TWO KINDS OF DREAMS

Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. "Why are you all coming out fight?" he called. "I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul… I defy the armies of Israel today! Send a man who will fight me!" When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 1 Samuel 17:8, 10 (NLT)

There are two kinds of dreams: one built by faith and one built by fear. Yesterday we saw how Goliath shared his dream with the Israelite army. Which kind do you think it was?

You may say, "Well, Leon, that wasn't really a dream." But as this giant screamed at God's people, he began painting an image of defeat. He was speaking in pictures: the language of the heart. He'd shout things like, "I'm going to feed your bodies to the birds!" To imagine a swarm of these vultures scavenging carcasses on a battlefield is a sick, disgusting picture.

Clearly, Goliath knew how to stir up fear. But do you know what's crazy? The Israelites listened to him! Not just once or twice, but day after day. These battle-trained warriors were shaking in their boots and saying to each other, "Did you hear what he said? He's going to kill us and feed our bodies to the birds!" They began to absorb Goliath's dream and share it amongst themselves. This fearful dream infiltrated the Israelite army to such a degree that no one would rise up or talk back.

We need to be careful what kind of dreams we allow into our lives. Refuse to let news headlines or someone else's negative words plant a fearful dream in your heart. Use your words to talk back to the fear and declare godly dreams in faith!