18 TRUTHS ABOUT GOD-GIVEN VISION

19 TRUTHS ABOUT GOD-GIVEN VISION

 

1. All God-given visions are 'revelatory' in nature

→ It is a product of divine inspiration

→ God can give you an idea that is capable of changing your life and the lives of others for good

→ If I am attentive enough, I will catch the vision God wants me to see

2. God-given visions are 'compulsive' in nature

→ I will never be genuinely at ease unless I discharge what God has put in your heart  

→ I can ignore or run away from God's call upon my life, but the compulsion will always be there

→ The fire of vision can motivate (heat up) my faith to ensure it materializes

→ Once you decide your direction, God will maintain your energy for the distance

→ There will always be a "strong desire" to make it happen. But if I ignore that desire long enough, It will naturally die  

 

3. Vision is transferrable

→ It is possible to 'pass on' the passion in my heart to others who can run with it

→ If I get others to believe in my vision, it can grow, multiply and eventually "out-live" me

→ I must be careful who I share my vision with [yes, vision can be stolen!] 

 

4. A God-given vision is "satisfying"

→ I cannot afford to waste my future being dissatisfied with myself every day

→ There will always be an unquenchable hunger, thirst and void in my life, unless I do what God has put in my heart

→ No amount of money (or the things money can buy) can satisfy the innate longing of fulfilling God's mandate for my life!    

5. All God-given visions and dreams are an investment, not an expenditure

→ Will I have a fulfilled life or would I just contribute to the wealth of the grave?

→ The more I trust God to help me fulfil the vision He has given me, the better I become, and others will benefit from it  

6. Do I know why am on earth?

→ God's will (for me) is manifested through the visions I have

→ The indicators of God's will for my life include: the things I am most passionate about; My Skills; My natural talents; and priceless opportunities  . . .

→ Jeremiah 1:5-10

→ Acts 9:15-16

→ Colossians 1:28

→ Luke 19:10

7. My vision is my future

→ My life is shaped by the visions I have

→ The quality of my life depends on the quality of my vision(s)

→ I need to write down every revelation and vision I receive from God, because my life depends on it (Habakkuk 2:2-3)  

8. Vision serves as a compass

→ It helps me find the direction of my future

→ As long as I have a viable vision, I will never 'get lost' in life

→ Having a vision gives me a defined destination

→ It takes me to the original purpose of God for my life

→ 2 Timothy 4:7

9. A vision helps me focus my energy (to do God's will)

→ Jeremiah 29:11

→ Having a vision helps me appropriate and maximize the (scarce) resources at my disposal

→ It helps me choose the relationships I invest in

10. A vision helps me to stay within my gift combination

→ Unless I do what I am endowed to do, my gifts, visions & dreams will be wasted

11. My vision will see me through tough times

→ The wells of Joy are often dug with spades of sorrow

→ Psalm 126:5-6
→ Vision has the capacity to fuel your hope and faith, even in the most challenging times

12. My vision will give me hope

→ Satan may steal everything from me but I will not let him steal my hope!

13. A vision is something to work by/with

→ A man who has no dreams, has no wings. He cannot fly
→ My vision is the raw material I can use to produce great things  

 

14. A written vision will help me live a selective life

→ Vision makes my life unique

→ Vision is personal

15. Vision helps my perception of myself and the future

→ He who never walks, except where he sees other people's footprint, will never make any new discoveries

16. My vision needs to be defined, acquired and applied

→ 1st Chronicles 4:9-10

17. Vision fuels my belief system

→ Hebrews 12:2

18. Having a defined vision is the best way to measure success

→ Some people feel like a failure even after successes because they did not define their vision well; some feel successful whereas, they are achieving below their God-given capacity

☆ PS:

I found this piece written behind my 1998 Sermon Notes jotter. I can't recall whether it was a sermon that I listened to, my own thoughts/personal study, or excerpts from some book I read. Regardless, I think it is worth sharing.

→ Panshak Haggai: 14th February, 2015

The Great Past and the Great Future (Rev. David Kwamkur) 01-01-2015

2015 NEW YEAR SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki - Abuja
1st January, 2015

★ SERMON

* Speaker: Rev. David Kwamkur

* Topic: The Great Past and the Great Future

* Theme for 2015: Growing up in Christ (Ephesians 4:14)

* Service Leader: Pastor Victor Amos

* Text: Ecclesiastes 7:8 "The conclusion of something is better than its beginning, and a patient attitude is more valuable than a proud one."

★ Philippians 3:12-21

* The future, the present and the past are inter-connected to each other

* You cannot talk about the future without making reference to the past

* You must not forget about the past if you really want to walk into the future with boldness, that is why the work of historians is important

* History keeps repeating itself every time. There is nothing new under the sun

★ Ecclesiastes 1:9

" Whatever has happened, will happen again; whatever has been done, will be done again. There is nothing new on earth."

* Businessmen usually make reference to the past in order to get vital information that would be useful in making future business decisions. You Should learn from this.

 

* Information is vital to the success of any venture in life.

 

* You will need credible information if you intend to venture into an unknown territory

* Question: How did you end 2014?

* How you ended the last year would give you an idea of how the coming year might turn out to be

* NOTE: Faith does not deny the reality of things. What is the current reality of your life?

* You might have ended 2014 on a wrong note, but you still have the opportunity to make amends now before it is too late

 

* When Apostle Paul took inventory of His life, he realized that he had not yet arrived his destination (of knowing Christ intimately), that is why he said: " It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah Jesus" → Philippians 3:12

* The primary work of every Christian is to do the will of God. Your (secular) job is secondary to that primary work/calling.

* NOTE: there is a major distinction between "work" and "job"

* Your (secular) job should not hinder you from fulfilling God's primary purpose for your life. If it is, then you need to reconsider.

* NOTE: God will not Judge you based on the success recorded in your secular job, but on whether (or not) you fulfilled your primary purpose/calling in life

* Question: Did you do what God asked you to do in 2014?

☆ 3 Things to do with the Past:

1. You need to look at the past.

* This requires careful and honest evaluation of your past experiences - both good and bad

* If you do not look at (honestly confront & evaluate) your past, there is a tendency to erroneously think that you have "arrived" at your destination or fulfilled your divine purpose in life

2. You must learn from your past

- The historical accounts of the Bible were written so that we can learn from them today

★ 1st Corinthians 10:11 - "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down as a warning for us in whom the culmination of the ages has been attained."

* Keep records of the past because the past is not yet past!

* You need to learn from your past experiences and make necessary adjustments accordingly

* Failure to learn from the past is a sign of foolishness

* Don't keep doing the same thing over and over again that is not producing positive results

* Look for information; get to know more about what you are doing and how you can do it better in the new year

 

3. Leave the past behind

- Though there are things to learn from it, you are not supposed to carry the past into the future

* Many people today live on past glory (of spiritual achievements and service to Christ)

* NOTE: You cannot walk forward if you keep looking backwards

* Sometimes we carry our past mistakes into our future and they constitute obstacles on our way to moving forward

* NOTE: It is not possible to wind back the hands of time to correct the mistakes of the past. leave them behind you

★ Philippians 3:13b → "But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead"

☆ 3 things to do with the future:

1. Plan for a good future.

* Evil things grow on their own, while good things are a product of careful planning and preparation

2. Move into the future with Courage

* Do not give room for fear in your life

* Fear cripples and hinders you from becoming who God wants you to be.

3. Do Something Great for God

* Doing great things requires great faith in God

* The surest way to please God is to consistently walk in faith (Hebrews 11:6 → "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.")

 

* Attempt something great for God this year

★ SUMMARY

☆ 3 Things to do with the Past:

1. Look at the past

2. Learn from your past

3. Leave the past behind

☆ 3 things to do with the future:

1. Plan for a good future

2. Move into the future with courage

3. Do something great for God