There are numerous obstacles that Satan uses to hinder the accomplishment of your dreams. I call them “dream killers.” In the Bible Joseph was a man who faced three of the deadliest hindrances that tried to stop him from realizing his dream. The three things are:
- Envy
- Temptation
- Time
Joseph had a dream. When Joseph revealed his dream to his eleven brothers they became angry and jealous. Non-dreamers often feel threatened by dreamers. Joseph’s brothers made fun of him, calling Joseph a “dreamer” in a sarcastic way. They were so envious of him that they wanted to kill him. But instead of killing him, they sold him to a caravan of traders who took him away to Egypt.
Throughout the history of mankind dreamers have been ridiculed and outrageously treated because of their audacious dreams. Thomas Edison was ridiculed for his dream of lighting up the world with a light bulb that ran by electricity. People thought Henry Ford was crazy for dreaming of an automobile that just about anyone could afford. An automobile cartel, at that time, tried to legally stop him from fulling this dream. Martin Luther King had a dream of equality for all people, regardless of the color of their skin and was assassinated for it. Steve Jobs was labeled crazy for dreaming of music made available on a very small, easy to use, hand-held device that could fit into a pocket. Donald Trump was mocked for dreaming of becoming President. Even today many people don’t accept his presidency.
Temptation is another tactic of Satan to bring your dreams to a screeching halt. Joseph was tempted when his master’s wife tried to seduce him. Joseph resisted her, but this has not been the case with many other dreamers. There are many other temptations, such as quitting. Quitters often quit because they do not realize that success comes with challenges. If the challenges are more than they are willing to bear they quit…sometime just short of their victory. Then there is the temptation to reach your dreams through dishonest measures including cheating or stealing from others. Some fall prey to the temptation to worship others to get ahead. What I mean by worship, in this case, is to do anything to please others, even against what is moral to get ahead; many call this “brown nosing.” They abandon their own conscience and acquiesce to the wishes of others. Many dreamers start out well and then end up failing the test of temptation.
Finally, time has a way to wear us down. Often the journey towards success takes an extended period of time. Many people will cave on their dreams when it comes to the test of time. Joseph was a young boy when he was sold into slavery. He endured slavery and wrongful imprisonment before his dream became a reality at the age of 30. Another man who was relentless in pursuing his dreams was Thomas Edison. His dream was bigger than any defeat. He tried over 10,000 times to get a lightbulb to stay lit for more than a few seconds. How many of us would have tried that many times? Then there was Napoleon Hill. It took Hill over 20 years to study successful multi-millionaires before he wrote one of the best-selling books of all-time, THINK AND GROW RICH. The key for dreamers like Edison, Hill, King, Jobs and others was that their dreams were bigger than any disappointment or setback. Instead of time “killing” their dreams, they beat the test of time.
You have dreams, I know you do. But your dreams will not become a reality without an awareness of these dream killers and the willingness to conquer them.
If you enjoyed this article please share it with others.