Don’t follow your Dreams…

Two people have answered some tugging questions in my heart in SMACK DAB scary ways that have WOWed me.

First, my Super AWESOME Greek Mama and distant Mentor, Chris Caine.

I had been really upset in my spirit about a trend I was starting to see where ALMOST EVERYONE is shying away from the truth, in a bid to be nice, liked and accepted. So basically, we are KILLING people with our niceness instead of speaking the TRUTH that can set them FREE to them. Then wham, Chris Caine preaches a SUPER TIMELY message at Bethel on GET OFF THE MAT and she bang on went here, there and EVERYWHERE. I mean when BETHEL calls something TIMELY, you KNOW it really is a WORD FOR NOW.

She even talked about how we would say things like

‘YOU DO YOU BOO…’

Instead of plain setting someone’s bull=crap with some resetting TRUTH.

Kai. Mama was spot on. It is the BEST message I have heard this year!!! She used the man who had been CRIPPLED for 37years – LONGER THAN JESUS WAS ALIVE – and how our Jesus responded to his rubbish answer and stinkin’ attitude.

That message is so TIMELY for the Church especially cos TRUTH is what sets people free and so the CHURCH and CHRISTIANS should please SPEAK THE TRUTH in LOVE and stop this RUBBISH niceness and appealing to emotions crap.

Really, I recommend.

Listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSuMzsBFCuQ&t=22s

It’s ADULT stuff. Just love me some Chris.

Just love me some Chris yo!!!!

But that is NOT even the crux of this blog. I am here for my bessfren Brooke Ligertwood and this EVERYTHANG interview she did at VOUS CHURCH. Actually, she preached at this year’s conference, (plus led worship) but it really was the BEAUTIFUL interview that killed it for me.

If you are thinking you don’t know Brooke, you are WRONG. We ALL know Brooke, cos she WROTE and SANG What a Beautiful name THAT WON A GRAMMY

and is Worship Leader at Hillsong Church and Hillsong Worship.

She is LIFE I tell ya. Anyways, in this interview, she answered a deep question that has been burning in my heart for a while now, especially per my growing walk with God.

Interestingly, DDK mentioned it too at the last Firebrand Festival, where she said she doesn’t have all these 5year plans and dreams for her life, she just wakes every day and surrenders to what God would have her do in the NOW.

I think God is in the business of wrecking our plans these days like I told my Team when we went out for Lunch the other day…

Like, Dude sits in heaven and watches us make PLANS and STRATEGIES, even for the next 10 years, pray FIRE over it, print Biz cards and fliers, have a Mission statement and Vision Board, and He is just smiling, cos the next day after your plan is perfected, He just ruins it all and gives you a whole ‘nother path to follow. I am literally AFRAID to dream these days. I wake up and I am like ‘…OK God, what are we doing today?’

‘…OK God, what are we doing today?’

Sometimes, He is gracious enough to speak.

Some other times, all He is speaking is SILENCE and trust me, few things are louder than His silence. That is where my Trust game has to be STRONG and like Pastor Todd says in this message He preached at ELEVATION Church,

KEEP DOING THE LAST THING HE TOLD YOU TO DO AND CONTINUE TO SPEND TIME IN HIS PRESENCE…

This is the point where I COMMAND you to GO AND LISTEN TO MARKED BY MIKE TODD if you haven’t.

Here is a LINK. That message is STRAIGHT FIRE!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBF0NJ1EPXk&t=11s

So, what did my bessfren Brooke say?

She said that someone recently asked her for advice to young people who wanna follow their dreams and she said, and I quote…

DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, FOLLOW JESUS!!!

Brooke and I are kindred spirit walahi. She is on level 100 while I am still on level 30 but I am moving Bessfren, and I thank You for graciously leaving a rich slipstream

Oh dang, that phrase was everything.

Please listen to the FULL INTERVIEW Brooke had here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ZC1ci1T3Q&t=8s

Ok so let me highlight TWO things following Jesus instead of your dreams has done for me…

The first thing is that it takes every kind of pressure from DUST aka, man and his expectations of me, away.

Most times, the dreams and vision I have were picked up from the world. Societal expectations soon become me, and I am leaning all the way, building what He didn’t endorse and so cannot bless. But when I stay flexible TO HIM and HIS WILL, then I am not under pressure, even if it looks like I am making stupid, unwise decisions. It also means that I can easily lay down the BIG dreams I have irrespective of how much time, effort and resources I have put into what I thought or was convinced HE was leading me to, when I sense a higher calling. I am NOT embarrassed to draw back, say NO (or NO MORE), and cancel plans even if it costs me more. I just say YES LORD every day and FOLLOW JESUS

Secondly, it also makes comfortable in my silent seasons, doing NOTHING. That’s the thing, sometimes part of this ride with Jesus involves times when you are doing absolutely nothing, and if you are like me, it is FRUSTRATING. You are just here waiting to hear from God per the next step to take and you even have some AMAZING ideas but you sense God telling you NO, DO NOTHING. You see, if it is MY DREAMS I have been following, God forbid SILENCE. How can it look like ME, A WHOLE EZIAHA, SUPER CoachE’ is doing NOTHING and even saying NO to offers and opps to engage and collaborate? I could definitely live my life moving from activity A to B. but NO, I have learned to be comfortable in SILENCE because of the One who I am following. In fact, scratch that, the ONE I have the PRIVILEGE of following.

Can I just unpack this, maybe in your life as I sight some examples?

My Assistant, God bless her, is SUPER AMAZING. Some days, I have absolutely NOTHING to say to her or ask her to do. No matter how she prods, I don’t ask for nothing. So, one night, we were having a video meeting and just as I asked her how her day was, she said she was waiting for me to tell her what to do and she felt somehow doing nothing. As if somehow, she was falling short. I had to quickly correct her that silence is part of life. Something doesn’t have to be wrong if there is SILENCE. It didn’t mean I was upset or suddenly, she wasn’t productive, efficient or needed. I told her in times like this, just continue the last thing I asked and enjoy the silence as you await further instructions. And of course, prayers. Prayers over your work is always welcome.

Don’t fall into the activity trap cos if you walk with, literally FOLLOW God, you will have SILENCE in some seasons and YOU MUST BE CONFORTABLE with that, no matter what others think of it.

I have another friend who sadly I am watching not appreciate her silent seasons but is falling hard into the activity trap and this is what I should be doing NOW and I cannot WAIT for this season in my life to be over nonsense. And I know that it comes from having PERSONAL PLANS and DREAMS and so when God needs to do a shaking, even if it presents as SILENCE, we wanna escape it by filling up with activities birthed from frustration and lack of trust.

I have done my bit to help and thankfully I have a WHOLE POST on my blog called SLEEPWALKING THROUGH A MEETING WITH JESUS. Check it out here

https://eziaha.com/2017/07/10/sleep-walking-through-a-meeting-with-jesus/

Yesterday, the YouVersion (who btw are celebrating their 10^th anniversary this season and so have all kindsa offers on the App so this is a GREAT time to download and ENJOY) Verse of the day is something I thought would fit right into this post…

If you REMAIN in me, and my Words REMAIN in you, then you may ask WHATEVER you wish and it will be done for you…John 15 v 7

God won’t bless anything outside of His will, so no matter how much activity and plans we have, it all comes to NOTHING if He is not the one that sent you, and then frustration sets in

And this is NOT to say DO NOT MAKE ANY PLANS for your life. Nah. This is to say WALK WITH THE LORD as you make them, and if you sense He is asking you to lay down ANYTHING, then no matter how much you have invested in it, you should LAY IT DOWN and FOLLOW JESUS.

Afterall, He gives us a dang beautiful promise in Matt 19 v 29

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

WHATEVER I give up and lay down for HIS SAKE. Just to follow Him, will be richly rewarded 100times over, plus we also get to inherit eternal life. We NEVER EVER lose with Christ.

So, my sisters, no shaking. And even if it looks like you are missing out on XYZ just as you lay down your plans, well we also get drawn into a deeper level of fellowship and union with HIM, which really should be our DEEPEST desire.

So, cheers to NOT following our dreams, especially as young people living in this selfish. Self-promoting generation and upgrading our lives to FOLLOW JESUS!!!

Kisses

E’

PS

Here are all the links I mentioned in this blog

Brooke’s interview at VC…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ZC1ci1T3Q&t=8s

Chris’s GET OFF THE MAT at Bethel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSuMzsBFCuQ&t=22s

MARKED by Pastor Todd at Elevation Church

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBF0NJ1EPXk&t=11s

Blog on sleepwalking through a meeting with Jesus

https://eziaha.com/2017/07/10/sleep-walking-through-a-meeting-with-jesus/

A rich slipstream

https://eziaha.com/2016/10/10/a-rich-slipstream/

Listen, read, and be blessed