See the Vision—Fulfill the Dream!
Jeanne Alcott
One of the greatest keys to receiving answers in life is having vision. Without having a vision, or dream, of what we desire to see in our lives, we will not likely ever see it come to pass. We have to have a picture in our mind and spirit of what we want to see happen as a part of God’s will and plan for us.
This “vision” can't be just an occasional daydream or the thought, It would be great if that happened. Vision is something much stronger than that. Vision is an image we have inside us that helps push us toward seeing that image forged into reality.
Without such a vision, I don't believe I would have been healed from the severe pain I once suffered. Without an image formed in me about our ministry, it would not have come into being.
That is true for every facet of our lives. Without vision in my heart and mind from God, I wouldn't have married the right person, gone to college, or worked my way up in an organization. I had to have a vision formed inside me of God’s will for my life, and then see it as being fulfilled so I could work toward it and walk it out.
The ‘Work’ of Having and Maintaining Vision
Throughout life, we never stop having vision. We envision what we want to see accomplished in our lives, whether big or small. For example, without a vision for a balanced household budget in our personal finances, we wouldn’t have one! We “see” or envision it first, and then we work and pray to see it come to pass.
I can honestly say that at one point in our marriage, John and I didn’t have a vision for a budget in our personal finances, and we had to have God’s help to get out of debt. But before we experienced the reality of that financial freedom, we had to set our hearts and minds that it would be so. That’s when we became free of debt.
Everything we desire in life requires some work in our mind and spirit—not just work on the outside or in the arena of what we can do. We have to work on vision first before we can see what we desire become a reality.
When we let go of that responsibility to cultivate vision within, we will stop seeing the answers we need. Then instead of actively determining our lives, we become mere receivers. We sit and receive whatever comes our way and then try to deal with it. We decide only to handle what presents itself—instead of working from a vision of what we really want.
It takes effort to keep the image of our finished goals before us.
God Is Calling You To Succeed
The Lord is telling you that you are called to take an active part in your own future. You should be unwilling to sit by the wayside and just “let come what may.” No, God has called you to be a person of vision.
I encourage you to cultivate inside you a picture for every single thing you want to see happen. It starts with a Christian vision, which is to worship and obey God and win people for Christ as you live in God’s promises. Then your Christian vision should drive your personal vision. God has a unique and specific plan for your life. It’s your personal vision, and fulfilling it is the way you can best serve Him and bless humanity.
God wants to see you healthy and whole. So get a vision for that! Get an image on the inside of physical and emotional health, wholeness, and soundness. God also wants you to be amply provided for—abundantly supplied. Capture that vision for your life!
And just look at how the Lord is working to help you grow in Him and have excellent relationships, a great family life, and a successful business or job.
Perhaps you’re going through a growing process right now. Ask God for a vision of what He’s doing in you. Get a copy in your brain of the picture He wants to plant deeply within of the good things He wants you to experience and do. He wants you to see how you can influence and guide your children and those you lead. The Lord sees how you can affect those around you in your city, state, nation—and, ultimately, the world.
We need to have a vision for every area of our lives!
Resist the Wrong Image!
Don’t accept the picture that the devil would try to paint in your heart and have you swallow. Don’t take the bait on that hopeless, sad image! He will whisper things in your ears, such as: Things won’t change; you’ll never achieve this goal; you’ll just have to live this way; you will always be disappointed by life; it’s too good to be true; it wasn’t meant to be.
Don't bite down on those lies and ingest them into your heart and mind. Instead, reject them and ask God to give you truth and a higher perspective! That’s what He has for you—a perspective that is bigger and better than what you’ve ever dreamed.
That’s one of the first things you’ll need to settle if you want success in life—you need a good image, or vision, and a higher perspective! So let God advance you from where you are in your mind so you can get a better image of what He has planned for you. Don’t settle for a small, hopeless, limited view.
Take a Step Back From the Circumstances
and Grasp the Big Picture
A scholar and teacher by the name of William Macneile Dixon once described this type of view using an analogy. He used the example of a fly crawling across a masterpiece painting in the Vatican that was created by the artist Raphael.
Think about how much that fly could possibly know about that whole painting as it crawled along. It could perhaps tell that some colors were brighter than others. It could feel that some places were rougher than others due to the stroke of the painter’s brush. But regardless of what small thing that insect could detect about that massive painting as it crawled along, it could not have a “big-picture” perspective. Its vision was limited.
Friend, what God has for you is a masterpiece. That’s the plan He has for your life. And He has designed that for you in every area. But if your vision is limited, you’ll never be able to see it. You won’t be able to find and fulfill it. You’ll be like that fly crawling over a vast masterpiece. Sure, you might experience little bits and pieces of His design for you—and perhaps get a glimpse of bigger parts of it here and there.
But wouldn’t it be great to be able to see and experience all that God has for you? In order to do that, you’re going to need higher perspective and increased vision! You’re going to have to back far enough away from situations, circumstances, and the smaller parts of your life so you can see the big perspective of what is available to you. Just as that fly, you’re going to have to rise above the “painting” to see it in its fullness.
Climb Up Higher
How large is your vision? Do you have a mental picture of yourself just trying to get by—or do you see yourself totally conquering what’s bothering you and standing in your way? Is your perspective large enough to think of having finances to send your kids to school, to give into God’s work, or to move to a better place to live? What ideas do you have floating around in you that are shaping your career or causing you to be used in some helpful way? Do you see yourself maintaining a good weight and enjoying good health free of pain? Let God give you a good vision of what He has for you. Climb up higher in your thinking so that you can have a better view.
That’s just what a man in the Bible named Zacchaeus did. One day, Jesus was passing through this man’s town. Zacchaeus really wanted to see Jesus, having heard about the miracles He performed. But the crowd was large that day, and Zacchaeus was short in stature and couldn’t see Jesus clearly. So what did he do? He climbed a sycamore tree to broaden his view.
The Bible says, When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today. So he [Zacchaeus] hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully (Luke 19:5-6).
It’s important to understand that at the time, Zacchaeus was not an honest person. In fact, he was considered a sinner. So the people couldn't understand why the Lord was doing this. But Jesus was showing Zacchaeus a higher perspective for his life—how Zacchaeus’ life could be! And because He reached out to this man, the Word says, Zacchaeus stood up and solemnly declared to the Lord, See, Lord, the half of my goods I [now] give [by way of restoration] to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I [now] restore four times as much. And Jesus said to him, Today is salvation come to [all the members of] this household, since Zacchaeus too is a [real spiritual] son of Abraham; For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost (vv. 8-10).
That all happened because a man changed his perspective. And when he did—when he climbed up higher—he was able to see the Lord and his life was changed.
When we have a higher perspective in our thoughts and desires, we’re going to be able to see the Lord too! We will be able to have a vision of what He has for us, and it will change everything! We will be able to experience greater things in our own lives and do greater things with our lives for God.
Don't become so involved in the small things of life that your vision becomes limited or dimmed. Instead, see the bigger picture—the vision or image of the masterpiece God has painted just for you.
Let the Lord help you see better in the midst of what you are perhaps facing right now. Let Him raise your perspective so that you can truly see Him working in your circumstances, and you can visualize your dreams and desires being fulfilled.
We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!
Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said. Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).
There is so much power available to you as we do this. So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God. Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them. After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life.
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