The only thing in life that is free is the grace of God. Everything else comes at a cost. World changers understand from the beginning that there will be a price to pay for achieving their dream. That doesn’t mean it needs to be seen in a negative sense, but it must be recognized.

How much is your dream worth to you? The value of your dream will be directly connected to the price you are willing to pay for achieving it. However, when chasing a God-sized dream, here’s what I know, your Abba Father is a good, good Father. Whatever He asks you to invest, give up, or trade for your dream, He is planning to multiply it back to you. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen. Therefore, make sure whatever you are paying to achieve your dream is in line with God’s Will and don’t expect it to necessarily all come back in the form of money.

Paying the price for our God-sized dreams should be out of an act of obedience and not selfish ambition. Take it from Matthew, the former tax collector, as he writes in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (NLT)

Let’s talk about the price of dream building.

The dream is free, but the journey isn’t

Look at the life of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). Remember Joseph? He was Jacob’s 11th child. Early in his life he had two dreams, both of which foreshadowed his rise to power over his family. His older brothers were less than thrilled.

It cost Joseph nothing to have the dreams, but it cost him everything to see those dreams materialize. In fact, Joseph’s journey would take him through betrayal, loneliness, isolation, and disappointment. His journey was full of peaks and valleys. No one would have blamed him if he had given up on the visions he received. But Joseph persevered. His actions were honorable no matter the circumstances he found himself in and most importantly, his faith remained intact.

What’s notable about Joseph’s journey is that the Bible is clear that the Lord was with Him. World changer, the road to your dream may not be as dramatic, but there will be some hard days. Only a steadfast determination in your God and your God-given dream will provide the strength and endurance you need to keep moving along your path, even when the end is nowhere in sight.

You’ll get the bill for your dream sooner than later

Joseph was 17 when he had his two dreams. Do you remember being 17? At that age, you and I had our whole life ahead of us. We were carefree and naïve. I suspect Joseph was too.

He probably never suspected that just a short time after announcing his dreams that his entire life was about to change. He certainly didn’t expect his dream to be shortchanged by his own family. Having had enough of the dreamer, his brothers sold him into slavery and fabricated a story to cover their tracks. That day, in a caravan headed to Egypt, Joseph made the first down payment on his dream.

Friend, don’t get caught off guard if you find that an investment of serious time, energy, and/or perhaps finances come due not too long after you start moving toward your dream. Yet, be encouraged! “The fact that the price must be paid is proof it is worth paying.” Robert Jordan

You’ll probably pay more than you bargained for

As Joseph’s journey continues, he pays an ultimate price for the dream he has been entrusted with – he pays with his freedom for years! You would have to wonder how Joseph reasoned what was happening to him, but the Bible only gives us a picture of a man who in every circumstance gave it his all. He did not let what was happening to him define him. He kept the faith. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).

World changer, as the price of your dream goes up, remember what you are attempting to achieve and weigh the impact of success against the cost you are paying.

“Understand there is a price to be paid for achieving anything of significance. You must be willing to pay the price.” John Wooten

You’ll need to pay multiple installments

How many times did Joseph pay a price? After reading through his story, most would say he paid at least three times – when he was sold into slavery, when he was thrown in jail by Potiphar, and when he was forgotten by the chief cupbearer. I think, however, that he made seven deposits to his dream because not all payments are negative. Sometimes the cost of what we are paying is a seed to success.

Let me explain.

While Joseph had three negative outcomes that no doubt cost him something, he also sowed four seeds during his journey to his dream’s end. When he worked for Potiphar, he was a model household servant, gaining Potiphar’s favor until Potiphar’s wife interfered. When he was in jail, he was a model prisoner, gaining the trust of the prison warden. When the king’s cupbearer and baker were imprisoned, Joseph interpreted their dreams. Then, Joseph reached a tipping point. When Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream, he made his final payment.

In the midst of setbacks, Joseph dug in. In the end, his positive investments outweighed any negative costs and he not only gained his freedom, but he also became the second in command of Egypt. Sounds like his dream came true!

Yes, world changer, the journey to your dream will cost you. Yes, you’ll have to start paying a cost sooner than later and yes, it will be more than you expected. However, if you keep making deposits, do the hard work, and keep the faith, your dream will happen! And it will be worth it!

Don’t overpay for your dream

Just one word of caution. Sometimes when we get caught up in making our dreams happen, we pay too high a price. Don’t do it! See Joseph understood that his dream was not worth any and everything he might have.

After he became Pharaoh’s right-hand man, guess who came to Egypt? Yep, those ten older brothers.

During a time of famine, they came to Egypt seeking food for the family and Joseph had the power to seek revenge. Yet Joseph was not willing to throw away his family. He was living the dream, but he decided that disassociating with his family and living in a state of bitterness was too high a cost. He chose forgiveness and allowed his family to share in the dream he had been given and God blessed him for it.

“When the dream begins to control your values, the cost is getting too high.” John Maxwell

We should always count the cost of anything we do, especially when we seek to build a God-sized dream. Though each of us will pay some type of cost for our dream, there are three common expenses we will all have to pay the price for when chasing our dream.

Dealing with criticism

None of us like to be criticized. What I’ve learned over the years, is that people who negatively criticize my dreams are uncomfortable because they realize they aren’t living theirs. Don’t be afraid to stand out. You’ll be in good company. Jesus certainly stood out and was criticized every day of His ministry. What was His response? This is what the Bible records: “Jesus paid no attention to what they said …” Mark 5:36 (GNT)

Friend, stay the course. There will always be critics.

Overcoming our fears

Remember, “fear not” is in the Bible 365 times. That’s one “fear not” for every day of the year! You can do this; you just need to face your fears head on and take a leap of faith. And if you can’t shake the fear sometimes, do it afraid!

“Going after a dream has a price. It may mean abandoning our habits, it may make us go through hardships, or it may lead us to disappointment. But however costly, it is never as high as the price paid by people who live in his/her comfort zone.” Paulo Coelho

Working hard

John Maxwell gives it to us straight: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” No where in the Bible does it say we will not have to work for our dreams. However, the reward is great for those who labor in love for their God-given dream. No matter what, keep pushing. “A dream does not become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” Colin Powell

I challenge you to give some thought to the cost of your dream. I’m betting in the end that you’ll see the benefits outweigh the costs.