Have you ever wondered why your dreams of ministry are not taking off like you thought they would? For the next few weeks, I am going to share with you some D-words (Dream Killers) which may derail your dreams or ministry. This week I am going to share with you the first of these, which is Doubt. Mark 11:23 is my focus scripture for the dream killer of Doubt; speak to your mountains and do not doubt in your heart and it shall come to pass.
Doubt: God called you, but you continue to have doubts. God showed you what He wanted you to accomplish, but you have not seen it happen. Doubt is the first of the D-words which could derail your ministry. The Word of God is filled with scriptures about how to deal with doubt. One of my favorite scriptures which helps me to combat the lies of the enemy is Jeremiah 29:11; God knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me. I need to trust Him.
The enemy will constantly whisper in your ears telling you God never called you, God has forsaken you, and God will not provide for you. When this happens you need to tell the enemy to shut up and start speaking the Word of God over your situation. Look at the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 – 50. Joseph had BIG DREAMS. This is how the story goes. Joseph had big God-inspired dreams, Joseph bragged about his God-inspired dreams, Joseph went out to find his brothers, Joseph got beat up and thrown in a hole, Joseph got sold into slavery, Joseph got accused of rape, Joseph went to jail, and finally, after many, many years, Joseph’s God-inspired dreams came to fruition.
Do you think Joseph had doubts about his dream? Of course he did. Joseph was just like us. When things started to go wrong I am sure he had some doubts, yet we do not see any evidence of Joseph complaining about his circumstances. What we see is a young man who refused to be defeated and wallow in doubt. Over and over again scripture tells us that God was with Joseph and gave him favor in each of his terrible situations. I believe that each situation in Joseph’s life taught him something which he could use in ministry. Actually, I consider the entirety of Joseph’s years, from the time he was sold into slavery until he died, as years in his ministry. Though these years seem to show a picture of seasons of trouble; God was using each of these situations in Joseph’s life as years of teaching and preparation. In Genesis 39, we are told “the Lord was with Joseph” many times. God blessed him, blessed others through him, or caused Joseph to have divine favor in multiple situations.
Let’s take a look at these:
Genesis 39: 2-3, The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered and Potiphar knew the Lord was with Joseph and had God’s favor
Genesis 39:5, The Lord blessed the household of Potiphar because of Joseph and the blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar owned
Genesis 39:21, The Lord was with him, he showed him kindness and granted him favor
Genesis 39:23, The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success
Joseph did not allow Doubt (first of the D-words) to compromise his integrity or his faith. He kept his eyes on the God of his father, Jacob. If we allow God to work out the situations and work through the seasons in our lives, we too will realize that Doubt does not stand a chance in derailing our ministry or killing our dreams. Next week we will examine the second of the D-Words, Delays.
Check out my Resources and Specials page for more information on defeating Dream Killers.
Disclosure: Many of the linked products and services I recommend are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
