Developing Vision For Life

“Developing Vision for Life”

Proverbs 29:18

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As human beings we all possess an incredible imagination. Here’s a fact I didn’t know. Our eyes take in four (4) million bytes of information every second, and the moment we see it, our imagination processes it and forms a 3D color picture and puts it into motion.

Our imagination is a very powerful thing. In fact, our whole mental process revolves around it, as we think in pictures. Consider if I say, “It was a big black dog.” Our brains don’t see the words, rather our imagination shows an image instead. We are all visually oriented.

As a result, we all have a picture of ourselves, our family, and our future. And how we see ourselves is usually what we become.

In Proverbs 23:7 says, and I am paraphrasing, “As a person thinks within their hearts, that is what they become.” (Proverbs 23:7 Paraphrase)

Basically, we become what we think, that is why it is important that we have a right vision of ourselves, of God, and of our relationship with Him. A lot of people live their lives beneath God’s vision, which is why we need to have God’s vision for our lives.

Therefore, it’s important that we do not underestimate the power of an inspired vision, a divinely inspired vision.

Here are some people who had an inspired vision that you might consider.

· William Wilberforce, who is featured in the movie, “Amazing Grace,” had a vision where men and women wouldn’t be sold like chattel, and he brought that vision to the British Parliament in 1789. But even though this bill to abolish slavery continued to be defeated, Wilberforce still believed in the vision, and four (4) days before his death, Parliament passed the bill abolishing slavery throughout its empire.

· Centuries later, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told of his dream of a world without prejudice, hatred, or racism. It was a dream where people would no longer be judged on the color of their skin, but rather on the content of their character. It is this dream that still drives our nation to eliminate all such barriers.

· And then there’s the Wright brother’s vision of building a flying machine, or Henry Ford’s dream of building an affordable car for the average working American family. And Bill Gates saw a computer that would be user-friendly.

· And’s not forget Walt Disney who had a vision of a mouse that would build an empire. Disney World Theme Park averages 58 million people a year. But Disney died before its Grand Opening. At the opening, someone said to Mrs. Disney, “Isn’t it a shame that your husband couldn’t live to see this?” And she replied, “He did see it, that’s why it’s here.”

All of these and so many others had an inspired vision whose power changed the way we look at the world today.

Unfortunately, life has a way of depleting a person’s zest for accomplishments and for vision. Responsibilities and financial pressures combine to overload people; physically, emotionally, and spiritually to a point where life is more of a grind than it is an adventure.

But a Holy Spirit inspired vision creates its own energy and energizes people’s hearts, minds, and bodies in a positive direction. Some have likened vision to a match that sets ablaze people’s hearts that moves them to action. (This was talked about earlier in our message entitled, “Getting Set Ablaze.”)

So, what are the steps in developing a vision for our lives?

1. Define God’s Vision

Proverbs tells us that where there is no vision, the people perish.

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (Proverbs 29:18a NKJV)

I really like the way the New King James translates this verse, because it is a more accurate translation of the Hebrew language. The word “vision” used by most translators, is better translated as a “revelation,” or “an oracle from God.” It means a prophetic insight, a God given revelation. So, this first part might better be translated as, “Where there is no God given revelation.”

But we can’t stop there. The second part of this verse that most translations use is the word “perish.” What the word means is to be undisciplined, and out of control. This is why I like this version where it says that people without a prophetic revelation from God cast off all restraint. They do whatever they like.

People need a divinely inspired vision, and if such a vision is lacking, they will either make up their own, or wander without purpose, goals, and focus, and lose what life is all about. How else can we explain the moral demise of our country and of people’s lives? They have no vision, no godly revelation, they haven’t seen the Lord like the prophet Isaiah, who saw the Lord high and lifted up. They haven’t seen Jesus dying on the cross for their sins, and so we have a country that has gone wild.