This week is a follow up to last week on the second half of Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, Forward Discovering God’s Presence and Purpose in Your Tomorrow.
There was so much good information in the book that I broke it down in two parts. Last week I covered chapters 1-5. This week we will compete the book with chapters 6-10. Let’s jump in!
Why should we pursue our dreams? Dr. Jeremiah gives us several reasons:
- “Purpose stabilizes your life.”
- “Your vision keeps your hopes alive…”
- To have a certainty “beyond doubt that your efforts weren’t wasted because they were God-conceived, God-directed, and God-honoring.” (Page 98)
To begin this pursuit you need to “present yourself totally to God” (pages 99-100). Second you have to discover who you are and how God has made you uniquely for a purpose in this world. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he panned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)(see page 101)
The next step is to take action. “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10) (page 102).
To continue this pursuit you have to “obey orders from God’s Word.” “His will for your life never deviates from the Word He has given you in Scripture.” “David described this principle in his first psalm: ‘His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.'” (page 106) Are you meditating day and night on scripture to find God’s will for your life?
Chapter 7’s title is “Believe Get Your Mind Right.” Dr. Jeremiah says, “I grew up knowing a lot more about doubting than believing. I was raised in a good church, but it was better known for what it was against than what it was for.” (page 114)
So what do we believe?
- God loves you.
- God has a plan for you.
- We can strengthen ourselves in the LORD. (1 Sam. 30:6)
- The Lord can help us have positive attitudes toward ourselves, others, in times of crisis, and keep our countenance positive. It is a matter of controlling our thoughts. As one man, Alan Ryden, who was in a place of fighting for his life when his boat capsized during a storm in the Alaskan waters put it… “I had to fight for every inch in my thoughts.” (see pages 116-132)
I think our thoughts are where we do most of our battle in this world. Taking our thoughts captive to what God says is a huge win. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)
Chapter 8 encourages us to invest in life, in God’s wealth, in God’s work and in the lives of others. Chapter 9 encourages us to stay focused and finish what we start. Chapter 10 concludes with a celebration of a life going forward as we receive the crowns Jesus rewards us with for a life lived for Him. Dr. Jeremiah asks the question, “What do you think you’ll be doing an hour after you die?…. You’ll be doing the same thing you were doing an hour before you died–seeking to please Jesus in all you are and do. The Bible says, ‘So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven’ (2 Cor. 5:9 TLB).” (pages 185-186)
I will finish this post with a quote from the book, on page 135, that sums up the whole process, wrapping it all up like a wonderful gift so we know how to move forward.
“In order to move forward toward God’s plan for the next phase of your life, you’ll need a dream. You’ll need prayer. You’ll need to set the right priorities, focus on the right goal, and take the right kinds of risks. You’ll need to pursue your dreams with enthusiasm and believe in those dreams with optimism.” (page 135)
This is a great book for anyone who wants to know the plans God has for you and to walk the path He laid out for you, and you alone, before the foundations of the world. I would recommend this book for late teens and up. It is never too late to reach for a dream.