Prophetic Scripture:
Habakkuk 2:3 (portrays
Christ as God of Our Salvation) [KJV].
“Know that the vision and dream that I have placed in your heart will come to pass. And know that the process toward its fulfillment is preparing you for it. So don’t give up, says the Lord. For the things I have put in your heart will not delay.”
"Visionary View: When Your Vision is Out
of Focus":
Today, we explore a topic that affects us all at some point in our lives: "Visionary View: When Your Vision is Out of Focus." Our vision can become blurred by various distractions and challenges, but through God's Word, we can regain our focus. Let's delve into Scripture for guidance.
I. The Importance of Clear Vision:
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no
vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. [KJV]
(NLT) says, "When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild, but
whoever obeys the law is joyful.
This verse emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision guided by the divine.
II. The Story of Peter Walking on Water:
In Matthew 14:22-33, we find the
disciples of Jesus in a boat on a stormy sea. Jesus comes to them, walking on
the water. Peter, ever impulsive, asks to come to Jesus. Jesus invites him, and
Peter steps out of the boat, walking on the water towards Jesus.
Matthew 14:30:
But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save
me.
Vs 31:
And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto
him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Peter had a clear vision when he was looking
at Jesus, but when he shifted his focus to the storm, his vision became out of
focus, and he began to sink. This story illustrates how distractions can blur
our spiritual vision.
In our lives, distractions come in many forms. It could be worries about the future, the pursuit of wealth, the desire for recognition, or even the demands of daily life. These distractions can cause our spiritual vision to lose focus.
When we have received a prophecy from the Lord, we have a dream, or God has shown us a vision, it is natural to think that it will come to pass the next day! I am talking about a positive divine revelation, not wishful thinking. But the truth is that it takes time for some of the revelations to be fulfilled.
There is usually a time
lag between when we receive a genuine revelation from God and when it becomes
fulfilled. Whether we receive it directly or from another person, sometimes,
what God says may look like a lie because it’s not coming to pass as quickly as
we think. But if the revelation is actually from the Lord, we must never doubt
it. We should hold on to the prophecy or revelation.
God doesn’t use the same time as ours. He has His own timing. He doesn’t use our timetable, He has His own. 2 Peter 3:8 says a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. We must avoid being anxious. Philippians 4:6-7 says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
From the Bible, we learn that whatever God says He wants to do, or whatever He has shown or told you He would do, is for an appointed time. He determines the time, not you or anybody. There is nothing you can do to make it happen before the time, but you may delay it if you fail to cooperate with Him or obey Him.
The LORD told the prophet Habakkuk, Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run that read it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (Habakkuk 2:2-3 KJV).
Please take note of the phrase “for an appointed time.” The prophet did not know that time. But what he was assured of was that it would happen. The Living Bible renders verse 3 of this scripture thus: “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (The Living Bible).
God’s vision for your life will be fulfilled but it may not happen when you think. That’s why you need faith and patience. Many of God’s people are people of faith but they lack patience. Lack of patience in waiting for the fulfilment of the promises of God has made some of us quit standing in faith. Yet, the Bible says we should be imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12). Some of us are failing in this area.
God cannot lie (1st Samuel 15:29; Psalm 89:35; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2). His promises
cannot fail. All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen (2nd Corinthians 1:20). But it may
not be fulfilled as quickly as we think or want. That’s where some of us have
problems with God. Indeed, God could have shown some people ssome things, but
they could begin to assume and start predicting God by setting a time for the
fulfilment.
Most times, we don’t
like to be reminded that Abraham and Sarah waited for 25 years before God’s
promise of a child for them was fulfilled. That’s a long time and,
understandably, it’s not appealing to someone trusting God for the fruit of the
womb. But it’s in the Bible. In the process of waiting for the fulfilment
of God’s promise, Abraham and Sarah made a mistake by trying to help
themselves. But God insisted that He would still give them the child He had
promised.
On one occasion, Abraham laughed at the promise of God to give him a son by Sarah. Sarah also laughed at the same promise on another occasion (Genesis 17:15-18; 18:10-14). But when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old, they gave birth to Isaac, the child God had promised them. The vision was for an appointed time, and it came to pass though it took a long time. Hold on to God’s promises; the vision shall come to pass.
Joseph’s dream that his
brothers bowed before him did not come to pass immediately. It looked as if he
was just daydreaming, particularly after he had become a slave in Egypt and was
thrown into prison over a false allegation.
Nevertheless, twenty-two
years after he had the dream, it came to pass. Joseph had the dream when he was
seventeen (Genesis 37:2,
5-11). He became the Prime Minister in Egypt at the age of
thirty (Genesis 41:46). That
was a difference of thirteen years.
Joseph’s dream took twenty-two years to be fulfilled. During that period, his two dreams must have looked like a lie. His brothers made his father believe that he had died. His brothers must have believed that even if he was alive, he could not amount to anything having sold him to the slave merchants. Look they did sell him; but they couldn’t sell his dream. The vision was for an appointed time.
Don’t despair; your vision, dream, prophecy shall come to pass. Joseph went from his father’s house to the pit; to Potiphar’s house; to prison; and finally to the palace. However, he ruled as prime minister in the same land where he was both a slave and a prisoner. That is a testimony to the power of God.
We find Joseph’s summary
of his suffering in the names he gave his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh, “For
God, He said, hath made me forget all my
toil, and all my father’s house.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim: “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the
land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51-52). What a reflection!
Hallelujah!!!
Although Samuel had
anointed David king, it never appeared that he would sit on the throne. He
became a fugitive, running away from Saul whom he had helped to kill Goliath,
the Philistine champion. He was envious of David and wanted to kill him. Samuel
who anointed David as the king had died before he eventually became king after
Saul’s death. But he didn’t even first become the king of the entire nation. It
was a long process for him.
Samuel first anointed him as king privately in the midst of his brothers (1st Samuel 16:12-13). After Saul’s death, the men of Judah, his tribe, anointed him king over Judah. During that period, the house of Saul was still ruling over the remaining tribes of Israel (2nd Samuel 2:4). Later, all the elders of Israel came to Hebron and anointed David king over all Israel after the death of Abner and Ish-bo-sheth, Saul’s army commander and son respectively (2nd Samuel 5:3).
Before David became the king of the entire nation of Israel, he was anointed three times. 2nd Samuel 5:4-5 says, “David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned forty years.” In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-and three years over all Israel and Judah” (KJV). The vision was for an appointed time. But how many know it came to pass!
Your vision is for an appointed time. Believe what God has told you. Believe it shall come to pass. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, told Mary when she came to visit her, “Blessed is she who believed: for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45 New King James Version).
Don’t despise any progress you record towards the fulfilment of your vision or dream, no matter how small. Don’t despise your small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). David’s ascension to the throne of Israel was step by step.
The vision is for an appointed time. However, wage a good warfare against demonic delay, hindrance, and frustration. Pray against the spirit of error, unbelief, and impatience. Obey the Word of God and divine instructions. Don’t be anxious. Never stop praying (1st Thessalonians 5:17). Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18a).
While you’re waiting for the appointed time, be
faithful where you are. (Luke 16:10-12 New
King James
Version).
Don’t be in a hurry.
Wait for the appointed time. If it seems slow, do not lose hope. It will surely
be fulfilled. Only be patient. The appointed time will come. It won’t be
delayed by a single day.
God has an appointed
time for the vision He gave you. You must first walk through the preparation
season. Yet all along, the vision is developing right under your nose, and you
don’t even know it!
Never forget, that what seems like a delay may not be that at all. Surely, the enemy likes to interfere and slow things down, BUT GOD will see to it that the vision happens right in time. Realize that today is getting you ready for tomorrow. You are moving toward your vision, so stay in faith and always trust the process. Surely, the vision will come and won’t delay!
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, help me to be faithful in my current position. Help me not to sabotage myself or delay the appointed time for God’s promises for me to be fulfilled. I come against demonic delay or hindrance against the fulfilment of my prophecy. My dream will come to pass in Jesus’ name. Father, I thank you for taking this time to prepare me, for the vision shall not be delayed!
In THE MATCHLESS NAME OF JESUS THE CHRIST!!!!
Oh,
come on and give The LORD some praise!!!
Assist
Pastor Jackie Burton