Create a Vision Board

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.  No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him? But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. [1 Corinthians 2:1-15]

REMINDERS

• You are not called to be small; we serve a BIG God.
• You will stay small without vision.
• If you want to level up, you have to have a vision.
• Every generation should be better and increase.
• Whatever your focus is, this is what you will move toward.

A vision board is a tangible representation of your aspirations and dreams. It’s a collage of images, quotes, and items that symbolically represent the goals and desires you want to come to pass.

If you have not listened to the Vision and the goal setting podcast yet, please go back to it so this session will make sense for you. They will be on Tuesdays and part of the series of the 15 changes to make for the best 2024.

There are several ways to create a vision board. I like the old-fashioned way where you cut out pictures from magazines or now you can download pictures online. Then you assemble these on a large piece of cardboard and create a beautiful masterpiece of the vision God gave you. Since I’m living in a small space, I have found digital ways to create a vision board. So my other favorite way is in Canva, here is the link to the vision board templates https://www.canva.com/templates/?query=vision-board. There is a free version and of course there is an upgraded plan. I can do everything I need to do with the free plan.

The most important thing is you want to create a board that will be in front of you every single day. So if you have a home office you can put this right above your desk or since we work on our computers every day, we can have it on our desktop or in a place where it’s visible.

CLARIFIES YOUR GOALS

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. [Proverbs 21:5]

What I love about a vision board is it makes your goals real and tangible. Because it’s a visual representation it can evoke emotions that sometimes words aren’t able to convey. Once you have chosen the method that you are going to create your board. Start collecting photos, quotes, scriptures, and whatever inspires you. Remember you most likely won’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you are going!

ENHANCES MOTIVATION

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. [Colossians 3:23]

One of the ways to stay motivated is having that vision board in front of you and you look at it daily. It should evoke some strong emotions inside of you because this vision was given to you by God. (Hallelujah) You may be wondering how am I going to accomplish this Lord, I don’t feel qualified, and we go into the Moses mode! But remember, we are NOT alone, and when we start thinking about those I statements we are not keeping our focus where it needs to be. I love this scripture in Colossians because this is the ultimate way for us to stay motivated. (more about this on podcast).

KEEP YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!!

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. [2 Timothy 4:7-8]

Another benefit of a vision board is it helps keep our goals in front of us, so we know where we are headed. As believers, we all want to fight the good fight and finish the race that God has called us to do. However, if you haven’t taken the time to obtain the vision from God, and also have Him help you set goals. What race are you running in?

KEEPS YOUR FOCUS

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked, keep your feet from following evil. [Proverbs 4:25-27]

A vision board can help you keep your focus on exactly what the Lord wants you to be doing right NOW. Without some form of vision, goals, and visual representation we are winging it and wandering through the desert. Again, what race are you running? This scripture in Proverbs is powerful, look straight ahead; so don’t worry about what others are doing around you, don’t compare yourself to anyone else, and do what the Lord has shown you to do NOW. Mark out a straight path for your feet, that right there is telling you to have a vision and goals and a clear direction on where you are going. Stay on the safe path, which means once you have received the next step from God stay on that path; some translations say don’t turn to the right or to the left, stay focused on the path in front of you. Absolutely, don’t get sidetracked, the enemy is looking for who he can deceive, destroy, and kill – be alert and stay focused on what the Lord has shown YOU.

CONTINUALLY KEEP IN MIND WHAT IS POSSIBLE

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:12-13]

When the Lord guides us into something He WILL provide. We already have EVERYTHING we need to accomplish whatever the Lord has assigned us to do. Remember we are not doing anything in our own power, we are doing EVERYTHING with the power of the Holy Spirit working through us. That is powerful😊!!! Dig into the Word, focus on what the Word says, believe what God says, and keep walking forward. Every single day focus on making your relationship with the Lord deeper and stronger. Ask for new revelation of the Word and wisdom and understanding.

TRACKS PROGRESS AND SUCCESS

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. [1 Corinthians 9:24-27]

In order to run with purpose in every step that we take we need to have goals that can be tracked and are time based. That is why I really like the SMART goal method of setting goals. I know what I need to do every step of the way to reach the intended goal. Reaching goals and winning a race takes discipline and focus. As this scripture says, we are running a race that has eternal value, so know what your role is and run with all your heart, mind, and soul!