Do You Struggle To Understand God's Dream For You?

James Greer: [00:34:33] Morning, Journey Church. Did that praise team, was that great or what? Amen? Isn't it great to start out baptism on the first service at 8:30 in the morning? Hey, guess what? Guess what we have at 10:30? Another baptism. Guess what we have at 11:30? Two more baptisms. And everybody said amen. You talk about time to dream. It is time to dream. And then I thought about, why don't people dream? And we're going to talk about that later on. But you know in Acts 2:17, it says? It says, and it shall, listen to this, it shall come to pass in the last days. How many y’all think we're in the last days? Say amen. I mean most of the time when we talk about the last days, we talk about all the bad things. Just perilous times that will come. People will be lovers of themselves. It talks about all the bad things that are going to happen. And that is true. But also there's some good things to happen. God says, I'm going to pour out my spirit upon all the flesh. In other words, there’s going to be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Your sons and your daughters, they shall prophesize. Your young men shall see visions. Hey, hey, hey. Not that I'm old or anything. Your old men shall dream dreams. I love it.

James Greer: [00:35:46] Because, listen, you know, we're in difficult times and changing times and trying times. But it's also exciting times depending on where you're at and what you believe. See, I believe we're in the last days. I believe God's going to pour out His spirit. I believe people are getting saved, lives are being changed. I mean almost, you know almost every single Sunday that we see people getting saved. We get to see people getting baptized. I hope you're not taking that for granted. Hope you don't take God's favor for granted. God's favor has been upon our church, and I'm just thankful for it. Amen? That's the outpouring the Holy Spirit, man. And our sons and our daughters, our young ones, I hope they start speaking God's Word and knowing God's Word like never before. They want to share it with each other and other people. Our young men and our young women have visions of doing great things for God, greater than they've ever done before. And then most of all, most of all, I'm going to enjoy the old men. They dream dreams.

James Greer: [00:36:47] That's me. I don't feel like that, but they say that. I don't [inaudible] I want to enjoy seeing God accomplish and bring these dreams about. Amen? Many of these dreams are going to include Journey Church and people. I mean when you start thinking about it, we've already baptized 52 people this year. Well, no, no. 53. Sorry. 54, 54. At the end of the day, it should be 57 this year alone. Amen? By the end, what if this year we dream big? What if we say, why don’t we baptize 150 people this year? Amen? Wouldn't that be great? I mean God’s just pouring out His spirit, and you're inviting people that don't go to church. And you see their lives get changed. I mean of all ages. We get young people, teenagers, older people. I mean just all ages are getting saved and lives are being changed. I mean are you dreaming yourself? Are you on the way to achieving your dreams? Dreams, really they're inspiring pictures of your future that energize you to do anything you do to achieve them.

James Greer: [00:37:56] I mean, man, when you've got a dream, man, you can just picture what it'll be. It'll give you the energy. You'll do anything you can do to achieve those dreams. And see, listen, listen to this, if it's a godly dream, there's not anybody, there's nothing that can shatter that dream. I've heard people say, so-and-so just shattered my dream. No, no. The only person that can shatter your dream is you. Because if it’s a godly dream, nobody can stop it. Amen? You need to ask God to give you a dream, big dream, a supernatural dream so big the only way it can be accomplished supernaturally is if God helps you. Amen? We were in a staff meeting the other day, and I'm excited. I'm talking about dream, y’all dream, and you’re dreaming. Joy says, Pastor, what if you met all your dreams? Said, that's a good question. I thought for a minute. I said, you know, Joy, I got to tell you something. God's blessed me that God's allowed me to meet all my dreams. Spiritual dreams, I can remember I was dreaming, have it written down. Said, God, if we could ever reach 500, that would be a supernatural dream. I first wrote that when we were in the 30s and 40s and 50s. And God surpassed that.

James Greer: [00:39:13] Now I said, what if we were at a thousand? What if we were at a thousand this year and keep these lives being changed? And I said, God, I had financial dreams. God surpassed all those. I mean sometimes I just can't believe what God does. Sometimes when I'm sitting in a house and me and Debbie are talking or we go to a condo, I say, honey, I just can't believe this is ours. I can't believe, really and truly, I can't believe God's allowed us to travel all over the world. And when I was growing, I never went on vacation my whole life. Never went on vacation. Never had a new car. Very seldom ever went out to eat. I can go eat anytime I want to. I go anywhere in the world I want to go. I mean it's unbelievable. I have to pinch myself. And what's great is I didn't have any ability. I wasn't very educated. I had nothing going for me. God just said, hey, God just accomplished it. He’s accomplished my spiritual dreams to see more people saved than I ever could believe. He accomplished my financial dream, and then He’s accomplished my personal dreams. I'm still married to the love of my life. I mean, my goodness gracious.

James Greer: [00:40:26] So she says, what you do? Hey, you start dreaming again. I need to start dreaming, but I need to dream bigger. I think God can do more than you can even dream, more than you can even think. I mean nothing can stop your dreams. Now I’m going to tell you, you could have setbacks. I've had sickness. Gone through deaths. Had embezzlements, betrayals, disappointments, failures, heartaches. But nothing stops the dream. What I worry about is people that are going through, everybody’s going to go through the same thing. But when you don't have a dream, what do you do? You get discouraged. You want to give up. You want to quit. But when you really have a really godly dream, you understand that God's going to bring it about. This might just be the development process on my way to the dream. You say you got to have a dream. Do you have one? If you don't, start asking God for one. Why don't you dream? Sometimes because you had so many disappointments, because you've been discouraged, because of failure. That's just part of the development process, and we'll teach on that pretty soon. The disappointment and discouragement and development, God’s just developing you. Maybe you're afraid you'll fail. The world just, it's pulling you every direction. And the world of the devil, they want to do that to keep you from having godly dreams. Because they can keep you so busy with the world and your family just trying to get by. You're just trying to survive.

James Greer: [00:42:22] And the devil likes that. You aren't created that way. You were created to thrive, not just survive. But people are just getting by because you don't have your eye on God. You don't have a godly dream. You might have a personal dream, but you don't have a godly dream. I'd rather try and fail, which I've done many times than not try at all. Anybody you know who’s been very successful, they've failed many, many times. You just know about their success. One of the main reasons people don't dream is because they get discouraged and they give up. Because many times, it was a personal dream, a personal thing they wanted for themselves. It wasn't a godly dream. Because when it’s a godly dream, nothing or anybody can stop it. Romans 8:31 says this. What are you going to say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? I could tell you. The world, the flesh, and the devil. But with a godly dream comes godly power. God's on your side. Big deal. Nobody can win. Christians, we got the confidence of anybody. If you’ve got a godly dream, go for it, man. Godly dreams comes godly power. God's actually telling you, who do you think can beat you? Who do you think can win? If you got God, God is for you. Who do you think can beat God? Amen?

James Greer: [00:43:37] Acts 8:37, all these things we are more than what? Conquerors. We have victory. Huh? Through Him who loves us, Jesus Christ. I mean, my goodness, see, when you get saved, you get born again. You get saved from something, right? You get saved from something which is hell. Amen? That's great. But you also get saved for something. You get saved to make a difference. You get saved to dream. You get saved to have victory. Get saved to win. Amen? You should be Saved and satisfied. You don't only to get saved from something. Hell, you get saved to something. Jeremiah 1:7 says this. But the Lord said to me and to you, oh, don’t say that you're too young. I can't say that. But don't say it. I mean we have young people. I mean third service, we're loaded up. But we've got some young ones in here. Don't say that you're too young to start dreaming and be used by God. Don't say that you're too old. I'm loving dreaming right now. I mean Caleb at 85 years old, Caleb said, give me another mountain. Caleb said, I'm still dreaming to have more victories. I'm going to take another mountain. Let me go, man. He was 85 years old. And the Lord says, listen, don’t say you're too young, don't say you're too old. But go to the people I send you. He said, I got a mission for you. Tell them everything I command you to say.

James Greer: [00:45:09] God said listen, I want you to know that God has two things for everybody. He’s got a message and a mission. His mission for Jeremiah was to go. And He said, your mission is to go tell people about Jesus. That's your mission. Your message is don't be afraid. God has a message for everybody here. Guess what the message is? Don't be afraid of them. Whatever you came afraid of, don't be afraid. You know why? He says, I'm going to protect you. And now the Lord has spoken. You've got a mission. Go tell people about Jesus. And you got a message says, don't be afraid. Amen? So if you got a mission and a message, why should you be afraid? Amen? The Lord is with you and loves you and God’s going to protect you. Jeremiah 29:11, one of Darrell's favorite verses. It says, I know the plans that God has for your life. God already has a plan for your life. He's got it laid out. It's predestined. It's predetermined for your life. You know what these plans, you know when I read this? I said, God says, I know the dream I have for your life. And I start putting dreams in there. And I started, I know the dreams I have for your life. And they’re for your good, not to hurt you.

James Greer: [00:46:22] He said, listen, these plans are not to harm you. These plans are to give you hope and a wonderful future. God says, listen, I've got a great plan. These plans aren't to hurt you. They're for your good. They're not to harm you, to give you a wonderful future. God said, why would you not pick God's plan? If they're good, they won't harm you, and they're wonderful. Amen? Now, ours might mess up. But God said, I have a good, wonderful plan for your life. Second, God's dreams for your life are far bigger than your dreams. I love this. It's almost like God said, I want you to dream as big as you can. And God said, oh, I can top that. Dream the biggest dream you can for your family, for your business, for God. Dream the biggest dream you can dream. God said, that's it. That’s nothing. You say, how do you know that? I get to live it. I know it for two reasons. One, because God said so. That's the main reason. Second of all, because I get to experience it. I mean Ephesians 3:20 is my life verse. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works, where does it work? In us. We get to live it out. I sign that on almost every letter. I put Ephesians 3:20. That's my life verse. Come to Journey Church. You get to live that verse out. You get to see it in action. You can see lives changed, marriages healed, people get saved. Amen?

James Greer: [00:47:51] Live it out. It's nothing too big. It's think big. He says, I can do more than you can think. It's really cool. When it lines up with God's Word, you think it, He can do more. Isaiah 45:2, listen to this, listen to this. Say, I dreamed it. I believe it. It lines up with God's Word. Guess what God says? I myself will prepare your way. He's already told you in Jeremiah, I already got a plan for you, didn’t He? He said, it's a wonderful plan. It’s not for harm. It’s to bring about. And then God said, I myself, I prepared the way. I will level the mountains. A mountain is you come across something you think it's an impossible situation. Because see, if you're not dreaming something bigger than you, you're not dreaming big enough. But God said, look, when you come there, guess what? I'll level it. I'll level the mountain and the hills. I'll break them down with the bronze gate. I'll smash the iron bars. I mean, my goodness, God said, man, I want to do that. Listen, you ready for the next verse? I'll give you treasures from dark secret places. I've seen this happen over and over and over again. People don't even realize it. I've enjoyed it.

James Greer: [00:14:31] I'll send you treasures in a secret way. I'll provide for you in ways that you know had to come from me. He said, I got secret places that I have treasures. And then when I provide for you, you’re going to know it had to come from God. And the God of Israel has called you by name. Has God ever supernaturally provided for you? If He hasn’t, it’s because you haven't tried anything supernatural. I've seen it happen over and over. I've been in all what God's done before. Said, secret, secret treasures God has. Said, I want to show you. I want you to know that it came from me. It's so secret, it’s so great that you couldn't have ever got it except for it came from me. He says, that's what I want you to do. So see, what you got to do is you've got to have dreams. You got a big dream. You got to know that they come from God. You know, that's the why God does. He blesses unbelievably.

James Greer: [00:50:04] The truth is God goes before us. God goes before us. We just got to line up our plans and our dreams with God. Revelation 3:8 is a key verse in life. If you understand Revelation 3:8, you'll quit worrying about circumstance and situation. It says, I know your works. God does know your works. Amen? God knows if you're working for Him, God knows if you're working for yourself. God knows what you’re doing. He knows what I'm doing. He knows what we're doing. He knows why we're doing it. Amen? So just stop trying to hide from God. He said, I have set before you what kind of door? An open door. And no man can shut it. And then later on, He says, I shut doors that no man can open. So when I really realized that and I really believed that, I said, man, what I got to do is make sure I'm going through the right doors. If God shuts a door, He doesn’t want me to go there. If He opens a door, nobody can shut it. So there's a time I used to really get mad if the door shut. I really wanted something. I was going to buy something. I was going to try to make a deal or I wanted this job or whatever. And the door shut and I'd throw a fit and act like an idiot. And that's what I was. I was an idiot.

James Greer [00:51:21] I didn't realize God was protecting me. Listen, this is probably one of the most important things you'll learn if you'll just really listen. Stop getting upset about circumstances and situations. Stop it. You need to start looking at them as God's way of guiding you, directing you, and developing you. Through open and shut doors, situations, and circumstances that often upset you is nothing more than God guiding, directing, and developing you. Now, there's many times God closes a door, I say, amen, brother. I didn't need that. Thank you for protecting me. So what do you do? Stop letting situations and circumstances upset you. God’s guiding you, God’s directing you, and God’s developing you. Either God's in control or He's not. Amen? See, I've taught you that peace is a byproduct of trusting God's promises, purpose, and plan for your life. Peace is a byproduct of trusting God's promises, purpose, and plans for your life. That's also how your dreams come true. Ooh, that’s good, Brother James. But on the other hand, on the other hand, if God opens a door, no man can shut it. So I don't have to worry about it. You realize, listen, if it's a godly dream, God then takes the responsibility to open the right door and allow in the right circumstances and situations. All I have to do is walk through it.

James Greer: [00:52:51] You really don't have as much to do with it as you think you do. It's God's in control. I know I look back 60-something years and I think about the doors God's opened and the doors God's closed. And man, how blessed I've been. I really hadn't done that much. I worked hard. I tried to do what God said. Got opened and closed the doors, not me. If He wants them closed, I kick them all I want. They’re not going to open. He wants them open, everybody in the world can try to close it, they can’t. Because He's in charge. Amen? And what He does for me, He'll do for you. Amen? Let's just line it up and go for it. Hebrews 4:3 says, for he who has believed, you enter into rest. How do you enter into rest? [inaudible] when you saved, after you're saved, keep believing after you're saved. What do you keep believing? I keep believing that God's in charge. I keep believing that God opens doors. I keep believing God shuts doors. How do you enter into rest? I just rest that God's in control, God opens door and God closes doors. If you're not, you're restless. So are you entering into rest or are you restless?

James Greer: [00:53:51] Man, I hope you're listening because this is good. You know what He says after this? Listen, God wants to prove to you that His promises are true. His promises are true, and He'll prove it to you. To those who would get what He promises. And He wanted to understand clearly that His purpose has never changed. So He made an oath. God says, listen, I want to prove to you that my promise is true. I want you to know that my purposes never change. To seek, to serve, and save, this never changes. I'll prove to you my promises. One of the ways I prove to you my promises and my purposes, listen, you rest in me. How do you rest in me? When situations and circumstances don't look right, I just rest because God's in charge. Some of y’all came here today, you're all restless. You're all upset about some situation, some circumstance. You're not resting His promises. You're not in charge. It doesn't matter what you're upset about. God's in charge. God can take any situation, any circumstance, and turn it around for something good. God didn't say all things were good. That's not what that verse says. Bad things happen. Bad things happen. It's not good that some of our favorite members at church that we love have cancer. That's not good. Amen? But God has taken that and turned it around and changing lives. Everywhere I go, people are talking about them.

James Greer: [00:55:15] It's not good, but God can make good out of anything. So if you're resting in God's promise and His purpose for your life and you know that He opens and shuts doors, just relax and rest. Amen? Why you got to know God's dream for your life? You've got to know it. You've got to remember to be faithful. You be faithful in small things, and He’ll give you big things. Matthew 25:23 told us that. He said, listen, well done, they good and faithful servant. You be faithful in a few things, listen, I'll make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord. I'm telling you, when you line up with God's plan, when you line up with God’s purpose, when you're faithful in a few things and it gives you [inaudible], you enter into a joy of God. See, it’s joy that God gives you. It's not what God is trying to keep from you. It’s what he's trying to give to you. Amen? Line up. Get in it. Well, you got to know a dream. God gives us the capacity to dream, and He wants you to dream. Right back in Genesis 1:26, He told you. It said, and God said, let us make man in whose image? Our image.

James Greer: [00:56:21] He said, you’re made in the image of God. Amen? What does that mean? One of the things that God says, the difference between animals and humans is the capacity to think and dream about our future. Animals have instincts. We got dreams. animals survive. We’re to thrive. God doesn't want us just to live a life surviving. I guarantee you, some y'all here, some of y’all online, I thank God for our online people. Amen? We always have as many people online as we do in here. And I thank God for that. They pray for you. They send notes. I appreciate it. But I'm telling you, God does not want you to just survive. He wants you to thrive. If some of you are just surviving, you're just getting by one day at a time, you need a godly dream to change your life. Amen? Godly dreams. Thriving, not just surviving. Because you were created in God's image. You've got a creative ability. I believe that one of God's greatest unused gifts, listen, and you're going to give an account for one day, is your creative ability that God gave you.

James Greer: [00:57:35] He gave you a creative ability to dream and dream big. And some people don't use it. And when you don't use it, you're just surviving instead of thriving and you start dying. You might not start dying physically, but you start dying. The Bible makes it real clear where there is no vision, the people perish. You just start drawing up. Another version says, listen, where there is no God's Word, the people are just out of control. But it says that those who obey what He said, they're happy. God says, you’re out of control, trying to survive, live and act like animals. But you're made in God's image. It says, a nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. But happy are those that keep the Word. The Bible says the people cannot see what God is doing. When you don't see God working in your life, you ready? When you don't see God working in your life, what He's doing, they stumble all over themselves. There's marriages, there’s businesses, there's family, they’re stumbling all over themselves. Do you understand that this could be the key to changing your life? You don't see God working in your life? You come to church, you read the Bible, but you don't see Him working? Get a dream. He said, He wants to prove Himself to you. He wants you to know that He's alive. God is not dead. He's alive. He's powerful. He's active. Line it up, man.

James Greer: [00:59:04] Did you know the real problem in your life might be you don't have a godly dream? Not just a dream. You probably don't need another job, you don't need a mate or another mate or a location. You need a godly dream. This could absolutely radically change your life. You can be blessed, He said. He said, you'd go from being stumbling to the most blessed. If you're not dreaming, you're dying. There's people dying before their age. Man, I'm 68 and I know people that are 28 and they're dying. I'm more alive at 68 as some of y’all are at 28. Come on. Get a life. Spiritually, emotionally. I mean get off of it, man. And they keep saying, well, if you just knew somebody just shattered my dream. Nobody shattered your dream but you. Get a new dream, get a new life, get a new plan. Amen? You know what it says in Ephesians, you know what it says in Ephesians 1? I love this. It says, this is my prayer for you. I pray that your heart would be flooded with the light so that you can see something for your future. I'm praying that God would flood your life with dreams for the future, so much He just flood, so many of them now, you got to write them now, that He's called you to share. I mean I just want Him to flood your life and I want you to realize that God has been with you rich because we who Chris’s have been given to him.

James Greer: [01:00:27] Man, listen, God wants you to dream. Maybe you want to dream to be the best husband, the best teacher, best wife, best mom, the best dad, best employee, the best employer, best kid, the best you. I don't know. Maybe God wants you to dream to reach more people for Christ. Maybe He wants you to go into business or maybe have a business and God wants to use you to make some money to give to the church. That's a good idea. But we can further the God's kingdom. I actually know people, I know people that do that. I know people that God's gifted to make money and they give it to the church. And that's one of the gifts. And it's great. God gives people different gifts. Just use it. In closing though, if you're not dreaming, start dreaming. If you're not dreaming and you don't have a godly dream, you could be resisting the Holy Spirit. I believe part of the Holy Spirit’s job is to guide you and direct you and to give you dreams. So I'm going to ask you today, I want you to ask God, God, would you begin to let me dream? Would you help me to rest in the God? God, would you help me believe Revelation 3:8, that you open doors that no man can shut and you shut doors that no man can open? So instead of being so restless, I'm just going to rest.

James Greer: [01:01:53] The greatest and most important dream of all, make sure everybody goes to Heaven. So if you're here today and you're not sure you'd go to Heaven, that's the greatest dream. And you can accomplish that dream here in just a minute. We'll give an invitation, and you can come. Say, man, I want to give my heart and life to Jesus Christ because I want to dream. I want to make sure I'm going to Heaven. In the minute, I’ll give the invitation, they'll be down here, and you just come. Maybe you want to say, God, I've been having selfish dreams. I want to have a godly dream. God, I want to help further the kingdom. Maybe some of you have never come to the point that you ask God. In James 4:2, it says, you have not because you asked not. Luke 11:13 says, if you then, you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more does a Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask? Come and ask the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, would you begin to give me a dream how I can be used? I don't want to perish. The verse really says, where there is no vision, the people perish because of drought. But he keeps the Word, happy as he. Do you understand?

James Greer: [01:02:56] You might have come in here and your marriage or finance and friendship and life, you feel like you're just drying up and perishing and out of control. And God says, I want you to have a godly dream. I want to turn your, you ready? Unhappiness to the greatest happiness you've ever known in your life. It’s a choice you make, and you can make it this morning You can make it right now. Would you stand and let me pray with you and pray for you? God, you're an awesome God. You're the creator. You're the creative one. But we're made in your image. First of all, God, for those that want to dream about going to Heaven, let that dream come true this morning. Let them just step out and come to the front now with a freedom like they’ve have never known before. Maybe those that have known you, but maybe they'd never been publicly baptized. Boy, we are celebrating bad like never before. And God, you know that I am loving it. I know you are just rejoicing in Heaven every time. Maybe you’ve been coming to church, but you've never joined.

James Greer: [01:03:57] Today is the day to do that. Just dream of being part of a family. That's what you do when you join church. You become part of that family. For those that don't have a dream, you're starting to dry up, starting to perish, you're not really living, you're not really happy like you could be. You want to come. God says, you have not because you asked not. And you’re coming today and you're going to ask God for a dream. But not just any dream, but a godly dream. He said, I'll give it to you. You don't even know how to give good gifts to your kids, but your Heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to you. He reveals it through the Holy Spirit, through the power of God, and through His Word, and through other people. So just come and ask. I think we have not because we asked not. Listen, if He doesn't make it clear right now, let it just be birthed. Just let Him know that you want it. Let Him begin to open doors. I want Him to use you right where you're at, in your home, on your job, wherever you're at. Not some way off place. I mean right where you're at. I want Him to prove to you that His promises are true. For those that came with deep problems and heartaches, I want them to relax. I want them to come and say, hey, I want to pray with one of the pastors, one of the people up front. I want to go from restlessness to unbelievable rest. It's all in the precious name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Bruce Goulart: [01:05:27] On behalf of Brother James, thank you for joining our online experience today. Man, what an amazing start to our new series, Time to Dream. Man, I cannot wait to continue the series next week. But if you need someone to pray with you right now, we have people on standby are willing to pray with you. There's a link in the description that you can click on and fill out and someone will get with you right away. We also have an amazing website, JamesWGreer.com where if you go to and get multiple resources for anything that you might be struggling with. So I just want to encourage you, go check that out now. But thank you again for joining our online experience today, and I hope to see y’all next week.

Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.