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Should Christians follow their dreams? Before I answer that question, you should know that I’m a natural-born dreamer…a head-in-the-clouds, big-imagination kind of girl. Always have been. That’s probably part of why I chose to be an author.
But sometimes my dreams can get away from me. Sometimes, I get so stuck on them that I forget to live my real, right-now life. Chasing my dreams starts to take over, and I become obsessed with the process and results or, more often, the lack of results. I get discouraged. Bitter.
That’s not a good look for a Christian, y’all.
So where’s the line? Is it OK for a Christ-follower to pursue their dreams? Or should we shove them deep down inside and act like they don’t exist?
We’re going to talk about that and more in this article. Let’s get to it!
The Cliff Notes
Yes, Christians should follow their dreams if those dreams are from God and won’t lead them to sin.
The Bible warns believers against selfish ambition, encourages us to submit to God, and instructs us to let God lead.
Before chasing a dream, ask yourself 5 questions. Is it biblical? What’s my motive? Is God number one in my life? Have I prayed about it? Does it align with my gifts, talents, and experiences?
Table of Contents
Should Christians Follow Their Dreams?
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Pursuing a Dream
Should Christians Follow Their Dreams?
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Thoughts from a Dreamer
Let’s just go ahead and get this out there: In a nutshell, I believe that yes, Christians should totally follow their dreams! But I say that with a caveat. There are times when it’s not the right thing to do, and there are dreams that aren’t the right ones to chase.
Those situations aside for now, I’d like to explain why I think it’s OK (and even biblical!) for a Christian to pursue their God-given dreams.
First, God made each of us on purpose for a purpose. Often, the dreams we have for our lives are directly from God. They’re put inside us to spur us on toward fulfilling His plan. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
In my own life, that looks like writing books. I know God has called me to write, but long before I ever realized that and published my first book, I was dreaming of being an author. That dream lined up perfectly with my calling. Coincidence? (Hint: It’s not!)
Another reason I believe Christians should follow their God-given dreams is because we all have innate gifts, talents, and abilities.
If we believe God created the human body with all its many parts and functions each serving specific purposes, then we should have no trouble believing that our natural talents and abilities were designed by Him for a reason, too.
And in addition to those talents, the Holy Spirit gives every believer spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 lists the different spiritual gifts, and verse 11 says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
What’s interesting about this is that, in my experience, our natural abilities often line up with or support our spiritual gifts. God doesn’t do anything by accident!
So, if the Lord gives each of us unique talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts, wouldn’t He want us to use them?
What the Bible Says
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Now that you’ve heard my take on this topic backed up by a little scripture, let’s dive even deeper into what the Word says about dreams and ambition. The Bible:
Warns against selfish ambition
Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
These verses often get taken out of context, in my opinion. Some people equate “selfish ambition” with “ambition.” But I don’t think that’s the point. This passage isn’t about following your dreams or pursuing goals. If you continue reading further down the chapter, you’ll see that the main point is humility.
The Lord is commanding us here to consider the needs of other people, not just our own desires. If what you’re dreaming of is selfish, greedy, or could potentially hurt other people, then it’s not from God.
Encourages us to submit to God
Ultimately, our job as believers is to submit to God, and that includes His plan for our lives. (“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7)
I once dreamed of being a famous country singer like Shania Twain, but that obviously wasn’t God’s will (unfortunately). However, He has allowed me to use my love of music to serve my church by occasionally helping lead worship.
The good news is that Romans 8:28 assures us God will work everything for our ultimate good. I might never sing on a stage under bright lights to thousands of screaming fans, but, when I’m purposely following God, my joy is complete and I can have peace beyond anything this world can offer. That’s the “good.”
Instructs us to let God lead
We’re reminded over and over in the Bible to let God lead us. According to Proverbs 3:5-6, only then will we be on the right path. (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”)
When we ask God to direct us, He’ll do one of two things. He’ll either lead us to the next step, or He’ll take that specific desire away and replace it with something else.
Psalm 34:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Some people take this to mean that as long as they’re being a “good” Christian, God will give them whatever they want. That’s not at all what this verse means.
Instead, it’s telling us that when we take delight in the Lord (find our joy in Him first), He’ll place the desires in our heart that line up with His will for our lives. And then, yes, He’ll often let us experience those dreams coming true. And it’s amazing!
The key is that we’re no longer pursuing dreams outside of His plan. Our heart is completely in tune with His because, first and foremost, what we want is connection with Him. Not just what He can give us.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Pursuing a Dream
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1. Is it biblical?
Before you do anything else with a dream, ask yourself if it’s biblical. Does it go against God’s command to love Him and others? Would pursuing it cause you to sin or lead you into envy, bitterness, or greed?
Sometimes you know right away if the dream is from God or not just by answering those questions.
2. What’s my motive?
This one is a little more difficult, especially if the fulfillment of your dream would result in monetary gain. Maybe you didn’t start out with the motive of getting rich, but then money starts coming in and suddenly you’re dreaming of vacation homes, designer purses, and fancy shoes.
Now, hear me out on this. I don’t believe having money is wrong. The more resources you have, the more impact you can have for the Kingdom of God.
Despite what some people claim, the Bible never says money is the root of all evil; it says the love of money is (1 Timothy 6:10). If money were inherently evil, we wouldn’t see God bless so many people with it in the Bible.
For example, after all of Job’s trials, God blessed him with even more than he had before. And think about Joseph. He went from being a slave to being one of the wealthiest men of his time, which was the only way he could save his family (and so many others!) from famine.
But what we have to be careful of is keeping our motives in check. It’s not wrong to make money from your dreams or calling, but when money becomes the main reason for the work you do or causes you to sin, then you have a problem.
3. Is God number one in my life?
Sometimes we can think of God as a genie, just some far-off magic guy we go to when we need (or want) something. No judgement from me if you’ve fallen into this trap of only talking to our Lord when you’re desperate! I think we’ve all been there at one point or another.
We have to ask ourselves if we’re seeking God because we love Him and He’s truly our first priority, or if we’re seeking Him because we want Him to grant our wishes.
Before we can talk to God about chasing our dreams, we need to build a true, genuine relationship with Him.
4. Have I prayed about this dream?
OK, this one might seem obvious, but often, we get so busy living our lives and thinking about our dreams that we forget to actually pray about them.
If you pray about a specific goal or plan and something in your spirit feels uncomfortable, that’s probably the Holy Spirit trying to warn you. On the other hand, if you spend time in prayer about a dream and come away with a sense of peace or excitement, God’s (probably) giving you the go-ahead.
But here’s my side note: You might not always have a feeling like either one of those. Sometimes, you won’t have any inclination of whether or not God wants you to pursue something after praying about it.
In those cases, I believe the Lord is letting us decide for ourselves. We tend to forget that we have freedom in Christ! His concern is more about who we’re becoming and who we’re impacting than how we get there.
My advice would be to take a step forward, then another one, then another one. Pray with each step, and trust that God won’t let you drift down the wrong road if you’re asking for His direction.
5. Does it align with my gifts, talents, and experiences?
Like we talked about before, God gives each of us specific and unique gifts, talents, and abilities. He’ll also sometimes use our experiences to shape the next part of our lives. While a “yes” to this question doesn’t necessarily mean your dream is from God, it can be a good indicator.
God-Given Dreams Are Worth Chasing!
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So, should Christians follow their dreams? In all honesty, it depends. If the dream is from God and your motives are pure, then yes. I’d even venture to say that not only can Christians chase their God-given dreams, but that they actually have a responsibility to.
But before you take action, consider what the Bible says, ask yourself the five questions above, and spend some time in prayer. Then push forward, fellow dreamer!
(For more on the topic of pursuing your dreams as a Christian, check out my pocket devotional, Read. Pray. Act.: How to Overcome Discouragement & Follow God's Plan for Your Life. And if you enjoyed this article, you might like to receive my free weekly devotionals. Sign up here!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does God want me to pursue my dreams?
God’s ultimate goal is to make you holy, like Him. He cares more about your heart and the person you’re becoming than whether or not you pursue a certain dream.
That said, if your dream is part of God’s plan for your life, then He absolutely wants you to be obedient and pursue it! Just don’t lose sight of the most important thing in the process: your relationship with Him and others.
Does God want me to give up on my dreams?
The answer to this question depends. If your dream is from God, then probably not.
However, if your goals and ambitions have become an idol (you’re putting chasing a dream above your relationship with God and obeying His commands), then He may want you to set them down for a while.
And, of course, if your dreams are unbiblical or would lead you to sin, then He would definitely want you to give them up.