I have a Dream... I need to protect. (Joseph as a Case Study)

What is a dream? According to the English offline dictionary meaning; A dream is an imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping or a visionary scheme, a wild conceit, an idle fancy. Also, it could mean a hope or wish.

Nonetheless, my definition of a dream is the flashes of events, or pictures of a hopeful life in the mind whether asleep or awake.

However, dreams inspire us to hope and move purposefully and intentionally through life. Every human according to {THE BIBLE} was created with a purpose. This purpose was given to man with the intention for existence; that is, man was created with the purpose of existing, not just living but living intentionally in order to fulfill purpose. This purpose is also crafted as dreams and aspirations. According to the book of Luke 19:13, Jesus in his parable encouraged us to "Occupy Till I Come", meaning, we have an obligation to live life purposefully according to the will of God for us.

In this article, I will talk more on protecting our dreams, when I mean dreams, I mean the purpose by which God has called each and everyone of us, both in the secular and the Gospel aspect of life. These purposes must be fulfilled before you die or before Jesus comes. But it is obvious that most people have lost their purpose or dreams and due to this, the miss out on occupying purposefully, which is counted for them as disobedient to God's will or plan. Fulfilling our purpose is a mandate or an assignment that must be accomplished before Jesus comes. Notwithstanding, I will be giving us ways by which we can protect our God given dreams in order to live and fulfill God's purpose for us, here on earth.

FIVE WAYS OF PROTECTING YOUR DREAMS, Using Joseph as a Case Study. The book of Genesis 37, paraphrased, told us about a young boy called Joseph, whose father was Jacob, who was also known as Israel. This Joseph had a dream, that he will be a great man of valor, of substance with great reputation, that people all over the world and even his own family would honour and appreciate him by reason of this Greatness. This dream displeased his family more especially his brothers as they sort ways to Vanquish his dreams. So, when I say dreams can be lost, then you know with this story in the Bible that it is true. A lot of people have lost their dreams or aspirations or destiny through life's bitter challenges. Whether you agree with me or not, in our dreams lies our destiny. You can see with Joseph that his dreams finally became his destiny because his dreams came to pass. Therefore the Five Ways By Which We Can Protect Our Dreams Are:

1.) Knowledge and Understanding: Like they say, knowledge is power, if you don't know your dreams and understand it perfectly, losing it is inevitable because you are ignorant of what you bestow as a person. It is quite obvious, it's no longer news that the Enemy always plays us in our ignorance, so equipping yourself with knowledge and understanding of your dreams and aspirations, gives you the edge of protecting your destiny from life's challenges. Like Joseph, he knew and understood his dreams, with the way he was explaining it to his family; you can see that he knew and understood what he was talking about, that's why he was able to protect it even when there was opposition.

2.) Believe: It's one thing to know and understand something and it's another thing to believe in what you know. When you believe in the knowledge of your dreams, then you are automatically protecting it from challenges that may want to make you doubt your dreams or to doubt in your capability of making it a reality. Hope you know that doubt is a killer of dreams? So it's important that, if you have to protect your dreams, you must believe in it and in yourself.

Joseph believed in his dreams and in himself, reason why he held unto it while he was sold as a slave and in prison, he didn't give up on it {Gen 39:1-23}. He was accused of rape by potiphar's wife, and thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit. He didn't stop trusting God and losing hope in his dreams; as he kept on believing on the possibilities of his dreams becoming a reality one day.

3.) Persistent: Life is full of ups and down, and most times, people lose their dreams during the down times of their lives, it shouldn't be so. Being persistent with your dreams and purpose should help you protect your dreams.

Being knowledgeable and understanding of your dreams, believing in your dreams, is not enough to protect it, but persistency is the key to holding unto your dreams till it becomes a reality.

We can't run away or shy away from life's challenges, definitely one way or the other in our life journey, we will encounter life battle of different shapes and types. For certainty, we need to equip ourselves with the weapon of persisting, we have to keep on insisting on what we know and believe in. Joseph persisted with his dreams. The betrayal of his brothers didn't stop him, the injustice he received from his Master's wife didn't stop him, you too can choose to be like that.

Be persistent, you are not the first or the last person on earth that will go through the problems and challenges you're going through now, so don't give up.

4.) Be Positive: No Matter the situation, make the right choice of being positive in every and any situation you find yourself.

The state of being positive brings out the best in us, you can't be your best in a negative state which is why anyone who understands the power of positivity encourages and motivates people to be positive always.

Joseph was positive, he didn't allow his brothers betrayal to put him in a state of depression or bitterness. He choose to be cheerful even in the negative situation with his brothers, Potiphar's wife and the prison, he remained positive through it all.

His positive attitude, made him the best among all of Potiphar's servants as Potiphar made him the head of his household.

In the prison also, his cheerful and positive attitude made the head of the prison warder to put him in-charge of the other prisoners, can you beat that? His positivity brought him favour, being positive attracts favour, and that's how to protect your dreams. Yes we are not perfect beings, am not saying that you have to be perfect, because we weren't created to be perfect, we're imperfect beings.

But, we are created to be excellent, we have to find a way to be excellent in all our ways.

However, the only way to be excellent in all our ways is through no other being but our Master, and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ; that's the only way I know that one can acquire the spirit of Excellency to stand out and be positive.

Joseph was positive because he had a relationship with God, and that's what kept him from defaulting when Potiphar's wife wanted to have sex with him, he knew who he was, and who lives in him, he knew that sleeping with his master's wife would be a sin against God, so he refused to fall into the temptation as he ran from it, Genesis 39:7-12 explains this deeper. If Joseph could choose to be positive we also can do the same. God helped him through it all, He can and will always do it again and again, if we ask him to help us to be excellent in our ways; like Joseph and Daniel in Genesis 39:7-12 and Daniel 6:1-28.

Positivity is deeper than what is said about it, it comprises of the ability to be cheerful or joyful, excellent, forgiving, merciful, faithful, loving, uprightness, Goodness, patience, Gentle, self-control, spiritual maturity etc.

One sure way of protecting our dreams is by being positive in all our ways. A negative attitude can lead a person to commit an offence that sends him or her to jail for life, in which this person's destiny or dreams can be cut short for life; my point is, let's not be an enemy to ourselves through Negativity.

When you are positive, you're protecting your dreams and no one can unjustly pull you down or cause you to lose your dreams. God has a way of vindicating his Children who are unjustly punished without a cause; as long as you remain positive, like Joseph and Daniel, they continued in their positivity as God delivered and crowned them with their dreams and you could be the next.

5.) Practice: Keep on practicing that talent, gifts, and skills that God has given you. No matter how tough life is, you have to keep practicing the gifts you have been given by God. Example, if you have been giving the gifts of singing, dancing, writing, sports, leadership, teaching, medicine, engineering, technology etc, you have to keep on practicing these skills while you are waiting for the big grand dreams to come to pass.

However, the gifts, talents and skills that you have come to know and understand, to believe in, to be persistent on, should not be abandoned, rather, should be continuously practiced for mastery.

Joseph had a gift of interpreting dreams and a leadership skill, he kept on practicing this crafts, until his dreams of becoming a great man was accomplished. And it was through this gift of dream interpretation that he got recognized by the king of Egypt and that recognition made him the Governor of Egypt. From a slave boy in a strange land to now the Governor, the second in command in Egypt after Pharaoh, can you beat that! Stay focus on your craft always, no matter the situation.

So imagine, if he wasn't practicing his gift of dream interpretation and his leadership skill, he wouldn't have been ready for the position of the Governor of Egypt, in other words he wouldn't have become the great man that he saw in his dreams, he would have lost that opportunity which would have cost his dreams for life. The need to prepare ourselves prior to the time our dreams will fully be manifested, is an indication that you're protecting your dreams.

In conclusion, our dreams indirectly are our destiny. In your dreams lies your talents, gifts, your skills and whatever that distinguishes you from every other person. To pursue it is the only way to become that person you see in your dreams.

Joseph had a dream, did he pursue it? Yes he did. Did he achieve it? Yes he did. His dreams came to pass because he had knowledge of what his dreams was all about and understood it. He believed in his dreams, he went on to become insistent and persistent in his pursuit for that dream, as he kept on practicing his crafts until he became that great man he told his family that he would become. He made history with this story, you too can do same.

References : Luke 19:13, Daniel 6:1-28, Gen 37:1-36, Gen 39:1-23, Gen 40: 1-23, Gen 41:1-57, Gen 42:1-38, Gen 43:1-34, Gen 44:1-34, Gen 45:1-28, Gen 46:1-34, Gen 47:1-14.