Proverbs chapter 29
Today we are walking in: Born with a Unique Vision
Habakkuk 2:2
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
VISION
Today we look to the word VISION- H2377 chazown- vision(in ecstatic state), visions (in night), oracle, prophecy (divine communication), vision (as title of book of prophecy) from H2372; a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle:—vision. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide, to see, behold, to see as a seer in the ecstatic state, to see, perceive with the intelligence, to see (by experience), to provide
The Torah testifies........
Numbers 24:4
He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
Numbers 24:16
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
The prophets proclaim.........
1 Samuel 3:1
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days;there was no open vision H2377.
Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision H2377 and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
The writings bear witness.........
1 Chronicles 17:15
According to all these words, and according to all this vision H2377, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Psalm 89:19
Then thou spakest in vision H2377 to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Born with a Unique Vision
Yah not only created each person on earth with a distinct design, but He also placed in everyone a unique vision. No person can give you this vision. It is only Yah-given. You can go to as many seminars as possible and receive all kinds of wonderful instruction, but no one except Yah can give you the idea you were born to fulfill.
The poor man, the rich man, the black man, the white man— every person has a dream in his heart. Your vision may already be clear to you, or it may still be buried somewhere deep in your heart, waiting to be discovered. Fulfilling this dream is what gives purpose and meaning to life. In other words, the very substance of life is for you to find Yah’s purpose and fulfill it. Until you do that, you are not really living.
Yah has a dream and a vision for you that’s supposed to carry you right out into eternity because that’s what is pulling it. When you die, you’re meant to leave this earth not on a pension but on a purpose. You need to make sure you can say at the end of your life, as Yahusha did, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and not just, “I am retired,” for your dream is much bigger than mere retirement.
Yahusha said, “For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). You must have a clear reason for your life, as Yahusha did. I know what mine is. I was born to raise up leaders and to train them so they can impact their entire nations for generations to come. That is my reason for living. I was born to inspire and draw out the hidden leader in every human being I meet. When you are around me, suddenly you are going to feel good about yourself. If you stay around me long enough, you’ll start being your true self. Why? I was born for that. I was wired for that. What has Yah wired you for?
Born to Be Known for Something
Every human being was created to accomplish something specific that no one else can accomplish. It is crucial for you to understand this truth: You were designed to be known for something special. You are meant to do something that will make you unforgettable. You were born to do something that the world will not be able to ignore.
The Bible is a great Book for recording the stories of people who did little things that the world can’t forget. One example is Rahab, the prostitute, who risked her life for people she didn’t even know. She was born to hide Joshua’s spies so that the Israelites could defeat Jericho. (See Joshua 2, 6.) Everyone who reads the Old Testament knows about her act of courage.
In the New Testament, there is the story of the woman who took an alabaster jar of perfume and anointed Yahusha’ head with it. This woman was taking a chance by violating the accepted social code of the day and interrupting a group of men who had gathered for a meal. Yet she decided to pour out her life in gratitude to Yahusha, no matter what the consequences. Some of those present severely criticized her because she had “wasted” costly perfume on Yahusha when it could have been sold for charitable purposes. Yet Yahusha said to them, “Leave her alone....I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Mark 14:6, 9). No matter how small the act may be, if you put your whole life into it, it won’t be forgotten.
A Vision for Your Life
It is a deeply distressing fact that, while we all have been given unique visions, too many of us bury our dreams in a lesser existence, making ourselves a graveyard of Yah’s precious treasure.
Perhaps you are eighteen years old. What have you done so far? Have you spent so much time trying to please your friends that you don’t know who you are or what your life is about? If so, you aren’t doing yourself any favors. You aren’t fulfilling your purpose. You may say you are just reacting to “peer pressure.” In reality, you are allowing others to rule your life.
Maybe you are forty years old. What have you done so far that the world can’t forget? How long will you drift along without working toward your dream? Procrastination can become a full-time occupation. Some people are experts at it. They know how to avoid the real issues of life with precision. They know how to do nothing all day, or they know how to do everything except what is really important. It’s depressing to be around people who are just existing, but it’s exciting to be around people who know that they are doing what they were born to do.
Many people spend a lifetime wandering away from who Yah made them to be because they have never recognized who they are in the first place. For example, perhaps you have been a secretary for twenty years. You are at the same level as when you started, even though you dream of being an administrator. You should move from being a secretary to an executive secretary, from an executive secretary to an administrative assistant, and from an administrative assistant to an administrator. People don’t fulfill their visions because they have no sense of destiny. They say, “Well, I have a job. I just want to keep it.” Merely holding on to a job is like treading water. Every job should put you on a track toward a goal that is bigger than the present one so that you can fulfill your vision.
We need to be like the apostles, who were known for their acts, not their talk. The biblical book about them is called The Acts of the Apostles because they were doers. They had a destination, and they were busily working toward it. They weren’t on a rocking horse. Instead, they were changing systems. They were affecting government. They were transforming the world. Nations were afraid of them, and towns became nervous when they showed up because they were said to have “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 nkjv). How do people feel when you show up? Do they say, “Oh, here she comes again. She probably has another new idea”? Change will always upset people who are content to be stagnant, but that shouldn’t stop you. You should be known for your vision.
What Your Vision Will Give You
It has been said that there are three kinds of people in the world: First, there are those who never seem to be aware that things are happening around them. Second, there are those who ask, “What just happened?” Third, there are those who make things happen.
I have observed firsthand the truth of this statement, paraphrased from John Stuart Mill: One person with vision is greater than the passive force of ninety-nine people who are merely interested in doing or becoming something. Most people have an interest in their destinies, but they have no passion or drive to fulfill them. They don’t really believe the dreams Yah has put in their hearts. If they do believe them, they don’t do the things that will take them in the direction of fulfilling them. Yet that is what separates the people who make an impact in the world and those who just exist on the planet.
Have you discovered what your vision is? Finding something you can put your whole self into will fill your life with new hope and purpose. It will give you a reason for living. My purpose has become my passion. It wakes me up in the morning, and it keeps me going when I’m tired. It is an antidote to depression. It causes me to have joy in the midst of great opposition because I know that what Yah has given me to accomplish cannot be stopped by anyone.
When you discover your vision, it will give you energy and passion. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” The vision in your heart is the spark that will enable you to pursue your dream because, unless you do so with all your enthusiasm and strength, it will not happen. I believe this Scripture expresses a truth that most people miss: You accomplish only what you fight for. Again, if you are merely interested in your dream, it will never come to pass. However, if you are willing to put all your energy into it, then nobody can stop it from succeeding.
I believe this Scripture also implies that if you set your hands to do something, there will inevitably be resistance, opposition, and difficulties; therefore, you have to apply pressure in order to fulfill your dream. You must put your whole might behind it. Hard work and diligence are essential ingredients to success, but they require an internal motivation. That internal motivation is vision.
Vision is the primary motivator of human action, and, therefore, everything we do should be because of the vision Yah has placed in our hearts. Vision influences the way you conduct your entire life, such as what you spend your time and money on and what your priorities are. Without vision, you have no values to guide your living. Life has no sense of direction. Activity has no meaning. Time has no purpose. Resources have no application.
Vision is the juice of life. It is the prerequisite for passion and the source of persistence. When you have vision, you know how to stay in the race and complete it.
Your Gift Will Make a Way for You
How is the fulfillment of vision meant to work in practical terms? Proverbs 18:16 is a powerful statement that reveals the answer: “A man’s gift makes room for him” (nkjv). You were designed to be known for your gift. Yah has put a gift or talent into every person that the world will make room for. It is this gift that will enable you to fulfill your vision. It will make a way for you in life. It is in exercising this gift that you will find real fulfillment, purpose, and contentment in your work.
It is interesting to note that the Bible does not say that a man’s education makes room for him, but that his gift does. Somehow we have swallowed the idea that education is the key to success. Our families and society have reinforced this idea, but we will have to change our perspective if we are to be truly successful. Education is not the key to success. Don’t misunderstand me. I believe in education. I’ll talk more about the importance of education shortly. However, if education were the key to success, then everyone who has a Ph.D. should be financially secure and happy.
If you are intelligent but are not exercising your gift, you’re probably going to be poor. If you’re educated but have not developed your talent, you’re likely to be depressed, frustrated, and tired; you will hate going to work on Monday mornings. There are those who have degrees in finance who have a hard time making ends meet. Doesn’t it make you nervous when people who don’t have any money try to tell you how to make a million dollars?
Education, in itself, doesn’t guarantee anything; it is your gift that is the key to your success. The second part of Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift...brings him before great men” (nkjv). You don’t realize that the gift you’re sitting on is loaded. The world won’t move over for you just because you’re smart. Whenever you exercise your gift, however, the world will not only make room for you, but it will also pay you for it. Anyone—yourself included—who discovers his or her gift and develops it will become a commodity. If you’re a young person in high school or college who is planning your career, don’t do what people say will make you wealthy. Do what you were born to do, because that is where you will make your money. No matter how big the world is, there’s a place for you in it when you discover and manifest your gift.
Michelangelo poured his life into his art. That’s why we still remember him five hundred years after he lived. Beethoven and Bach put themselves wholly into their work, and their music lives forever. Alexander Graham Bell believed that sound could be converted into electrical impulses and transmitted by wire. No one remembers all the people who thought Bell was crazy; we remember only the man who had vision enough to create the telephone. Thomas Edison reportedly would spend eight or nine days straight locked up in a room working on his experiments. He didn’t just happen to make a mistake and create a lightbulb; he had a dream. Although it took him a long time, he believed that we could harness energy and that it could produce light. Because he believed it, he stayed with it until he saw the fulfillment of his vision. That’s what makes him unforgettable.
If you do things in a halfway manner, you will probably always be able to find some sort of job, yet you are going to be simply a mediocre employee. It is when you decide that you’re going to find something that is truly yours that you will find your gift, fulfill your vision, and be remembered by others.
No comments:
Post a Comment