SNS - Designed for Life 2010 Edition

Every September my church hosts a women's conference called Designed for Life, and every year has a different theme. The conference lasts from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon and is an amazing time full of encouragement and love. 2010 was the first year I was able to attend, and the theme that year was "Dare to Dream." Two of my favorite speakers were there, and here is one of the sermon's from one of the sessions.

Living the God Dream
DeLynn Rizzo (Healing Place Church, Baton Rouge LA)

• We all have dreams! Thank God, that some of them don't pan out because His dream for our lives is better then any dream we could conjure up.
• I have a dream! You have a dream!
• God has a plan and a purpose, and no matter what He calls me to do I should always answer YES!
• Don't tell God no, even when I have a full plate. Be pushed out of my comfort zone and trust God's calling for my life.
• Never say never! God may call us to do something we never thought we would ever do.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 (ESV) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Esslesiastes 9:11 (NIV) "I have seen something else under the sun: the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all."
Esslesiastes 9:11 (ESV) "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, not favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all."

• I (you) don't have to be the best, because my (your) time and moment will come.

1. He will anoint me for the task.

• Anointing is God enabling me (you) to do something I (you) never dreamed possible.

Luke 4:18 (NIV) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me...."
Luke 4:18 (ESV) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me..."

• When God calls me (you) to do something the anointing and the enabling may not happen automatically or immediately; it's when I (you) step out that God will anoint and enable me (you) to fulfill my (your) God dream.
• Say YES! I'm willing, I'm going, I'm saying yes!
• Sometimes when we try to step out and fulfill our dream its hard and it may feel like hell is against us, but don't stop press through. Keep on keeping on.
• The Spirit of God will somehow someway fulfill the dream that God has placed on my heart.
• Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible!
• God can fulfill dreams you don't even know you have!
• God will always show you how!
• The enabling is a process, and it takes time.
• It may not always start out easy, but God will enable.

2. Filter the voices.

• Let go of being a people pleaser.
• If everybody is happy with me 24/7, then God isn't.
• We have to go to God with all the doubt, voices, and insecurities.
• The only voice we have to listen to is God. Tune out the negatives, and listen to God's voice.
• Get people around me (you) that believe in me (you) and support me (you)!
• Listen to the voices that listen to me (you), believe in me (you), and support me (you). They are who I (you) need to surround myself (yourself) with.
• Filter the voice in my (your) mind!
• Sometimes my (your) own thoughts can do all the damage.
• Encourage myself (yourself) in the Lord. See myself (yourself) the way God sees me (you).
• Until you can be dead to the voices around you, you aren't ready to fulfill your God's dream.
• I (you) have to be dead to the voices I (you) don't need to hear.
• Don't let yourself get puffed up either...that can do as much damage as being deflated.

3. Don't compare your dream.

• My (your) dream is amazing, my (your) dream is fabulous, my (your) dream is my own personal assignment.
• Their dream isn't better than my (your) dream; it isn't bigger or more special, it's just their own personal God given assignment.
• My (your) dream doesn't have to look like anybody else's...it was created and designed just for me (you).
• Do it afraid!
• Whatever God has placed in my (your) heart do it afraid, over and over and over again.
• We can't compare ourselves to anybody else.
• I'm (You're) not suppose to be like everyone else. Just be me (you).
• God doesn't want me (you) to fill their shoes, He only wants me (you) to fill mine (yours).

4. Make someone else's dream come true.

• If I (you) don't know what my (your) dream is, or what I'm (you're) suppose to be doing help someone else fulfill their dream...in the process my (your) dream will come true too.
• Serve and help somebody else. Get my (your) eyes off myself (yourself) and help somebody else's dream come true!
• God will fulfill my (your) dream, He will!! My (your) moment is coming!

5. Protect my (your) dream.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." {vs 9: "Resist him, standing firm in your faith..."}
1 Peter 5: 8 (ESV) "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." {vs 9: "Resist him, firm in your faith..."}

• The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy my (your) dream, because it's my destiny.
• The devil wants to stop it before it even begins.
• Protect and hold on to it, and believe the promise God has given me (you).

• We all have a God given dream/assignment.
• I dare you to dream bigger dreams then you ever thought possible.
• It's not a God dream unless it's so big you know you could never do it on your own.
• Don't let my (your) dream just be a thought in my (your) head or a dream in my (your) heart...step out and make my (your) dream come true.
• To make my (your) dream a reality I (you) have to step out and I (you) have to say yes.
• Step out today and say yes!
• Today is the day to dare to dream the possible!!!
• What will I (you) do in my (your) moment of opportunity?
• God is our dream maker and dream fulfiller.
• Step out of the boat, and say yes to God, and believe that He will make the dream come true!