God has called you to dream big dreams. Every God-given dream requires faith in order to reach it. So, how can you determine if your faith is BIG enough for your dreams?
In Matthew 9:28, two blind men asked Jesus to give them their sight. Jesus responded by asking them, “Do you believe I’m able to do this?” Jesus put the responsibility back on them. Without hesitation they answered, “Yes, Lord!”
Before you set out to do something with your faith, ask yourself this question: Do I really believe God is able to do this? If you can’t immediately answer “Yes, Lord!” You’re not ready.
“Be it unto you according to your faith!” (Matthew 9:29)
So, how do you develop your faith level to match your dream level? It’s been said that in order to have something different, you must be willing to DO something different.
We’ve all been given the measure of faith! (Romans 12:3) Just like we all were born with the same amount of muscles. The only difference between my muscles and those of the Power Team is that their muscles have been developed more than mine.
It works the same way in the spirit. The more your faith grows and develops, the more you can handle. That’s why you see some people believing for millions of dollars and others believing for gas money. One has developed their faith to a greater degree.
How does faith grow? The #1 method God has given us to increase our faith is found in Romans 10:17. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Faith will GROW as you spend time hearing God’s Word. That’s easy. Every time you listen to a faith-building message, your faith grows. But just as faith comes by hearing, faith also GOES by not hearing.
If you want FAITH for BIG DREAMS, you have to turn it up a notch! “I don’t have time, Terri.” Yes, you do. The average American watches 6 hours of TV each day! By the time you are 60 years old, you will have wasted 15 years of your life sitting in front of a television. That’s a quarter of your life! What if you eliminated just one hour of TV each day? That would create 365 hours of additional time each year. To do what? Build your faith. Grow. Prepare for your dreams.
The average person commutes 30 minutes each way to and from work. In 5 years, that’s 1,250 hours in the car or enough to give yourself the equivalent of a college education! We have the time to build our faith by hearing the Word, we just have to seize the opportunities.
Once I began to make a habit of listening to faith-building messages every single day, that’s when I began to think bigger. Reading faith-inspiring books every week enlarges your ability to believe for the impossible. God has so much for you to do, but you can’t do it until your faith is developed to such a degree that you simply believe all things are possible. I believe you can tell a person’s FAITH LEVEL by the DREAMS they are pursuing! Your faith level will match your dream level. If God’s called you to do some big things, you need big faith! So, how do you go from just wishing and hoping things will change to seeing them manifest right before your eyes? Here are 7 Simple Steps to a Successful Faith Project:

#1. FAITH SEES

Before you can have something, you’ve got to SEE yourself having it. Before you can do something, you’ve got to SEE yourself doing it. Faith always sees the end result no matter how impossible it may seem.

I have walked into countless bookstores and seen my books on the bookshelves long before I even had a book or a publisher. Where did I see it? In my spirit, in my imagination, by faith! I could see it so clearly on the inside of me that I knew it was only a matter of time that it would manifest. Last summer I almost cried when I walked into Barnes and Noble Bookstore and there was my book displayed on the shelf. FAITH SEES what other people can’t SEE!

What do you see? Do you see yourself pregnant? Do you see yourself going to law school? Preaching? Counseling? Opening your business? Recording your music? Getting that promotion? What do you see inside? That’s the first step.

“I believe; therefore have I spoken!” (2 Corinthians 4:13)

Research indicates that the average person talks to himself or herself about 50,000 times a day! And most of that self-talk is about yourself. According to psychological researchers, it is 80% negative such as: “They don’t like me.” “I shouldn’t have said that.” “I’m never gonna be able to pull this off.” “I can’t dance.” “I’m not a good speaker.” “I’ll never lose this weight.” “I can’t ever get organized.” “I’m always late.”

We know from research that these thoughts have a powerful effect on us. Proverbs tell us that “as a man thinks in his heart, so does he become.” (Proverbs 23:7) When it comes to faith, you have to say what you BELIEVE – NOT WHAT YOU FEEL!

#2. FAITH SPEAKS

When God wanted things to happen – He spoke it! We serve a God who gives life to the dead and speaks of nonexistent things AS IF they already exist. (Romans 4:17 Amplified)

– “Thank you, Lord, for my baby.”
– “Thank you, Lord, my car is paid in full.”
– “Thank you, Jesus, for my promotion.”
– “Thank you, Jesus, for healing my marriage.”

Every time you speak it out, you believe it in a stronger way. It’s not easy to speak one way when what you see is totally different. But that’s how you release your faith — through WORDS! My Dad says, “See it! Say it! Seize it!”

You need to talk back to the devil! He’s been talking to you long enough. It’s not enough to just think it or roll it around in your head. You have to literally open your mouth and prophesy your future!

Your words have everything to do with what happens in your life. The key is to be consistent in speaking what you believe. You can’t just say something 3-4 times and expect it to happen no more than working out 3-4 times will produce significant results. Consistency is the key to change in every area of our lives.

How long do you have to confess them? Until they’re happening. I’ve made this a daily commitment. I want to hear myself speaking over my dreams so much that it doesn’t sound funny anymore. I’m used to hearing it. You need to do the same thing. Sit down and make a list of those things you’re believing for and start speaking them out of your mouth.

#3. FAITH ACTS

One success coach said, “The 1 thing that seems to separate winners from losers more than anything else is this: winners simply take action.” It’s not enough to just see something and say something, you’ve got to DO something!

James 2:20 says, “Faith without works is dead.” It takes faith to ACT when you have no assurance that it’s going to happen. So, what do you need to do in order to put action behind your faith? Call the Realtor. Write the book. Enroll in college. Go to the gym. Meet with the bank. Sow the financial seed. Write your dreams. Call the friend. Prepare the sermon. Sing the song. Whatever it is, determine to do it.

Someone once said, “Faith can move mountains, but don’t be surprised if God hands you a shovel.”

#4. FAITH STANDS

One time the Lord said to me: “Start saying, ‘I trust you, Lord!’ with an exclamation point- not a question mark!” Big difference! Faith is simply trust. When you have faith in God, you are displaying confidence no matter what!

The biggest battle will be in your thought life. You will win it or lose it based on what is going on in your mind. You are going to have to ignore your feelings, your emotions and your thoughts more than ever before. You may have signs all around you saying, “It’s never going to work. You’re making a fool of yourself. Who do you think you are? Your dreams are ridiculous.” What are those? FEARS. What do you do? You fight fear with a plan!

Did you know that the Bible says, “Fear Not!” 365 times? That’s one “Fear Not” for every single day of the year! God is trying to get a message across to us. You have nothing to fear. Trust Him. Remember, your mouth tells what your heart is thinking.

#5. FAITH REJOICES

The greatest expression of your faith is praise! When you begin thanking God ahead of time, it opens the door for Him to begin moving in your life. You are displaying your faith in His Word and in His promises to you.

MAKE YOURSELF praise God for what you are believing for….it confuses Satan! He does not want to see you praising God and magnifying the Name of Jesus.

How do you magnify something? You give it more attention. You focus on it. You think about it. You study it. You dwell on it. You speak it out of your mouth. Whoever you need God to be in your life – He is. Magnify Him as your provider, your healer, your restorer, your hiding place. Magnify the solution, not the problem. Imagine doing that consistently while you’re driving, cooking, doing laundry, sitting at your desk. Whatever you magnify becomes larger than anything else.

#6. FAITH SOWS

Sow toward your dreams. If you’re not willing to invest in your own dreams, you shouldn’t expect others to either. I heard someone say that you can determine your own destiny by the seeds that you sow.

I sowed seed for the dream of having a baby. I hosted so many baby showers. I sowed seed for the dream of a new house. I am constantly sowing seeds for ministry projects. Whatever it is that you’re believing God for, sow towards it. God never forgets a seed sown.

When you feel that prompting inside that you’re supposed to sow a seed, that’s God. Don’t ignore it. Obey God without questions. You may not have what you need, but you are never without the ‘seed’ that will produce it. Sow into the dreams of others, that guarantees that others will one day sow into your dreams. It’s the law of seed time and harvest.

#7. FAITH RESTS

You can rest in the fact that whatever it is that you’re releasing your faith for . . . it’s in God’s hands. “The battle is the Lord’s, the victory is yours!” (2 Chronicles 20:15-18)

I like what I heard Creflo Dollar say, “Stand therefore until you get what you’re standing there for.” It’s what you do today that determines your tomorrow. Develop your faith to such a degree that when Jesus asks, “Do you believe I’m able to do this?” You can confidently say, “Yes, Lord!”