What's Your Vision?

What is your vision?

Of course that question has many different answers, yet hopefully all with the same foundation. Right?

Ultimately my vision for my life is to honor God, to love Him and serve Him...to accomplish His purpose for me.

That all sounds great...doesn't it? So, now what does that look like? How do I walk in that?

“Without Vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

The NIV says it this way… “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.”

So, vision is more than the ability to see, in the context of our lives as believers, it is really the ability to see what God sees.

Vision defined is this: The Destination, the picture of the future that God has painted across your heart and in your mind. It is a snapshot of the future from God’s perspective, revealed to you as you pray, listen to God.

Your Vision describes what it will look like to fulfill God’s assignment for your life. End Result

When I counsel marriages, I often quote a pastor by the name of Alistair Begg, who has written many books, one in particular entitled, “Lasting Love”. In it he paints the picture of a marriage without vision. And he says “Often times when marriages don’t go according to plan, it is because no plan has been clearly stated.”

So, I have the couple begin to put their thoughts and ideas down on paper through prayer and careful thought, and then we get together and they read them aloud to each other.

It is powerful, both positively and negatively.

One, they see what they can be together, Two, they see what they are NOT. Ultimately, it provides the couple with the ability to project and dream about what their lives can be.

Now vision, real vision...comes from God. So when a marriage is lacking vision about what marriage is supposed to be, I don’t ask them to go and watch 6 hours of marriage-related “sitcoms” for the answers. I send them to the Word, to prayer. Right?!

Vision is “divine communication”.

Are you lacking vision? Go to your creator. Let Him and His Word paint the picture for you. See wise counsel.

Now for you and I to see God’s vision for our lives will require faith. Because we are going to receive things that don’t seem possible. Things are way too big for us. That’s often how you know it’s God, or atleast that you are on the right path.

When we begin to really trust God and put our hope in God and believe God...we begin to see our lives from a completely different perspective. We begin to see with spiritual discernment.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t scary any more...It just means that you realize that you’re not alone or random.

God has expanded your vision to see what is possible when you trust Him and walk with Him and live for Him!

Now don’t expect that He’ll always give you everything at once...He doesn’t do that a lot. Mostly because he knows we’ll run screaming.

He’ll give you enough. Glimpses that require us to walk in Faith towards them, one day at a time…walk towards the light!

Trust Him...He loves you, he’s your Father in heaven. Trust His heart for you!

The Power of Prayer

Isn’t it great to pray? To be able to talk to God about anything. Whether it’s spoken out loud, in song, or silently in our spirit...we have the awesome privilege of communicating with God, and knowing that hears us and answers us.

Through prayer we get to connect with God and, in such, to open our lives to His guidance and will. So, that in times of need we come for more than a 911 call, but to seek the mind of God regarding our circumstance. Realizing that often times God is not nearly as intent on removing our storm, but bringing peace and transformation right in the middle of it. Right?

And we need to be willing to receive that as well.

Prayer also must include time for God. For Him to speak and for us to listen...time to receive as we wait on Him, strength, wisdom, truth, direction, peace.

Prayer is NOT…

Begging or pleading...God will not be manipulated, it should not be our goal to try and change His mind. He loves and knows what’s best for us, and is always working for GOOD in our lives.

A Get-Rich-Quick scheme… he has already given us what we need in the way of instruction to receive His blessings financially. It’s called “stewardship”. It’s not a formula, that works sometimes and not others...they are Godly principles that are eternal truth.

Presenting God with our Wish List...God is not a genie, an ATM, or a microwave. He is GOD. He is our Father and knows what we need better than we do. Not to say that we can’t come before Him and share our hearts desires, but we are coming submitted to His Will, not ours. So, don’t be surprised, that as you mature in Christ, that your desires change.

Prayer is certainly a discipline, isn’t it? It is such a vital part of our growth, because it is our personal conversation with God. Our time, whenever and wherever we are to talk and listen to the Lord. When it is that...an ongoing communion, it goes way beyond the “panicked cry for help”. It is that, at times, but when it becomes a daily discipline, Prayer moves from becoming our last resort to our first response.

That what Paul meant in Ephesians 6:18, when he says, “Pray in the spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers, and always keep on praying for all the saints.

The longer I know the Lord and get to know myself, it’s like “Duh”...what am I thinking to not be prayerful in everything!

One of the great hymns of our faith, “What a Friend we have in Jesus” says, “Oh what peace often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

Our heavenly Father loves it when we come to Him, seeking and asking and sharing. He’s right there...ready to move, ready to act, ready to deliver...we just need to invite Him!