So You Have a Vision

Developing Vision

I. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO HAVE A GOD-GIVEN VISION.

A. Prov. 29:18.

B. Vision defined.

1. Imagining how things should be, and paying little regard to the current circumstances, or how things are likely in the naturally to be. (We are to walk by faith in the vision God plants in our hearts, and not by how things appear in the natural - 2 Cor. 5:7).

2. The act of seeing, or the ability to see.

C. A visionary defined.

1. One who dreams big. (If you are thinking small, then you don’t have vision!)
2. One who has supernatural revelation from God.
3. One who thinks far into the future, and uses that foresight to make plans now, in order to nourish and cultivate his vision.

D. God thinks big, and we need to expand our thinking to begin thinking as He thinks (Is. 55:8-9)…

E. …and we need to water the vision God gives us by what we say (Is. 55:11-12).

1. Your vision will never come to fruition if you don’t apply faith to it, and line up your mouth to be in agreement with the vision. How can you flow with God’s vision if you’re not speaking in line with it (Amos 3:3)?

2. Do as Abraham did with God’s vision for him to be the father of many nations: Call those things that be not as though they are (Rom. 4:17-24, Amp).


3. Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth will speak (Matt. 12:34). If you believe in the vision God gives you, you will be speaking it forth, no matter what your circumstances are.

II. PEOPLE OF VISION IN THE BIBLE.

A. Moses was a man of vision to lead the Hebrews out of slavery.

1. God gave Moses vision (Ex. 3:1-12—especially v. 12).
2. Moses clung to the vision despite the opposition (Ex. 5:1-12:30).
3. The vision was accomplished through tenacity (Ex. 12:41).
4. You certainly must be a man of vision and purpose to set aside wealth, fame, honor, respect, and worldly power for the sake of the vision.

B. Peter was a man of vision to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel for the first time ever (Acts 10:1-11:18—especially Acts 10:34-45, 43-45).

C. Paul was a man of vision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, as well (Acts 26:14-18). Note that Paul wasn’t disobedient to the vision God gave him (Acts 26:19-23).

D. Paul was a man of vision to take the Gospel before kings.

1. Vision was given to Paul in Acts 9:15.

2. Vision was accomplished through Paul in Acts 25:22 and 26:1-2, despite opposition.

3. People claiming to have heard from God will oppose your God-given vision.


a. The disciples claimed to be speaking by the Spirit that Paul shouldn’t go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4, 10-12).

b. Paul went anyway (Acts 21:13-15).

c. If Paul would have been swayed by the disciples instead of the vision in his heart, he would have missed fulfilling his vision to take the Gospel to kings (Acts 23:11).

E. Many others throughout the Bible were men of vision, such as King David, Elijah, Elisha, Joseph (son of Jacob), Ruth, Sarah, Timothy, etc.


F. It was vision that drove people to accomplish mighty works for God.

III. WE MUST HAVE THE TENACITY JESUS HAD WHEN HIS VISION WAS OPPOSED.

A. Note Jesus’ vision (Luke 4:18-19).
B. Note the opposition of disbelief of His vision that He faced (Luke 4:22).
C. Despite the extreme opposition to His vision, Jesus never quit.

1. We need to develop such tenacity with our own vision.
2. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus clung to the vision and made it known to the Father that He would stick with it no matter what (Matt. 26:36-39).

IV. THROUGH STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES AND THROUGH PRAYER, GOD WILL PLANT A GODLY VISION IN YOUR HEART (PS. 37:1-13).

A. You are not to pay attention to those who mock your vision (v. 4).
B. God is a visionary who sees the demise of the wicked who mock the vision He gives you (v. 13).

V. WHAT IS YOUR VISION?

A. If God has already given you a vision, are you still pursuing it, or have you packed up your toys and gone home?
1. Champions aren’t people who never fail. Rather, they are people who never quit!

a. Many immigrants come to the U.S. with a vision in their heart to start their own business and making a success of their lives. How much more ought we to do, who have a vision birthed by God!

b. What drives an athlete to work so hard is the vision of winning the trophy, the blue ribbon, or the penant.

1) He keeps that vision before him, and he does not give up on being the best.

2) We must also run our race, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and the vision He has given to each of us to run with!
2. Your vision won’t come to pass simply as time goes by—it will come to pass as you accept responsibility for accomplishing it.
B. If you don’t have a God-given vision yet, seek the Lord through the Word and prayer.

VI. FAITH IN THE VISION.
A. Keep the vision before you at all times, so you can run with it, without looking back (Hab. 2:2-3).
B.. Have faith in the vision that it will come to pass (Hab. 2:4).