Spirit-Driven Living vs Dream-Driven Living: Choosing God’s Purpose

Summary

Many people chase personal dreams hoping to find significance, but dream-driven living ultimately distracts from God’s purpose. Scripture teaches that true strength and fulfillment come through Christ and the Holy Spirit, not self-achievement. When dreams replace Spirit-led obedience, they become a dead end. Spirit-driven living keeps Christ at the center, guiding believers toward lasting purpose, wise choices, and genuine fulfillment that dreams alone can never provide.

Our Hunger for Meaning and Lasting Impact

We naturally long for significance, love, and appreciation. We want others to remember us after we are gone. We want our little lives to make as big a difference as possible.

Many think the holy grail is fulfilling personal dreams. That is how we wring the maximum significance from our earthly years. Supposedly, if we fulfill our dreams, we can die in peace. I have fulfilled enough dreams to know that it is a lie.

The Promise and Limits of Personal Dreams

Gail Devers, a famous track and field athlete, overcame physical adversity to win Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996. She wrote, “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”1 

She thinks that through belief in ourselves, we can accomplish our dreams. But Philippians 4:13 NLT tells us, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Dreams at the center of life compete with Christ at the center.

Choosing God’s Purpose

Chasing our dreams isn’t life’s most worthy pursuit. What is dream fulfillment's disastrous conclusion? It distracts us from what is most important—Choosing and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.  

The Call to Be Filled with the Spirit

Through the Apostle Paul, God commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) -- allowing the Spirit to empower and control us. Dream-driven living is the secular substitute for Spirit-driven living.

Lessons Learned on Dream Street

I heard LeRoy Eims, a speaker at a conference I attended in college, say that the easiest way to become an ineffective follower of Christ is to give our lives to earthly goals. Those words were razor blades that cut to my core. They unsettled me, but didn’t deter me from pursuing my dream of becoming an aquatic biologist. Achieving that dream was ultimately not fulfilling.

I know Dream Street. I have walked on its crowded sidewalks and driven down its bustling thoroughfare. The eyes of its travelers are glazed, focusing on distant, beckoning accomplishments. For a long time, I lived on that street. Dreams still beckon me with their siren call.

Why Spirit-Driven Living Leads to Life

A persistent dream I have had for years is to be the American record holder in the discus throw for my age group. It might be achievable with practice. However, regular practice would expose me to possible injuries that could prevent me from carrying out my family responsibilities.

The dream continues to entice me, but just because I might be able to do something doesn’t mean I should. That would be a wrong turn onto Dream Street. Dream-driven living is the secular substitute for Spirit-driven living. Dream Street is a dead-end.

1.     How to Fulfill Dreams (becomingminimalist.com)

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