OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO VISION

Proverbs chapter 29




Today we are walking in: Overcoming Obstacles to 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)​, vision​s​ (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.




Overcoming Obstacles to Vision




Mediocrity is a region bordered on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by a lack of vision.

—John Mason




Understanding the source of vision is the first step in the process of fulfilling it. The next step is to be aware of potential obstacles in your life that can derail your vision. If you are aware of these obstacles ahead of time, you will be prepared to recognize and overcome them. Three major obstacles to fulfilling vision are




1. not understanding the nature of vision




2. not recognizing the cost of vision




3. not knowing the principles of vision




Most people live in mediocrity—a “region bordered on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by a lack of vision.” This chapter will show you how to leave behind the region of mediocrity and move into the realm of the exceptional.




Not Understanding the Nature of Vision




The main thing about vision is that it is specific. One of the greatest causes of failure among people who are pursuing their visions is that they don’t identify their objective of success.




This may sound simple, but it is very true: People fail because they don’t know what they want to succeed in. Much of our frustration and depression comes from not making any headway toward achieving our visions—even when we know we’re working hard. This inability to reach our visions occurs when we don’t aim at a specific target.




Suppose I came to you and said, “Let’s meet.” You say, “Okay; where?” I reply, “Oh, anywhere.” You ask, “Well, when do you want to meet?” and I say, “Anytime.” What do you think are the chances that we will actually meet? Practically zero. Vision must be specific rather than general or vague.




Misunderstanding the Difference between Vision, Goals, and Mission




I have asked many people, “What are you going to do with your life? What is your vision?” and I usually receive responses such as these: “I’m going to build a big house, own several cars, and have a good family.” “I want to get married.” “I want to open a restaurant someday.” These are not visions, but mere goals.




When I ask pastors the same question, they generally give me one of the following answers: “My vision is to win my city to Hamachiach.” “My vision is to ‘preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15 kjv).” “Our vision as a ministry is to know Him and to make Him known.” “Our vision is to equip people for the work of the ministry.”




None of the above answers are visions. They are missions. Why? They are too general for visions. Vision and mission are related, but they are not the same thing. A mission is a general statement of purpose that declares the overall idea of what you want to accomplish. It is philosophical and abstract, not practical and concrete. Moreover, it is open-ended, so that you could spend hours, even days, talking about its many aspects and applications. In contrast, a vision is a very precise statement that has a specific emphasis and definable boundaries.




I sometimes wonder how some people have made it as far as they have without understanding vision. It is essential that you learn the difference between vision and mission because Yah is not vague about your life. You were designed to be unique and to fulfill a particular purpose. If you are to carry out this specific purpose, your vision has to be specific. Otherwise, you will be just like everyone else around you. Remember, your vision—like your fingerprints—is meant to distinguish you from every other person in the world.




Let me use the Hebrew ministries as an example. The assignment that the young Hebrew rabbi, Yahusha, gave His followers two thousand years ago—“Go into all the world and preach the good news” (Mark 16:15)—is called the Great Commission. It is the “co-mission,” the joint or corporate mission of the Hebrews. It is every Hebrew’s mission. What sincere ministry does not want to preach the Gospel to every person, bring people to Yah, and equip people to minister to others? Therefore, if a ministry thinks its particular vision is to preach the Gospel, then it has a mistaken idea of vision. It knows its mission, but it hasn’t yet found its true vision, that one thing that distinguishes it from all other ministries.




One ministry is not assigned where another ministry is assigned. That is why an individual ministry shouldn’t compare itself with other ministries in its city or nation or use another ministry as a measure of its own success. Vision is a distinctive direction or approach for accomplishing a mission. There is a unique way in which Yah wants each ministry to carry out the overall mission of the Great Commission. Each ministry is to fulfill its part of the mission through the specific emphasis or approach that Yah has given it. The same general principle holds true for individuals, companies, and other organizations.




One time a woman came to me and said, “Dr. J, I have a vision. I’m going to open up a shoe store.” I said, “Fine.” Then she said, “There are already so many shoe stores in this area, but I know the Lord has told me that I must go into this business.” I asked her, “What kind of shoes do you want to sell?” She said, “I want to sell only children’s and babies’ shoes.” When I heard that, I told her, “Then you understand vision. Those other stores sell all kinds of adult shoes, but your store will be unique. When anyone wants children’s shoes or babies’ shoes, they’re going to walk right past those other stores. They’re going to look for you.”




When you truly understand the difference between mission and vision, you will be protected from jealousy. You won’t become sidetracked from your purpose by constantly looking over your shoulder to see what others who share your mission are doing. Let’s return to the analogy of the Hebrew ministries. Although every ministry in the world is in the same business of “discipling the nations,” if someone were to build a ministry right next to another ministry, a big fight might ensue. The first ministry might say, “This is my territory. Yah gave me this neighborhood. Get your ministry out of here.” The members of the two ministries might end up suspicious of one another, fighting all the time and putting each other down. That is what happens when ministries don’t understand vision.




When you’ve discovered your own vision, however, you do not need to be jealous of anyone because there’s no need for competition. This truth was demonstrated to me in a very tangible way. One day, I was talking with a man who owns a McDonald’s franchise. While we were talking, the owner of the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise stopped by. He introduced himself to me, and I said, “It’s good to meet you.” I was curious, so I added, “What are you doing here?” He gestured toward my friend and said, “We’re going to have lunch together.” I decided to go with them, because I wanted to see where they would end up eating. They went to Pizza Hut!




I sat at a table eating pizza with them and observing them while they talked. Finally, I said, “Excuse me, gentlemen. First of all, aren’t you competitors?” They both said, “No.” I asked, “What do you mean?” My friend answered, “He doesn’t sell what I sell. I don’t sell what he sells. How can we be in competition?” Then I said, “Second question. Why did you come here?” He replied, “We didn’t feel like eating burgers or chicken. We felt like eating pizza!”




There is a place for all three establishments because each restaurant has its own specific vision. Each offers a different product in the overall mission of serving food. Businesses, organizations, ministries, and individuals can learn the true nature of vision from the example of these two men.




We must be true to our own visions. Each of us must measure the success of our visions by Yah’s assignment to us. We need to ask ourselves this question: “Am I doing what Yah told me to do?”




Engaging in Wishful Thinking




Another reason people aren’t specific about their visions is that they’re caught in a trap of wishful thinking. Their dreaming doesn’t go beyond vague ideas of what they would like to do “someday.” Yet dreaming is only the beginning of vision. We should have wills rather than mere wishes. In other words, instead of wishing that things would get better, we must make concrete resolutions. We have to say, “Things must get better, and here, specifically, is what I’m going to do about it.” For example, instead of saying, “I wish I could go to college,” sit down today, write specific colleges with requests for applications, and when they arrive, start filling them out. Instead of saying, “I wish I could lose weight,” see your doctor and go on a specific weight-loss plan. Make a decision, and then take the first step.




People’s success or failure in life is not dependent on the color of their skin. You can be black, white, brown, yellow, or red, and that won’t affect the fulfillment of your vision. The real problem is the color of some people’s lives; their lives are “gray.” Such people don’t have a precise way of living. They’re just here. They drift along, allowing life to happen to them.




Yah doesn’t want anyone to live in a gray zone. When someone is living in the gray, it means that person is not saying yes or no, but maybe. He never quite settles on one thing in his heart. There are millions of people who still aren’t sure who they are, what they’re about, and what they’re doing. These people are living in the gray. They have no real intention of doing anything with their lives. What a depressing reality. Yah has invested so much in us. He hates to see us wasting our lives in wishful thinking. He wants us to place our feet on the solid ground of vision.




Living with Indecision




Many people’s visions never take specific shape because they can’t make up their minds what they want to do in life. The only decision they make is not to decide. Prolonged indecisiveness is a vision-killer, and it also drains the joy out of life. I’ve noticed that the most miserable people in the world are those who can never make a decision. The Bible expresses their situation well: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8 kjv, emphasis added). Indecisiveness carries over into all areas of life. A person who is indecisive is unsettled; he’s on shaky ground.




Many of us make shopping lists before we go to the store, but few of us make lists of what we want for our lives. As I said in the previous teaching, many people—perhaps yourself—have been trying to decide to do something for years, yet they still haven’t made a solid decision about it. Sometimes, they impose this delay on themselves because of uncertainty or fear of failure; other times they worry about what other people might say or think about their ideas. Yet these people are putting themselves in a dangerous position: the middle of the road. When you are indecisive, life keeps running you over.




I am committed to fulfilling what Yah gave me birth to do. I resolved years ago that I would look only to Yah’s Word and the vision He put in my heart to know what I could accomplish. In this way, Yah’s purposes and principles have determined what I’m going to be and do rather than my own fears or others’ opinions. I am set on my vision, just as Yahusha was set on His. The Bible says, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for [Yahusha] to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51 nkjv). Yahusha set His face “steadfastly” or “like flint” (Isaiah 50:7) in His determination to fulfill His purpose. Flint is one of the hardest rocks you can find. This analogy means that after Yahusha had set His goal to go to the crucifixion stake, it was too late to talk Him out of it. He was set and determined to accomplish His vision.




Are you living that way? Is there something you have decided to follow through with, no matter what? Are you committed to a vision that is bigger than your life?