IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FIRST DREAM, DREAM AGAIN!
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME YOU FELL IN LOVE, FALL IN LOVE AGAIN
A DREAMER DOES NOT NEED ENCOURAGEMENT
EVERY TIME YOU NEED PEOPLE TO PUSH YOU, KNOW THAT IT IS TIME TO DREAM AGAIN
DREAMS ARE PICTURES OF YOUR FUTURE PLANTED IN YOUR SPIRIT BY THE LORD
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO NURTURE IT TO FULL POTENTIAL
BEWARE OF DREAM KILLERS, DREAM STEALERS AND DREAM WATCHERS ON YOUR JOURNEY TO THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUR DREAM
EVERY DREAMER NEEDS A DREAM MAKER.
RECOGNISE YOUR DREAM MAKERS AND TREAT THEM AS SUCH. THEY ARE THE BEST GIFT GOD CAN GIVE TO ANY MAN
ADJUST YOURSELF TO MANAGE THE WEAKNESSES AND SHORTCOMINGS OF YOUR DREAM MAKER IN ORDER NOT TO LOSE THEM
NO MATTER WHAT YOU LOSE, DO NOT LOSE YOUR DREAM
A DREAMER CONSTANTLY HELPS OTHERS TO INTERPRETE THEIR DREAMS
A DREAMER BELIEVES IN GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS BEFORE BECOMING THE PRODUCT
IF YOU ARE NOT READY TO SUFFER FOR YOUR DREAM, YOU DON’T HAVE A DREAM
-Bishop Wisdom Irabor on DARE TO DREAM AGAIN at the First Sunday and Feet Washing Service || Answers Assembly, Warri || First Service || 1st January, 2023 ||
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Tell somebody next to you, Dream again. Tell the person close to you Dream again, it is time to dream again.
Infact, Dare to Dream again.
Genesis 37:5,9.
It doesn’t matter what happened to my first dream, I have dreamt again. It doesn’t matter what happened to the first dream I dreamt, it may not have ended well, but I have been courageous enough to dream again! I have fallen in love again. It doesn’t matter what happened the first time I fell in love but I am courageous enough to fall in love again.
Life will give room to every man that is courageous to dream again. The first dream may not work out, the first dream may not come to pass. The first dream may not end well but you must have the capacity to dream again. So the short charge this morning is DARE TO DREAM AGAIN.
Dare to dream again, be courageous to dream again! Sometimes the first dream might not work out, dare to dream again, be strong enough to dream again. Church Gist.The first attempt may not produce, but be strong enough to dream again.
This year 2023 is a new year with new opportunity, new platform, new possibility but you must have the capacity to dream again.
Joseph dreamt, told his brethren and then he dreamt yet again!
Many of us this morning, we find ourselves in this particular situation where you need to dream again. When I see the way some of you carry yourself, I know that nothing is carrying you. There is nothing carrying you again! Church Gist. What carries a man is the dream that you have on a regular basis.
When there is no dream, there is nothing to carry you. Life will be a push, they’ll be pushing you!
I’ve been coughing and sneezing since Monday, they said Avoid dust but I was on a site where they are doing concrete stamp for the house. Inside. Church Gist. To supervise and be sure that it is done well and if I wasn’t there some of the errors I saw, nobody will see it.
There was one place they covered, the pipe was leaking. Already covered, but the pipe was leaking. I was coughing but the more I coughed, the more I entered.
You know why? A dreamer doesn’t need encouragement.
If you always need encouragement, then something is wrong!
Lift up your hands!
I pray for you, whatever is ordained to stop you, may you stop that thing!
Stand up, go to 3 persons, tell them: Dream again, Dream again!
Go to another person, tell them: I know the first dream failed, dream again!
Tell yourself: I will dream again!
I said, Come, come, come, something is leaking here. Even as at yesterday, I still said something is not right here, rat can pass here, snake can pass here, raise this thing up.
Let me cough and get a good work. Than to sit down somewhere and say, He’s the owner, he’s the owner. Church Gist. Then when you finish painting, pipe is leaking here, another room is turning from white to blue and then another block is cracking.
Every time you need people to push you, encourage you, drag you, it’s to dream again. The first dream is no longer working.
Wake up, wake up, wake up, it’s already Monday morning, you are running a wrong job.
2023 has been declared your year of laughter, the old dream may not carry it, you need to dream again!
Now, what is a dream?
A dream is a picture of your future planted into your spirit by the Lord. It is like a seed that grows into a tree and has the potential to become a forest of it is well nurtured.
Everything great you see today started with a dream.
Everybody has a dream that they hope to see become a reality, either positively or negatively. Church Gist. For your positive dream, may it come to pass!
There are four kinds of people every dreamer must be aware of.
This people exist.
1. The Dream Killers.
This people’s job is to kill your dreams. There are negative set of people whose nature and assignment is to kill your dream. They are dream killers. Matthew 2:9 talking about Herod and the baby Jesus. Dream killers!
“I want to release an album”.
“The way your voice is sounding like Papa’s voice, is that how they sing?” They’ve killed your dream.
“I have a dream to travel abroad.”
“Abroad? Somebody died last week, cold killed them in abroad. Two months ago, trailer killed somebody. Six months ago, a woman attacked another person”
Their assignment is to kill your dream!
Never be a dream killer, even when it is obvious that the dream may not come to pass. Even when it is obvious that there are too many lapses in the dream, find a way to encourage dreamers, it is not easy to dream.
“You wan marry again? Your first marriage break. This second marriage, e go still break.” That’s a dream killer. Their dream is to kill your dream. Church Gist. They also have a dream but their dream is to kill your dream.
2. The Dream Stealers.
These are people whose vision is to steal your dream. John 10:10. Their mission is to steal your dream. “The way I’m looking at this 2023, I feel I need to open a poultry farm. Look at the possibility, look at the prospects, look at how it goes and with this amount, you can do it.”
As you finish talking with him, the next week, he starts it. He’s a dream stealer! He didn’t kill the dream, he just stole it from you.
You will meet all of this people as you go about fulfilling your dream.
3. The Dream Watchers
These are people who just sit down and watch you. They don’t help you, they don’t steal it, they don’t kill it, they don’t support it, they just watch it.
And you have them everywhere! Don’t be angry with them, that is the best they can do.
Genesis 37:11b.
The dream of Joseph never came to pass because of the role his father played. It came to pass because of the role God played. Church Gist. The best they can do is listen to you and watch you, that’s all they can do. They don’t have the capacity to go beyond watching you because there are those who would kill the dream, steal the dream. This group will just watch you. They will just watch you.
They are spectators. If you succeed, they may later come and celebrate with you. If you fail, they will still tell themselves, thank God I didn’t openly identify with you.
4. The Dream Makers
These are people God brings into your life to motivate and encourage you to bringing your dreams to fulfillment.
They are there to help you fulfill your dream. The fulfillment of every dreamer is in locating Dream Makers. No dreamer can be made without locating your Dream Makers.
I came to church this morning a little late, maybe about 12 minutes past 7 but I saw the choir singing. Those are not members, those are Dream makers. To treat those few persons you saw in church before you the Shepherd, to treat them as members means you don’t understand life. They have gone beyond members. They’re Dream Makers. I can’t be at home and start opening prayer. I can’t be at home and start Praise and Worship. Church Gist. I can’t be at home and open the church door, I can’t be at home and on the generator. These are Dream Makers and God brings them your way for them to help you fulfill your dreams.
Discover them, respect them, keep them as your friends.
Most of you, your biggest problem is that everyone you call your acquaintance, your relations, your friends, your colleagues, people around you, your associates, are from the 3 first group – Dream killers, Dream stealers, Dream Watchers.
Hardly, do you have Dream Makers!
When you come to the point where you know your Dream Maker, you must also adjust yourself to manage their weakness, manage their shortcomings, manage the side of them that you don’t like but your dream like. Otherwise, I’m trying to correct what you don’t like, you will forfeit what you like.
This is why most marriages have problem. The man is a Dream Maker, but the woman want to change the man 100%.
You cannot! Church Gist. You don’t have control over a Dream Maker, a dream maker wants to help you make your dream!
The woman is a Dream Maker but the man is interested in “Don’t relate with this woman, don’t relate with this person, don’t branch that house” No. Sometimes, you have to choose between a woman picking beans for you and branching the house you said she shouldn’t branch.
If you don’t understand life from this angle, you will be losing friends, losing relations, losing helpers, losing Dream Makers because you are trying to function as a perfectionist, one that everything must be perfect around. It doesn’t work that way.
When you see them, guard them, respect them. Church Gist. Keep them, for they are the joker, they are the best gift that God can give to any man.
I was somewhere the other day and they came to harass a man for the money he was owing. Church Gist. I asked how much and they told me the amount and I said wait, when I finish, you go home with me. I asked the man to enter my car and I took him away. I apologized on behalf of that person, I said “Don’t mind him, he’s a useless son. His head is not correct, he doesn’t take advice. He is bigger than this money he is owing you but he doesn’t listen.”
Then I told him some of my efforts in that person’s life.
When I got home, I pulled out cash and then I went to the gy and gave him and he said, Thank you sir, thank you sir.
If the guy like, let him get angry that I called him useless. Your dream maker can talk anyhow. Church Gist. Without me talking anyhow, did you pay the guy the money? I came to pay, so if I talk, you deserve the talk! For you to need help and you want to still regulate how your helper behave, your village people have finished you!
Dream makers, if you have them, keep them in Jesus mighty name!
As we round up, Characteristics of a dreamer. What I’m talking about now is from my book: Turning Your Mistakes into a Miracle. You can get it from the bookshelf there.
1. He is most likely to be hated and envied by his friends.
They will hate you! I just also noticed that some people hate me for a particular direction that I decided to face. Church Gist. In the last 2 years, I just said okay let me sort this issue. They just decided to hate me. If they know what I’m trying to survive by facing that issue, they will know that their hatred is uncalled for.
2. A dreamer is not afraid of dreaming more. Dream again this year, dream again. Sometimes you need to go again, you need to attempt it again, you need to try again.
For the rain to fall, Elijah said to his servant, Go again 7 times.
He went the first time, he said nothing is happening. He went the second time, he said nothing is happening but he went the seventh time and on the seventh time he said I saw like the hand of a man. He (Elijah) said Arise, get thee up and the rain stop thee not for it is about to rain.
The first time, it may not rain. The second time, it may not rain. You may need to go again seven times!
Don’t stop dreaming! That is one of the characteristics of a dreamer. Dream again and again!
3. The dreamer is not afraid of sharing his dream.
You may just be careful not to share it to dream killers, dream stealers and with dream watchers.
But when you come across dream makers, those who make your dreams, don’t be afraid to share it! Church Gist. And as a matter of fact, if you don’t share it, how will you know those who can kill it?
Don’t be afraid to share it!
4. A dreamer will always come up with dreams that appear impossible to fulfill.
My friend Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo, he’s a very popular face on social media, we were together in Bible school in ‘97. We sat on the same row. I will buy Kuli Kuli and kola and give to him. All is just to drive sleep because Bible school is 7am till 3pm. Sometimes we will want to sleep, so I will just give him and then he used to call me ‘my Kuli Kuli friend’, ‘my kola friend’. When we came out of Bible school, I said to him I would want to work under this ministry where we were trained, gain experience and serve.
Kingsley said, I am going to rescue the young men and young women of Festac Town. I want to go and start my own Youth and Singles fellowship. No venue.
When I asked him where would you start it, he said he would start in his father’s house.
In my mind, I thought it was the kind of father I had. When he finishes beating you and the dream and the vision, you will ask yourself what is your problem.
We finished, I went to work in Winners Chapel. Church Gist. He went to start Singles fellowship. He started with about 3 people. 2 human beings and one dog.
The dog in their house will come and sit. With two of his friends and himself.
The father allowed him, the mother allowed him, the elder brothers allowed him but they never attended. They will just come and look at what he was doing and pass. They went on like that.
When he told me what he wants to do then, it was very impossible. Church Gist. A dreamer will always come up with dreams that appear impossible. I asked him, How can you? If he was too old then, he should have been 20 years old. How can you talk about this kind of thing? Don’t try it.
Gradually, 2001 I was now back to school in Lagos State University. By then he had moved from his father’s house to Festac Plaza, a plaza in Festac Town. He needs to do inauguration service, he met me and discussed it with me. I connected him to Reverend Simeon Afolabi. I brought Reverend Simeon, who came to inaugurate the fellowship as a church in plaza, Festac town.
As we speak today, he is one of the highest paid YouTuber in Nigeria. He rakes in dollars – weekly, daily, monthly from his YouTube account.
You see America, Canada, UK? He is one of the biggest crowd pullers in those 3 countries. Church Gist. He doesn’t do miracle, he doesn’t do healing, he doesn’t do prophecy. He just talks to youth and singles on marriage and relationship. His last program in London, the entire conference hall was filled to an overflow. No healing, no miracle, no prophecy, no deliverance.
When he said it in ‘97, it looked impossible, as I speak now, he’s in Canada with his wife doing Canada tour. That same youth singles fellowship program.
You don’t know how far that your dream can go if you can believe in it.
He started in his father’s parlor, 2 human beings and one dog.
Most times when I talk about him in church, I will call him and say I used you to preach today. Wetin you talk na, wetin you talk na? Gist me.
In that same Festac, he bought a land, 93 million (Naira). He bought a second one 600 million (Naira). Then he moved to Lekki and bought a land 1.2 billion (Naira)
We used to mock him: small pikin church, small pikin church. All those small children that were writing POLYJAMB, UNIJAMB then today have become the owners of banks, owners of industries. They have become the big boys in every nation. He is doing dangerously well!
But the dream appeared impossible at the onset.
5. A dreamer must guard his dream but not his coat of many colors.
You can lose anything, but don’t lose your dream. Joseph lost his coat of many colors but he kept his dream. Church Gist. Never prefer your coat of many colors above your dream. It doesn’t matter what you lose, refuse to lose your dream.
6. A dreamer will always dress to suit his dream.
A dreamer will always appear to suit his dream. A dreamer dresses to suit his dream. The way you dress is how you will be addressed. Some people have gotten a new job by just appearing very well to greet somebody.
They say, you look very nice, where are you going? I just came to see you. Like this? You are coming to see me dressed like this as if I’m one big man. You’re the kind of secretary I need.
A dreamer will dress to suit his dream. The way you dress is how you are addressed.
7. A dreamer believes in helping others to fulfill their dream that will in turn lead to the fulfillment of his own dream.
Joseph interpreted the dream of the butler and baker and at the end of the day after interpreting their dream his own dream came to pass. They came out of the prison, forgot him and God created a problem for the king and they remembered. Church Gist. Joseph came and he shaved himself, changed his raiment and interpreted the dream of Pharoah. And Pharoah said to him, No man can be as wise as you for interpreting this dream, you will be lord over my kingdom, over my territory. Only on the throne will I be greater than you. He interprets the dream of others and his own came to pass.
If you stop helping people, it’s a sign that you are not a dreamer. A dreamer will constantly help others to interprete their dream, in the process your own dream will come to pass.
8. A dreamer believes in going through the process before becoming the product.
He sees challenges as God’s raw materials in bringing about the fulfillment of his dream.
If you are not ready to suffer for your dream, you don’t have a dream.
2023, be ready to suffer for that dream. Pay price for that dream. If you need to sleep less, sleep less. You need to eat less, eat less. Church Gist. If you need to reduce your friendship, reduce it. You need to sacrifice more, sacrifice more. You need to work harder, work harder. You need to sell a few properties and invest, sell it and invest. By all means, pay any price for your dream not to die. A dreamer is ready to go through the process. Life is not easy, any direction you face.
People are looking for the easy route, there is no easy route in the journey to destiny.
I saw a woman, did a video 2 days ago. She said if I send you money and you don’t value what I sent to you and you say it is too small, God will punish you, God will destroy you.
She said look at me inside this cold. She wore hand gloves, she covered all her face, she covered her head to toe only her two eyes was showing because there was heavy snow in Canada. She was freezing, shaking. She said, See where I’m working, see the factory. Snow covered the factory, snow covered everywhere. She said I will still enter to go and look for this money and send to you. Church Gist. And you will say it’s small? God will punish you, God will destroy you.
I looked at her and said Nigeria cold wan kill you, you can’t survive Nigerian cold, ehn? And your dream is abroad cold? Any direction you face, you must pay the price.
You know one thing that has helped me in this life? I always know why I will suffer for any decision I take. I start suffering my suffering before I make my decision. In my mind, I will be suffering it.
No easy road.
You still want to dream? Tell yourself, there is no easy road.
The dreamer must be ready to pay the price.
Rise to your feet!
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