In Your Bible Read This
Isaiah 43.18, Revelation 1, 9-18,1 Chronicles 28, 11-12

Here Is Your Memory Verse
Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keeps the law,
happy is he. Proverbs 29.18. (AV)

Afterwards Talk About This
So what do you see? Share your vision, sufferings, failures
or lack of vision openly with each other.

Something To Do Before Next Time
Examine your own heart and see the vision God is beginning to give you.
Don’t accept fate but reach out to God’s destiny for you, your family,
ministry, church and future. Make a few notes and hide them
away to look at again in a few years time.

Written Diploma Work
Develop the theme of the vultures in writing. How might they affect a new
vision in practice. What could happen?

Meditate On This Passage
Exodus 25.8

Spend a Minute to Change the World

Pray For Mexico - 98,000,000 mainly poor people

Dynamic growing nation, many social & political problems

88% Catholic, 5% evangelicals, long history of persecution

 

Be sure to teach this lesson to others.

Always pray and prepare well adding

your own verses and stories to bring it to life.

Jeremiah was a young man just starting off in his walk with the Lord, serving in the temple. One day the Lord appeared and told him that he was known even before birth, and that he was a special young man, set apart by God to be a prophet. Jeremiah protested that he was just a child but the Lord reassured him and gave him some great promises. Then the Lord asked him a question, Jeremiah 1,4-12.

Jeremiah, What Do You See?
Jeremiah answered correctly. He saw the first signs of new life for his land.
The Lord said, Correct, I am watching over my word to perform it!

1. What Do You See From The Lord?

Who should have a burning vision?

Every believer for himself, his family, his service and future.
Every leader for an Acts 2.42-47 church and a God blessed locality and region.
Every church for the whole world.

The Bible says that without a vision the people perish. Proverbs 29.18. And the first one to perish is you from boredom in your Christian life. Having vision is much more than just a picture in a charismatic worship meeting. It is a deep inner awareness of why you have been born now, and even more important, why you, and not others, have been born again by the hand of God.

2. Vision Is Prophetic New Life From God

A glimpse of the future before it happens provided we obey God, but watch out - the devil hates the promise of new life. He tried to kill baby Moses who was going to be God's deliverer of a nation. He tried to kill baby Jesus, who was going to deliver an entire world. He attacks babies in the womb today. He attacks all new-born Christians and in the same way a new vision will also be attacked!

Vision And Vultures

Some years ago we were driving in the desert in West Africa on the way to visit a remote bible school. In the distance we saw some vultures circling and we knew having watched too many cowboy films that something was either dying or dead. What would it be? We changed course and arrived within minutes.

 Vultures
When we arrived we saw a gang of seven big, black vultures on the ground and advancing upon a new born goat whose mother was still too weak to drive them away. We frightened them away until the kid found strength to run. Just looking at the black hooded vultures showed us a picture of the powers of darkness and all their attacks against new born visions and plans. The Bible calls, the powers of darkness, ‘birds of the air.’ These vultures advance against you as soon as you give birth to a plan. They intend to attack your vision and give you a hard time to get started and keep going.

3. The Birds Of The Air

Vulture 1 Is Called Unbelief
He sits on your shoulder and squawks again and again, "Has God really said this?"

Vulture 2 Is Called Doubt
He says, "Don't trust God, people or yourself." Moses listened to his squawking and said to God, " Who am I? They won't believe me! I can't speak! Please, send someone else! "

Vulture 3 Is Called Fear
He says, "What will people say if you make a mistake, change half way or fail." He says don’t take the risk.

Vulture 4 Is Called Discouragement
Joshua was warned by God to watch out for this black, ugly vulture. Joshua Ch. 1, Deut. 31.6.

Vulture 5 Is Called Laziness
Haggai saw this one around, and told the people to be strong and work. Haggai 2.4

Vulture 6 Is Called Distractions
He is a powerful vulture that sits on our shoulder and whispers all the other things we have to do, now. Luke 8.14

Vulture 7 Is Called Impatience
He is a sly ugly brute. If he can't slow us down through fear he will push us to run ahead of God. If faith ever turns into presumption, what was a Spirit led vision becomes a work of the flesh and doomed to failure! Watch out for this one, he is very subtle and can appeal to your impatience.

Why Such An Attack From The Devil?
It’s Proverbs 29.18. Even a baby vision means less people will perish. In Matthew 25 you find wise virgins with a vision to be ready, wise servants with a vision to fully use their gifts and wise sheep with burning vision to minister to others.

4. So What Do You See?

Maybe you do not have a vision?
If so, do what John did and get into the Spirit, and see Jesus!
Revelation 1.10

Perhaps you see very little?
If your vision has failed then bury it in the sure and certain hope of a better resurrection. Acts 16, 6-10

Have You Run Away From A Vision?
Remember that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, and to John Mark also. 2 Timothy 4.11

Are You Suffering For A Vision?
Remember Joseph had a very real vision but he suffered for it in body and soul, Ps 105.19, and Habbakuk too in heart and soul. Hab. 2.3. See what Daniel said in Daniel 10, 7- 8, 16 -17. He had to be strengthened by God to carry on,. Like Daniel, 10.14, watch out for the right time, that’s vital.

And for the many who do have vision -
Do What Abraham Did In Gen. 15, 5-10:
Add personal sacrifice to the vision.
Drive the birds of the air away, 11
Expect God to confirm the vision, 13