What I Did When God Called Me to Give Up My Dream
Inside: Have you ever given up on a dream? Could the dream not be part of God’s will, but rather a human desire? In the shadow of the Christ, I reminded what my purpose here is and how much God loves me. I know His plans are better than my dream.
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Do you have a goal, or maybe a dream, that you have been placing your hope in for a while now?
When you think of it not happening, you’re filled with sadness and frustration? You’ve put time, energy, and lots of thoughts into this dream, so it HAS to happen. Reality is, you can’t see your life without this one thing coming true.
I know how you feel.
I have a dream, and so far it hasn’t happened. Can I be honest, I’m getting closer and closer to accepting that my dream isn’t going to happen. I’ve reached closure, and I’m okay with it.
Refuting the Lies About My Dream
However, Satan likes to throw his lies at me.
See… God didn’t come through for you!
You must not be important enough to God for Him to answer this one request!
It used to be a daily battle with lies flying at me, reminders of how reality is not what I had hoped for.
We all have dreams that we want to be fulfilled, but what if God doesn’t make our dreams happen when we’re so sure these dreams are from God?
Will we surrender to God’s Will and await His new plans for us? Or will we continue to ask, plead, and live in frustration?
Perhaps we even will try to take control and make the dream happen, only then we have a huge ball of problems to endure through.
Can I Give Up My Dream?
So what do you think? Can you give up the dream that isn’t part of God’s plans?
The fact is, God knows how I feel. He cares for me, but sometimes, His answer is no.
It’s hard to accept when the answer is no, isn’t it? We think what we ask for would make our lives better, would make us happier, and make us better Christians.
The problem is, God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. He can see what will truly make us happy, and ultimately, He wants us to choose Him for real happiness.
Like any father, He would love to give us what our hearts desire, but like a good dad, He knows what’s best for His child.
God isn’t a puppet at my will-call, He’s a Purpose-Driver with a plan.
The question I need to ask myself is: am I depending selfishly on what I think will fulfill me, or am I basking in the over covering sufficiency of my Savior?
He knows what I need even more than I know. He sees my whole life from beginning to end.
Why We Need to Trust God with our Lives
Following Jesus requires that we:
- Sacrifice our human dreams for God’s plans
- Devote our lives to God
- Willing submission to His plans
As a matter of fact, the disciples had to deal with human dreams left hanging as they followed Jesus. Perhaps Peter dreamed of a trophy catch that provided for his family, or John made plans to spend his retirement out on an island in the Mediterranean.
Both men suffered greatly here on Earth and didn’t achieve their human dreams, but the rewards and glory they brought God far exceeded anything they could have dreamed. The experienced true joy and satisfaction in Christ.
(Mark 8:34, NLT). Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
According to NIV Quest Bible, “Jesus used this powerful image to illustrate the price of being his disciple. Jesus laid down his life voluntarily, and he asks us to do the same—to commit our lives wholeheartedly to him, accepting any hardship this choice may bring.”
Our Sacrifice to God
“We take our stand at the cross and consent to be nailed to it, voluntarily, actually; to submit to the pain whereby the flesh dies; the hands are pierced that carnal work may no longer be done in the energy of the flesh; the feet are pierced that no longer we may walk according to the flesh; the brow is pierced with the thorn crown that our head may not any longer be held up for human diadems and fading laurel wreaths; the side is pierced that the heart may relinquish its fleshly energy and preference, and be occupied with God.”
– A. T. Pierson
If I’m going to follow God, it requires that I sacrifice some of my deepest desires because of what Christ did for me. Share on X
This isn’t a one-time action because those reminders of my dream keep appearing in my mind, so I need to return to the foot of the cross often.
In the shadow of the Christ, I reminded what my purpose here is and how much God loves me. I know His plans are better than any of my human dreams and desires.
God doesn’t fulfill my wants, He fulfills my needs.
Therefore, I take up my own cross and surrender those desires and dreams to Him.
Are we able to sacrifice what we want in this earthly life?
It’s important to realize, God knows what I need. I might think I know what will ultimately make me happy and content, but I’m not seeing my future, nor the plans God has for me.
3 Tips for Choosing God’s Will Over My Wants and Desires:
- Spend time with God daily, and leave my will at His feet.
- Cling to this truth: God is working it out for me, He has plans and a purpose for me.
- God sees my life in its entirety. I have limited view!
Though we painfully give up our heart’s desires, God promises us a glory that outweighs what we gave up in obedience to His will. This glory will last forever!
Can you accept the trade of a dream of not coming true to an ever-lasting gift in Heaven?
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This is SO good!
Your words speak to my heart this morning!
Oh, how tough it is sometimes to lay down our dreams and pick up His!
Thank you for the reminder to cling to Him and to His truth!
Thank you, Melanie!
… Tbh, I don’t know if I can give up this desire, joyfully and without great sorrow, anger, and frustration….
It is a desire with good and many many many Great followers and Disciples were given this desire, this dream…. so for it to not be for me…. brings me great pain…. pain from feeling unworthy, and great anger towards God and those he gave that dream too… my Heart Cries out THEY GET WHAT I WANTED AND THEY GET THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TOO….. WHAT ABOUT ME, AM I NOT YOUR CHILD ASWELL….
I wanted a Fish, you only give me bread while my brothers and sister get the Fish they desired…. and we both get the Kingdom….. how can I say this isn’t cruel.
I have so been there! A few years back God called me to give up something that was a huge part of my life. I had actually started to feel like my dreams were coming true, and God clearly showed me that it was the wrong path. He didn’t call me to give up my dream, but redirected me in a huge enough way that I had to give up everything I had been working on. It hurt. A lot. And it took me a long time to truly get over it, but I am so glad I followed through.
Heather- thank you for sharing your experience!
I wish people could give more detailed experiences if they feel comfortable. The truth is I have so many instances in which I wonder did God give me this did I give it up for him am I just putting my own interpretations on these things and Wit was a God-given dream be what to do with their other dreams just all of us how do you tell how do I know I am applying these rules to something with God versus just something
This is a great concept. I like the tips on choosing Gods Will over my own.
And I agree with the comment from Heather Hart. Giving up a dream may be very tough but it works out great if you do it to follow Gods Will!
Amy- yes, Heather’s advice is great!
This is such a timely piece for me. I’m in a place of not know if my dreams are what God is wanting for me. I’m working on contentment and joy just as my life is – no matter God’s will. It’s hard. Really hard. It’s a matter of continual surrender.
Melissa- Yes, continual surrender is hard!
I think I need to know that God is with us specifically in the specific things from specific testimonies it’s just really hard to know how I’m interpreting things because interpreting if the human way means making a decision keeping track of why are you doing some thing I’m holding onto something and then going for it and having faith often times it’s mostly internal locus of control but then It seems being at God’s feet is sort of a position of external locus of control the weather like seeing what happens . I think I’m just practically confused on how to apply these things I’m not sure if I’m getting a ride and I’m worried because I already have ADD and I’m a person who picks many things and I’m even talking about every every intimate details of life um I just I wish I had more mentors you’ve done this explaining how they’ve done it and helping me analyze my own walk
Yes, it’s so hard! I’ve found sometimes a no isn’t really a no, just a call to wait and surrender. Sometimes God does want us to get our desires, but in His way, which requires letting go of getting it our way. I don’t know if that is what is happening for you or if it’s a true no, but either way, surrendering to God’s will is best.
Kira- thank you for your suggestion and encouragement!
I’m curious. Is it wrong for me to be a video game developer for God’s glory? I’ve asked God many times to get rid of this dream if it’s not his will. But I’m passionate about nerdy stuff like computers and video games. Am I deluded to think that God made me this way? I really don’t care about fame and fortune. But I want to glorify God with my nerdiness. If God didn’t make me a passionate video game nerd, then does that mean it’s a curse? If so, then why won’t God “denerdify” me? Are my interests useless in building God’s kingdom? Sometimes I wish I wasn’t born in the 21st century with games and technology.
Hello- I think that God can use you wherever you are! If you have an opportunity to share your faith in that space, go for it!
I’ve been going through also as someone who works in the IT industry, had dreams in the area of network engineering but somehow the study for it took my focus away from the Lord. Had to step down from a team I had been in for a short time due to the stress, lack of peace. Still struggling as I’m bit of a nerd also, like configuring network devices.
Is quite tricky as to get into those jobs requires a lot of focus, can consume the mind.
Without network engineers no one would be able to access this website, so the job in itself can’t be a sin
I think it’s position of your heart. Can you find balance and keep the Lord as number one in your life?
I honestly have no idea if God really wants me to give up on my dreams, because I want to become a great Esports player and with such success, I believe that I can glorify God and even reach out to people that may need His word, I have also been having some answered prayers regarding this too. During my first days of being a believer, I heard what I believed was God calling me and told I’d become a great player in the game I wanted to go competitive in, I would probably even expand my coasts to other games too, but now I hear another voice that I feel like is God and He may be calling me to be a firefighter, because of this I do not know what truly is God’s will for my life at this point.
Edit: Anyone got any advice regarding this
Have praying and asking GOd to give you the wisdom to follow HIs plan for your life?
Julie, I’m only curious, but would you please tell us what happened next?? As in, your dreams were crushed then God did _______?
I admire your faith, and thank you so much for posting this! I desperately wish I could trust God, but he has a very poor track record. Like you, I had my own human desires that of course were dashed, and several times after that, bit by bit, God appeared to be turning a lifetime of pain into new dreams I couldn’t have conjured in my wildest imagination, only to turn them to dust. Several times, he convinced me, a doubter, to actually trust him, only to fail me and never come through. Does God actually have reasonably good plans for everyone’s life? I truly wish I could tell people God is trustworthy and that his plans are good, but I only know the opposite. Would you happen to have any spiritual/practical advice that would actually instill a godly desire in a person’s heart?
Thank you again for your post 🙂
Hey Maddison- thank you for your comment!
My dreams changed…I prayed for His will to be done and slowly my dreams morphed into what we wanted more than what I wanted.
We know God is good, the pages of the Bible share with us this! In our limited human minds, we might not understand and we definetely we don’t see the whole picture, but He does.
Our human minds get stuck on what we think is fair or just or right, but its interpretative through a human mind.
We don’t always understand but I do know God loves us and He has good things planned for us. If you still don’t see, read the book of Revelation. We are part of the winning team!
i need advice :))
I am not happy on what I am doing right now but also afraid of everyone’s judgement. Short story, I am pursuing the course I don’t want to but I need to for us to survive. I always feel anxious and stressed about it. I want to stop doing it but afraid of what people might say about me. but I also feel that I need to let go of this one for God to give me what I truly want. Yes, I prayed for this to happened but I am not really happy. I feel like I am just telling myself That i belong here but i’m really not. I feel so lost and lonely. I am slowly losing myself and giving up I think means choosing to find myself again. what should I do?
Crys- Keep praying till you get an answer!