Vision For Your Life

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

One of the things I love to do before the New Year is to reflect on the past year and set new goals for the upcoming year. Yes, I know I am strange but it’s something that has been a habit for most of my life.

So why should I set goals? Why do I need to know about setting goals? Well, let me ask you this if you were going to travel from Colorado to the Great Lakes and tour around the lakes, go to NY, then go down the East Coast to stop at as many beaches as possible, then eventually back to Colorado. How would you go about this trip? Would you make plans? Would you consider looking at a map?

Many individuals would meticulously plan such a journey, ensuring a clear route, knowledge of gas station locations, and awareness of restaurants along the way. For those of us accustomed to a mobile lifestyle, there’s an additional layer of planning, including selecting campgrounds for stays and identifying enjoyable activities along the journey.

This is one of the many trips that I have made, but to be honest I travel with a very loose plan. Typically, I would drive no more than four or five hours a day and I would make a plan around that four-hour goal. I did not make reservations at campgrounds ahead of time as I was always on the lookout for biking, hiking, or kayaking locations. A plan but with lots of room for enjoying the day and surprises along the way.

My question is why would you plan a road trip meticulously and never even consider having goals for your life? Without a vision or plan people tend to wander aimlessly in the desert for many years. Then at some point, they look around, become disappointed, and wonder how they got where they are.

QUOTE: If you don’t know where you are going, anywhere you arrive looks like your destination.

So today, before we even talk about goals, we need to be sure we have a vision. A vision is the bigger picture from where you build your goals, without a vision goal setting will be a waste of time.

Vision is a faculty or state of being able to see.

Vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.

Vision is having a mental image of what the future will or could be like.

Vision is a supernatural revelation given to us by God.

FOR OUR PURPOSES, THIS VISION IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO FOR THE LORD.

I have the gift of being a visionary. For many years I would have a vision of a business and would build it to six figures and prosper. This went on for many years and it seemed like nothing could affect me and everything I touched turned to gold.

Interestingly, once I became a believer everything fell apart, and things went downhill quickly. It appeared to me that I was in this never-ending hole of despair and poverty, which was making me really frustrated and to be honest, mad at God. See the thing was, I was trying to operate as a new creation (in the spirit) using worldly concepts and strategies instead of learning about God’s laws and ways things operate in His world and His economy.

For many years (even as a believer) I have taught setting goals and how to set goals using the SMART system. So, therefore, I was excited about doing this message because a dear friend told me she was having trouble setting goals and in fact, she never has set any goals. Well for me that was a green light to get right into the teaching I had also done.

However, the thoughts and words were not coming to me. Something wasn’t right because typically when talking about goals I could whip up something in five minutes and it would be an hour’s worth of teaching. But it’s been three days, and this message has not yet come together. I looked at some other messages and googled things, but nothing resonated with me.

In my prayer time this morning, I brought this to the Lord because I didn’t want this message to be just another talk about setting goals, I wanted it to be a message that would transform your life and get you inspired to hear from the Lord.

Because as a believer, we are to get our vision from the Lord. Remember, our Vision is what we are called to do for the Lord. What did the Lord put YOU on this earth for? You have been given gifts, abilities, strengths, and interests to be used for the Lord. Do YOU know what God wants you to do for the Kingdom? Are YOU living this out daily?

I bet for most of you who are listening and for most people wandering through life – they don’t have any idea what the Lord wants them to do. Sadly, most believers have not even considered asking or even concerned that God does have a purpose and a plan for them.

We are all familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. But have you ever meditated on this scripture and do you really know what it is saying?

This is saying that God has a PLAN for your life, to give you a future and hope. That is what a vision does it gives a person hope and it provides a future. Sadly, many people are going through life without hope, and for some they could care less about their future.

But you, girlfriend, are a child of the most high King. You have been given a purpose, a plan, a future, and a vision. As we talked about the little road trip, sure we want to make plans and yes in our lives we want to set goals. However, we first need to have a greater purpose or a vision from God Almighty. Do you realize that without vision or purpose, you will die?

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he [Proverbs 29:18]

However, most people are (1) not willing to pay the price to find out what that calling is (2) they are not committed to following this out for the rest of their lives.

• When you have a God-given vision, you don’t have time to get depressed or bored.
• When you have a God-given vision, you will know how to act in every circumstance.
• When you have a God-given vision, you will know what to do when evil knocks at your heart or mind.
• When you have a God-given vision, you will NOT be wasting time with mindless things or things that have no eternal value.
• When you have a God-given vision, you will be given supernatural energy and power to carry it out.
• When you have a God-given vision, you are excited and can’t wait to get up every single day!
• When you have a God-given vision, you will have restraint and choose to do things that honor God.
• When you have a God-given vision, you will press on regardless of the challenges that a vision presents.

We are obligated to seek the Lord for the plan and vision of our lives. I wish this was something that we could do immediately, however, this is something that will take effort. So instead of talking about SMART goals, I’m going to share with you a few steps to pursue God. You need to have GOD’s vision for your life. Please note that you are not going to find God’s plan accidentally or automatically.

Ask Him to give you a clear vision- allow Him to speak to you about your vision. Know that there will be opposition so we MUST know what our vision is so that we can fulfill what God has called us to do. This takes commitment and Holy Spirit power.

Step 1: Seek God First: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [Matthew 6:33]

Girlfriends don’t do what have done. I would come up with ideas and plans and then ask God to bless it. I didn’t even realize that I was doing this, but because of my A-type personality I’m a go-getter, just give me a glimpse of a vision and I’m off and running. I would be running so far ahead of God that I was running into nowhere and falling flat on my face. So be grateful if you are someone who has never set goals or even thought about it or has never had a vision. You are blessed in another way and can start RIGHT by seeking GOD first. Ask GOD to give you HIS vision for YOUR life and from here we can set goals! 😊

Step 2: Become a Living Sacrifice And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [Romans 12:1]

We must be willing to lay everything down in front of the Lord. This means our goals, our dreams, our hopes, our desires, and anything that will distract us from hearing from God – lay it down. We are to live our lives holy and be an example to other believers and also to those who are lost. The Lord is NOT going to give you a vision for your life IF you are living with a man that you are not married to.

Listen, my single girlfriends, you may think I am harsh on you but know what I am saying is from love because I’ve already walked in your shoes and have made ALL the mistakes that YOU don’t need to make. I was on a sailboat in Belize, with a man I was not married to, kind of like being Jonah, yet I was asking God to show me what He wanted me to do. God will NOT ever leave us, but when we are making decisions that hinder our relationship with Him, God cannot speak to us or give us anything responsible to do. We must become that living sacrifice – we must die to our fleshly desires.

Step 3: Meditate on the Word Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. [Joshua 1:8]

I think in every single message I keep emphasizing the importance of being in the Word. It’s because this is how God speaks to us. Reading the Word is how we get to know who God is and who we are. This is how we know what to do, what to say, and how to live. The Bible is our life manual that is full of wisdom and promises.

Without being in the Word we will not clearly hear God’s voice. We will misunderstand what our vision is and waste time (trust me, been three done that too). Make the Word living and real to you and allow it to seep into every cell of your body. Let it penetrate into your soul and body, and transform your mind. You have to know the Word because when you believe you have been given a vision it MUST not contradict the Word in any way.

Step 4: Seek Wisdom and Guidance Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance [Proverbs 1:5]

Ok, I’m sharing with you today all of my mistakes. We should always seek wisdom, but it should ONLY come from God or godly people who are where we want to be. The biggest mistakes that I made were embarrassingly done more than once or twice. Being in the business world I was always willing to grow and learn and bet on myself. Therefore, I sought after coaches and other teachers who were where I wanted to be and I’ve wasted thousands and thousands of dollars doing this. I was always chasing after the money and trying to figure out how to get back to creating a six-figure business. I so desperately wanted that financial freedom again that I was willing to receive un-godly guidance and worldly wisdom to get there.

Don’t do that my friend seek the Lord. If you need to have coaching or further assistance, make sure they are a true God-fearing believer. Holy crumbs, what the heck was I thinking… ? ???

Step 5: Be Still Before the Lord Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. [Psalm 37:7]

We want to wait, listen, be still, and patiently seek the Lord for all wisdom, guidance, and direction. If not, our decisions can be devastating and hard to come from.

Thankfully because I’m a child of God, He faithfully protected me from succeeding or doing anything financially significant in a worldly way. Finally, and over a period of several years, I finally halted everything that I was doing. I gave up my goals, my dreams, my desires, and what I was trying to do. Honestly, the only reason was because I was so totally exhausted from trying; that all I could do was sit at the feet of Jesus cry.

Just reading this verse gives me peace: Be still in the presence of the Lord. This doesn’t mean we are doing absolutely nothing, but it does mean that we are not running 100 miles ahead of God without His direction and guidance. Wait for His leading and His voice that says, this is the next step.

Step 6: Prayer and Fasting

One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them. [Acts 13:2]

Anyone who has done anything great for God has spent many days, nights, weeks, months, or even years in prayer and fasting. The more I learn about fasting, the madder I get that I didn’t know about it sooner. There are many reasons to fast, but the entire purpose of the fasting process is to make your flesh obedient and submissive. Sin came into the world through food; the beautiful red apple in the Garden of Eden. The only way to make sin or our flesh to do what we want it to do is to show it who is boss through a period of fasting. This is a time of teaching the flesh that no matter how much it wants to yell, we will be in our Word, and we will be praying, and you can keep on screaming but you will not get your way.

Look at these scriptures:

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. [Romans 8:5-10]

Look we CAN NOT do anything that we are talking about without the help of the Holy Spirit. But we also have a responsibility in this, it is mandatory for believers to fast and pray. As Romans 8:7 says, for the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

Therefore, we have to commit to a time when the flesh is put into its place, it is only then, will we be ready to listen and hear from God Almighty. ONLY, after we have committed to all the other steps and when we take a focused time to be in the Word, pray specific prayers, seek wisdom, sit still, and not focus on food; and we intentionally LISTEN – this is how and when will we receive our GOD GIVEN VISION.

I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, write my answer plainly on tablets so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 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 2:1-3]