Let’s look at Holley Gerth’s “You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God Has for You.” Part 2

This is part 2 of a 4 part series. Read Part 1 here.

We are getting into the second part of our critique on Holly Gerth’s book You Were Made for a God-Sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God Has for You.

Holley Gerth specializes in coaching and motivating women to accomplish their dreams. That’s the purpose of this book and she is full of encouragement. Encouragement to go after that God-sized dream.

In the last post we went through chapters 1, 2, and 3.  We discussed the idea of being made for “more” versus being made for good works prepared beforehand for us to walk in. We discussed some of the ways Holly used to discern if we have been given a God-sized dream, comparing them to Scripture. And in chapter 3 we looked at what a God-sized dreamer’s heart looks like, asking if our heart really measured up to it.

In the next four chapters, Holly will give direction on what might come next now that we have discerned that we are a dreamer who has been given a God-sized dream. Holly will give us practical advice on how to accomplish and get started towards that God size dream. 

Chapter 4: What Comes Next for You?

In chapter 4 she’s laying the foundation for a purpose statement used to define our dreams.

Gerth describes how dreams start out as ideas and begin to grow. Over time we start to see it. We are then advised to study and write down our dream in three sentences that will define it.

First, the “what” of your dream, which describes what you want to accomplish. “These sentences need three distinct parts. First, the ‘what’ of your dream. This is exactly as it sounds – a description of what you want to accomplish. For example, ‘my dream is to transition out of my job and to be a stay-at-home mom with my kids.’ Or you might say ‘my dream is to get promoted to partner in my company’”(pg.68).

Second, since “God size dreams take commitment, tenacity, and stubborn willingness to be obedient no matter what happens”(page 69) we need to write down and commit to the ‘why’ of a dream.

“You might say, I want to be promoted to partner in my company because I can have more influence than ever before with my coworkers. Or you might say, I want to be promoted to partner in my company because I’m competitive and I can’t stand it that the woman who sits next to me might beat me to it. Whatever the reason, it’s okay to admit it. God already knows. Once you put your ‘why’ out there, it’s time to ask God if your agenda matches His. Is this a ‘why’ that resonates with His heart too?” (Page 69).

And finally 3rd, know your destination. She wants us to understand the destination of our dreams. “What does it seem God is asking you to accomplish?”(page 72). Basically, “you will have many opportunities and options in your life. You’ll even have many God-sized dreams. But I believe you will only have one primary purpose“ (page 72).

So let’s take a quick look at these. In part 1, I went into how Scripture equips us for every good work. That means it tells us what good works are and why we do it. In Ephesians, we were told why God saved us – because we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do a.. purpose? No – to do good works, plural. We are not saved for one God-sized dream or even many God-sized dreams but we are saved to do the good works that are directed to us in Scripture that were prepared beforehand for us to walk in. What are these good works? Paul goes on in Ephesians to tell us. Husbands are to love their wives, wives are to submit to husbands, children are to obey, servants are to submit to their masters, and masters are to treat their servants in love. “That [we receive] from [the Apostles] how [we] ought to walk and to please God, just as [we] are doing, that [we] do so more and more. For [we] know what instructions [the Apostles] gave [us] through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, [our] sanctification…”(1Thess.4;1-3). This is the “what” that God has prepared us for.

Now let’s look at the “why”. Does Paul say why we are to do these good works? Yes, because of Christ. The why for the good works told to us in Scripture is the very thing that pleases God. It’s not the work itself that pleases God, nor is the work something God needs us to do. The faith motivating the work is what pleases God because it’s done in Christ (Heb.11:6; 1John 4;19).

Holly goes on to give a little disclaimer in discussing the “why” of our dreams. “We are human, and having 100% pure motives is impossible for us. We will always struggle with our flesh as we pursue our dreams”(page 70). While she is right about this, she never goes into the number one pure motive that does please God. Faith in Christ. Instead we are told to acknowledge that there is a mix of both and not to let that be a reason to stop dreaming and planning. “Don’t let it make you feel guilty or deter you”(page 70).

Know your destination, says Mrs. Gerth. Setting goals here is what she’s encouraging. The problem with this is Jesus says we are not promised tomorrow. She acknowledges that God May “radically change (our) course “like he did for Paul, Moses, and the Disciples.“(page 73). Paul, Moses and the disciples physically met with the Lord. If we look at these examples all three were called to the same dream, same purpose, to preach to God’s people salvation and to lead them out of slavery and into freedom. This is the Great Commission that all disciples of Christ are called to (Matt.28:19). While we may not have a physical encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ we have His Word that directs us to the same purpose. But regardless, we are not promised tomorrow, we can make plans but when we do we say “if God wills…” always keeping in mind that wherever I feel God may lead me may not be what He sovereignly has planned for me. That means instead that I’m looking for God’s provision day by day and serving Him just for today.

We are not to quit, no matter what. Dreamers are to keep the dream in front of them. We are not to let distractions of life keep us from accomplishing the dream. “Most God size dreams aren’t discarded; they are simply overcome by distractions. The pile of laundry stares us in the face while our dream waits quietly in a corner. A stack of bills that need to be paid demand our attention while our goal of writing a book silently sits somewhere in our hard drive. In one way, God size dreams can be very loud and another way they don’t ever demand to be heard. If you push them away or quiet them down eventually they’ll comply”(page 82 -83). Here is where Scripture differs. In Christ the act of doing laundry is a good work, paying bills are a good work that we were created in Christ Jesus to do. But to Holly they are distractions from the really good work that God wants you to accomplish through your dream. This is where the fruit of a God-sized dream/purpose makes these simple acts done in love to family and neighbors, “Corban”. We are to always look to the dream as the ultimate service to God at the expense of what God has called us to do in Scripture.

“We take responsibility for what God has entrusted to us, and yet in the end it’s ultimately simply about obedience, about taking the next step of faith”(page 85). This is at the very heart of the God-size dream doctrine. The idea of what or Who our faith should be placed in. In the Purpose driven/God-sized dream doctrine faith is always pointing toward the goal/purpose. God has made you for a dream/purpose, your faith is in believing that God will help you accomplish said dream/purpose. In Scripture faith is pointing towards a Person, the Person and work of Christ not a purpose/dream. There is a big difference. I feel this is very important so let’s look into this a little more. 

In Ephesians 2: 4-10 the Apostle Paul writes: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Martin Luther defined grace this way: “Grace means the favor by which God accepts us, forgiving sins and justifying freely through Christ” (Luther’s Works Vol. 12, p. 376). It is by God’s Divine favor through Christ that we are saved. And it is by God’s divine favor, through Jesus Christ that we are also sanctified. Very clearly, and taught all throughout the Scriptures are we told to direct our faith toward God and His Son. We are raised in Christ so God may show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us. God is pleased with us because we are in Christ by faith. And this is why I have a problem with the God-sized dream doctrine, because it teaches that we please God by accomplishing His purposes, when Scripture tells us that we please God because we are in Christ. 

 Having faith in Christ, results in every big or little thing we do (dishes, diapers, submitting, etc) as good and pleasing to God because in Christ they are complete, perfect, righteous acts of obedience. If the faith is on the dream it is the dream/purpose that is righteous or pleasing to God. Remember, Holley claimed that it’s all about our obedience towards this purpose. But Scripture tells us it’s about more. Faith in Christ is about obedience, His obedience that is given to us in faith which is full, perfect, complete, and pleasing to God. A faith directed toward a God-given goal/purpose/dream will always have obedience that doesn’t measure up because it is fueled by our sinful efforts, reflecting what Paul says: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.  For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”(Rom. 7:14-15) In Christ our faith can be displayed in the little, or big, our strengths, and our weaknesses. In the purpose/dream doctrine the faith is acted out through anything that applies to that dream. It’s a limited faith with limited actions. The faith in Christ strives to make us more like Him while the faith in the dreams drives to make us accomplish the dream.

Like Holly said in her disclaimer that it is impossible to have 100% pure motives. Yet in Christ we do have 100% pure motives because Christ had 100% pure motives. Believing in Him and being baptized in Him clothes us in His 100% pure righteousness. This is a much different faith talked about in Scripture then in the purpose driven/ God-sized dream doctrine.

The next 4 Chapters go into issues that Holley believes keep you from accomplishing the God-sized dream. She addresses how to overcome our fears, warning/disclaimers that come with God-sized dreams, what to do when things go wrong, and how to stop sabotaging yourself. In  this post we will cover 5 and leave chapters 6, 7, & 8 for part 3.

Chapter 5: A Guide to Overcoming Your Fear

 “Fear camps out right next to whatever it is your most called to do. That means the closer you get to your calling, the louder fear sounds” (Pg 88). “Fear is not a sin”, says Holly, but “a gift” (pg 89). In fact to her the more the fear the more she believes it’s God’s calling. “Fear is a response to a threat. It means there’s risk and something you value is on the line. If you don’t feel that way about your dream, that it’s not close enough to God’s calling for you. 

So why do we resist fear so much? There are many reasons, but one of the primary ones is a myth that holds many of us back: fear is a sin….As I dug deeper into scripture, it became clear that fear itself isn’t a sin anymore than other emotions we have, such as happiness, anger, or grief. All emotions are just messages about what we are experiencing….All throughout Scripture God does talk to his people about fear. As I dug into those verses, two primary phrases appeared. God says, ‘do not fear’ or ‘do not be afraid’ almost 100 times” (Page 88-89). Yet these emotions can be the result of beliefs, beliefs about ourselves and about God. Take for example anger. Why do we usually get angry? Isn’t it because we expect or desire certain behaviors or situations to conform to our expectations? What about fear? Fear can be a result of lack of trust in a Sovereign, merciful, good, and loving God.

Holly goes on to say how fear is “…more often set off by the lion described as the enemy of our souls (see 1Peter 5:8), waiting to pounce on our hearts when we’re hot on the trail of God size dreams”(pg.89) There are 2 things here that I believe are problematic with this claim: 1) Satan is not on the rampage trying to keep you from accomplishing your God-sized dream. Scripture tells us Satan is a liar, masquerading as an “angel of light”(2Corin.11:14), disquising himself as truth and wisdom, deceiving people and drawing them away from God’s Word and the Gospel. He is a tempter that feeds your ego, calling you to chase and pursue anything but Christ. 2) She tells us that fear is a gift, yet God tells us not to be afraid? How can something God tells us not to do be a gift? If fear is most often set off by satan, how can it not be a sin to give way to it?

So let’s talk about what Scripture says about fear.

Fear is used in two different ways in scripture. Both are the result of beliefs. 

Scripture says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”(Prov. 9:10). Clearly there is a true and healthy fear here that leads to wisdom, something God calls all his children too. This type of fear comes from an understanding of who God is. He is holy, righteous, pure, true, set completely apart from us. It also comes from a right understanding of who we are. We are sinners, filthy, unrighteous, children with unclean lips. So now when you look at these verses in scripture of God saying do not be afraid it is because they were rightfully afraid. These men were unclean and new at any moment God could take their life from them, rightfully so. So God is in these instances, telling these men not to fear because he would not give them what they so rightly deserved.

The other type of fear comes from a result of a different type of belief, one that is not grounded in who God really is. This fear is a result of not trusting that God is sovereign, merciful, and supplies all our needs. It is a result of not trusting His Word and is often described as worry or anxiety in Scripture. Jesus in Matt. 6:25-33 tells us explicitly not to worry or be anxious because God provides.

Holly wants us to face the fear that keeps us from our God-given dreams. To her it’s a choice of obedience or rebellion. “We have to respond by faith….this is the place where we get to choose obedience or rebellion. It’s a myth that all fear is sin, but it’s quite true that fear can lead us into sin. We can say no to what God asks of us. We can listen to the lies more than the truth. We can compromise our calling” (pg. 90). 

What ways does she say we should deal with fear?

“However, fear does respond to truth. When God is speaking to his people about fear, he often follows the directive not to be afraid with a promise about who he is and what he will do. For example, ‘do not fear, for I am with You; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10)” (pg. 93). Fair response, but what that truth is, who God is, she doesn’t go on to explain. 

Speak truth to fear. If we are still fearful walk calmly, steadily on to where you are called. Put a leash on fear and just take it with you. Don’t feed it. Fear can’t directly hurt you but can keep us from God’s will. “It chases Us in the opposite direction of the dream we’re called to pursue…Harmful fear is general, often about your character, and is usually not something you can control” (pg.96-97).No. Harmful fear is all about God’s Character, not mine. It comes from believing lies about God and is so harmful it can eternally separate us from God if we do not believe God’s Word.Again, my question is how can fear that can keep us from God’s will, which we are called to pursue, how can that not be a sin? If we thought about what she’s saying a bit she will turn out to be contradicting her own words. I might choose to reject a God-sized dream because I am afraid to fail. Does she not see the reason behind this? This is a result of trusting ourselves above God. And that is a sin.

Since fear is not necessarily a sin Holley believes that you can make fear work for you. So how do you make fear work for you?

1. Let fear warn you of risks.
2. Let fear tell you what’s important: “Let fear add wisdom to your journey as you go” (pg. 98).but how does one get wisdom?
3. Let fear energize you/embrace the journey.
4. Let fear lead you to love.
5. Let fear expand your faith

Let’s just dive into the last 2 here.

Let fear lead you to love.“When fear comes at you, ask God to hide you in his love, to draw you deeper into it, to whisper to your heart the truth you need to hear so that his voice is louder than anything else“(pg. 100). There is no mention of getting to know the One who loves us in Scripture. Where do we hear His voice and receive His truth? Scripture. 

Jesus, in His prayer before His crucifixion, asked the Father to Sanctify [the disciples] in the truth; [the Father’s] word is truth. As [the Father] sent [Jesus] into the world, so [Jesus] sent [the disciples] into the world.  And for their sake [Jesus] consecrate [Himself], that they also may be sanctified in truth. [Jesus did] not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in [Him] through [the disciples] word (this is the Church), that they may all be one, just as [the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father], that they also may be in [The Father and the Son], so that the world may believe that [the Father has sent the Son]. The glory that [the Father has given the Son] [the Son has] given to them, that they may be one even as [the Father and Son] are one, [Jesus] in them and [the Father] in [Jesus], that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that [the Father] sent [Jesus] and loved them even as [the Father] loved [the Son] (John 17;17-24). Jesus’ prayer tells us of how we, the Church, are sanctified by God’s Word, that we are one with the Son and the Father, and are loved by Christ as God loves Christ. Just how beautiful is that?

I agree that when fear comes at you we should hide in his love and let God’s word speak louder than our fear. But she does not mention getting to know the One who loves us in Scripture. This would be a great place to mention the power and efficacy of Scripture in conquering our fears, but unfortunately so far, Scripture is very lacking in this book.

We are to let fear expand our faith. “So from now on you’re to look fear in the face and know that “God doesn’t ever command what’s impossible. So no matter how you feel, no matter how big the obstacles may seem, no matter how loud the fear may sound right now- you can move forward in faith” (pg 103). Again, the underlying goal is to direct your faith towards the God-sized dream that was given by God and so God would never command you to accomplish a purpose that you cannot achieve. But is this statement true?

 I want to point you to the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-27.

“And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”  And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.  Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”  Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”  But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Yes He does. God does command things that are impossible for men to accomplish. Those who heard Jesus speaking to the rich young ruler understood what Jesus was saying. They understood from His teaching that our righteousness must exceed the Parisee’s righteousness (Matt.5:20) and that we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48). The young ruler loved his wealth more than he loved Christ. The listeners understood from this that righteousness was impossible for men and therefore asked the right question: who then can be saved?  Does Holley think we can obey the ten commandments perfectly? For those who hold to the Purpose-Driven/dream theology God’s Law is not rightly taught. It is taught as rules for a successful life. God knows best, so listen to Him and follow His rules and you will be successful. But it’s more than this and that is what Jesus is telling the young ruler. They are not just rules that lead you toward a good and abundant life. God’s Law shows you that you do not love God nor want to follow Christ “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (Jam. 2:10) To transgress one point of the Law is to not love God and neighbor, the sum of the whole Law (Matt.22:37-40). The Law is our schoolmaster that brings us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal.3:24). Paul says in Galatians 3:21 that if there had been a law given which could have given us a good and abundant life, then righteousness would have been by the law. This is why our faith is not directed toward what we do for or give to God, but is in what was done and given to us. In our sinful nature, it is impossible to obey God’s Law. This is what the reformers called Total Depravity. The law rightly taught shows us our depravity and our need for a righteousness apart from our own. The need for a Messiah to fulfill all righteousness. God’s Word shows us our depravity and points us to faith in Christ; to be given His righteousness and to equip us to walk in the works God prepared beforehand for us. This love casts out all fear because we are no longer under wrath from the impossible righteousness commanded for us to do, for all was accomplished by Christ and given to us as a gift.

Are you beginning to see the difference between the theology of the God-sized dream Holley is encouraging us toward and the good works God has created us to walk in as taught to us in Scripture? Can you see where this type of theology neglects such beautiful teachings that are lite of burden and Christ focused.One points us to a faith in a dream while the other points us to put our faith in a Person. One teaches us that fear is not a sin and how we can use it to our advantage, while the other teaches that fear is a result of what we believe about God Himself. While the God-sized dream teachings boost our egos and prop ourselves up, lifting up our dreams and desires, they take our eyes off of the One whose purpose was and is far greater than ours.  

Here is where we’ll end part 2 of our critique. In the next part we will dive into chapters 6,7, & 8 as Holley goes into the disclaimers in pursuing our dreams and explains how we can stop sabotaging ourselves.

So Until next time, I pray you are looking and learning about who He is and what He has done for you…I pray you are in His Word.

MelbaToast