“Show me your vision and I will prophesy your future.” David Yonggi Cho
VISION IS COMPROMISED WHEN………..
- leadership positions are not given to people with vision
“In the absence of great dreams, pettiness prevails.” Robert Fritz - leaders are trained to be maintenance oriented rather than vision/mission oriented.
- the majority choose to stay with the status quo.
“We live in a world where the majority dictate the rules and the majority are usually wrong.” Arnold Toynbee
Leaders have a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo.
PRINCIPLES OF VISION FROM THE LIFE OF A GIANT SLAYER 1Samuel 17
THE SETTING
“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah……
Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was nine feet tall.” (v 1-4)
- GREAT VISIONS ARE OFTEN BIRTHED IN DIFFICULT TIMES (8-11)
“On hearing the Philistine’s words Saul and the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens
- VISIONARIES ARE PEOPLE WITH A CAUSE THAT GIVES BIRTH TO THE VISION (26-27)
“David asked the men standing near him; ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and REMOVES THIS DISGRACE FROM ISRAEL. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that HE SHOULD DEFY THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD?’”
“You know very well what TROUBLE we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and END THIS DISGRACE!”……
“They replied at once, ‘Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!’ So they began the good work.” Nehemiah 3:17-18
“You see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’ But I dream of things that never were, and ask ‘Why not?’” George Bernard Shaw
- VISIONARIES SEE THE WORLD FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE (26)
“…….that he should defy the armies of the living God.”
Perspective separates leaders from followers; they see what followers fail to see.
“When (Jesus) saw the crowds He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
Jesus saw something, He felt something, a cause was birthed, and He did something.
- VISIONARIES WILL DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE
(28-30)
“When Eliab, David’s older brother heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here?….I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down to only watch the battle.’
‘Now what have I done?’ said David, ‘Can’t I even speak?’”
There are 3 stages in any great work of God
1. Impossible 2. Difficult 3. Done J. Hudson Taylor
- VISIONARIES ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VISION
(31 -32)
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him,”
He/she who gets vision, gets job
- VISIONARIES RECOGNISE GOD’S SOVEREIGN PREPARATION FOR THE TASK (33-37)
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine”
When we are faithful in smaller things, God entrusts us with bigger things.
Matthew 25:23 God never promotes on potential alone.
- VISIONARIES DON’T USE WORLDLY STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THE VISION
(38 -40)
“I cannot go in these”, he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them”
- VISIONARIES CAN BE ASSURED OF PERSONAL OPPOSITION (41-44)
“He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome and he despised him…..’Come here’, he said, ‘I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!’’
Two great weapons of opposition
- SELF DOUBT
- FEAR
The opposition came, first from within David’s ranks, then from without his ranks
- VISIONARIES ARE HUMBLE PEOPLE(45-47)
“This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
- David didn’t boast of his own abilities – His trust was in God
- David didn’t seek his own glory – His goal was God’s glory
- David didn’t see what he could do with his resources – He wanted to see what God could do with his resources
- VISIONARIES ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION (48-51)
“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.”
“Pray as though it all depends on God
Work as though it all depends on you”
E Stanley Jones
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Barack Obama
- VISIONARIES ARE LEADERS , AND OPEN A DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY OTHERS WHO WILL FOLLOW
(52 -54)
Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines
God sized visions are always bigger than ourselves and will involve others.
- GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE TO GOD TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS (55-58)
“Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him
“Anything God has ever done, He can do now
Anything God has ever done anywhere else, He can do here
Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you”
A.W. Tozer
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela
‘ABCDE’ OF A VISIONARY
AVAILABILITY
“God has had all of me there was to have. From the day I got the poor of London on my heart and a vision of what Jesus Christ could do, I made up my mind that God would have all there was of William Booth. If there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will and all the influence of my life. ” William Booth
BELIEF
“….it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands” (47)
CAPACITY
The willingness to be stretched.
“Impossibilities are opportunities for our capacities to be enlarged. Human beings live far within their limits, they possess powers of various sorts they habitually fail to use.”
William James
DETERMINATION
“Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Acts 26:19
It is always too soon to give up
ENTHUSIASM
“Tonight, Shanghai is burning and I am dying too
But there is no death so real as the death inside of you
Some people die by shrapnel and some go down in flames
But most people die inch by inch playing little games.”
Written by a correspondent looking out of a hotel window watching a great city being overrun.
SHOW ME YOUR VISION AND I WILL PROPHESY YOUR FUTURE
FOR REFLECTION AND REVIEW
- Who are some of the visionaries who have had an impact on your life and what it is about their lives that have impressed you?
- Think about the story of David and Goliath and share particular details of what was helpful to you in this encounter.
- George Barna said that only 3% of Christians can explain God’s purpose(vision) for their lives. Why do you think this is so?
- If I could do for God whatever I wanted to do and I knew I wouldn’t fail, what is it I would do? How would you answer this question? Are there any situations in life in which you have had a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo?
- David faced obstacles along the way that were designed to prevent his vision from becoming a reality. These obstacles came from both within and without. Can you identify obstacles that might prevent you from becoming a person of vision?
- What steps can you take now as you move forward to make your vision become a reality? To whom can you be accountable?
BECOMING A PERSON OF VISION
- SELF AWARENESS
Realise that God has shaped you with a particular vision in mind that only you can achieve.
- SELF LEADERSHIP
Develop the personal disciplines that will establish a foundation in your life upon which your vision can be built.
- GOD AWARENESS
Get close to the heart of God and become aware of the passion that he wants to burn in your heart.
- ASK YOURSELF
If I could do for God whatever I wanted to do, and I knew I wouldn’t fail, I would………
- OTHER VISIONARIES
Get close to other influential visionaries. Read good biographies and learn vicariously from their lives.
- EQUIP YOURSELF
Be proactive in taking steps to develop yourself in order to maximize the potential that God has placed within you.
- START SMALL
Get involved in an area now where you feel a strong desire to make a difference.
8. OVERCOME OBSTACLES
Identify the obstacles that will seek to prevent you from achieving your vision and develop strategies to overcome them.
9.FIND MENTORS
Seek out mentors who can help you fulfill your vision.
10.SET GOALS
Decide to become a person who is a known achiever, in spite of the obstacles and setbacks that will come your way.
11.STAY FOCUSED
Don’t let the good things and the diversions of life get in the way of the best things.
12.EQUALLY YOKED
Marry someone who believes in you and who will support you in the fulfillment of the vision.