that as long as you stay humble, God will be with you the entire time. 

When immaturity tries to interpret your dream, you will always view it out of ambition rather than opportunity. The opportunity is not for you to be magnified, but for God to be glorified. That is why when you hit places like the pit and prison that you not only learn who your friends are, but you also learn how much faith you really have in your dreams! Instead of allowing the negative experiences to pave the way for opportunity for God to be exalted, we allow them to shape our doubt. It is time to see things from God’s point-of-view. 

It does not matter what you have faced, what you have done, or where you come from. Your dream can become a reality! Dream big because your God is that much bigger. Genesis 50:20 says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Joseph didn’t realize this initially, but in time, the pieces of the puzzle will come together, and your life will make sense! Don’t allow the moments of heartache and disappointment in your life dictate the outcome of your purpose. They are shaping you for something greater than your mind can even grasp. Don’t hang your harp on the willow tree when your tree is rooted by rivers of living water! 

Dreams come when you are asleep, but vision happens when you put legs on your dreams, making them a reality. God wants to fulfill your dreams, make you great and become great in you but not at the expense of changing your priorities and character.