2020 – New Season, New Vision
Happy New Year! And welcome to a new year, a new decade, and what I’m believing is a new season! So many in the body have felt it and believe that this is the year we’re going to see big things from God. When I was asking the Lord what to share with everyone, I kept hearing the same – new visions, new breakthroughs! So allow me to use this time to encourage you.
Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Most people you talk to or see on TV talk about making resolutions for the new year. I don’t believe in making resolutions, but about setting goals and growing my dreams. These are usually things I’d like to change – old habits to break, new ones to create. My goals are probably much like yours – spending more time in the Word, getting healthier, treasuring time with friends and family. In the last couple of years, my goals have gotten more complex. I have not just goals and dreams, but I have a vision, and each year, my vision expands. Do you have a vision?
Proverbs 29:18 (AMP) – Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].
God places dreams, goals, and visions in each one of us. It’s up to us to draw those out and take steps towards their fulfillment. To that end, think about this for a minute – what vision do you have for the upcoming year or decade? Stronger in your faith walk? More healthy? New relationships? What about financial independence? A new house, or a new car?
A couple of years ago, Greg and I created a vision board. It’s a list of all the things we’re believing for, physically, spiritually, and financially. Some things may seem straightforward, others not so much. The list includes large things and small things. Things that seem impossible from where we stand right now, but they’re things we’re believing God for: the destiny and destination that He has for the two of us.
This is a perfect time of year to modify and add to the board. In fact, this year, I got to mark the first thing as completed – being off all my medications. It was one of the steps in the process of getting healthier, so that I can successfully do all the things the Lord is calling me to do. As we mark off the things that God is completing, we modify the list, growing along the way.
I am a firm believer in writing out your vision, be it on a board, a sheet of paper, document in your computer, a journal, post-it notes. It can be anywhere, but get it down where you can see it.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 – Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 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.
Years ago, long before I met Greg, I felt led by God to create a list of all the qualities I wanted, and didn’t want in a husband. God asked me to be specific. Being the detail-oriented person, I was, it was SEVEN PAGES LONG. Over time, the list got trimmed down, modified, and more centered on the spiritual aspects I was most desiring. I prayed over that list – I prayed for Greg, even though I’d never met him. When we reached the appointed time – the time that God knew was best for both of us, God brought us together. That’s just one example of how God moves with you to see your vision completed.
No matter your vision or dream, write it down. This is one of the things I’m so passionate about. When it’s a physical list, it’s something you can see, pray, and even war over. I believe that makes it so much stronger. Decree the completion of the things on your list.
Job 22:28 (AMP) – “You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.
You’re doing what God did – you’re creating your world around you. Just as God spoke the whole universe into being, you’re doing the same! We’re calling those things that aren’t as though they are. That’s FAITH!
Vision isn’t just about making a wish list of all the physical things you want. When you examine your heart and the WHY, you find yourself lining your physical sight and vision up with your spiritual sight and vision. Do you want your bank account to be full so you can be comfortable, or so you can bless other people more? I wanted to be healthy so that I could complete the journey the Lord has for me without pain or dependance on anyone but Him.
It’s important when preparing to write down your vision to seek the Lord about it. He will open up your spiritual eyes to think not just about the physical stuff, but the spiritual vision He has for you. Think about the servant of Elisha in the Old Testament. He saw with his physical eyes, but not with his spiritual eyes. He didn’t have the vision!
2 Kings 6:15-17 – And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The Lord opened his eyes, and the servant gained vision – he saw as God sees. That’s what we’re called to do. God is giving us mighty visions. Each and every one of us has a calling and a purpose that God longs to see fulfilled in our lives. A destiny and a destination. We have a world to change!
Joel 2:28 – “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
It’s time for the people of God to dream again, to be reminded of their visions. Write them down, decree life over them. Things you thought were long dead hopes and dreams. It’s time to raise them from the dead. God has need of each and every one of us! It’s time to step up and be the powerful warriors God is calling us to be. Most of us don’t realize how important we are to God and to the Kingdom!
We can’t sit back and allow life to pass us by. We need to focus our vision on the future. God will provide each step of the way, we just rely on Him. I want to leave you with this encouragement:
Isaiah 60:1-5 – Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.