Unhealthy Comparisons (7)

“But God has revealed [it] to us by his Spirit.”                          1Co 2:10 NIV

Paul writes, “No eye has seen…no ear has heard…no human mind has conceived…the things God has prepared for those who love him” (v.9 NIV). You say, “But that’s all in the future!” No; read on: “But God has revealed [it] to us by his Spirit.” Others may inspire and instruct you, but you must go to God in order to find out what He’s called you to be and then align yourself with it. God told the prophet Habakkuk, “Write the vision and make it plain…that he may run who reads it” (Hab 2:2 NKJV). It’s okay to admire somebody else’s vision and be inspired by them, but you must receive your own vision from God and run with it. Only when you do that, can you live to the fullest. God wants you to run according to what He has shown you, not what somebody else says. Stop taking your cues from people. Go to God!

Some of us are forty, or fifty, or sixty years old and we’re still not happy with what we are. We’re frustrated and frantic because we’ve never found that feeling of contentment. The problem is, we’ve made it our goal to become something God never meant us to be. You must go to God, like a house to a builder, and say, “Lord, what building materials have You put within me? How much weight can I bear? What is my purpose? Who should I be? Show me Your plan at every age and every stage.” You are the question, God is the answer. And as long as you know who is who, you’ll always make progress in the journey of life.

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/unhealthy-comparisons-7/

Visions Become Reality

The parched ground shall become a pool . . . —Isaiah 35:7

We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.

Life is not as idle ore, But iron dug from central gloom, And battered by the shocks of doom To shape and use.

God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.

The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.

http://utmost.org/visions-become-reality/

Questions About Your Vision

“The word of the Lord came…in a vision.”                        Ge 15:1 NKJV

God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Ge 12:3 NKJV). That’s a big vision! But God knew Abraham had the faith to embrace it. If you hate what you have to do in order to pursue your vision, something is wrong. Examine your motives. See if there are inconsistencies between who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. Have you taken ownership of the vision? Do you have the heart for it? If pursuing your vision causes you to violate your values, then you need to get another vision. Maybe the problem is your attitude. (1) Are you too idealistic? You must accept the way your vision is unfolding, and change your expectations concerning how long it’ll take. Ninety percent of all disappointments stem from unrealistic expectations. (2) Have you stopped dreaming daily? You must let yourself dream a little bit every day, explore possibilities and embrace options. Be creative. Continuing to dream actually helps you to move forward. (3) Do you appreciate each small step of progress? One way to feel fulfilled is to celebrate each success. Recognize when you pass milestones. Thanking God for your progress will encourage you to keep moving forward. (4) Have you made personal growth your goal? The only way to fulfill a big vision is to grow with it. The bigger the vision, the bigger you have to be to achieve it. What is God revealing to you in your current situation? How can you grow? The greatest reward of pursuing a vision—is who you become as a result.

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/questions-about-your-vision/