The Power of Vision

Proverbs 29:13–19 NASB95

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14 If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever. 15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. 16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall. 17 Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul. 18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. 19 A slave will not be instructed by words alone; For though he understands, there will be no response.

A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.” (P.K. Bernard)

“A knife cuts because it has a narrow focus” (Cleddie Keith)

“A coward dies a thousand deaths, but a brave man dies only once” (Roman soldiers)

“When God predetermined our destiny, He factored in our stupidity. Therefore there’s always enough time to finish?” (Larry Randolph)

 The level of sacrifice that an environment requires will determine the size of people that will follow” (Kris Vallotton)

1. Vision is the bridge between the present and the future

Vision gives pain a purpose

Without vision people take the easy road

Without vision people take the easy road

hose without vision spend their lives taking the path of least resistance as they try to avoid discomfort. The level of sacrifice that a vision requires will determine the size of people who follow. Sacrifice separates the small from the great.

Without it we perish or go “unrestrained”

Without vision people will avoid discomfort

Without vision people will avoid discomfort

2. Vision requires great sacrifice

The level of sacrifice that a vision requires reveals the size of people who follow

Sacrifice separates the small from the great.

Sacrifice separates the small from the great.

So many of us go through life not understanding the purposes of our trials. We spend our days walking a crooked path, believing that every obstacle in the road is a problem and something to be avoided

Many go through life not understanding the purpose of trials

Obstacles are not something to be avoided

We spend our days walking a crooked path, believing that every obstacle in the road is a problem and something to be avoided

3. Vision is the law that governs us

The law sets limits for us

The law is the boundaries that keep us in line

The law disciplines us to go through obstacles

4. Vision reveals our destination

Vision is what we see, but it is also the way in which we see. Vision is the lens that interprets the events of our life, the way we view people and our concept of God

Vision is what we see

Vision is the way in which we see

Vision is the lens that interprets the events of our life

Our minds receive images from our eyes but our heart interprets these images

Vision reveals the Truth

Jesus said that our eyes are the windows of our heart. Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened. In other words, we perceive with our eyes but we see with our hearts. If our heart becomes bitter, jealous, hurt or in someway infected, the lens of our heart is distorted. What we perceive is happening and what is really going on could be two completely different things. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free” ()

The way we view life can feel and look real, or make perfect sense, but still not be real at all. Have you ever watched a good movie and gotten totally into it? You experience all the emotions of real life. You may even leave the theater still “feeling” the movie, but it was just a movie? it was never real. The truth is: we see what we believe to be true. Another way to put it is, if you have the wrong pretext you will misunderstand the context. Having a revelation of what is real will deliver us from a life of torment that virtual reality often causes.

5. Vision requires faith

There is a difference between what we believe in our heads and our hearts

What we believe with our heart drives us

True Godly vision consists of foresight, insight and oversight that come from His sight. Foresight is like looking at life through a telescope. This outlook allows us to know what is ahead as it connects us to our future.

Godly vision consists of foresight, insight and oversight

Foresight is like looking at life through a telescope

With foresight we look ahead

Foresight connects us with our future

Insight is like looking through a microscope

Insight is like viewing life through a microscope. This perception gives us an understanding of why things happen in life. It also helps determine the underlying motivations of the heart.

Insight gives us understanding

Insight fuels the heart to pursue the vision

Oversight is like flying over our house in a helicopter

Oversight puts life into context. It is like flying over our house in a helicopter. There is a perspective that we can only receive from this vista that helps us understand where we are with respect to where everything else is. The sons of Issachar are great examples of this kind of vision. The book of I Chronicles says that these men understood the times and had knowledge of what Israel should do (12:32)

Oversight helps us determine our progress

In 1 Chronicles we learn that the sons of Issachar understood the times and had knowledge of what Israel should do (12:32)

His sight assures us that the vision we have is from God. A vision from the Lord creates a mission from heaven.

A vision from the Lord creates a mission from heaven.

6. The vision must be written down

To accomplish the vision we must take it from the unseen and bring it into the seen

You need to read it and make it yours

Do not change the vision, Own the vision

Administrate the vision

The next step is to create a plan to accomplish the mission. The Bible says:

Administrate simply means to manage the fulfillment of a task

Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed; the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD - & 16:1

Visionaries determine “WHAT” should be accomplished

Administrators help develop the “HOW” of the vision

Vision is by faith

Our minds receive images from our eyes but our heart interprets these images

1 Timothy 1:4 NIV

4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

1 Timothy 1:4 NIV

4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

says that the administration of God is “by faith.”

7. Vision empowers you to overcome fear

Fear counteracts faith

The 12 spies were sent to see the land that belonged to them

10 Spies returned with a report that was not part of the assignment

10 Spies thought they were asked if they could enter

Do not settle for what can be accomplished by man

Do not allow the opinions of faithless people to determine what we will accomplish

Be Faith-Filled to the vision

Do not settle for less

8. Vision requires goals

For years, the people of God have often settled for what can be accomplished by human effort and ability, because we have allowed the opinion of faithless people to determine what we will achieve, instead of being faithful (faith-filled) to the vision we saw “on the mountain”. This is a perversion of the gospel of the kingdom. We should never settle for anything less than what God told us to do.

SETTING GOALS

Goals are the vision broken down into pieces that can measured

“If you fail to plan you plan to fail”

September 2018 Goal - Every Partner Bring One

Goals are simply the vision broken down into smaller pieces that are measurable in time and space. In other words, they are specified parts of the mission that we will accomplish by a predetermined date. Many people don’t like to set goals because they think that if they are not able to accomplish them on time, they have failed. The truth of the matter is that, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail.”

The final stage of seeing the mission accomplished is establishing your steps. Proverbs says, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (16:9). Psalms says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand” (37:23-24). Steps are your day-in, day-out walk with God: the step-by-step, moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour decisions you make and the things you do that take up your time and use up your life. When your vision is honestly birthed by God Himself, He will be delighted to direct your steps. The most important thing to remember about your steps is that they should be found somewhere in your mission.