Treasuring your Dreams

Ask you can guess from the title of the blog, This blog will be about your dreams again. I can't get passed this topic because I feel the Lord breathing on this still in my heart.

This Christmas was a blessing to me and my family. I was able to visit my family and friends back in Florida. While the kids were treasuring their presents I felt the Lord ask me, what is your present ? I find when the Lord asks me a question, even if I know what he is asking, He is trying to show me what I already knew. In this case I answered saying "your promises are my treasures". He then led me to the birth of Jesus.

In Luke 1:26 the Lord sent an angel to Mary saying she will give birth to a son. She replied back by asking a question because she was a virgin. The angel explained to her that the holy spirit will come upon her and Elizabeth was going to have a child also even though she could not. Now look what Mary said next !

vs 38 :

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” - NIV

Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. - Amplified

I find this respond life giving. Because here is a woman who was given a promise from the Lord that she would have a son but she was still a virgin. Now for some of us like Elizabeth's case , we get promises from the Lord after we have tried to achieve our dreams but with no success. And how do we respond ? We may say "if its your will..", or " I have to pray about it.."

But Mary responded "May your word to me be fulfilled". She just said Amen to what she just received. She was just like child and received the word. I think this is so important when you receive a promise of the Lord concerning your dreams. We have to position ourselves that what he said is true and no word will ever fail. When we do this we create place for the promises of the Lord to dwell in. If we just remember it as a thought then what we are just doing is using our brain instead of our hearts. The promises of the Lord are to be held in our hearts, and out of that our mind will be transformed to what he has said to us. But it all begins in our hearts.

If we read on in Luke 2:16 - 19 the bible tells that the shepherds found the child and spread the word about him. And all the people who heard it were amazed. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

So again here is Mary responding to testimonies. We know that the testimony of Jesus is prophesy, so when you hear a testimony you are actually receiving a prophetic word you can treasure. And that's what Mary did; she treasured and pondered all these things in her heart. This is what treasuring your dreams is about. It is to deeply reflect on a continuous bases on the promises of God concerning your dreams. Record the promises on journal or on a CD. Anything for you to go back reflect on them. The more you do this, the more room you make for new dreams in your heart.

So in this new 2011 year, lets treasure our dreams so we can start walking like they are already here.

Blessings and Happy New Year!

The space program - a symbol of dreams

Growing up in Florida I love seeing the space shuttle take off. Weather it was day or night you can see a light in the sky going towards space. It was such an amazing site. But every time I saw it take off, I have always felt to go after my dreams no matter how high it was. I now realize why God had told me that. The shuttle program was not only to put man in space, but it was to put man to reach for their dreams. And as they reach for their dreams breakthrough in the impossible will happen in their life time.

You may ask what kind of breakthroughs did the space program do for us ? Well let me name a few of them..

• As a reporter Walter Cronkite covered many of the space programs. He covered the first time man landed on the moon. “The space program was a major factor in maintaining some balance of what our country was all about,” he said. “That period was the most traumatic decade this country had since the Civil War. The Kennedy and King assassinations, the civil rights struggle, the Vietnam War. ... The country was splitting apart. The great thing about the space program in those days was (that) it kept us dreaming about the future, which had a very salutary effect in maintaining national sanity.”
• The program brought thousands of jobs to Florida, and brought millions of dollars in tourism
• Over 1,600 new technologies have been adopted by many industries. Here a few of them:
  - The Hubble Space telescope ! One of the many spinoffs from the Hubble telescope is the use of its Charge Coupled Device (CCD) chips for digital imaging breast biopsies. The resulting device images breast tissue more clearly and efficiently than other existing technologies. The CCD chips are so advanced that they can detect the minute differences between a malignant or benign tumor without the need for a surgical biopsy
  - MICROLASERS - Based on a concept for optical communications over interplanetary distances, microlasers were developed for the commercial market to transmit communication signals and to drill, cut, or melt materials.
  VOICE-CONTROLLED WHEELCHAIR - NASA teleoperator and robot technology used to develop chair and manipulator that respond to 35 one-word voice commands utilizing a minicomputer to help patient perform daily tasks, like picking up packages, opening doors, and turning on appliances.

There are just a few of many breakthroughs that came from the space program. So imagine what kind of breakthroughs will you have as you pursue your dreams. Maybe your dreaming on making a movie ? Some may say thats just wishful thinking but look what happen with movie Star Wars. Here is a movie that changed the movie industry forever. Till this day the Star Wars story is still expanding.

I believe God has given everyone of us dreams. These dreams are not just for you but for all of us. I need to dream so my breakthrough will be your breakthrough. But I need you to dream so your breakthrough will be my breakthrough. Lets dream together.

You keep the fire burning with a thankful heart

During this thanksgiving season we all reflect on what we are thankful for. In most cases, I'm just grateful for how the Lord has blessed me. But this year I am reminded of the time when the Lord ignited my heart and the Lion came out on 10/11/2010. That was the night where Bill Johnson said: "God lights the fire on the altar, it's the priests that keep it burning". I've been burning ever since.

So I asked the Lord, "Lord I want to burn for you, but I want to stay thankful for what you have given me. How do I do that?" Immediately he showed me that you stay thankful by recognizing what you have so you can put it on the altar. This really shook my core because he removed a question I had. "How do I keep the altar burning without striving"? Its by staying thankful for what he has already given you. He answered 2 questions I had with one response. That's my papa :)

I can now go back to everything he has given me this last year and put it on the altar so he can burn it with his fire. And like burning coal with heat and pressure, a diamond is formed. A diamond is not meant to be hidden, but its meant to shine its beauty to the world. When you put on the altar what he has given you, he gives it back to you from the altar with a greater value.

If you think about it, it's ironic that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. We give thanks in November and in Christmas people give back. Christmas is about Jesus, but it's also about giving. From God's perspective, He gave himself to us so we could have a lie with Him. That's the best diamond I can ever have in my life.

So this year I am thankful for my wife, kids, parents, brother and sister. I am thankful for my friends and church family. I am thankful for my job and home. But most of all I am thankful for His love.

I will keep dreaming

Today at Bethel Atlanta Scott Thompson touched dreams... He brought such a timely word to the body, but personally he was talking my language. Then tonight while relaxing, I saw a Honda commercial title "Into the Unknown". Its part of the Dream The Impossible Documentary Series. This commercial displays so much kingdom principles.

One key scene in the commercial really stood out to me, is when the the mountain climber says she feels more at home when she is climbing even though there is great danger around her. I feel this is the place we need to be. For some of us to risk your finances to pursue your business, but could loose everything. For others is could be leaving a high paying job, and going to ministry.What ever dream is where your home is.

Each of these explorers, has an attitude to reach for the impossible. And once you reach that place, and new level is created to reach for. This is what pushes great inventors, explorers, and pioneers.

I was born to dream since I can remember, and I will continue to pursue my dreams so that my family and the next generation can go even higher.

To Honor

In the last 8 years I have had the pleasure to serve along side some of the greatest leaders in the church.

What I have found is that it is easy to honor people when you get along with them, agree with them, and admire their character. It is really put to the test though when you are in situations where you disagree with them, when they make mistakes, and when they let you down.

The bible says honor thy father and mother, and you will prolong your life. Why does it say that? Does that mean we have to do everything our parents say? Does that mean we don't have our own opinion? I don't believe that is the case.

I believe that God chose parents to teach us about honor because they are the first leaders of our life. They are the ones closest to us. They were there for you, when you needed them. However, you also knew their mistakes. You knew their dirt. You knew what happened behind closed quarters where no one else could see. As a result of this, the kids can take an attitude of rebellion or dishonor. This reminds me of Genesis 9:20 where Canaan uncovered his fathers sin. When Noah found out he cursed him. Each of us, have a circle of trust. Our first circle is our family, then your friends, and leaders, etc. Each layer has a greater of trust, but it also reveals history, and dirt about that person.

Sometimes when we get to know people very well, we can be ammuned to the grace they carry in thier life. Then when you know their problems we then discredit what they carry. Which leads to dishonor. This is a big test that everyone will go threw. Do you think this is what happened to Jesus? Remember he grew up with the people, and he taught at the synagogues since he was a child. But when he came to show why he was here people thought immediately that he was just Jesus from Nazareth. They only saw him as someone they grew up with. The could not see who he really was.

Now I am not say I have not fallen in this area in my life, but I can honestly say I have constenly stayed preety focused on honoring people. One way I have done is by looking from a heavens perspective. When we look at it from their, I see them a sons and daughters of king. When you see it that way you tend to watch on how you treat people no matter how close you are to them. If someone were to dishonor my kids, you can rest asure I will not let that go. If my kid made a mistake and her best friend emabrased her, I would first question why would you embaresed her instead of lifting her up as a bestfriend would.

So what do we do when we know each others mistakes? The key is confrontation. Confrontation is a big deal in honor. I will blog about this later, but when honoring someone and you need to confront them, the goal for that person is to leave after being confronted empowered instead of being ashamed.

Its easy to honor people we do not know, but there is greater value when we honor the closest people to us.

Celebrating what God has given you

As a dreamer and visionary I long to see the future come true. I spend many times of the day thinking about peoples dreams and how they would look 10 to 15 years from now. But because that is a natural drive in me, I tend to be impatient and not see what I already have in front of me. I thank God that he has united me with wife that can understand that process. But the Lord is having me learn to celebrate on what he has given me, so I can be setup for something greater.

Everywhere I look, I am finding God talking to me to celebrate what he has given me. Every morning I take my oldest Daughter Abigail to the bus stop. Its a small walk, but she really looks forward to it. The other night while walking I began to notice that she was seeing the starts and sky because its very early in the morning. I felt the Lord spoke said as you celebrate what you have, the heavens will open and you can reach for stars. Well you can say that rocked me!

Another time was in my AMT class, where my instructor was showing us on how to see in the spirit. Now explained that you don't have to have open visions like he does just be ok on how you see. Whether its an open vision or a close vision. I took that to heart and began to steward on how I see in the spirit.

Another way was to celebrate my instructors anointing. Celebrate what they carry because they are imparting to me. I did not compare myself to them, but instead receive what they had and applied it to my life. What I notice was a greater increase of the anointing.

This reminds me of the parable of the Talents. Cities were given to the guys who invested on what they had. It was taken away from the person who saved it. WOW thats amazing. It says he wants to give cities to people. He wants to bless you; but, can you invest the things you already have. Can you celebrate with the things you have.

Now there is tension there. We want to pursue more of God and the impossible but we need to celebrate the things we already have. I believe that tension is what propels you to your destiny.

The Lion came out!

In September I posted that there was a Lion in me that wanted to come out! Well on Monday night this week the Lord showed up in a way I have never seen before. The night started off by Scott and Lacey Thompson sharing their experience from a crazy, radical trip in Australia. They also took Tom and Jason to help minister and what they brought back was nothing but power!!!

Now prior to this meeting, I was watching IBethel.tv Sunday services. All I can say is that something hit that place and heaven opened with a flood of water. Sunday at Bethel Atlanta Scott talks about the drought that was over at Australia. Then before going to Monday night school I was soaking with a Graham Cook cd. At this point my heart was already a mess.

After Scott spoke at the class we all went after the Lord like there was no tomorrow. The atmosphere was so thick I could not control myself. Then Tom spoke and releaseda roar to the class. As he was speaking I started to growl like a Lion. I have never done that in my entire life. When Tom roared, I started to roar like a Lion that came out of my chest. I totally lost my sense of being. I was not aware of my surroundings. People were prophesying to me, and others were being electrocuted when they touched me.

I don't really remember what happened that night, except for a few powerful words that were spoken over my life. One thing I do remember was seeing a Lion in front of me and as the Lion roared, a river of water was coming out of his mouth.

The next day Cody gives me Romans 8:26. It was what I need to hear on what God was doing with me.

That night I knew I could not go back to the same person I was a week ago. More, and more of my identity is coming out. Just today I noticed that the Lord told Joshua to be bold and courageous. That kinda sounds like a Lion to me. Some of you may not know but middle name is Josue which is Joshua in Spanish. That's the name God uses to address me.

This week has been a whirlwind, but what a ride. I'm loving every minute of it!

Your dreams are about to come true.

Today I had the privilege of talking to 2 old friends of mine from central Florida. They have both started churches a couple of years ago. Today they are making such an impact in their communities and region. When I look back at what they have started, it looked very challenging but I knew they carried a faith and the word of the Lord in their life.

Sometimes we look at the outcomes of an action and quickly come to a conclusion that it was not the will for the Lord. But I believe we when we steward Gods promises, we are nurturing it so it can blossom to its full potential.

Abraham was told he was going to have son at a age that looked impossible. But when God told him to look into the stars he took his promise and put a stake in his heart. Something happens when you put faith in his words.

I feel that we are in a season where Gods promises will come to pass. You are about to enter the promise land that he showed you.

His light shines like a river of love

Today a coworker just gave his 2 weeks notice. While we were talking he told me that he respected me very much. I asked him why. He explain that our lifestyle were very different but that felt love from me. He went on to say that I inspired him to reach for higher goals. I was very honored and blessed when hearing this.

I asked the Lord what did I do? I felt that he said "you have a light and is flowing like a river of love." There are times where you don't need to say anything. People will see the light you carry because it naturally shine. The longer I spend time with him, The more he fills me up with his love.

Now I love to talk about how good of a god is, but it always has to lead to an encounter with the Lord. The first commandment from the Lord is to Love him . Then to love others.

So with that in mind, I have found more encounters with people when I spend time with the Lord. If I try to witness or share gods love without having a daily encounter with him, people will just see theology and not life.

The Lion in me wants to come out

Since I can remember I have always saw myself with an eagle perspective. But lately I have entered to a new season in my life that I am unfamiliar with. At the retreat in Panama City, something unleashed in me in a very prophetic way. Its very hard to describe what took place, but two things were I am very sure of. One was a greater compassion to speak life into my leaders and their destiny. Second an impartation that was indescribably. When this two things happened I felt a roaring sound in my heart and I said to myself "The Lion in me wants to come out". I knew then, momentum as started in my life.

Now at first I did not know exactly how to handle this. So I went back to fear mentality mode. I would say to myself "stay grounded", "Don't get the spot light", etc... I am now realizing that I was deceiving my self. Even though those statements may sound good, if they are based out of fear then its false humility. I remember someone said this statement "you light is not just for you to see, but is for other to see it". Once you recognize the unique light you carry, people we start seeing you different. They start saying "you walk with such confidence", or they may say "Every time you walk in the room, the environment changes".

Something has been unlocked, and its the authority of the Lion. As the Lion roars it vibrates the earth. The earth has been waiting for us to come to our identity...

The 80/20 rule - Keep Dreaming

It’s a well-known fact that Google employees are encouraged to spend 80% of their time on core projects, and 20% of their time on “innovation” activities that peak their own personal interests.

This is how GMail was created! Imagine a group of employees on their spare time working on a email system for internal purpose, and now its used by millions around the world. Even Microsoft spends billions in research and development for future products.

Also take a look at car conventions. I love seeing the concepts cars. Most of the technology that we are using today our cars came from a concept car.

I firmly believe that everyone of us need to keep dreaming about the words that God has spoken to us. We need to keep dreaming on new ideas that can bring healing to families. We need to keep dreaming on creative ways of to expand the kingdom. We we stop dreaming we stop living. This does not mean we dont stop dealing with crises or needs but we should not stop moving forward.

I thought I have seen the latest smart phones, until I saw this video. As you watch this, write your dreams down and review them daily.