For the dream comes through much effort, and the voice of the fool through many words. Ecclesiastes 5:3 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

Have you ever noticed there are a lot of people who talk big but never accomplish anything? This verse from Ecclesiastes seems to point that out, and it calls such people fools. It also says that if you have a dream you want to see come to pass, it will take more than talking to make it happen. Work and effort are needed in order to change a dream into a reality.

God has placed dreams and ideas in each of us. Every single believer has a God-inspired dream inside of him or her. It may be a dream to raise godly children or it may be a dream to lead a worldwide corporation or ministry. Perhaps your dream is to play professional football or to give a piano concert at Carnegie Hall. Whatever you are dreaming of, God can bring it to pass- if you are willing to put in the effort.

Sadly, the majority of people are willing to coast through life, not taking any chances or risking anything. They prefer to play it safe. They have a dream, but they are too fearful to do anything about it. I don’t know exactly who said it, but I’ve heard it remarked that the graveyard is the richest place in the world- full of untapped potential and unused talents and abilities. There are so many people who take their dreams to the grave with them. What a huge waste.

If you have a dream, don’t dismiss it, especially if it has been with you a while. If an idea or dream keeps coming up in your heart, it is likely that God put it there. Ask yourself if it violates anything the Word tells us. If it does not violate the Bible, spend some time meditating on the dream- let it become large in you. After you have become passionate about the dream, research and investigate what would be needed to bring your vision to pass. For example, if you are dreaming of a Carnegie Hall piano concert, you obviously will need to hone your piano skills so they are top-notch, get an agent, and so on. If it is a God-given dream, He will give you ideas and divine connections as you take steps of faith. However, if you just sit and expect Him to drop a Carnegie Hall gig in your lap, you’re going to be sitting there a long time- especially if you never put in the effort to excel at the piano.

So, if your dream has been put on the shelf, get it down and dust it off. Determine what you need to do to work toward the manifestation of that dream and commit the results to God. And then let Him do the supernatural things that only He can to do bring it to fruition.

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:5 (New Living Translation, NLT)