We live in a world filled with rabid secularism. The world secular speaks of a worldview that is completely “of this world” and without an appeal to that which is transcendent.

David prayed an interesting prayer in Psalm 17:13 where he said,

“By your hand save me from such people, LORD, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.”

Why would he seek deliverance from such people?

Because ideas have consequences. The man who cares only about this life will look out for one thing – himself. In business, it means he will lie, cheat and steal for profit. In government, it means he will slander and pander to get re-elected.

This is why our forefathers included a belief in the coming judgment as a requirement for holding public office. Consider the Pennsylvania State constitution:

And each member of the legislature, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, “I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, the rewarder of good and the punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be given by Divine inspiration.”

You see, people who deny God, the judgment, and the afterlife will do anything to save their life. Why do we have a push for stem cell research harvesting the cells of human embryos? Because taking the life of another in the hopes that you find a cure for your own condition is no big deal for secularists. It’s why we’ve allowed 50 million babies to be slaughtered on the altar of personal convenience.

David understood things clearly – secularists can be dangerous people.

When it comes to dreaming, we are often our own worst enemies. We play a deadly game of self-censorship where we tell ourselves why our infant dreams will never survive to adulthood. Our list of excuses is long:

You’re not smart enough….

You don’t have the time…

You don’t have enough money…

It’s not worth it…

What about the kids…

It’s not practical…

It’s not the right time…

Sound familiar? If we buy into the self-censoring “talk” taking place in our thought life, we’ll short-circuit the dreams God has placed there for our enjoyment and for His pleasure.

It’s time to remove the limitations from your heart by getting in touch with your deepest desires. The following questions are great for removing the self-imposed barriers we have placed like barb-wire around our best dreams. This is not a time to be prudent and practical. The prison cell has been opened and you are now FREE. Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? It’s time to get in touch with your DREAMS.

What would you do if you could do anything?

What if you had all the time, money, education, staff, resources and you knew that failure was not an option?

If you just received word that you had five years at the most to live, how would you live? What would you do?

One of my life verses, Psalm 37:4, highlights the importance of cultivating a heart that is alive and filled with holy desires. It reads, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” (NLT)

As we make God the Supreme Object of our delight, our hearts begin to be transformed. The wounds, hurts and disappointments of the past are healed and washed away by our Father’s loving touch. As we grow in our love for Him we become more consumed with who He is and with what He is concerned about. Our desires become His desires. Our hearts begin to be filled with His dreams for filling the earth with His glory (Habakkuk 2:4). Healthy hearts have holy dreams and holy dreams change the world.

Consider the life of the great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” shared his vision for an America where his four children would one day “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This dream galvanized the hearts of a racially divided America and produced a movement committed to ending the curse of racism. None of this would have happened without a clearly articulated dream spoken from the lips of a human being. Dreams matter.