SCRIPTURE:

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. (Genesis 37:3-8)

DEVOTIONAL:

The Word of God says a lot about dreamers and their dreams. Let’s look at the life of Joseph:

God gave Joseph this dream, but once Joseph decided to tell the dream to his family that’s when everything began to fall apart. His brothers hated that he had the dream, and they hated that he told them about it. They also hated him for what the dream meant.

Now in verses 9–10, it says: “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed?”

God often prepares leaders through dreams. One of the first things God gave to Joseph was a dream. Many inventions and innovations have been birthed through dreams because dreams inspire curiosity and creativity. A dream is a powerful tool that God often uses to prepare individuals for leadership. Initially, a dream is subjective because you are the only one to see it. And even if you tell the dream to someone else, people can reject the dream and the dreamer as was the case with Joseph. Nevertheless, if you are going to become a leader with vision, you must have a God-given dream—which can take place while you are asleep or awake.

PRAYER:

Dear God, thank you for the dreams You have given to me. Help me to understand the meaning of these dreams and what steps You want me to take next. Help me also to be wise in sharing my dreams with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Bill Winston’s book, The Spirit of Leadership. To order this power-packed resource and discover how to be an effective and visionary leader, click here.