This newsletter was first published in December 2023 when I was still in Vietnam.
Are you stuck and ready for change?
If so, this is for you.
Hi there!
Are you ready for big changes in your life?
Would you like a roadmap for your future?
Well, you can get this direction from God, but you have to participate.
Like all things worth having in life, there is a process that takes time.
Having a vision brings hope.
Proverbs 29:18 says:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
Habakkuk was a prophet and in his anguish, he cried out to the Lord. He feared the threat of the Babylonians and complained to God.
He draws God’s attention to the injustice and suffering all around him and wonders why God is silent.
He wants God to give him an answer because he can’t understand why God does not intervene.
God answers him saying that He is aware of the injustice and violence and will set the Babylonians on Israel.
Habakkuk was shocked by God’s response saying, “What!” Babylon is even worse than Israel, more corrupt and evil.
This reminds us that while there is evil in the world today, God does have a plan, and justice will prevail.
At this point, the prophet is desperate for an answer so he sets himself in a position to hear the voice of God.
The prophet Habakkuk said…
“What’s God going to say to my questions?
I’m braced for the worst.
I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon.
I’ll wait to see what God says,
how he’ll answer my complaint.”
Habakkuk asked God the same questions we ask God today:
When are you going to do something about all the evil in the world?
Why are you taking so long?
And then God answered:
“Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”- Habakkuk 2: 1-3
This is how we are to receive the vision for our lives too.
But before we go any further, I want to alleviate your fears.
Most Christians don’t write out their vision because they think it’s a pagan thing or a new-age idea.
But, this is from the Word of God.
To avoid any interference from the enemy (the devil), you must get into the right spiritual space to receive from God.
You can’t expect to hear from God if you watch Netflix every night or try to hear from God late at night when you are exhausted from a day’s work.
No.. you must make time and space to hear from God.
Getting Ready
So, if you are ready to work on discovering your vision (mission), you could start preparing the way by …
Making time
Making space
Working on strengthening your physical health
Working on your mental and emotional well-being
Working on your spiritual health
Discerning what is right for you
Decluttering your life
Forgiving people who have hurt you
Cleaning up your life in every area
Writing down your vision permits it to come into being.
Trust the process. God is leading you….
Pray and ask the Lord about the vision for your life and believe it will be given to you. Then position yourself to receive it.
Prepare yourself, by making time, and praying.
Write it Down, Keep it Plain, and Speak it Out
It requires faith to receive your vision from God, so ask for wisdom (James 1:5) and believe you have received it.
Have your notebook ready. You are waiting with expectation!
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you…
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
Listen… you are now co-labouring with Christ.
Like the prophet Habakkuk, you are watching to see what God will say to you.
“I will look to see what he will say to me..”
Habakkuk 2:1b
Your vision is in your imagination. God is in your imagination.
Negative thoughts are not from God. Negative thoughts come from the devil. It is his way of derailing you.
Satan’s one goal is to prevent you from reaching your destiny.
So you’ve got to focus!
Listen for the still small voice in you. The pictures will rise gently.
Write it down—everything you hear or see.
You can draw pictures too if that is better for you.
Remember, as a believer, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
We only want what comes from God so the way to know if it is a vision from God is by testing to see if it lines up with scripture.
“But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.”
Your mission will edify, exhort, and comfort you and others.
When you have it written down, speak it out loud to yourself.
It is a theme in the Bible to declare audibly what will be done. This is why affirmations work. We speak things into being.
Ways to write it down
You could take a large sheet of paper and write or draw what you receive.
or
You could use a notebook or tablet, laptop, etc., and ask God specifically about the different areas of your life, such as:
Health
Relationships
Finances
Work/Life Purpose
Writing the vision down moves it from your imagination into reality (on the paper).
The next stage is to take the steps that bring it to fruition.
Write your goals.
And…put it into action immediately.
We try to figure out life by ourselves instead of asking God.
Ask for the life you want and if it is in alignment with His good will it shall be yours.
It will happen at the appointed time (if you just believe).
God wants to bless his children
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
- Matthew 7:9-11
The problem is…
We don’t know what we want - it takes time so you need to think about it
We don’t believe we can have it - it seems too easy. We’re used to working hard for everything or we’ve had too many disappointments in life
We don’t ask
What then are we to do?
Find out what you want, bring it to God in prayer, and then ask for the vision
Write it down
Believe it will be yours
And it will happen at the appointed time
It’s a process
This is the process God tells us to do, but we don’t do it.
We think it’s not spiritual. Only worldly people do things like that.
Or it’s new age woo-woo stuff! :)
We know that all successful people do this.
Successful people know the power of vision and writing things down.
These are God’s ways and others have taken these principles from God to bring success into their lives. They don’t even understand much about the Bible, but they know this works.
So if you want your dreams to come true, you need to get started by thinking about what it is you want that aligns with the will of God.
Don’t limit your imagination. Dream BIG.
Your vision is exciting and frightening at the same time.
Start dreaming.. get in touch with your lost dreams.
Your dreams are connected to the things you enjoy, but also new things that you may need more training for.
Get creative with this process!
You could start taking photos of things you like and get into the details
Walk around with your eyes open to see what draws your attention.
Pay attention to what you are noticing.
We are usually drawn to the things we like.
We have to get prepared to receive the Vision.
It’s a process that takes time.
I review my vision regularly.
It’s this process that got me to where I am today, but we need to update it because after writing down our vision and goals things start to happen quickly.
We have to keep moving to keep up with things.
When God gets into action - you better be ready because the spirit keeps flowing when you keep asking and doing!
That’s the way it is and that is why some people become unstoppable!
Their Vision expands and as it expands, they have to become the person it takes to do the things they see.
Pray like Jabez..
"Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from the evil one." And God granted his request.
- 1 Chronicles 4:9
Expand my territory, Lord.
It can be scary to pray with faith because your life will start to expand.
As you move forward in the vision things need to be aligned and God does this too.
People will have to go.
You can’t be with the wrong people.
They will disappear like lightning and you won’t even know how it happened, but God will tell you who has to go and who stays.
When God removes people, grieve the loss and keep going forward.
We can’t change others.
They need healing. They can’t come with you on the next stage of the journey.
Don’t worry, they are usually happy to let you go because they know you are onto something they don’t understand yet.
New people will come along.
You also need new skills which usually means more education.
We need knowledge and understanding for the new things God is doing in our lives.
Get around people who challenge you, stretch you, and wake you up.
If you are the brightest one in your group of friends, or the one that teaches everyone, then you are in a comfort zone.
It’s time to get a new group of friends.
Move in new circles.
Read books, study others who do what you like to do.
Learn more. Meet more people who you can learn from.
Invest in your vision. Ask questions.
Keep adding to your vision as God reveals more.
The motivational speaker Steve Harvey suggests you write 350 things on your list as a way to expand your thinking!!
That’s a lot of stuff.
I tried it and got stuck at # 35, but I leave it on my coffee table now and add to it when things come to my mind.. and I take it with me when I go out for the day.
He said people usually get stuck at # 75, and after that, it requires a lot of expanding of our imagination to write more.
BIG GOALS
Something I’ve discovered these last few weeks is that BIG GOALS take time to achieve.
And I have set some BIG goals!!!
I knew God was up to something when He brought me to Vietnam for this season.
I had an idea that he might get me to join a mission group out here, but He made it clear that that is NOT HIS plan for me right now.
So, I had to really start listening.
I listened by writing, studying, praying, and following coaches, teachers, and leaders online to expand my mind.
God has directed my steps and now I am in a flow and that flow has brought me to the place of VISION.
When I start any process like this, it’s not long before I realize just how BIG it is and I have to stop and readjust my schedule to MAKE TIME for this to happen.
God is downloading information and instructions to me so I need to organize myself to hear it, receive it, write it down, and then do it.
Let me tell you, dear readers, when you do this…. get ready!!
Because when it starts to flow it happens FAST and you need to be ready!
So my advice to you is..
Make space
Be prepared
And then do the steps..
Ask, write it down, then do it and listen and follow the instructions you hear from God.
Another thing that’s coming up for me is that to do what I feel led to do, I need to be in good physical, mental, and emotional health.
So, if you feel ready to work on discovering your vision (mission), you could start preparing the way by getting healthy.
Trust the process. God is leading you….
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”- Proverbs 3:5-6
Pray and ask the Lord about the vision for your life and believe it will be given to you and it will.
You just need to have faith.
Vision and goals are the things that transform our lives.
Have a blessed day! :)
Lots of love, In Christ,
Órla
Thanks Orla. Great advice!