Author, Believe That You Can (Charisma House 2008)
Other books: NY Times Bestseller, Fasting and Right People, Right Place, Right Plan
Senior Pastor of Free Chapel Church
Broadcasts weekly program, Kingdom Connection, worldwide
Founder of Kingdom Connection Media
Ministry, includes international television and publishing ministries that served the Christian community for over 13 years.
guest bio
Dreams are Meant to be Lived
By Heather Salon
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– GOD GIVEN VISIONS AND DREAMS
Over 20 years ago, Jentezen Franklin moved to Gainesville, Ga., with just a dream; a dream that God would raise up a great ministry to touch the nations.
“As long as you have a God-given dream you will never be old. A God-given dream leads to God-honoring results. The important thing is to spend time with God because when you spend time with Him, He unlocks your dreams and empowers you to walk them out. Living your dreams isn’t easy. That’s why so many people give up,” Jentezen said.
Jentezen Franklin has watched many people let their dreams die, and now he wants to help resurrect them. In his book, Believe That You Can, Jentezen encourages people to reach for the stars, and he gives them the tools they need to do it. He says fulfilling your dreams takes persistence and tenacity, along with belief and faith in yourself, in God, and in the message He has given you. You’ve got to grab hold of the dreams and visions God gave you and not let go until they come to pass.
“You are never more like God than when you’re dreaming, because God is a dreamer from the beginning,” Jentezen said. “His nature is in you, and that’s why you can look at something that appears to be nothing going nowhere and believe in it.”
"Reviving a dream and making it happen can be done, but it does take some savvy and persistence. There will always be something blocking your way, and there is frequently someone with something negative to say," He said.
“Dreams are almost like a divine mist, and one harsh breath from some critic can dissolve it,” Jentezen said. “All it takes is one negative word from a cynical person to crush a dream. The key is to keep that from derailing you."
“Don’t give up too soon on your dream,” Jentezen said. “It’s always too soon to quit. When you’ve been through hell, what’s five more yards? Keep going. Keep dreaming the dream that God has put into your heart. If it were easy, anyone could do it.”
JENTEZEN’S DREAM JOURNEY
Jentezen was born and raised in North Carolina. He grew up with two brothers and two sisters in a Christian home; his father was a pastor who traveled throughout North Carolina.
For the most part Jentezen lived for God, but he did have a rebellious season. With peer pressure and the pressure from being a preacher’s son, he tried drugs. When his friends saw interesting things while doing drugs, Jentezen would see Moses and Elijah. He said his parents prayed for him so much that he couldn’t get away with anything. If he ever did something bad, his deeds were exposed; he would get caught – God wouldn’t let him stray.
When Jentezen was 16, something happened at a church service in North Carolina – he fully committed his life to Jesus and yearned to do something great for God.
Jentezen majored in music in college with a full scholarship to Barton. He played the saxophone. During his second year of college, his older brother Ritchie, a preacher, called Jentezen to play saxophone on the road with him. He spent three weeks on the road with him, and Jentezen has been in ministry ever since.
Jentezen has been preaching for over 25 years, 17 of them at Free Chapel. After he married his wife Cherise, they moved to Atlanta, Ga. They started Free Chapel in Gainesville, Ga., and a year ago they started a Free Chapel in Orange County, Ca. Jentezen and his family live in Georgia with Free Chapel for three days a week and live from Sunday to Tuesday in Orange County.
Jentezen’s dream expanded when he was invited to play saxophone on a Christian program in Pennsylvania. Co-founder of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Jan Crouch, saw him on that program and invited him to come on TBN. Jentezen said that Jan Crouch helped open the doors to some of his dreams.
Today, Jentezen speaks and broadcasts his program, Kingdom Connection, around the world. He also speaks to youth with his Forward conferences. Jentezen believes that there are multigenerational blessings. He is doing what his father, a Spirit-filled Pentecostal minister, would have loved to do. Unfortunately, his father didn’t live to see the fulfillment of these dreams. But, Jentezen’s mother, Katie, is living part of her husband’s and son’s dreams as she leads the Wisdom Club for seniors at the Free Chapel.
In his latest book, Believe That You Can, Jentezen elaborates on the six stages of a dream: (1) I thought it, (2) I caught it, (3) I bought it, (4) I sought it, (5) I got it and (6) I taught it.
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