What Does The Bible Say About Vision
As we enter into a new year, many people are searching for a fresh, new start and a new vision of what God has for their life. And with it being 2020, this seems like the perfect year for vision and clarity.
In the world of optometry 20/20 vision refers to a persons visual acuity. More specifically, 20/20 vision measures how clearly a person can see objects 20 feet away. There are limits to what we can see clearly with the naked eye.
Yet, isnt it amazing to know that there are no limits on the vision and clarity that God brings into our lives? His omnipotence means that there are no limits or constraints to His vision, and His truth stands the test of time.
Lets take a look at what the Bible says about vision and lean into His Word for wisdom to enter into this new decade and beyond.
What Does the Bible Say About Vision?
Without a Vision People Perish
Where there is no vision, the people perish . . . Proverbs 29:18 KJV
One of the things that this verse makes very clear is that a vision is vital to carrying out Gods will for our lives. And without any revelation of His will, we have no way of creating a Christ-fueled vision for our family. However, when we are actively seeking God, we not only download His vision for our lives, we are able to teach our children to do the same. Our children watch everything we do and by modeling a life of seeking God, we are sowing an eternal legacy that will bless our childrens children.
God Has a Good Plan
What Does Scripture Say About Finding Gods Vision For My Life
- Tim PietzContributing Writer
- 202114 Jan
Do you ever wonder where God is leading you? Do you ever wish he would just show you?
Throughout history, many people have been shown literal visions of Gods willimages and words that communicated Gods plans. Sometimes, God uses symbolism to illustrate his will, as he did in Johns vision in Revelation. Other times, God speaks plainly, as he did when speaking to Ananias about Saul. Though such visions are rare, there are many Scriptures on vision we can learn from in seeking Gods will for our lives.
The Trance State Is The Place That We Enter Into Through Meditation
Here are a few scriptures that talk about encounters with the trance state.
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. Acts 22:16-18
Here we find Paul going into a deep trance during a large prayer gathering within the temple. This practice still occurs today with Christians in a large church setting, small group or even their personal devotional prayer time alone. We also see The Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 10 saying 4But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners and it came even to me.
This particular instance Peter saw a vision during a trance where God showed him what to do at a future time and actually showed it to him via dream symbolism that he would have to interpret in order to get the meaning. Also in Numbers 24:16
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open
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Children Are Part Of Gods Creative Plan
God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number fill the earth and subdue it. Genesis 1:28
After creating Adam and Eve, God commanded that they be fruitful, or have children. The original design included families with children. Kids werent an afterthought. Everything about creation was pronounced good, including his design for children.
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All Believers In Jesus Christ Belong To The Kingdom Of God
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with Gods people and also members of his household.Ephesians 2:19
This verse follows the great passage that lays out how we have been saved by faith in Jesus . In it, the terms foreigners and strangers are used as metaphors for our condition before our faith in Jesus Christ. Before we believed, we were outside the covenant and considered foreigners or strangers in Gods kingdom . But because of our faith in him, we are now part of Gods community strangers who have been welcomed in.
Bible Verses On Clarity Of Vision
Here are 10 Bible verses on clarity of vision, including seven actions to help you see the specifics of your God-given calling. Dont forget to get the checklist to help make sure your vision isnt premature.
Do you feel called by God, or have a dream, but its all still kind of vague as far as what its supposed to look like? Do you have a passion inside you that you desperately want to act on, but you cant see the specifics yet? Just what, exactly, is the secret to that vision becoming crystal clear? Today Im sharing seven actions that helped bring clarity to mine.
For many years God pursued my full surrender for the call He placed on my life. The stretching was years long. He made adjustments in my heart until a shift took place where the vision unfolded into a crystal-clear picture.
The verses in Habakkuk 2:2-3 tantalized me many times before.
And the LORD answered me: Write the vision make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time it hastens to the endit will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it it will surely come it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV
During this past year I experienced a shift in my life regarding this verse. During this season, the secrets to the process of the vision God gave me unfolded with remarkable clarity. I took a step back and looked at what I learned in the process.
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What Does The Bible Say About Refugees
Rose and her children enjoy their first real meal in weeks at the Goboro transit center in Uganda. This hot meal was provided by World Vision for Roses family and hundreds of others on their way to more permanent shelter for refugees from South Sudan.
You wont find the term refugee in the Bible. But the Word of God has plenty to say about people called strangers and sojourners or foreigners in our translations.
Strangers and foreigners refer to anybody who was from another ethnic group but had chosen to live with the Jews in Israel no matter what category they might represent in todays terms.
For instance, the book of Ruth is about a widow from the tribe of Moab who chooses to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Israel and live there with her. In Ruth 2:10 we see her ask Boaz, in whose field she is gleaning, Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me a foreigner? She understands her status as being outside the tribe of Israel.
Sojourners are people who are temporarily living in Israel or just traveling through the country.
How Important Is It For Christians To Have A Vision
What does the Bible have to say on the subject of goal-setting, or having a vision?
In the business world, and in the personal development and self-help movements, it is common to promote the setting of goals. Defining objectives is considered foundational to directing individual and corporate efforts. In Christian circles the usual way of describing this is as having, or getting, a vision. In other words, setting ones mind and heart on a desired future outcome. The only goal or vision that counts in the Christian life is that His Kingdom come in the hearts of all people and His will be done .
Matthew 6:10
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
It is remarkable that in the Bible, which addresses every aspect of life, and the ways of God, there is not one word on goal setting.
The verse that is quoted by some ministers, in support of a teaching on setting goals, is:
Without a vision the people perish.
The quotation is from the King James Bible. It is not an accurate translation from the original Hebrew text, in the way we would understand it in modern English usage.
The words are found in Proverbs 29:18.
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint …
The focus of the Christian life is Jesus Christ and His glory nothing more and nothing less.
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Ten Scriptures For Inspiring Vision
Passages to reflect on and share with your congregation
Influence Magazineon August 9, 2019
More than a catchphrase, vision is the fuel for your ministry. It is the why behind what you do each week.
At least once a year, its a good idea to revisit the vision of your church and recapture your audiences commitment to it. As you craft your message or series, here are 10 Scriptures to reflect on and consider sharing:
1. Luke 4:16-21
In the beginning of Christs public ministry, He used a Sabbath sermon as an opportunity to share His vision. Jesus told those assembled, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. The passage Christ used from Isaiah encapsulated His vision, including proclaiming good news, healing the blind and setting prisoners free. Succinct and specific, it was a perfect message.
2. Matthew 28:19-20
If Luke 4 was Jesus personal vision statement, this passage is His vision statement for the church. Each local body of believers should keep this vision front and center as they carve out their own way of reaching the community.
3. Acts 2:42-47
How did the Early Church go about fulfilling the vision Jesus articled in the Great Commission? This passage provides a snapshot and a template: discipleship, fellowship, prayer, Spirit reliance, compassion, worship and evangelism.
4. Nehemiah 1:4
We can rely on Gods presence as we share and strive toward His vision.
5. Habakkuk 2:2
6. Micah 6:8
7. Acts 18:9-10
8. Psalm 37:4-5
9. Ephesians 3:20
Or Maybe You Can Send It To A Friend Or Family Member
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What Does The Bible Say About Generosity
Sponsored child 11-year-old Rocio receives a package from her sponsor in Colomi, Bolivia.
World Vision helped a Rwandan community build a milk processing plant to buy surplus milk and sell it to the market. But the community decided to take it a step further. They began to generously give free milk to orphans to boost their health. The milk saved lives, including Mosess. Noel brought Moses to the milk center regularly after finding him starving on the side of the road. Today, the little boy is healthy and loved.
Church, community, and World Vision volunteers all generously give their time freely to unload and distribute relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.
John Nalukobo, 74, is surrounded by the orphaned grandchildren he and his wife raise, plus one of the goats they were given from another family in the community. That family first received goats from a World Vision donor who purchased the animals through the Gift Catalog. Last year, John was also able to donate goats for another family in need. I was really excited because I was also helped, and I needed to help another family.
Fifth-grade teacher Susan Depascale, left, and special education para-educator Marianne Papastavaros hold boxes of school supplies in the World Vision Mobile Teacher Resource Center outside their school in Bridgeport, Conn. Women of Vision distributed school supplies to children at various schools in Bridgeport in October 2015.
Three Biblical Principles Of Godly Vision
I want to give you three practical principles of divine vision. Lets start by reading Zechariah 4:10 – For who has despised the day of small things? These seven will rejoice and see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the eyes of the Lord, which survey to and fro throughout the earth. God speaks a word to Zechariah.
Here is some background to this story. Seventy years before this, Babylon attacked, came in and walked all over Israel. They destroyed their cities, tearing down their walls, and the Temple was completely ruined in Jerusalem. Then the Persians invaded and subdued Babylon. Afterward, a Persian King, King Cyrus, called for Zerubbabel, a leader in Israel. The King told Zerubbabel to take 50,000 people, return to Jerusalem, and rebuild this great city Wall and Temple.
Zerubbabel and the group of people worked hard, and when the walls were finished, they began to work rebuilding the Temple. Other people, enemies of Israel, wanted to help build the Temple, but Zerubbabel told them they could not. This created tensions. So these enemies wrote a letter to King Cyrus, who then turned around and issued a decree to stop working on the Temple. All work stopped at this point.
For approximately 17 years, the Temple lay in waste, half started, but the glory of the house of God was not complete. Zerubbabel, the man tasked with this, was left with an unfulfilled vision.
Many of us can sense what comes when we are left with an unfulfilled vision:
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Why Is It Important To Follow The Instructions Of The Bible
While the law of God is good, Matthew Henry writes in his commentary that it is not having the law, but obeying it, and living up to it, that will entitle us to blessedness.
Salvation can only come from God. We are not transformed or saved by our works or the law, but by Gods power and grace. However, those who love the Lord and have submitted to His authority, will be more inclined to obey His commands and instructions. And in doing so, they are blessed.
Paul writes, It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified .
This is why Solomon writes often about following the instructions found in Gods Word. They, he believed, are the life-giving and life-affirming principles that help combat sin, brokenness, and spiritual blindness in ones life.
The Psalmist wrote, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances .
Having encountered the life and wisdom of God, Solomon encouraged his children and future generations of the benefits of following Gods word.
Joel Ryan is an LA-based childrens author, artist, professor, and speaker who is passionate about helping young writers unleash their creativity and discover the wonders of their Creator through storytelling and art. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page, he discusses all things story and the creative process.
What Does The Bible Say About When Vision Is Lacking
This passage from Proverbs says that without vision, the people perish or the people cast off restraint.
That phrase is a verb meaning to let go, to let loose, to unbind. So we could say that the people let go or let loose.
One of the first times this phrase or word is used in the Bible is during the events of the Golden Calf. The story is familiar to many. Moses is up Mount Sinai, hearing from God. During this time, Moses is receiving vision, direction, and plans from the Lord for Israel. But it is taking time. Israel is becoming impatient and even questions if Moses will return, which is where we pick up the story in Exodus 32.
Exodus 32:1 – Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together around Aaron and said to him, Come, make us gods which will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.
They looked elsewhere and became open to deception, self-gratification, sin, and idolatry. The Bible records that they took their gold earrings and formed them into a golden calve. They then worshipped this calve, sacrificed to it, and even said, this is the one who brought us out of Egypt.
In verse 25, we see this phrase meaning to let go, let loose, and unbind used. Notice how it is translated here.
It reads in the KJV, And when Moses saw that the people were naked
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