"You have to pursue your own dreams, but you are given your dreams by the God". Has the author contradicted himself?

[Ahbed Nadir]

God's wishes for us is to live long and prosper. Therefore His dreams for us will eventually lead to success and greatness for us so its simply wiser to follow his plans instead of making bad choices on our own. The beauty of the thing is that even with God' omnipotence he still leaves us free to make our own choices.

[Emmanuel Kolapo]

I believe the writer is not writing contradictory.

From my view about the writer's word, I am able to conclude that we are all giving free will by God so that we can choose for ourselves concerning our dream.
In the same place that God has given us freewill concerning our dreams, God is also interested in helping us to realize our dreams if we can trust Him as out creator.

[BookBoyP]

I think the simple answer to thus is "free will". In as much as God has a plan for each of us, he doesn't limit us to that, that's why so many people eventually go astray.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

.......... I believe that we've created in God's image and likeness. I believe everyone is got their own dream and should work towards achieving that dream through hard work and perseverance. I don't also think that theres anything wrong in buying into someone's else's dream and running with it. So, I think the author contradicts himself.

[Eunice Geres]

I actually have the same belief as with the author. I've always believed that before we are born, God gave us this dream that he thinks is suited for our soul. This dream is engraved in our being. But it doesn't necessarily mean that we would end up pursuing that dream because there are troubles and doubts along the way. God gave us a choice every step we took down the road if we want to pursue the dream or not.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I don't think that the author has contradicted himself. To every one that God created is a special purpose. So the dreams you pursue is in line with your purpose. That's what I think the author means. Just as we are different, so are our dreams. Chasing our dreams is thus, fulfilling our purpose given by God, the giver of dreams.

I was also confused by this, but your explanation makes perfect sense. I think that God has given us the freedom and ability to dream, and he doesn't limit it's scale, but He still finds a way to nudge us towards His purpose for us. We eventually want it, because He designed it that way.

If He has kept a way to nudge us towards His path, then how can it be taken as a complete freedom to dream and execute. People are limited by the concept of 'Sin', and that is how God has cut down or restricted the dreaming of humans. So I don't think that people are free to dream because they are given that ability by the God including limitations.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

When you follow your dreams it doesn't mean that you don't follow God's plan for you. I don't see any contradictions here, but I guess it depends how you define your relationship with God. I myself believe in free will.

If you follow someone, that means you are not thinking on your own. If a person has a dream it should be his own and he should be free to see that. How can one to expect a free thinker to follow someone. Obedient followers do not have dreams, or they do not express them. So, as I see, if a person is following God, he is unable to dream on his own.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Not at all. He meant that God made us to be able to dream dreams. However, he gives us the dreams we see/dream. Like if you sleep, and get a vision, this dream/vision can only come from God. Your ability to dream was given to you by God, this, the author clearly did not contradict himself with his words

Seemingly you have contradicted yourself as well. If the God has given us the ability to dream and also provided the dreams for us, then whose dreams are we seeing; our very own ones or God's ones? It is like a television company making the television as well as the channels. We can only see what the person, who gave us the ability to watch, wants us to watch. It does not sound like 'free will' to me.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I don’t necessarily see it as a contradiction. God gives us the desire to dream and He gives us free will. I do think He sometimes places certain dreams in our hearts when He creates us. But, we have the choice to pursue those dreams or not.

If the God sets some dreams in us, then those should be for our own betterment. Choosing not to follow them will lead us to a path which God did not intended us to go. So that will make us sinners. Is that so?

On the other hand, if He has planted some dreams in us, has He granted 100% 'free will' to humans as He says?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I agree, the author did contradict himself. But that will be if you look at the sentence litrally. Technically he is saying the same thing as every dream, aspirations, idea all come either from the evil side of our instinct or the good. Folllowing the later, we will see that our own dreams came from the good part of our instinct and that part consist of the aster, God of gods himself. So in short, I would say God created our own dreams for us.

If we say that our dreams come from our instinct, then that is okay and that goes along with the concept of 'free will'. But if the good dreams are related to the God and the bad ones the devil, then where is the free will? If we are free to dream, then ones should accept that our dreams are our very own ones, rather than thinking that the good ones come from the God.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

The author did not contradict himself in my opinion. He was simply saying we all have dreams that God has given us and we should thereby trust God to live to it out and fulfil them.

That is the issue. If our dreams are given by God, then how can we dream big? Then it is up to the God to dream big or small. If going along God's path means dreaming this so called God given dreams, then how can we dream on our own and build our own future. Seemingly everything is pre-planned by the God including our dreams. There is no such thing as 'free will'.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

No, I don't think the author is contradicting himself. I don't think the author literally meant that God has "given" us dreams that we must follow. It's more like God presents us with the dreams he wants for us. The dreams God presents us with are ones he knows suit us, but free will means that we can choose those dreams or choose others on our own. God doesn't 'own' the dreams he gives us. As with any gift, you can use what you have been given... or not.

I agree. When a gift is given, the giver gives up its ownership. But that does not make that gift a making by the receiver. If the God has the dreams that are intended for us, that means to be a good person we have to accept them. So, if I am not wrong, having free will and dreaming on your own makes you go against or away from God, is that so?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Fulfilling our dreams in life is simply fulfilling the purpose or intention that God has created us for. Like Jesus, His purpose as God planned was to die for our sins. Which Jesus did before he rose to heaven.

Jesus had to do what God intended Him to do because the father, the son and the Holy spirit are a One. That means that he has not followed someone else's path or intentions, but his own.

But that is different when it comes to humans who have a free will. They should be able to dream on their own and work on their own. But if humans are too created with a purpose by the God, then how can there be an actual free will?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Not at all. God only gives you the dream but you are the one to persue them. Just like there are so many worms and grains out there but the birds must look for them, else they will sleep hungry.

Birds have to search for grains which are made by someone else. But are humans like birds, someone that has to wait for someone to give they what they want. No. They have the ability to create things on their own and that is called creativity. That comes along with the ability to dream. So if the dreams are given to humans by the God, then there cannot be a thing called creativity.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Honestly, I was confused too at the beginning by this affirmation. But on second thought, in the Christian vision, it makes sense. God created us, as the author says, with our dreams in "our DNA", but he also gave us free will and freedom. Thus, the goal on Earth should be that of finding the right inspiration and fulfill the dream God created us with. Thanks to free will, you might also never find it, thus never fulfilling your dream/scope. I think in this way the apparent conflict is resolved.

So all our dreams are predetermined, is that so? If so how can the free will act? If, as you say, free will means that we never pursuing those dreams, then is free will a bad thing? Can humans never dream on their own other than dreaming the ones that are implanted by God in our DNA. I am really confused now.