Changing Your Mind: Start with a Dream

Genesis 37:1–11 NIV84

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

1. Your dreams reveal God’s favor

If you are going to dream, dream big

Dreams are God’s way of speaking His purpose in your life

Favor brings haters

Haters recognize favor

Haters become dream killers

Joseph’s brothers all interpreted the dream correctly, Jacob also interpreted correctly, they were not able to help Joseph fulfill that dream because of fear

Their fear produced, doubt, jealousy, unbelief, envy, and hatred

When you carry Big Dreams, be ready to be hated and disliked

You are not given a dream based on your ability but on God’s favor

Joseph had a dream that kept him from quitting

MLK Jr. had a dream that became his life’s mission / purpose

2. Dreams are the starting line of our language

Dreams produce two thought impulses

Faith

Fear

Faith will produce desire

Desire is what you DO want

Fear is what you DON’T want

It is counterproductive to have both operating in your mind at the same time

Fear is mental quicksand

Fear produces

doubt

unbelief

greed

envy

jealousy

superstition

negativity

It will paralyze you

We need discipline in our thoughts

Mental discipline involves controlling your thoughts so that your actions and words can lead to success

You can begin to change your mind by conditioning your mind to operate in a state of belief / faith

Faith will reside only in a mind characterized by positivity Phil 4:8 “8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

3. If you can dream it, you can achieve it

God did not look at your bank account to see if He could give you this dream

God did not consult your haters to see if this was okay to do

If your dream does not scare you then your dream is not big enough

Don’t let the size of the dream lead to fear

Your dream must be more than just a wish

The dream needs to be pursued

You must wake up and plan to reach the dream

The dream must consume your thoughts

The dominating thoughts of your mind will produce action

Dreams don’t guarantee success

Your actions to achieve that dream will bring success

Dream Big

4. Feed your mind thoughts of faith in His promises

Train yourself in faith to produce autosuggestion

the influencing of your physical or mental state by thoughts and ideas that come from yourself rather than from other people

You are in control of what goes into your mind

No one can create purpose for you, only God

What others think of you do not produce anything in you unless you believe them

What you believe in your mind will seek expression in material form

Let the weak say, “I am strong”

Speak things that are not as though they were

I am the head

I am above only

I am a lender

I am blessed to be a blessing

Guard your heart for it is where the limitation of life reside

Dream Big and Think Big

God is able

5. Your dream must be fertilized

Fertilize to produce the Law of Attraction

Fertilized: cause (an egg, female animal, or plant) to develop a new individual by introducing male reproductive material; make (soil or land) more fertile or productive by adding suitable substances to it

Fertilize with faith and nurture to obsession

Jer 20:9 “9 But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”

1 Cor 9:16 “16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

Become obsessed with fulfilling the Dream God gave

A Chinese philosopher, once said: "Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

Law of Attraction: a belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life

We are like magnets, we attract what is in our thoughts

Change your mind

Change how you think of yourself

Change how you think of your spouse

Change how you think of your children

Change how you think of your success

Seeds reproduce after its own kind