Proverbs chapter 29
Today we are walking in: Stirring Up Your Gift
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.
Stirring Up Your Gift
While the gift is in us, we have the responsibility to stir it up. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of Yah, which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). In the New King James Version, the verse is translated, “Stir up the gift of Yah.” The gift is not something we learn. It is something Yah gave us. It is something we need to discover and then stir up. No one else can activate your gift for you. You have to do it yourself.
You stir up your gift by developing, refining, enhancing, and using it. That’s where education comes in. Education can’t give you your gift, but it can help you develop it so that it can be used to the maximum. Proverbs 17:8 says, “A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth” (kjv). In other words, a gift is like a precious stone to the one who has it, and whenever he stirs it up, it turns into prosperity. If you use your gift, it will prosper you. Many people are working for money. That’s an inferior reason to work. We must work for the vision within us.
Moreover, you are not to mimic the gifts of others. You are to stir up your own gift. Unfortunately, many people are jealous of other people’s gifts. Let me encourage you not to waste your time on jealousy. Jealousy is a gift robber. It is an energy drain that will always take away the passion of life from you. You should be so busy stirring up your gift that you don’t have time to be jealous of anyone else or to feel sorry for yourself.
I once read an article about Louis Armstrong, the jazz artist, who reportedly applied to go to music school when he was a young man. At his audition, he was given scales to sing, but he could sing only the first two notes properly, and he was told he didn’t have what it takes to be a musician. The story said that he cried at first because he had been rejected from the music program, but that he told his friends afterward, “I know there’s music in me, and they can’t keep it out.” He eventually became one of the most successful and beloved jazz musicians. He sold more records and made more money than scores of others who were more talented at singing. Now he is forever etched in the history of music.
What made the difference? Louis Armstrong put his life into the gift he knew he had, and this gift made room for him. He was an original, and he knew it. He wasn’t about to waste time feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he put his energies into developing the musical gift within him.
Although we are all born as originals, most of us become imitators. I used to think about becoming like everyone else and joining the rat race. Yet I soon realized that if all the rats are in a race, and you win, you simply become the Big Rat. I recommend that you get out of the rat race, stop competing with the community, stop being in a contest with society, stop trying to keep up with the Joneses, stop trying to please everybody, and decide, “I’m not going to be a rat. I’m going to find my own niche. I’m going to make room for myself in the world by using my gift.”
Perhaps you are fifty-eight, sixty-five, seventy years old. You’re looking back over the last fifty years and asking, “What have I done with my life? What have I contributed to the human race? What have I really left for the next generation to know that I was here? I have left no footprint in the sands of history.” Do you wish you had had a better understanding of vision when you were younger? Are you thinking, “I’m too old now. I don’t have the energy or time to stir up a gift”?
I am deeply sorry that many people in the world have worked very hard all their lives and accomplished little. Yet if you believe you’re too old to use your gift, you’re believing a lie. We read in the Bible that Yah went to people who were already past retirement age, and He recharged them. They have become noteworthy in history because they started over when others (even they themselves) thought their lives were almost over. (See the stories of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18:11– 15; 21:1–8, and Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke 1.) Your gift will give you your youth back. Your gift will give you energy and strength. You’ll be healthier. You’ll stop talking about dying and start talking about living.
Realizing Your Vision
If you have a dream, or if you want to discover your vision, remember this: Yah loves dreamers. He gives visions, and He is attracted to people who love to dream big. Don’t forget that you are unique, special, and irreplaceable. You are not meant to be like anyone else. When you decide to be part of the norm, your destiny is shortchanged. Yah wants you to stir up the gift He has given you and to develop it to the fullest.
What is the difference between the dreamer who realizes his dream and the dreamer whose dream becomes a nightmare of unfulfilled hopes? The dreamer who succeeds is someone who has a clear vision and acts on it. As long as a person can hold on to his vision, then there is always a chance for him to move out of his present circumstances and toward the fulfillment of his purpose.
If you feel trapped, underemployed, or underutilized in your job; if you own your own business and want it to grow; if you want to know how to pursue your goals in life; if you are the leader of an organization or group; if your children are grown or in school now, and you are considering reviving old interests; or wherever you are in life right now, The Principles and Power of Vision will enable you to—
understand vision and why it is essential to your success.
discover and live out your purpose in life.
identify your vision’s goals and stay on course.
overcome obstacles to your vision.
learn the key principles necessary for fulfilling your life's dream.
develop a specific plan for achieving your vision. live the life you were always meant to live.
My desire is that you will be inspired, motivated, and challenged to get back in the race toward your dream, to get back the passion for fulfilling your goal. I want you to achieve your greatest in Yah’s purpose for your life. I want you to get off the rocking horse and find a living stallion—your life’s vision.
To do this, you need to understand and practice principles that transcend current trends and even conventional wisdom. Your success will not depend on the state of the economy, what careers are currently in demand, or what the job market is like. You will not be hindered by your initial lack of resources or by what people think you can or cannot do. Instead, the time-tested principles of this book will enable you to fulfill your vision no matter who you are or what your background is.
You are the sum total of the choices and decisions you make every day. You can choose to stay where you are right now, or you can choose to move forward in life by pursuing your dream. I want to challenge you to stop making excuses for why you can’t accomplish what you were born to do. Take your life out of neutral. Yah has given you the power and the responsibility to achieve your life’s vision.
Most people do things because they have to. Wouldn’t you like to do things because you have decided to, based on your purpose? You must choose to be on the offensive rather than the defensive. I hope you will decide you have had enough of being “normal” and that you will declare your distinction. Remember, you were created to stand out, not to blend in. You were designed not only to be special and unique, but also to specialize. You were created to accomplish something that no one else can accomplish.
Never expect anything less than the highest thing you can go after. Don’t let people tell you, “You shouldn’t have high expectations.” Always expect more than what you have, more than what you are currently doing. Dream big. Somewhere inside you there is always the ability to dream. No matter how challenging it gets, don’t give up, because your vision is the key to fulfilling your life’s purpose.
Chapter Principles
1. The poorest person in the world is a person without a dream.
2. The most frustrated person in the world is someone who has a dream but doesn’t know how to make it come to pass.
3. Every person was created by Yah to be unique and distinct.
4. Yah has placed in every human being a unique vision and call that is designed to give purpose and meaning to life.
5. No person can give you your vision. It is Yah- given.
6. Every human being was created to accomplish something that no one else can accomplish.
7. Every person was created to be known for something special.
8. One person with vision is greater than the passive force of ninety-nine people who are merely interested in doing or becoming something.
9. Your gift will make a way for you in the world and enable you to fulfill your vision.
10. You are responsible for stirring up the gift within you.
11. Yah loves dreamers. He gives visions, and He is attracted to people who love to dream big.
12. As long as a person can hold on to his vision, then there is always a chance for him to move out of his present circumstances and toward the fulfillment of his purpose.
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