Life of Your Dreams | Jentezen Franklin’s Interview with Mark Pentecost
Sunday, March 30
Key Scripture
Proverbs 13:22
Key Points
- No dream is too small. Even if you’re believing for a few extra dollars at the end of the month or the ability to help someone else, it’s not too small for God to fulfill. If you’ll be faithful to step out to obey God in small dreams, He will give you bigger and bigger dreams.
- Get on offense. Many times, people are living their lives on defense. But when you get on offense and score, you get a victory dance in the end zone. Instead of taking punches, start throwing punches toward achieving the dream God has put in your heart.
- Get around dreamers. You get bigger dreams when you get around the right people and the right places. Dreams placed in the right environment will thrive, but in the wrong environment, they will die. Don’t surround yourself with dream-killers who have never accomplished anything and are always negative; surround yourself with dream-clingers who have done what you want to do and are always positive, supporting, and encouraging you. Find a mentor who has already done what you want to do, and they will release protection, provision, and promotion into your life.
- See your dream. You must convince yourself and see your dream in the eye of faith before you can accomplish it. It may seem impossible, but the dream that will make you most proud is the one you’re afraid to say out loud.
- Dreamers change the world. “Enough” is never enough when your dream is about helping others. If people are still in need, you can’t stop. Dreaming and giving are like muscles, and they will get bigger as you continue to use them. When you dream and give, God brings more back to you so you can dream and give at greater levels.
- It’s time to dream again. The reason suicide and addiction are so rampant is that people have no dreams. If something in you wants more, it’s because it’s out there! Let God put a dream in your heart, and go get it. God will give you a dream that takes your life to a “WHOLE ‘NOTHA LEVEL.”
Introduction
Today’s Group Guide is based on Pastor Jentezen Franklin’s Interview with Mark Pentecost during the kick-off of the series, Dream Again.
The purpose of this guide is to inspire group members to discover, pursue, and grow their God-given dreams by trusting in His purpose and power to bring them to fruition in their lives and the lives of others.
Discovering God’s Dream for You
Theme: God plants dreams in every heart—not just for you, but for others too.
God’s dreams for you aren’t small or solitary; they ripple outward, touching lives beyond your own. The Enemy whispers doubts—“It won’t matter,” “I’m too old,” “I’m too young,” “I have nothing to offer”—to derail your purpose. But think of a clock: one missing gear, or even a single broken tooth, stops it cold. Your God-given dreams are that vital—not only for you but for those downstream, waiting to be inspired or empowered by your faith in action.
Joel 2:28-31 (NIV)
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
The boldness of the old sparks vision in the young. Your dreams aren’t about your survival—they’re about the thriving of generations behind you. God, the dream-giver, can work through anyone, anytime. Playing it safe might stunt their growth.
It is important to also remember that, as in the words of King Solomon:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us nothing is truly new, yet your voice or act of courage could be the first time someone hears or feels God’s hope. The Gospel, though ancient, dies in one silent generation—unless we step out, fueled by the Spirit, unstoppable in faith.
- What doubts has the Enemy used to hold you back from your God-given dreams?
- Who in your life could be uplifted or inspired if you pursued your dream with faith?
Your dream, though it may begin modestly, is part of God’s bigger plan.
Psalm 37:4 (ESV): "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Following God’s call can feel overwhelming, but He starts small, using your faithful steps to build greater influence. Small beginnings aren’t a limit—they’re God’s training ground for bigger things. More dreams collapse from growing too fast than from starting small. Delighting in God reveals the strength—mental, emotional, spiritual—to succeed.
Be grateful for humble starts, but don’t settle; God’s plans exceed what you can imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
- What is one step that you can take now that can start you on the journey to pursuing your dream?
- What is a dream stirring in your heart that you’ve been hesitant to acknowledge?
- How might pursuing your dream bless others, not just yourself?
- What holds you back from believing God has a dream for you?
Taking Risks and Building Dream Muscles
What is a dream? It’s a personally meaningful goal that drives actions and requires planning and persistence. As a group, discuss dreams achieved or lost to time. Adults often ask kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Common answers—doctors, lawyers, police, firefighters—come with advice: “Work hard to make dreams reality.” Young adults may achieve some dreams, but life’s demands can bury others, making survival the priority. Dreaming becomes harder, often shifting to hopes for others, like our children or families, until time runs short.
To dream again, strengthen your “dream muscles.” Mark Pentecost suggests: step into the unknown, dream actively, pursue boldly, and practice dreaming to build strength. Stepping out is scary—fear of failure or uncertainty can paralyze—but God guides us. Ephesians says, “He is able to do far more than we ask or think,” and Proverbs 19:21 reminds us, “The Lord’s purpose prevails.” Seek God in your pursuits; He’ll provide a way. Pastor Franklin echoes Deuteronomy 28:12 (NIV): “The Lord will bless the work of your hands.”
Deuteronomy 28:12 (NIV)
"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none."
Dream God-blessed dreams, create a dream board as your action plan, and step boldly with God. Your dreams will flourish, and blessings will abound.
- How have your dreams evolved over time, and what factors (like life’s demands or fear of failure) have influenced whether you pursued or set them aside?
- How can creating a dream board or taking bold steps into the unknown help you strengthen your "dream muscles" and overcome obstacles?
- What’s the difference between a good risk and a bad risk when pursuing a dream?
Power of Environment and Mentorship
Theme: Who you surround yourself with shape your dreams.
Influence of Environment
Pastor Franklin and Mark Pentecost emphasized that who you surround yourself with molds your dreams. Your environment—physical, spiritual, social—shapes your thoughts, behaviors, and confidence. It even affects how your brain processes opportunities. Scripture backs this. 2 Corinthians 6:14 the Amplified Bible puts it this way:
“Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (AMP)
This passage warns against mismatched alliances, highlighting God’s awareness of how deeply we’re influenced by those around us.
- How has your current environment—physical, spiritual, or social—shaped your dreams, either positively or negatively?
- In light of 2 Corinthians 6:14, how do you decide who to surround yourself with to support your God-given dreams?
Dream Killers vs. Dream Givers
There are those, and there will always be those who encourage us or discourage us. People in our lives who are positive and those who seem to have a negative outlook no matter what. We must be wise in choosing who we surround ourselves with, as this determines our trajectory and success in life.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Dream Givers are those who have been there and have had their dreams nurtured. They are those that pour into us because they have seen the Hand of God move and they are not afraid to step out. These Dream-givers are looking to leave a legacy through others who can carry His Great Plan and Purpose. They are yearning to see those who are hungry with a dream fulfill their quest and to see their dreams come to fruition, to His Glory.
- Can you put confidence in those who are closest to you in your life right now?
- Who are your dream-givers?
Reflection: Your Closest Five
Your dreams are part of God's purpose and calling on your life. It is by and through His grace in our lives that we accomplish and become successful in this world. He is building His Kingdom through us. What a privilege, and the beauty is that people are watching and will see His Mighty Hand working in our lives.
Scripture says that our steps are ordered:
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) " For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
The Lord has provided His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, but we must be willing to take risks to walk out our dreams.
Pray with an open Bible, listen closely to the direction that the Holy Spirit is leading you in Scripture and insight through opportunities that He provides, and lastly, seek wise counsel and confirmation through Godly mentors and friends.
Changing your environment and relationships can unlock new levels in your dream.
If we live in an environment of stability and love, allowing for growth and development, we are more likely to feel secure and confident toward our dreams and be confident in taking risks. Belief, faith, and hope will grow in a matrix of nurturing and acceptance.
Likewise, if we live with negative influences and those who have been robbed of their dreams or who are stuck and not moving forward, then we will unfortunately become just like them.
There is a warning of this in the book of Proverbs:
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)
These are the dream-killers.
Your dream isn’t just for you—God intends it for others too. That stirring? It’s God at work! Mark Pentecost said, “Don’t hide your dream—find an environment where people support and build you up!” Pastor Franklin added, “You only change by the people you meet and places you go. Stay with the same crowd, and you risk staying stuck. Move up—surround yourself with dream-chasers.”
- How often do you share your dreams with your closest friends?
- Is it excitement or fear that either promotes or prevents you sharing your dreams with your closest friends?
- What is the general response and what is that telling you?
Dreaming Multigenerational
Dreams from God are multigenerational. God’s dreams go beyond you—to your children’s children and the world.
Proverbs 13:22 (NIV) “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
Mark Pentecost also highlighted his determination to tackle challenges like poverty, cancer, and trafficking, urging us to identify the opposite of our dreams and persist until those obstacles vanish.
God’s capability surpasses anything we can request or conceive. Paul emphasizes this with vivid intensity:
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”
God’s power exceeds our boldest dreams and thoughts by an immeasurable degree. Far beyond our limited understanding, His strength is boundless. Coupled with the vastness of Christ’s love, this extraordinary power flows through believers via the Holy Spirit, enabling us to tap into His limitless might.
- How could your dream impact future generations?
- What global issue stirs your heart that your dream could address?
- How does trusting God’s power (Ephesians 3:20) encourage you to dream bigger?
Yielding to God’s Dream
John 3:16 (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Psalm 37:4 (NIV) "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
God’s dream for you is rooted in His love and the promise of eternal life (John 3:16). When we surrender our dreams to Him, we allow His divine purpose to shape us, leading to transformation that impacts not only our lives but also the world around us. Yielding to God’s dream doesn’t mean giving up on our aspirations—it means aligning them with His will, trusting that He has greater things in store.
As you pursue your dreams, remember to celebrate God’s goodness every step of the way (Psalm 37:4). The journey itself is part of His plan, refining and preparing you for the fulfillment of His purpose. When you surrender to Jesus, His brilliance shines through you, positioning you for monumental impact.
Take a moment to reflect: How does God’s dream, revealed in John 3:16, inspire and shape your own dreams? Let your pursuit of His will lead you to a life of transformation, purpose, and eternal significance.
Discussion Questions:
- How does God’s dream (John 3:16) inspire your personal dream?
- What’s one way you can celebrate God’s goodness this week, even if your dream isn’t complete?
- What does it mean to yield your life to God’s dream for you?
Closing Prayer
“Lord, we thank You for the dreams You’ve placed in our hearts. Stir them up, give us courage to pursue them, and surround us with people who lift us higher. Align our dreams with Your purpose, and may they bring glory to You and hope to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Resources
YouTube
Podcast
Preorder Mark Pentecost’s book ‘Life Of Your Dreams’ and be inspired to unlock and pursue God’s dreams for your life.
Get your free ticket to the Life of Your Dreams Virtual Summit by pre-ordering the Life of Your Dreams book by Mark Pentecost here. The book and summit will show you how to break free from dependency patterns and overcome the biggest barriers that keep you from living your dream life!