Key Takeaways
1. Dreams Are Essential for Faith and Personal Growth
"A great dream is a statement of faith."
Dreams fuel faith. God-inspired dreams are not just ambitions or goals, but statements of faith that shape our identity, purpose, and spiritual growth. They are the catalysts for personal transformation and the first step in God's process to change our lives for the better.
Dreaming is uniquely human. Unlike animals, humans have the ability to imagine and create beyond their current circumstances. This capacity to dream is a reflection of being created in God's image, allowing us to envision and work towards possibilities that don't yet exist.
Faith and dreaming are interconnected. Great faith inspires great dreams, and great dreams require great faith. When we pursue God-inspired dreams, we are exercising our faith and trusting in God's plan for our lives. This process of dreaming and believing stretches our imagination, deepens our courage, and builds our character.
2. God's Dream for You Is Greater Than Your Own
"God's dream for your life is infinitely better than any dream you could come up with on your own."
God's vision surpasses ours. While we may have our own ambitions and goals, God's dream for our lives is far more expansive and meaningful. It takes into account not just our earthly existence, but our eternal purpose as well.
Discovering God's dream requires dedication. To uncover God's plan for our lives, we must be willing to:
- Dedicate our entire life to God
- Reserve time alone with Him
- Evaluate our abilities and gifts
- Associate with godly dreamers
- Make our dream public
God's dream is custom-made. Each person has a unique SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) that God has designed for a specific purpose. Recognizing and embracing this individuality is key to fulfilling God's dream for our lives.
3. Making Decisions Is Crucial to Pursuing Your Dream
"The decision phase is not about making quick decisions. It's about making the right decisions."
Decisions drive dreams forward. Without decisive action, dreams remain unfulfilled. The decision phase of faith requires us to invest in our dream and let go of security, often stepping out into the unknown.
Wise decision-making follows biblical principles:
- Pray for guidance
- Get the facts
- Ask for advice
- Calculate the cost
- Prepare for problems
- Face your fears
Overcoming fear is essential. Fear is often the root of indecision. By trusting in God's promises and moving against our fears, we open the door for God to work miracles in our lives.
4. Delays Are Opportunities for Character Development
"While you're working on your dream, God will be working on your character."
God's timing is purposeful. Delays are not denials but opportunities for growth. During waiting periods, God is often working on our character, teaching us patience, trust, and perseverance.
Responding to delays reveals maturity. How we handle God's "waiting rooms" is a clear measure of our faith. To navigate delays effectively:
- Don't fear
- Don't fret
- Don't faint
- Don't forget
Patience builds faith. The delay phase teaches us to trust God's timing and to be patient with His process. It's during these times that our faith is stretched and strengthened, preparing us for the fulfillment of the dream.
5. Difficulties Are Teachers That Strengthen Faith
"Every trial is a teacher. Every storm is a school. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for your development."
Challenges are inevitable. Jesus promised that we would face troubles in this world. The key is not to avoid difficulties but to learn how to respond to them in a way that builds our faith and character.
Difficulties serve a purpose. When facing challenges, we should:
- Determine the reason
- Determine the result (what God wants us to learn)
- Determine our response
Our response shapes our character. We can choose to become better or bitter through difficulties. By focusing on what God is doing in us rather than what's happening to us, we can grow through our challenges and draw closer to fulfilling God's dream for our lives.
6. Dead Ends Are Gateways to God's Deliverance
"Your dead end is the doorway to God's deliverance."
Dead ends test our faith. When we reach a point where all seems lost, it's an opportunity to demonstrate unwavering trust in God's promises and power.
God specializes in the impossible. In the face of dead ends, we should:
- Remember what God can do
- Rely on what God has said
- Face the facts with faith
- Expect God to deliver
Deliverance comes in various forms. God may deliver us externally by changing our circumstances, internally by changing our perspective, or eternally through the promise of heaven.
7. Faith-Filled Gratitude Is the Key to Overcoming Obstacles
"When you thank God for something before it happens, that is faith."
Gratitude precedes miracles. Expressing thanks to God in advance of His deliverance is the highest form of faith. It demonstrates trust in His promises and power, even when circumstances seem hopeless.
Choosing to rejoice is powerful. Regardless of our current situation, we can choose to celebrate and express gratitude. This attitude of faith-filled thanksgiving opens the door for God's deliverance.
Gratitude shapes perspective. By focusing on thankfulness, we shift our attention from our problems to God's promises. This change in perspective can help us persevere through difficulties and delays, keeping our eyes fixed on the dream God has given us.
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FAQ
1. What is "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren about?
- Six Phases of Faith: The book outlines the six phases God uses to grow a person’s faith, from receiving a dream to experiencing deliverance.
- Faith and Dreaming Connection: Rick Warren explains how dreaming is essential to spiritual growth and is the starting point for God’s work in your life.
- Biblical Examples: The book draws on stories of biblical figures like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Paul to illustrate each phase.
- Practical Guidance: It offers step-by-step advice for discovering, pursuing, and persisting in God’s dream for your life, even through delays and difficulties.
- Eternal Perspective: Warren emphasizes that God’s ultimate goal is to build your character for eternity, not just to fulfill earthly dreams.
2. Why should I read "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren?
- Personal Growth: The book provides a clear, actionable framework for understanding how God develops your faith and character.
- Encouragement in Hard Times: It offers hope and practical strategies for navigating delays, difficulties, and dead ends in life.
- Faith-Based Approach: Readers seeking a Christian perspective on purpose, dreams, and resilience will find biblically grounded advice.
- Real-Life Application: Warren’s method is designed to be applied to any area of life—career, relationships, ministry, or personal goals.
- Inspiration to Dream Big: The book challenges you to pursue God-sized dreams, assuring you that God’s plans are greater than your own.
3. What are the six phases of faith in "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren?
- Dream: God gives you a vision or dream for your life, which is the catalyst for change and growth.
- Decision: You must choose to act on the dream, moving from intention to commitment.
- Delay: There is always a waiting period where God develops your patience and trust.
- Difficulty: Challenges and problems arise, testing your faith and perseverance.
- Dead End: The situation may become impossible, pushing you to rely completely on God.
- Deliverance: God provides a breakthrough or miracle, fulfilling His promise and growing your faith.
4. How does Rick Warren define a "God-given dream" in "Created to Dream"?
- Requires Faith: A God-given dream is so big you can’t achieve it on your own; it requires dependence on God.
- Aligns with God’s Word: It will never contradict the Bible or God’s principles.
- Custom-Made for You: God’s dream fits your unique SHAPE—spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences.
- Positive and Purposeful: It is designed to prosper you, give you hope, and fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
- Eternal Impact: God’s dream has significance beyond this life, shaping your character for eternity.
5. What is the connection between faith and dreaming in "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren?
- Dreaming as Faith’s Expression: Dreaming is an act of faith, as it involves believing in possibilities not yet seen.
- Faith Grows Through Dreams: Pursuing a God-inspired dream stretches and strengthens your faith.
- Dreaming Reflects God’s Image: Humans are created in God’s image, with the ability to imagine and create, just as God did.
- Faith Tested by Dreams: The process of pursuing a dream involves tests that deepen your trust in God.
- Dreaming and Character: While you work on your dream, God works on your character, using the journey to mature you spiritually.
6. How can I discover God’s dream for my life according to "Created to Dream"?
- Dedicate Your Life: Commit every area of your life to God and be willing to do whatever He asks.
- Reserve Time Alone: Spend regular, quiet time with God to listen for His guidance.
- Evaluate Your SHAPE: Assess your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences to see how God has uniquely designed you.
- Associate with Godly Dreamers: Surround yourself with people who encourage and support your pursuit of God’s dream.
- Make Your Dream Public: Verbalize your dream to others, which demonstrates faith and invites support.
7. What practical steps does Rick Warren recommend for making wise decisions in "Created to Dream"?
- Pray for Guidance: Seek God’s wisdom and peace before making any major decision.
- Get the Facts: Gather information and understand the situation thoroughly.
- Ask for Advice: Consult with wise, godly people who can offer perspective and counsel.
- Calculate the Cost: Consider the investment and sacrifices required for your decision.
- Prepare for Problems: Anticipate challenges and plan for how you’ll address them.
- Face Your Fears: Move forward in faith, even when you feel afraid or uncertain.
8. How does "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren address delays and waiting on God?
- Delays Are Normal: Every dream involves a waiting period, which God uses to develop patience and trust.
- Don’t Fear, Fret, Faint, or Forget: Avoid fear, worry, discouragement, and forgetfulness during delays, as these prolong the process.
- Delays Have Purpose: God uses delays to protect, prepare, and develop you for what’s ahead.
- Prayer and Persistence: Continue to pray and persist, trusting that God’s timing is perfect.
- Delay Is Not Denial: A delay does not mean God has said “no”; it often means “not yet.”
9. What advice does Rick Warren give for dealing with difficulties and setbacks in "Created to Dream"?
- Determine the Reason: Reflect on whether the difficulty is caused by yourself, others, the devil, or God’s testing.
- Learn from the Experience: Ask what God wants you to learn and how He wants to grow your character.
- Respond Wisely: Don’t drift, discard your values, or despair; instead, confess your part, confront the problem, and claim God’s promises.
- Focus on Internal Growth: What happens in you is more important than what happens to you.
- Never Give Up: Hold on to hope, knowing that troubles are temporary and God’s purpose is greater than your problems.
10. What should I do when I reach a dead end, according to "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren?
- Remember What God Can Do: Focus on God’s power to do the impossible, not your limitations.
- Rely on God’s Promises: Stand on what God has said in His Word, even when hope seems lost.
- Face the Facts with Faith: Acknowledge reality, but don’t let it discourage you—believe God is greater than your circumstances.
- Expect Deliverance: Act in faith, trusting that God will provide a way out or a new beginning.
- Hold On to Hope: Dead ends are often the prelude to God’s greatest miracles and breakthroughs.
11. How does "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren describe God’s deliverance and its forms?
- External Deliverance: God may miraculously change your circumstances, as with the Israelites at the Red Sea.
- Internal Deliverance: Sometimes God changes you—your attitude, perspective, or dream—rather than your situation.
- Eternal Deliverance: The ultimate deliverance is eternal life in heaven, where all pain and sorrow end.
- Faith-Filled Gratitude: Thanking God in advance for deliverance is a key act of faith that invites His intervention.
- Celebrate and Rejoice: When God delivers you, your response should be worship, gratitude, and sharing your testimony.
12. What are the key takeaways and best quotes from "Created to Dream" by Rick Warren?
- Six Phases of Faith: Understanding and cooperating with God’s process is essential for spiritual growth and dream fulfillment.
- God’s Dream Is Best: Pursuing God’s dream leads to the greatest fulfillment and eternal impact.
- Character Over Comfort: God is more interested in who you become than what you achieve.
- “While you’re working on your dream, God will be working on your character.” – Emphasizes the dual purpose of the journey.
- “When you thank God for something before it happens, that is faith.” – Highlights the power of faith-filled gratitude.
- “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” – Encourages readers to trust in God’s limitless possibilities.
Review Summary
Created to Dream receives mostly positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.40/5. Readers find it inspiring and encouraging, praising its biblical references and practical advice for pursuing God's plans. Many appreciate its concise format and easy-to-understand content, making it accessible for both new and mature Christians. Some criticize it for being too simple or similar to other books in the genre. Overall, readers value its message of faith, perseverance, and trusting God's timing in achieving one's dreams and spiritual growth.
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