Dream In Soul – Creativity for the Kingdom:

Carisha Davis shares encouragement on holding firm to the promises God has for us even when they seem faint and far away…

By definition, the word dilute means to make thinner or weaker by the addition of water or something like it, to make fainter, or to reduce strength. When something is diluted, the potency that it has in its original state is stripped and it is reduced to something weaker, something reducing its strength and capabilities. When we dilute God’s dreams and provisions for us we do that same thing, we thin out and weaken his ultimate dream and provision, pathways that he has set out for us, because we find a cheaper alternative. We settle and we prematurely walk into his plans for us because we take the more reasonable offers.

The full strength solution is his perfect will, the diluted alternative is the enemy’s provision, his presentation of an alternative that is seemingly similar to what God has for us, yet lacking what has truly been set out for us. When we think we are being humble and more reasonable and accept less than his best, we are actually denouncing the greatness and majesty of our Father God. It is easy to settle. Let’s just face it: Our flesh gets tired! We get so tired of waiting out his will and we find the more “reasonable” offer because it might be the best we can get, yet if we would simply wait on him to allot us his provision, we would find that in every situation he would send us his undiluted, full strength best for our lives.

When we dilute what he has promised to us, we ultimately settle, as that is exactly what diluting or watering down our dreams or prayers is doing. Some may argue differently, but we are saying to God that he is not worth the wait, “I’ll take the watered down version instead, Lord.” One of my favorite analogies about this concept is one that I have written about many times and that is the one about the blue prints of life. I picture it like this: When we get to heaven and stand before the King he will have a blueprint of our life in his hand. But in my opinion, the greatest tragedy would be to get there and he present up two blueprints: His and ours. The greatest blessing in my opinion would be for him to pick up just one, the one that he started and finished in our lives and the one in which we submitted to and followed. God wouldn’t risk his reputation on us. The scriptures tell us that he is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19). Whatever he has allotted and set out for you, no man can take away. I am going to say that again and I want you to let it settle in your spirit this time:

Whatever God has allotted and set out for you, no man can take away.

Don’t dilute his plans or water down his provisions and plans to an easier and less potent version that you can ingest prematurely. I remember as a little girl my mom would dilute cough syrups or medicines sometimes to “weaken” the potency, to make it more suitable for me as a child. It is the same with the things of God. We dilute our dreams, we water them down and kill the potency so we can get them as undeveloped children now, rather than wait on God and mature a little bit and eventually receive the full strength dreams. Naturally as I got older, mom didn’t have to dilute anything. She just gave me the cough syrup or medicine, full strength, and that was that. It took time for me to be ready for the full strength, just as it takes time for God to release to us the full strength- the complete dream, the complete release of provision, the complete permission to enter the pathway that he has set for us.

I am going to leave you with this. About a week or so I was driving and ranting to God about something that I had asked for that I felt like I should have already received. I remember saying exactly this: Gosh God, I never seem to be able to get…, when the Lord ministered to me right there a word that shut me up that afternoon and has kept me quiet since. The Lord said:

“Daughter, you are so focused on what you have never had, yet if you shifted your perspective you would see that I am trying to give you something that you have never had, but even more than that, something that has never been.”

He wants to do the same for you.

More from Carisha Davis

Carisha blogs about life and faith at Ramblings of a Ragamuffin Saved by Grace

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Check out some of Carisha’s other recent posts on her blog that are sure to encourage and inspire you:

Lame Expectations
The word tells us of course in James 4:3 that we have not because we expect not… Continue Reading

Target Practice: A Quick Word of Encouragement
“He often cried. He also played his harp a great deal. He had a good voice, so he often sang… Continue Reading

There’s a Blessing in the NOs
A ‘NO’ from God is one of the greatest blessings that he can honor us with… Continue Reading

The Terrorist Called Disqualification
One of the greatest lies that the enemy can tell us is that we are disqualified… Continue Reading

Relationships/Dating: Are Scars and Past Hurts Keeping you From Loving Again?
We all have scars. Scars are our stories. Scars are our testimonies. Scars can be the result of positive or negative experiences from our past; but I like to look at them as survival stripes… Continue Reading

About Carisha Davis

If I could describe myself I would say that the phrase ragamuffin saved by grace is truly who I am. Although I love to speak through my writing, I am an introvert and extremely contemplative. I am an artist and an avid thrifter and dumpster diver, as I love to find old things and restore or refurbish them. I believe in always seeing others for who they can and will become, because that is how God has always seen me. Love God and love people is my mantra. My mission in life is to love God and love people; as well as to inspire, encourage, and do my best to leave a piece of heaven with everyone I come in contact with all the days of my life.

We love supporting others’ dreams here at Dream in Soul and SOAR, and this is a project we encourage YOU to support, from an artist that inspires.

Lynn Cifuentes kicked off a Kickstarter project to help fund for her Staring at the Sky EP, her first release. I first came upon Lynn’s Youtube videos a few months back and was inspired by her moving covers and recently original songs that she’s shared. Here’s what Lynn says about her upcoming project that she needs your help to produce:

Note from Lynn on Staring at the Sky

Hey Everyone!

I am so excited about the great opportunity that I have before me to make this lifelong dream of mine a reality. With your help WE can make this record happen. The EP titled “Staring at the Sky” comes from a very deep place within my heart. It was the tragic death of a very dear friend Timmy in 2008 that got me questioning God about who I am and what purpose I serve in this life. I turned to my journal and started writing down my feelings, anything I read, heard or felt bled out of my pen and onto the pages. It was my way of dealing with my feelings and those simple words turned into melodies and it was as though music and writing were the only two things I was absolutely sure of. I started looking deeper within myself and cried out to God one night and I distinctly remember Him reminding me that my life had a purpose and I would only discover it in Him. That purpose was to just WORSHIP. So I linked up with my pianist and my simple words became songs that I hope will be a blessing to everyone that hears them, and brings worship to the heart of God.

This EP contains 7 tracks that are a mixture of love songs to God as well as worship. This will be my first ever EP and it’s an exciting season of my life, one that requires that I place my complete trust in God. After searching for the right producer I found one who understands the vision and passion I have for this EP. He is located in Nashville, TN and if I accomplish my goal of $5,000 (with your help, of course) I will be able to lay down my vocals, pay for studio musicians, pay the producer and ultimately have a mix and mastered product.

The goal of reaching $5,000 when you look at it, it looks intimidating and at first I thought “Wow, this is too much”. The truth is, it’s not. I believe that if you have a desire in your heart and God places a Dream in you, then you should give Him everything you’ve got to reach the places that He’s carved out for each of us. I want the production of my work to reflect the gift that The Lord has given me and for Him to get the glory for it.

As I write to you all and I reflect on the start of this journey I can’t help but to be thankful and feel blessed. I never thought that I would find the courage to even create this Kickstarter page and invite all of you into the journey with me. I know that this whole thing is a result of Gods leading on my life and that I truly am nothing without His grace.

So with your faith in me and my faith in God we can make this a reality. My motto lately is DreamBIG and I truly believe in this, so if you have dreams, then I pray you do something about it and make it happen

Thanks for reading.

God Bless,

-Lynn

Click here to visit Lynn’s Kickstarter project page and show your support with any amount that you’re led to give. Keep following your dreams Lynn, you’re an encouragement to others to do the same!

Check out some of my faves from Lynn’s Youtube channel a cover of “I See Heaven / Holy Spirit” by Bryan & Katie Torwalt and the first video I came across from her, a cover of Kari Jobe’s “I Know You Are For Me”:

“God plants dreams in your heart and in your soul for a reason…” – t.Jay

Growing up, t.Jay (TJ Pompeo) had a devastating experience that could’ve permanently skewed his spiritual vision. Thankfully, through a myriad of circumstances he realized that the only way to truly see clearly was to keep his eyes focused on the Cross and to give his life and dreams to the One who set him free…

Editor’s Music Pick: Below take a listen to t.Jay’s song “Tomorrow” (ft. Corbett) about waiting on God’s timing for your life and dreams. It’s one of my personal faves from t.Jay’s album The Pre View that you can download here for free.

At age 15, t.Jay embraced his passion for music and started stepping into the rhythm and purpose God placed in his heart by producing and writing songs. As he matured and honed his craft doors started to open for him to share his music on a wider scale. During the summer of 2011, he was discipled by Cross Movement Records group Level 3:16 and embarked on a tour around the nation. Since then, t.Jay has traveled the world, touring in England, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, Uruguay, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and many more, and he’s had the privilege of sharing stages with many incredible artists like Da T.R.U.T.H. (check out a video of them performing together below).

t.Jay joins in on Da T.R.U.T.H’s song “Hunger Games” at the Impact12 Conference:

I first came across t.Jay’s music through the Impact Movement (an amazing organization we’ve been supporting for the past few years on Dream in Soul) and we’ve previously posted t.Jay’s song with Level 3:16, LOVE. The fresh vibe he brings (he describes as a mixture of hip hop pop, soul and R&B that can’t be put in a box) and sound messages in his music will impact people of all ages. In this candid interview t.Jay tells us about his journey, overcoming a tough experience in his childhood and how he’s learned to trust God with his life and dreams. Here’s just a preview into what makes his heart – and music – beat…

Dream in Soul: We know you do music, but music isn’t who you are- so let’s start off with who is t.Jay? How would you introduce yourself to us, where are you from, what moves you, etc.?

t.Jay: Right, so like you said, “t.Jay” is my artist name and that’s what fans know me by. Everybody who’s known me for a while just calls me TEEJ. TJ is my real name, and it IS short for something, but you’ll only know what the “T” stands for if you’re friends with me on Facebook. =D I’m 22 years young. I’ve got roots in Long Island, NY, but I was raised in the small city of Harrisonburg, VA. I’m all about family, and the one that I have is absolutely amazing. They’ve all been so key in getting me to where I am as a young man and as an artist. I’m also big on family because I’m very Italian. It’s just who we are. One big happy (and loud) family. Along with my family, my friends and my mentors are equally as incredible. They’ve without a doubt been my motivation through life, music and all. They encourage me consistently, and I’m so grateful for them. What else??? Hmmm. I love cheese sticks, having slap-boxing fights with my friends, and collecting rainbow colored gumballs (JUST kidding… Kind of). My favorite show is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Denzel is by far my favorite actor. One of my goals in life is to visit all 7 continents. Oh, and I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. Sorry fellas.

Dream in Soul: Can you give some background about your story and how you came to know Christ, how you got started in making music then transitioned to dedicating it to God? Did you start out writing music & producing on your own or were there people instrumental in mentoring you? (Can you also share the significance of the way you write your artist name?).

That’s a long one, but I’ll try to not write a novel. As far as my artist name goes, like you said, there is a story behind the way I’ve decided to spell it. When you think of a capitalized letter, it typically symbolizes something of importance, or something that has significance. Someone’s name, celebrities, the name of a city or state, a type of car, a notable product brand, etc. I decided to make the “t” in my artist name lowercase and the “J” uppercase because I wanted it to symbolize that I have no significance without Jesus. TJ is nothing without Jesus. The “J” in my artist name represents Jesus Christ in me. It’s the only letter capitalized in my artist name because of what I stated above… His name is and always will be more significant than ANY other name to ever exist. My own obviously included. To put it simply… I suck without Jesus.

My story has a very common beginning though. I grew up in church, but never fully understood the concept of actually “walking with” or “following” Christ until I was 18. My life prior to 18 was full of bitterness and anger towards God, mainly due to things that occurred in my upbringing as a little boy.

When I was 8 years old, I was sexually molested by someone who I knew very well. It was absolutely devastating… That event would prove to shape who I would be for the next 10 years of my life. From the ages of 8-13, every single day was a Christian version of Halloween for me. I would wear the mask of Christianity on the exterior to appear like a “good kid,” but on the interior I was angry and I could have cared less about God or Jesus. When I was 14, I decided that I was sick of wearing the mask.. I wanted to live “my” life the way I wanted to live it and ultimately do what I wanted to do. This is also the age where I started experimenting with the typical peer pressures: Party scene, alcohol, drugs, chasing girls, etc. At this time, I also noticed that I really enjoyed the musical genres of Hip-Hop and R&B. All of my family was/is musically inclined (my dad, all three of my older siblings, and all six of my older cousins). They all played a significant role in getting me started with writing music…

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Is IT in YOU? Are you engaging in life and your full potential? Find out what you may be missing out on in the upcoming Live Boldly Project on Dream in Soul…