Have you hit some road trouble on the path to your dreams?
Potholes and boulders, and dead ends and ditches.
Construction and traffic and sudden lane switches. Slow drivers making us come to a halt.
These are a few of our least favorite things!
What about the path to your dreams? Does it ever seem like you’re trudging along while facing one obstacle after another?
As you know, you have an enemy. And he has no intention of letting you drive straight to your dreams without any opposition. But…there’s good news! Unlike natural roadways, you have control over spiritual obstacles. You can actually force them out of your way with a simple (yet not always easy) spiritual strategy.
Here, we’re sharing 4 Ways to Clear the Path to Your Dreams that you can put into practice today!
1. Stay Out of Strife to Clear a Path to Your Dreams
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” –James 3:16 (KJV)
This verse sums it up. If you’re in strife, you’ve invited every evil work into your situation. So to clear a path to your dreams, you must stay out of strife.
Everything you need and everything you want can be obtained with the power of the force of faith. But faith is disarmed in an atmosphere of strife.
Let’s look at the company strife keeps. Romans 1:29 says, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice” (NIV).
Strife destroys dreams. That’s why “every…house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). When people are in strife, the devil runs away with their lives because their lives were handed to him free of charge. Strife acts as the worker holding the stop sign at a construction site who never seems to turn the sign around.
It’s just not worth it.
Watch as Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you why increasing your love during trials is your way out!
2. Refuse to Argue to Clear a Path to Your Dreams
“It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.” –Proverbs 20:3 (NIV)
Strife is the killer of dreams, and one way strife rears its ugly head is through arguing.
For some people, arguing is a habit. It’s the constant need to defend yourself or be right. At heart, it is prideful. Worse, it stops the love that fuels the faith you need to achieve your dreams. Even more critical? Arguing stops the anointing from operating in your life.
We see that truth played out in Luke 9 when Jesus gave His disciples “power and authority to cast out all demons and heal all diseases.” Yet in verse 40, we find that they could not use this anointing to deliver a demon-possessed boy. The reason, Jesus said, was because “this kind only goes out by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, RGT).
Why did Jesus say this?
Fasting doesn’t change demons, and it doesn’t change God. Fasting changes the one who fasts. Had the disciples been drawing closer to the Lord, instead of arguing about who would have the greatest position, the anointing to empower their authority would have been active.
You can clear the path to your dreams by refusing to argue with anyone about anything. When you find yourself at odds with someone, don’t waste a minute. Go to that personand get things straight. Do whatever it takes to preserve the bond of peace between you (Ephesians 4:3). If they insist you’re to blame for the whole problem, don’t argue. Agree with them. Be spiritually big enough to take responsibility for the entire situation. Humble yourself and say, “I’m at fault, and I want to make it right. I love you, and more than anything else, I want to be in harmony with you again.”
Arguing and strife kill the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, kill the anointing and destroy dreams. Learn to respond in agape love—which is a choice, not a feeling. Arguing will cause a traffic jam on the road to your dreams. Keep the pathway to your dreams clear!
3. Don’t Hold Grudges to Clear a Path to Your Dreams
“[Love] does not keep a record of wrongs.” –1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
His brothers, Potiphar’s wife, Potiphar, the baker and the cupbearer. Joseph had a long list of betrayers. But what if he would have held a grudge against all those who had wronged him?
If Joseph had focused on holding grudges and feeling bitter, there would have been no room for the supernatural to promote him to a powerful place. A grudge is a refusal to forgive, and faith cannot work in an unforgiving heart.
That’s why we have to get away from the feeling syndrome. Your feelings will lie to you and keep you in bondage. It doesn’t matter if people have accused you of all kinds of things, cost you your job, cost you your relationships—your job is to forgive!
Don’t hold grudges.
You don’t have to feel good about it, but God said you have to do it! Why? Because if you don’t forgive, He can’t bless you. And He’s all about providing all your needs and wants. He doesn’t want anything—especially holding grudges—to keep you from receiving all He has for you. Grudges are the potholes on the road to your dreams.
Green pastures and still waters are waiting for you. Don’t let a grudge keep you from getting there. Let go of grudges and clear the path to your dreams!
4. Love Others—Even When It’s Tough
“Faith…works through love.” –Galatians 5:6, (GNT)
Not everyone is easy to love. In fact, many people will put your love walk to the test! God never said it would be easy, but He did say that it is impossible to please Himwithout faith. Faith won’t work in an unloving heart. Faith works by love.
Let’s say that again.
Faith. Works. By. Love.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have faith and be angry at someone at the same time. You can’t stand in faith while you’re bitter about Sister So-and-So and her gossiping ways. You can’t obtain God’s promises by faith when you’re holding a grudge against Mama, Grandma and your siblings over an inheritance.
(Discover 8 Ways to Make Your Home a No-Strife Zone HERE.)
You clear the path to your dreams when you love others—even when it’s tough.
It’s too dangerous—too risky—to refuse to show love to all people in all situations.
This includes politicians!
Clear the path to your dreams by responding in love—even when it’s tough. How do you know if you’re responding in love? You follow the recipe in 1 Corinthians 13 and make sure you are:
• Patient
• Kind
• Not boastful
• Not rude
• Not envious
• Not selfish
• Not easily angered
• Not keeping a record of wrongs
• Believing the best in others
Love never fails. That means, if you’re walking in love, you can’t fail, and the path to your dreams will remain clear.
These 4 ways to clear the path to your dreams may not be the first things you think of when you’re working toward a vision God has put in your heart, but they are nonnegotiable. It’s time to clear the path of all potholes, traffic jams, dead ends and the like. Steer clear of strife, jump-start your faith, and push the pedal to the metal on your dreams!
Watch as Kenneth Copeland teaches you why strife is the killer of dreams.
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