Developing Vision For Your Life

Story of Moses:

1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, and there the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

7 “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 God answered, “I will be with you.”

13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, what should I tell them?”

16 Tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me.” 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you.

1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease.[g] 7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

(A.D.D Moment – God really know us when he had us huh?)

8 The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”

10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”

We exist for God’s Glory.

Not to achieve a Gold Medal

Not to make millions of dollars

But for His Glory. Nothing else.

 

God doesn’t promise us:

that we will have millions of dollars

have all the possessions we want

never feel pain or experience problem.

 

In fact, he promises that we will have challenges.

 

John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

He also promises that he will give us dreams and vision.

 

Joel 2:28: I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.

 

When you become a believer, you are told to

Pray

Read Your Bible

Serve

Fellowship

My experiences have been such that:

These practices fail to gain traction in our life without vision.

Adding Vision brings context, meaning and significance to these.

What Is Vision? Broadly…

Vision is the inability to accept things the way they are. It is a clear God picture of what could be and should be.

I believe every person, and every life in Christ is given a Vision

A few famous Visions in the Bible:

Disciples being called out of their jobs “Make you fishers of men”

Mark 1:17 – “They left their nets at once and followed him.”

(probably nets still in the water).

“Jesus saw James and John in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once and they also followed him leaving their father zebedee in the boat with the hired men.”

Peter – Jesus said, “Peter you will also be called the Rock, on which I will build my church.”

Nehemiah rebuilding the temple wall

David – to be king

Moses – being called to lead God’s people

 

You can look at any of these stories and tremendous Vision.

God calls us to greatness according to Jesus Christ. Our Vision is supposed to be Great.

 

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.” John 14:12

 

The mechanism in which he plants and fulfills this statement is Vision.

How else would we do greater things? By chance? By happenstance?

No! through the Calling and Vision God places into us.

Large Scale, Your Life is one big Vision: But micro scale, Vision are cast for:

Career

o ADD moment: Childhood career recommendation was Funeral Embalmer

education / school

people & relationships

business

community / surroundings

causes

Daily visions of faithfulness

 

Two types of Vision:

 

Moment or Instance based vision

Life Calling / Life Changing vision

Each moment / instance based vision begins to connect the larger life calling.

– most people say they had a what appear to be as a broken road to their life calling

Vision Gives Us The Following:

Passion: Vision evokes emotion and a clear vision allows us to experience ahead of time the emotions associated with our anticipated future. (sneak peak).

Motivation: turns the mundane things into stepping stones as a means to an end.

Direction: One of the most practical uses of our life is that it gives us a road map for our lives.

Purpose: Vision translates into purpose and gives us a reason to get up in the morning and to do great things.

 

What is a God based Vision?

Requires Tremendous Faith. Is it something you can do on your own? Then its not big enough.

It is for God’s Glory, Not Ours.

It has been Confirmed

Challenges You in New Ways (outside your comfort zone, scares you)

No Precedence for it. (You’re not trying to accomplish someone else’s vision)

It is Living

o He gives you small visions because we often don’t have the faith the see the greater vision.

Requires you to Submit. You have to surrender your life to Him to see it fulfilled.

 

Confirming God’s Vision:

First run it through the previous criteria.

o “God, your vision for my life is for a Lamborghini!”

Confirmed in the Word (does it match up)

Confirmed in Prayer

Confirmed in Your Spirit

Confirmed in Those Around You (proverbs: the counsel of many is wise)

 

 

Your God based Vision will often times take time.

This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3

 

 

God Visions will always be challenged: By God, and By Satan and Ourselves

Satan will creating obstacles

o Great test to know if you’re on the right track

o Right after God shone on Jesus and said, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased…” He was tempted on the very promises of God.

o You cannot defeat Satan’s attack with his own weapons

§ Despair, depression, anxiety, self doubt, lying

God will challenge you and increase your capacity

o To increase faith, To refine You

o To discipline you / keep you humble

o To prepare you for the next vision

o Often times, what God is doing through you during your pursuit is often more important than the actual Vision’s outcome.

o Creating a new wineskin Parable

§ Luke 5:37: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.”

Ourselves: (We Can Screw It Up)

o Impatience (everyone’s) – sourced from anxiety, depression, everything.

o Lack of Faith and trust in His Lordship

o Sin and Temptation / Distraction

§ Need to be accountable

o Fear – Fear of man / the challenges

o Pride: Being afraid of being sold out to God and His Vision

 

 

Persevere: sometimes there are Road Blocks: Both Godly and Coincidence

Flat tire on the way to a homeless shelter – not God’s will?

Hang nails.

Road blocks can be God’s gentle direction for your life. Closing one door to open another window

 

How to hone in and Implement God’s Vision / Calling into your life.

“As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Mark 4:3-8

 

(Specifically Seek Vision / Calling in these areas):

Listen (Develop your communication with Him) – You want your life to be an on-going conversation with your creator.

" Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding will be given — and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teachings more understanding will be given. But for those who are listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them." Mark 4: 24

o Being Still / Quite Times

o Praying

o Reading the Word

o Worship

o These Things will develop the voice of God to you.

Eliminating Sin in the camp

Fellowship / friendship

o Transparency with others / accountability

o God can speak to you through others

Service

Action! Do something – God will open and close doors.

o Its not God’s responsibility to supply potential.

 

Summary: Listen and make yourself fertile soil.

 

Don’t fool yourself with “God Visions” when they are not:

For periods of time I was positive I knew God’s vision of my life.

It was my high school girl friend

It was motocross, basketball

We Have A Responsibility To Our Vision and Calling:

– Matthew 25: The Parable of the Talents:

 

A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Another Verse in James: the Good a man knows and doesn’t do it: to him, it is sin.

God Guarantees His Word:

 

“My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

 

So for those of us who are at a crossroads with God and feel like Moses:

Know that God has already equipped you for now.

God first calls you — then equips you. When he calls you, he has equipped you with enough for that calling at that time. He increases you.

God's calling is the qualifier. He doesnt qualify you then call you.

 

If you can get your mind off the stuff you are NOT, and seek the things that Christ is, then he will fulfill those things.

 

We are like Moses:

Wandering.

Trying to find vision / trying to find God

OR, Saying, “God not me, pick someone else.”

 

Chad Everett Analogy:

We are like the clay on a potters wheel

Cant tell what is up from down.

All we feel is comfort in his hands around us.

We are molded into the shape God wants us

In the moment that we are put in the fire and kiln, separated from God, it is the exact opposite – its not to punish us – its to harden and cast his fingerprints on us.

 

Who are you to tell the potter what the clay should be (Isaiah)

 

When God gives us this vision, are you saying,

“Here I am”?

“No, not me Lord. Someone else!”

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