AUTHOR: Lisa Perna
Living a Royal Life means living your dreams. We don’t have to be ruled by what people say we are, but be free to be who God says you are. I hope this encourages you to dream again and live those dreams out to the fullest!
I was born a dreamer. I can remember my teachers calling out my name as my thoughts were far away from the lesson being taught. I would quickly regain my focus on the present as my daydreams slowly faded from my mind.
My reality was never as interesting as my imagination, so I would keep my proverbial head in the clouds most of my days as a little girl.
As I matured into a young woman reality became my mindset and my dreams were just something from my past. I lost that childlike hope for a bigger and better life. My choices I believed established the trajectory of my life or so I thought. What I didn’t factor in was that God still had a dream for me.It was in my 40’s when I started to develop a spiritual hunger that needed to be fed. I read the Bible and listened to hours of teaching from all kinds of spirit-filled leaders. I discovered that God had dreams for so many people, so He must have something more for me.
I began an internet talk show called ”Touched by Prayer” in January 2014. Each week I would hear amazing stories of how God would use that individual to do the impossible. I started to ask God what do you want to use me for? In December of that same year, God answered my question with two words ”Daddy’s Girl”. Hearing those words stirred up something inside me. I heard The Lord say ”Lisa, my daughters don’t know how to be daughters and so you will teach them”. My spirit immediately knew that I was going to have a women’s conference called ”Daddy’s Girl”, but how?
I began to dream of the event and what it would look like. I asked Daddy God to help me see what He wanted it to be. I was partnering with Him and we would dream this thing together. When you allow God to step into your dream that dream becomes much bigger. He gives birth to the secret desires in your heart. The vision was so overwhelming for me to conceive that I began to push it away. I was going to let it become another dream that I thought could never be fulfilled. How could I possibly have a conference that women would want to attend?
God knew my fears and trepidation. He understood my weakness and shortcomings in the vision that only He himself could achieve. God started to prepare my heart and mind for the destiny He was preparing me to walk into. I started to have dreams. Each dream I had begun to pull away from the lies that were hiding in the back of my mind. The Lord would speak to me and encourage me to take that step of faith. I would have dreams of talking about my conference with great leaders in churches who would be more than willing to help me.
My daily devotional became a letter of encouragement as I would read of the men and women in the Bible who were called to great positions. Each story tugged at my heart because, like me, they were not qualified. God was working out the doubts and unbelief in me. He was blowing life on the dreams inside me I thought died.
God started to draw me into watching strong women who had powerful ministries. I began to hear their stories with new ears and again my heart began to stir with excitement. Everything around me was being set up to help me achieve the goal of having this event. God even used music to speak to me. He let me know that He was going to help me and I was not in this alone.
I heard the song ”Dream For You” by the Christian band Casting Crowns. The lyrics were so beautifully written spoke to my soul ”So come on, let Me dream, let Me dream for you. I am strong when you’re weak and I’ll carry you. So let go of your plan, be caught by My hand I’ll show you what I can do When I dream for you”. I listened and wept as the song continued ”I’m stronger than you think I am. I’ll take you farther than you think you can. You sing and call me Great I Am. So take your stand. My child, if you only knew All the plans that I have for you. Just trust me, I will follow through You can follow Me”. Everything I needed to hear from my Heavenly Father was in that song.
I gave God my yes! I threw away every excuse I had as to why I couldn’t and then came into the agreement that God could. As soon as He had my yes it all began to change.
The last dream God gave me had hidden messages and meaning. I shared a very detailed dream with a good friend who had a gift of interpreting dreams. What she shared and explained to me left me completely undone. She said that God is saying He is going to help you with this conference and He is giving you the go-ahead. Now all you have to do is ask Him the when!So I did. It was a short prayer and it left the ball back in His court for only one day. I told God all you need to Daddy is tell me when to have it!
I got a phone call the next day from my spiritual Father with only one thing on his mind, let’s set a date for your conference. That phone call sealed the deal and began an adventure for me. I have seen God open doors, bring the woman, provide the speakers, and most importantly show up. The testimonies I have received from women who attended ”Daddy’s Girl” have been so inspiring to me. I’m so blessed by each story and continually awed by God’s faithfulness.
Your dreams are God’s dreams. He placed them inside each of us and they are waiting for you to just believe that one day they can come true. Say yes to God and dream again. Take His hand and together you will see the impossible become possible.