Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Vision for Your Future

A Vision for Your Future
May 16, 2011
Acts 2:17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.'"


It has been said that people die for lack of vision. By "vision," I am not referring to "sight" but to a glimpse of your future that you are looking forward to, striving for something up ahead, working towards a goal. A vision is not the same as a dream. A dream is a want or a desire originating from inside that may or may not be from the Lord, but a vision can only come from God. In the past, visions were given to men and women of God who were considered prophets, the elite of God's devout, respected above the priesthood. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus, however, the need for a priest or prophet has been eliminated. You and I now have direct access to God, through Jesus Christ and are equipped to receive a vision from the Lord. Most of us, however, do not take advantage of that great opportunity.

We may not tap into that great opportunity because it can seem overwhelming, to have a vision from the Lord Almighty. But, I would submit to you that most of us desire a vision from God, a direction for the future, our future. We don't want to walk around aimlessly in life so we tell people we are searching for "God's Will" in an attempt to satisfy the need for a vision, a fresh vision from Heaven. The Bible says in those last days, the days AFTER Jesus rose from the dead and BEFORE His second coming, He will pour out His Spirit and give us visions. It is found in the book of Joel and then reaffirmed in the book of Acts. Those visions, Christian, are for today and they are for you and me, should we be willing to live by them.

God does not randomly hand out visions to every John and Jane, though, which might explain why our generation could be lacking in vision from the Lord. God gives visions to those who are willing to see them as empowered by the Holy Spirit through a dedicated prayer life. God gives visions to those He can trust to act upon them and not tuck them away or ignore them. God gives visions to those who will use that vision to inspire Christian leadership within the Body of Christ. God gives visions for the benefit of all, not the selfish gain of one. This is why receiving a vision can seem overwhelming, because with a vision from the Lord comes responsibility. It sometimes requires a person to act against the accepted social norm. We don't like feeling different, we LIKE fitting in with the crowd; a vision from the Lord might disrupt that.

If you are part of the bold few willing to walk against the mundane drone of normalism, I encourage you to seek a fresh vision from the Lord for the future. This vision won't be a new idea that goes against the Bible; it will be a new pathway to implement God's design for mankind. This vision will be an exciting new adventure that might cause you to lose a few friends who are not willing to walk a new pathway with you. This vision might take you places in your relationship with the Lord that you never imagined. This vision will keep you up at night and completely change your priorities. But it is worth it. To get a fresh vision from the Lord, however, you must be willing to lay down all your own ideas and truly seek God in prayer. That is where it starts, prayer. Pray, Christian, for what God might reveal to you through the Holy Spirit. Pray for a fresh vision from the Lord and see what He is willing to do through you and your future.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Joel 2, John 14:15-17, John 16:13-16, Acts 2, Acts 9, Acts 10

No comments: