BUILD THAT DREAM

I shared my story in a previous edition, about how I began to feel restless and anxious in the  wake of turning 50. Struggling with feelings of being stuck and unfulfilled, I would find myself  constantly reminiscing over my life and feeling dissatisfied. I had to retreat to a place of  solitude to seek answers from God and He led me to a place of self-discovery and  reconnection with my purpose. The restlessness became a springboard for the next phase of  my life. It birthed new things including this blog and my broadcast sessions on YouTube.

The restlessness, unfulfillment and feeling of being stuck that comes especially during your  middle years, can turn out to become a true blessing. For every change to a ‘better me’ that  has taken place in my life, I have had to get to a point of restlessness and dissatisfaction with  the status quo- from dealing with my excess weight, low self-esteem and overcoming fear that prevented me from moving forward. Every single battle I have fought in my life, I have  had to fight first form a place of restlessness or what I call psychological impasse.  

Inside you is a pool of ideas, dreams and visions that can still be birthed. There is still a book  to be written, a business to begin, a project to initiate, a relationship to develop, a dream to  launch, and an initiative that would benefit the world. There’s still so much you are carrying  inside of you. But without the restlessness and stirring, you remain at ease, and everything  will stay dormant. In Haggai chapter one, when it was time to build God’s house, the Lord  stirred up the spirit of the people and they came and worked on the house of the Lord. Up  until that time they saw no need to build God’s house, they remained at ease. The restlessness and tugging you feel, may be the Holy Spirit stirring your heart towards what God wants you  to birth at this season of your life.  

For true transformation to take place, you must get to an ‘impasse’. It is a point you get to, and you say to yourself: “something just has to give way”. Though a scary place to be in,  especially if you are uncomfortable with change, an impasse is necessary. It’s the best place  to define a new vision for your life. It’s the place to begin your journey of transformation as it  can become a springboard to real change. It can become a place for birthing and building a  new dream. But how do you begin to birth and build that dream once you get the stirring in  your heart?  

The first thing you need to do is ask God to help you process the stirring in your heart. Turning  to God gave me an understanding that had eluded me. Turning to God also gave me a sense  of peace that had previously eluded me. Peace is very important. With peace comes  encouragement, hope, clarity, and the inspiration to dream. The heart is a bucket of ideas and  vision, but it cannot dream when it is restless or anxious. That’s why your heart needs to be  guarded with peace. When peace came, I received clarity to reconnect with purpose and I  began to envision the next phase of my life. I couldn’t have achieved this if I had remained in  that place of anxiety. Yes, the restlessness is birthing something beautiful, but it must be processed first as it cannot birth anything in its raw state. Peace is the catalyst needed for the  processing. 

Next, began to envision what God is leading you to accomplish. As I turned to God for answers,  He began to show me where He was leading me to. I recall asking God to give me a blueprint for the next phase of my life and I was amazed at how much clarity I received. Then I began  to envision what it would look like. To envision is to build up an image of a desired future. It  is imagining or visualizing a future possibility, a revelation of new possibilities. Abraham  envisioned his greatness before it happened. God said to him after Lot had separated from  him, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are…” (Gen 13:14). 

Envisioning is a spiritual as well as a psychological concept. The power behind it is: “we  become what we see because the brain wills the body to move towards what it has seen. The  brain captures a picture of what you have seen and creates a hunger for it within you. This  hunger becomes the motivation that drives your actions. The more you envision, the greater  the hunger. When God was leading the children of Israel to the promised land, He repeatedly  told them that the land was beautiful and good, flowing with milk and honey. He was creating  a hunger in them that would enable them take possession of the land, despite opposition  from its previous inhabitants. It is difficult to keep pursuing what you are not hungry for; what  you have no desire for, because you are likely to give up at the slightest challenge. 

Finally, you must take steps to build the dream. Transformation is not complete if you stop at  the point of envisioning. You must build what you have envisioned. My first step was to come  up with a vision board of the dream God had put in my heart. A vision board is a visual  representation of your vision and dream. It contains images and texts that represent what  you are trying to accomplish. I positioned my vision board in a strategic place where I can see  it clearly daily. When you visualize and affirm your vision daily, your internal energy and  creativity will flow in that direction and eventually, your dreams will be actualized. You also  need to come up with a plan of action and set goals and timelines for what you want to  accomplish. Be sure to take steps each day that move you towards your goal because people  do not wander around mount Everest and get to the top. No matter how good a plan is, if you  don’t take steps to accomplish it, it remains just a good plan. So, build that dream. 

If this has blessed you, please let me know by leaving your comments below. You can also  listen to The Fulfilled Woman broadcast on YouTube by subscribing to The Rock inspiration  TV. God bless you. 

Yours in service 

Oke (Okespeaks) 

Oke@okespeaks.com 

+2348155525555

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Oke Chinye.
Have you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart?

He says in Mathew 11:28, “come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He longs to give you rest."

Would you like to do so now? Here’s a prayer you can say:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You died to save me from all my sins. Today, I invite you into my heart and I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive all my sins and help me to live my life for You.

If you prayed this prayer, send me an email at rockteachingministry@gmail.com

I would love to pray with you personally and send you a copy of my book; ‘Living the Life’ to encourage you as you begin your new life in Christ.