Discovering How to Discern a Dream from God
Lessons in Intentionality from Josh Baldwin
Has God given you a big dream? Songwriter and worship leader, Josh Baldwin shares his thoughts about what he goes through to discern God’s direction and instructions for the plans He has for our lives.
Josh admits it’s kind of comical how God places a dream in your heart only to desire for you to give that dream back to Him so that you can allow Him to do the work to bring the dream to life in you and through you. He enjoys going on walks with the Lord. He finds that the Lord speaks when he spends time alone with Him.
“A lot of those times I’m just talking to Him, sharing. Sometimes I’m unloading or venting,” Josh shared. “I’ll just tell the Lord, ‘This is what I’m feeling. This is what I want to do. This is what I feel like you have for me.’” Which often leads Josh to questions like, “Is this you? Is this what’s next? Is this what next for my family?”
And then Josh gives it to the Lord. He said, “I choose not to worry about it because I know I will find things to worry about. So, I have to give it to Him so that I won’t worry about it and so that I just trust Him.”
Josh and his wife, Sheila, will talk about it; pray about it. “And it feels like such a practical answer,” Josh continued, “But we over complicate our relationship with the Lord.”
For Josh, relationship means communicating, really talking and sharing your heart. “Hanging out – that’s what the Lord did with Adam. They just walked together.” That’s the kind of relationship Josh desires to have with Him.
It’s a revelation for Josh. He’ll ask himself, “Why am I feeling this way?” Which leads to his own understanding of – “Oh, I didn’t hang out with the Lord today.” His relationship is simple. “I don’t have to go on this massive walk. This is my prayer time. I have to pull away or go to my closet. Shut the door and just be quiet.”
Josh has learned, anything meaningful requires you to make up your mind to put down other distractions.
Sharing an example, he continued, “I walked in the store yesterday and they were handing out free pictures. On the back of the picture, it had like a nice little quote with a picture of clouds on it.” Josh didn’t notice what they were advertising on the back of it, but when he turned it over, it read: “Set aside your phone for a while.”
Josh knew instantly this one spoke to his heart. “I have it in my truck to remind me to put my phone down and be intentional about my relationship with the Lord, my relationship with my wife and with the kids. It spoke to me to be intentional – to be present.”
We live in a strange time. We have access to everything in our pocket or purse. Wherever you go, you can be entertained. It’s odd to have something you can pick up and suddenly have access to the whole world.
“Maybe we’re afraid to be quiet – probably because it never happens,” Josh commented. “We constantly receive some type of feedback. It’s always noise. It’s good just to just be quiet for a little while.”
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