DON’T LET YOUR VISION DIE

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.
Synopsis of Bible Study July 8, 2020

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.-Where there is no vision, people perish.

When I can see where God wants me to be, this is vision. Vision is for up the road. It extends you beyond your reality.

Romans 12:3-5 3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. – We are a many membered body functioning together for The Corporate Functional body.

Your body responds to what it sees. If you are walking and your eyes see something the road, the eyes send a message to brain to avoid it and the brain sends a message to your feet to avoid it.

Vision controls mobility and direction. This is why it is important to keep your vision alive and fresh.

I.            THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING OUR VISION ALIVE & FRESH

A.     Have A Clear Vision

1. With no vision, you have no clarity in your life.
2. Vision lets us see the opportunities God has for us in our lives.
   1. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.

B.     What Are You Willing To Do?

1. Sometime vision is about delayed gratification. When we get a vision from God, we often want it to happen right now. Sometimes you got to just chill for a moment.
2. Vision increases your appetite for life. My decisions are tied to what I envision.

C.     Know the Value of a Clear Destination

1. Visualizing success ought to be the first thing you see. You ought to visualize success.
2. Some people can have no vision and others have great vision.
   1. Do you ever wonder why people do things that don’t make sense? Sometimes it is simply because they didn’t have vision.
3. Story – A few years ago, Netflix tried to get Blockbuster to invest in them. They came to them with a vision and thought it would be good to partner with Blockbuster. As a result of introducing this vision, Netflix were literally laughed out of the room. Now Blockbuster is almost nonexistent. Netflix is killing the game now and Blockbuster missed it because they couldn’t see the vision.

CASESTUDY: THE APOSTLE PAUL

1. Sometimes it is about stepping out on faith.

Acts 15:36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” – Paul is responding to a burden. He feels he has a responsibility to go and check on the people that are part of his vision.

1. What you don’t inspect, you can’t expect.
   1. Vision sometimes has to be tweaked. God will often block some things you try, because he has a better vison for your life.
      1. Acts 16:6-10 6Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. – Paul was working his vision trying to do the right thing and God shows him clearly, this is he assignment I have for you now.
      1. Some things that we do that are good are not necessarily a God thing. God will block that because he has something greater that he wants you to do.

II.            BIBLICAL EXAMPLES FOR THE OVERALL VISION & PURPOSE FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST

A.     Ezekiel

1. Ezekiel had vision beyond vision.
   1. Ezekiel 37:1-6 1The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”- God gives vision for the possibility of the people that seemed dried up.
   1. Vision is looking at something and seeing things other people can’t see.
      1. God will send you to a ministry sometimes and ask, can these dry bones live again? It’s about the potentiality not the actuality.
   1. Some people are frustrated, but vison is about what you don’t see yet. It is about potential.

B.     Ephesians

Ephesians 4:11-16 11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. – What collapses a vision is when there are parts of the body that are rebellious.

1. Rebellion is part of witchcraft. Through rebellion, you can be the hindrance that keeps the vision from coming to fruition.
2. God is not going to allow one or two people to disrupt an entire vision for an entire ministry. God likewise is not going to allow your adversaries to disrupt what He is showing you.
3. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
   1. Matthew 24:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Jesus said this gospel is going to be preached in every part of this world.
   1. Can the gospel really be preached all around the world? A meeting that Bishop had the privilege of sitting in revealed that Facebook as a goal is trying to have a 1/3 of the earth to have Facebook in their lives. People are watching us now from many different countries at the same time. If you think about it, we are not far from the gospel being preached in every corner of the earth. Jesus says when this is done, then the end will come. This ought to tremble your spirit.

III.            WAYS IN WHICH SATAN TRIES TO DIM YOUR VISION

1. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 3But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. – Vison is hindered by the enemy when he blinds the mind of those, so that light can’t come in. This means you are hindered from seeing revelation. This block hinders vision.
2. We are told not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
3. If I’m passionate about vision, Satan’s attack will be there.

A.    Unrepented Sin

1. Unrepented sin can also block vision.
   1. Isaiah 59:9-12 9Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. 11 We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: – Sin’s are multiplied, because people refuse to repent. At some point you have to stop so you can start seeing.
   1. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, – God wants to bring refreshing to your life

B.     Broken Relationships

1. When you allow offenses to become bitterness, this can blind you to vision.
   1. I John 2:9-11 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. – You can’t have so much hate in you and expect God to show you vision.
2. If somebody has to tear something down to elevate itself, this isn’t God.

C.     Too Much Time Focusing on Carnality

1. The lust of the eye is dangerous.
2. Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.- Focusing on what you want can blind you.
3. Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.- You get consumed in what you want and miss what God wants for your life.
4. Psalm 119:37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. – Lord take my eyes off of worthless social media profiles and watching foolishness on TV and revive me in your own way.
   1. We put so much into our eye gate that means nothing.
      
      

D.     Too Much Time Focusing on The Past

1. Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. –

E.      Too Much Time Looking at Difficulties

1. Some people always focus on what’s wrong.

CASE STUDY: THE SPIES

Numbers 13:27-33 27Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” – The spies were complaining about the enemy. Some people see the fruit, and some see the problem. You have to be one of those that say, “I see what’s possible!” You can’t just focus on the problem.

IV.            HOW TO FIND YOUR VISION

A.     Discover it-

I Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. –

Main Elements of a Discovery Plan:

1. Purpose answers the question WHAT?
2. People answers the question WHO?
3. Principles answers the question HOW?

B.     Align

1. John 16:13-15 13However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.- Relationship and communion with the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary in order to keep your vision fresh and alive. You have to constantly be in communion with God.
2. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – Your vision is going to stay fresh
   
   

C.     Renew

1. It’s an oncoming process. It’s a renewing spirit, every day.

V.            HOW TO KEEP YOUR VISION FRESH AND ALIVE

A.     Create a Vision Statement

1. Create a vision statement based upon what gives meaning to your life.
2. Habakkuk 2:1-3 1I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. – Those who read it will run with it. You have to define the real reason you are doing it.

B.     Connect with Other Visionaries

1. Stop hanging around dull blades.
2. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. – Get around some sharp people that can help you.

C.     Conduct Periodic Self Inventory

1. Ask are you walking this out where God gets the glory?

D.     Continually Act On It

1. Run with it. Act on it! Don’t leave it for others to build.
   1. “We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.” – Woodrow Wilson
2. Story- Bishop is from Louisiana. Nobody was seeing what he was seeing. Bishop started seeing condominiums where cow pastures were. He used to talk about how God was going to multiplying the congregation when at the time there was only 60 members. You got to believe vision when others never see it.
   1. When in Princeton, God showed him something. He showed Bishop a chair and reminded him that this is a chair, but it’s really a manifestation of an idea. The chair didn’t start here, it started there in the mind.
   1. Vision starts up there in your mind. What we see here, started up there in the mind. When you operate up here in the mind, people often think you to be strange.
   1. There are those that praise God for revelation and those who have to wait on manifestation. When you believe in vision, you praise God in revelation, not manifestation.

Keep your vision strong. Don’t let anyone dim your vision. In this Life Plan, you will need a strong vision. If you are in alignment with God, you can’t be stopped.