Daydreaming
There is nothing wrong with
daydreaming.
Have you ever been accused of
‘daydreaming? I have heard many tell me from time to time that I was
daydreaming if I thought that something I was hoping for might happen, or if
the person I expected something from would really come to my aid. Many times
they may have been correct, but other times my dreaming has been far more
visionary than vaguely hopeful.
Children are often accused of
daydreaming when staring, instead of concentrating on their work; but who knows
what is going through their minds? Maybe they are looking to the future, seeing
visions of what they would like to become, what they could achieve if given
the chance. Their daydreaming may one day become reality. Sir Winston
Churchill, even as a youth, had dreams of rescuing and saving England from a
dreadful enemy. He lived with that dream until the day came at sixty five years
old for him to live his dream.
I continue to daydream, even
sometimes as I am walking or just sitting on a hill. I dream of what could be
accomplished if I had just a bit of money, or if I had just a handful of people
who felt the same way as me. I often say to myself, ‘If someone with substance
on this planet believed as I believe, shared the same passion, and was ready to
finance all the dreams for reaching people for Christ, then we could impact
individuals, communities, and whole countries with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have been promised mansions and
cars, airplanes and fully equipped studios and headquarters, and all the
financial backing I could dream of by various individuals. I have no particular
interest in mansions, cars, planes and the suchlike. They are all nice toys for
sure, but also very deceitful attractions to draw the fisher away from the sea
of lost humanity. However, like the seed sown among the thorns, those promises
got strangled by other things entering in and stealing away the good intentions.
At the end of the day, all I ever
wanted was the support to train people in soul-winning, produce practical
resources for equipping the harvesters, and propagate outreaches wherever souls
are perishing. I still dream of the coming day when God shall raise up those
who will enable those things to happen. That dream is a vision, and it will
come to pass, even if it seems a long time in coming.
Let the mockers mock and the
hypocrites laugh; let the demons sneer and do whatever they do to hinder the
work, but at the end the vision shall speak,
and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will
not tarry … for the vision is yet for an appointed time.
Personal comfort has stolen the
hearts and minds of many a person from the call of God upon their lives. The
disciples left their nets, their families, and all that they had to follow
Christ. In the multitudes of church-goers and those who love to use the name of
God in their conversations, where is the one who is really willing to forsake
all, give away all that they possess, sell their assets, in order to gain the
higher prize and wisdom of soul-winning?
In all the years of my being a
believer, having met and spoken with tens of thousands of people, I have found
extremely few who are such disciples. This is not a criticism, neither a
judgement, but just the facts as they are. Churches are full of social
gatherers who may look like ‘Christians’, talk like believers, but their
religion goes no further than a nominal adherence to certain truths and a
lukewarm attachment to what they might call faith in God. It costs them little,
demands nothing much, makes them no different than the old lady at the bottom
of the street who behaves herself properly but knows nothing of the Christ.
Even among pastors and those who
claim to be ministers or have ministries, I know of very few who understand the
call of God and His demands upon those whom He does call. Ministry has become a
title that means very little, and the platform and ego claim the focus of those
wish to ascend the steps of the stage. Titles do not mean passion, and words do
not prove anything at all. I have heard many a person quoting scripture after
scripture; but then the devil also knows how to quote scripture. I have heard
many also declaring that God speaks to them: and they suddenly become prophets
or prophetesses and actually believe what they are saying is from God. Well,
here’s a quick one, if what they say does not happen the way they say it will,
you may discount them from any claim they may make, and cease from listening to
their own proud and arrogant deceptions. That is precisely what the Bible
teaches; and if you do not know that, then maybe it is time to search the
scriptures daily to see what God says.
I have said to myself on numerous
occasions, ‘If we could have the financial support, we could reach the world.’
My mind and heart are full of dreams and aspirations to produce resources and
implement soul-winning endeavours, but there is no one willing to risk their
personal blessings in helping to make it happen.
Time is on countdown for this world right now, and all
that we may claim to possess may soon be lost for all eternity. We shall be called
at that Great Day to give account for foolishly losing all the financial and
material resources that God entrusted each of us with; and we shall have no
excuse. What you stole from God, from His work, from His servants will be
called up in front of the angelic host and the church of Jesus Christ. Be not
deceived: what you have sown you shall also reap.
Leaving everything you have to
ungodly children and relatives instead of investing it in the work of the
gospel will be something that we will have to explain to the Jesus of Calvary,
in person. Spending and wasting your financial increase on luxury goods,
self-indulgent pleasures, pointless purchases just because it is burning a hole
in your pocket is something that God has a full record of. Each item is written
in indelible ink above, and shall be accounted for in the Day of Christ. Lay
not up for yourselves treasure upon earth: they will perish.
Better to have nothing here on
earth, but know the smile of God upon your life, than to have riches galore
that will fade as quickly as the last breath you breathe, and then hear the
words, “Depart from Me: I do not know you.”
The great need of the hour is
taking the gospel to the world, not singing dollar-driven ‘hillsong’ in our padded church
seats to one another on Sunday with the band gyrating on the platform. Where
did that all come from? (I have been a pastor, trained pastors, and teach the
Bible, and have preached in many churches, so I know what I am talking about.
You can call me old-fashioned and out of touch with modern ways, but I am more
than happy to know that God never changes, and He has not changed His word to
accommodate our worldliness and carnal indifference.)
God will raise someone or others
up after all those who made vain promises have been proved unworthy of being
part of His end-time harvest. We should always remember that every opportunity afforded
us is an occasion to show our faithfulness in that which God asks us to do, or
in that which we promised to do. You have to ‘pass the test’, as they say in
Myanmar.
My window of hope
I am still daydreaming. I see
multitudes being moved by the presence of God; I watch from my window of hope
the accomplishment of so many ideas for bringing the message of Jesus through
literature, music and modern methods of communication. I see a day when the
glory of God touches down upon a nation, and multitudes come under the fear and
reverence of the Almighty, not through a fancy preacher, or a great crusade, but
because God is on the ground doing His work His way.
I have dreamed throughout my
years as a believer of honest and true people giving up all for the kingdom of
God. I have lived in the anticipation that somewhere, somehow, faithful souls
will emerge from the mundane and uninspiring habit of sitting in church every
Sunday, giving their token, listening to a preacher screaming something or just
boring them to tears. It may well be that this changing world and its evil agendas
right now will sift the true from the false and present the reality of living
faith that forsakes this evil age and its dictates, and truly follows Christ.
Real passion drives a man to
forsake everything and chase the dream. He is willing and ready to sell all
that he has to buy the field in which is the hidden treasure, the real
treasure. However, very, very few ever
see or recognise the true treasure.
Telling it like it is 2021 JGM
