DON’T BACK DOWN WHEN GOD IS SAYING YES
Do you have trouble going after what you want?
Do you believe having ambition does more harm than good?
My grandsons are very young children, and we do everything for them. We clean them up, feed them, and bring them what they need.
But as they get older, we will expect them to start doing those things for themselves. We want them to learn how to feed themselves and get up for work on time. They need to learn about hygiene and how to take care of themselves.
One day they will start dreaming of the future, and I, as the grandfather, will ask, “What are you dreaming about? What is in your heart?” Two very important questions.
That is what God is asking each of us.
In the beginning of our relationship with Him, we need a lot of help! And He gives that help, but He doesn’t want us to stay in diapers forever. He expects us to grow up and start to dream with Him.
Some of us struggle with this concept because we have come to believe that dreaming or being ambitious is “bad.”
“I can’t go after what I want, because how is that following Jesus?”
“I’m a Christian now, so I need to let go of all my business ideas.”
“It is more godly to be poor than to be rich.”
“Ambition just leads to greed and other problems.”
“I don’t trust my desire to succeed. It only gets me in trouble.”
We need to recognize that ambition itself isn’t evil. Selfish ambition is destructive because it is flesh-based, but godly ambition gets us out of bed in the morning. It allows us to choose the Lord and to pursue His calling on our lives.
Godly ambition is a virtue when it is added to a target God has given us. When we attach those two things—ambition and the target of God—we can begin to manage our world unto that end.
We can get ferocious about our calling and go after it with all our hearts.
What does godly ambition look like for you?
What has God put on your heart? Where do you sense His leading? What are your God-designed dreams—the things that are actually too big for you to fulfill on your own, and you’re going to need His help?
Let’s be careful not to let go when God is saying, “Hold on to this. Keep moving forward.”
We can’t be passive when He is saying, “This is what I have for you. Go for it!”
Think about these things this week, and ask yourself these questions:
“What is God talking to me about?”
“What is in my heart to accomplish?”
“How am I going to reach the fulfillment of that dream?”
“What do I need that is miraculous in nature?”
“What do I need practically?”
“Where do I need to move forward?”
Let’s be fierce in our assignments from Him and never back down.
What a right on time message! Thank you Jesus. Thank you Stephen as well for this timely message. I will be digging deep to answer these questions.