OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO VISION

Mark chapter 16







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?




Making Excuses













Sometimes, we know what we should be doing, but we’re hesitant to take that first step. We always intend to do it, but we never do. Instead, we make excuses, such as “When my life gets less complicated,” “When I feel more confident,” or “After I pray about it more.”













There is a story of two fishermen who were lost in a storm on a lake. The storm was blowing so fiercely that they couldn’t see a thing. One of the fishermen said to his colleague, “We have two choices. We can pray or row. Which one should we do?” The other answered, “Let’s do both!” That’s the way you need to live. Instead of deliberating about what you need to do, just say, “Let’s row.” Even though you’re scared, keep on rowing. Set a destination even while you’re praying, and Yah will guide you where you need to go.













Another group of people who have trouble carrying vision through to the end is what I call the “professional starters.” They’re always beginning something, but they never finish anything. For example, they have books they’ve never finished, yet they keep starting new ones. Nothing in the world feels as good as reading through to the last page of a book because then you know that that book is in you and no one can take it away from you. Everything you leave unfinished will discourage you from completing other projects. The unfinished has a way of haunting your life.













Seeking “Balance”













Some people don’t want to focus on a specific goal because they fear their lives might not be well-balanced. They say things such as these: “I don’t really want to go after anything in particular because then I will be closing off other options. I don’t want to become too narrow,” or “If I become too serious about something, I might miss what I really want to do in life.” The problem is that people will say things like these for forty- five years and never end up doing anything at all! What they call a pursuit of balance is really an excuse for not making a decision. They end up being average, mediocre people.













True balance is the maintenance of equilibrium while moving toward a destination. A good example of this truth is the way a ship functions on the ocean. A ship always needs to maintain its balance. Wouldn’t it be a waste of precious time and fuel, however, for a boat to expend all its energy just trying to balance on the water so that it didn’t tip over? Some people live for sixty-five years, seventy-five years, ninety years, just balancing. Yet balance is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end. A ship keeps its balance as it makes its way to a specific port. Likewise, we need to have a destination while we’re maintaining balance in our lives.













Trying to Do Everything













A common reason people aren’t specific about their visions is that they’re trying to do too much. Their problem isn’t that they’re hesitant about getting started, but that they’re running around attempting too many things. Even though they are constantly constructing something, they’re actually building nothing at all because they never complete anything.













Why does this happen? Because most people make the mistake of believing that the main goal in life is to stay busy. Yet this way of thinking is a trap. Busyness does not necessarily equal progress; staying busy does not necessarily mean that you are heading toward a specific destination.













I have learned this very important truth that has set me free from both indecision and ineffective busyness: I was not born or created to do everything. This statement might be a good thing to put at the top of your office or household calendar. When we aim at everything, we usually hit nothing. Yet most of us are breaking our necks trying to hit everything in sight. Let me assure you: You were not born to meet all the needs on earth.













It is very easy to become concerned about the many problems we face in this world. Compassion is not only an admirable quality, but it is also an essential element of vision. However, you cannot try to meet every need around you and still be effective in helping people. The more needs you attempt to meet, the less attention you’ll be able to devote to each individual need.













All the needs that you see in your nation cannot be met by you. All the trouble that you see in your community cannot be solved by you. All the problems that you see on your street cannot be addressed by you. This reality is the reason why you must discover your personal vision from Yah and then stay on track with it. You were meant to meet certain needs, not every need. Yah created you for a purpose, and that purpose is supposed to be your focus. It is what must motivate you and keep you centered on what is most important for you to be involved in. While you should be open to the various ways in which Yah may direct you to help others, you must not become sidetracked by a myriad of needs, because there will always be more needs than you can personally handle.













Being Perplexed over Multiple Talents













Some people never pursue their true visions because they have the “problem” of being multi-talented, of being able to do many things. A misunderstanding of their gifts causes many talented and intelligent people to be ineffective and unsuccessful in life. These people say, “I have so many gifts that I don’t know which ones I’m supposed to use. I want to develop all of them.” As a result, they develop none of them to proficiency. I have many interests myself. I’m a teacher, a preacher, a speaker, and a writer. I can also paint, sculpt, and write and play music. However, I have had to focus on specific gifts in order to be effective in life.













Let me ask you this: Have you ever seen anyone who became successful in life by doing everything? Think about people such as Helen Keller, Picasso, Marie Curie, Tiger Woods, tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams, Bill Gates. Each of these people did one or two things very well, and it became the source of their life and their prosperity. It made room for them in the world.













When a person tries to do everything, he ends up becoming a “jack-of-all-trades and master of none.” I’m sure you know some multi-gifted people who seem to have the best chances of success but who aren’t doing anything with their lives. You have to guard against the temptation to try to do everything. No matter how many gifts you have, don’t let them distract you. You must decide to concentrate on one or two gifts, and then stir them up. Don’t worry about losing the other gifts. Decide which gift you are going to stir up; as you stir that one up, the other gifts will follow it. Yah will not waste what He has given you.




Not Recognizing the Cost of Vision




The second obstacle to fulfilling vision is not recognizing the cost of accomplishing it. I think many people believe that successful people are born successful. In reality, success comes in installments, similar to a payment plan. It’s a process, and I’ll talk more about that process later in this book. You receive a little bit of success today, a little more tomorrow, and more next week.




One of the costs of vision is diligence. All human beings dream, yet only the few who wake up, get out of their beds of comfort, and work hard will experience the fulfillment of their dreams. Often, what causes us not to

recognize and pay the cost of vision is the feeling that our lives are out of our own control and that there’s nothing we can do to change that.




Blaming “Bad Luck”




For example, if you think you have had a string of bad luck in life or that you are an unlucky person, you will probably not make the effort necessary to make

your vision succeed. You may think,“Why bother?” This type of reasoning can undermine your entire life, destroying your desire to achieve your goals. You must realize that you are not defined by your past or confined by external factors.




Blaming Outside Forces




Some people believe that others are responsible for causing their visions to fail. Maybe their parents couldn’t afford to send them to college, and now they are bitter and resentful because they didn’t pursue the careers they wanted to. Maybe they had children sooner than they expected, and this caused them to feel they had to give up their dreams. Life will present us with challenges, but this fact doesn’t have to derail our visions. If you want something badly enough, you will be patient in acquiring it, even if the timetable isn’t what you would have

wanted. Don’t allow yourself to feel that you are a victim of the actions or needs of others.




There are people who think that their past experiences—educational, social, spiritual—or their past failures preclude them from having a vision for their lives. Please realize this: God is not against you. He is for you. Do you believe that in your heart? He still has a definite plan and purpose for your life in spite of your background or your mistakes. No matter what you’ve done, God is not

finished until He’s completed what He created you to be and do.




We often imagine that our pasts loom larger than our futures. Sometimes, we think that what we have done is so bad that it is greater than Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Y et nothing is so bad that it can compete with the forgiveness of Jesus. If you have had a baby out of wedlock, if you have been on drugs, if you have been to prison, if you have betrayed someone, God still loves you and wants to redeem you. He wants to give you back your purpose.




The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). This is a very important statement about God. It says that God gives gifts, and that when He gives a gift, He doesn’t change His mind regarding it. Whatever God has invested in you, He wants to see used. He is a

good God who gives good gifts to all people, and He doesn’t vary or change in this expectation.




Don’t ever believe that your failures are greater than what God gave you birth to do. God is a restorer, a reclaimer. This means He will put back in you what the world took out. He’ll put back in you what life took out. Ask Him to restore His purpose and vision within you. Let me urge you not to allow circumstances to destroy your passion for living. Don’t allow life to blow you from one side of the lake to the other. The winds of adversity can be very strong, but your God-given vision will be your anchor in

life.




Not Knowing the Principles for Fulfilling Vision




The third obstacle to accomplishing vision is not knowing the principles for fulfilling it. Successful visionaries don’t pursue their visions haphazardly; instead, they operate according to established and time-tested principles that

enable their visions to become reality. In Part II of this series, I have outlined “Twelve Principles for Fulfilling Personal Vision.” In this section, I give you positive ways to pursue your vision as you actively put the principles into practice.




Let Your Life Be Fueled by Vision




Life was designed to be inspired by purpose and fueled by vision. This means that you don’t have to live a defensive life that is made up of crisis management;

instead, you can pursue an offensive life that steadily follows its vision and initiates its own goals and actions. The following pages will help you to clarify your vision, formulate a plan for accomplishing it, and bring it to a fulfilling and successful completion.




Action Steps to Fulfilling Vision




What do you think is your greatest obstacle to pursuing and completing your vision?




What steps can you take to begin overcoming that obstacle? (For example, have you distinguished between your life’s mission and its vision? Will you trust that your life is under God’s purposes and that you are not a victim of “bad luck”? Will you stop blaming others for the way your life has turned out and start thanking God that He will enable you to complete His vision for your life?)




Chapter Principles

1 Three major obstacles to fulfilling vision are (1) not understanding the nature of vision, (2) not recognizing the cost of vision, and (3) not knowing the principles of vision.

2 The essential nature of vision is that it is specific.

3 Mission is a general statement of purpose while vision is a very precise statement with a specific emphasis and definable boundaries.

4 The measure of the success of your vision is God’s assignment to you,not what others are doing.

5 Dreaming is only the beginning of vision. Instead of wishing things would get better, we must take concrete steps to change our lives.

6 Indecisiveness is a vision-killer and drains the joy out of life.

7 If you set a destination for your life while you continue to pray about your vision, God will guide you where you need to go.

8 You were not born or created to do everything. Y ou were meant to meet certain needs, not every need.

9 When you have several gifts and talents, focus on one or two of them and stir them up. Don’t allow multiple gifts to distract you from taking specific steps toward fulfilling your vision.

10 You are not defined by your past or confined by external factors.

11 God has a definite plan and purpose for your life in spite of what your background is or what mistakes you have made.

12 When God gives a gift to someone, He doesn’t change His mind about it. Whatever God has invested in you, He wants to see used