For the past several days, God has been directing me to Proverbs 14. You may remember Proverbs 14:1 from last week’s Dream blog: “A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.” I want to be a wise woman who builds her dreams. But what if my goals and ambitions start to overshadow my faith?
“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”
Proverbs 14:12
A few weeks ago, my marriage blog became the all-time most popular post on Sustained By the King. It seemed like my dreams were coming true! But when the next post didn’t do as well, I crashed back to earth. My success as a writer will never fully satisfy me, because success is always ebbing and flowing. You can’t guarantee that fame and recognition will be around tomorrow. All you can do is keep obeying, keep trusting, and keep following the One who created your dream in the first place.
“Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise Him.”
Proverbs 14:2
When our dreams change or even fall apart, God will still be God. The only way I can make my dreams and efforts worth anything is to dedicate them to Him. I have to assess my goals through a honest lens: am I trying to win praise, or am I trying to glorify God? If I’m writing just to get people to like me, or to sound holy, or to build my platform, it’s meaningless. If I worship the Father first, He’ll bless whatever efforts I give Him. If I obey God’s voice rather than my own strategies, He’ll lead me towards my purpose. If I give Him glory in every accolade, He’ll multiply them.
God promised Abraham, an old childless man, that his offspring would outnumber the stars. Years later, he had one son. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice that son to Him, and Abraham was obedient. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his dream of fatherhood when he laid Isaac on the altar, and God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place. God rescued Abraham and Isaac that day, and He blessed their family for generations to come. God didn’t bless Abraham because he was working the hardest or shining the brightest – He blessed him because of his obedience and faith.
The world encourages dreamers and visionaries to hustle at all costs. Media tells us to blaze our own paths, and to worship at the altars of ambition, fame, and self-improvement. God has given dreams and desires to each of His children, but He’s never meant to step off the throne to make room for a second idol. Before you take another step towards your dream, ask yourself: am I balancing my goals with my faith?
Sustaining Me 
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