Fight to Believe God’s Vision

Vision fuels discipline. I’ve come to learn that many people don’t struggle with discipline, they actually struggle with a lack of purpose which derives from a short-sighted vision. Every child of God has a promise of God in their life but oftentimes they cannot see it because people in their lives are veils.

We see an example of this in the life of Abraham. He could not see the promise of God until Lot left him. The name Lot, in the original language, means a veil. As long as Lot was in Abraham’s life, we don’t see God telling Abraham to “look.”

God gave Abraham a promise and told him to leave the place where he was but it was only after Lot left, God said to Abraham, look now!

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Genesis 15:5

I want to tell somebody reading this not to lean on your own understanding. Don’t try to figure out life alone and don’t think that you know better about the future. The Bible says Lot lifted his eyes and saw a beautiful land, then in parenthesis it says (before the LORD destroyed it).

Abraham had a Lot in his life. He was helping Lot. There was nothing wrong with that until Lot started having problems with Abraham. I love Abraham’s approach; he does not hold on to Lot. He simply gave him an option and the freedom to go. They agreed not to fight and created a healthy distance (this does not apply to your spouse or siblings).

This is a great approach for those that may have connected with people and noticed that ever since you got too close to them, you lost your vision; you lost sight of your future.; your life has become about discussing other people instead of discussing your future.

You may need to let them go. You don’t need to make noise or post about it. They want to go; just let them go.

Pitch A Tent And Build An Altar

Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

Genesis 13:18

Notice what happens to Abraham when Lot leaves. He pitches a tent and builds an altar. This is how you know you have a vision from God: you renew your vision and reset your values. They left thinking you won’t make it but what actually happened is you got a clearer vision.

They might have been a part of your past but only God is part of your future. You will still be able to make it without them but you cannot make it without God. Your future is never connected to people who left you; it is always connected to God who stays with you, no matter who leaves your life. If you have God, you have hope, a future, and a destiny.

You build things that are permanent and you pitch your tent on things that are temporary. When God removes people or people leave, God renews your vision and resets your values. Your tent is not an altar. Every person that has a vision needs two things in their lives: an altar they build and a tent they pitch.

Abraham lived longer than any of us will live on earth. He was richer than most people will be in their lives but he had his values straight. Our altar is eternal. Our relationship with God is permanent. We must build our walk with God. We need to pitch our business and even our family but they are not eternal. That is why you should never let your business, spouse, or family take your relationship with God. It doesn’t matter how big, important, or great the tent is, it is not an altar. Don’t treat your tent like it is an altar.

When Lot leaves, Abraham renews his vision and reset his values. He pitched his tent and he built an altar to God.

The Tent Problem

In Genesis, we see that there was another issue. Abraham could not count the stars as long as he was in the tent.

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Genesis 15:5

When Lot left Abraham, God told him to look at the ground and count the dirt. When people leave you, you tend to get discouraged and look down. God told Abraham that he wanted him to see the sand as nations.

Abraham had developed a tent problem in the 15 years between these verses in Genesis. The tent problem is when you live for so long believing in the vision and it is not coming to pass that you are willing to settle for anything. God came to Abraham, took him outside of the tent where he had lived for the last 15 years, and this time, told him to look up to see the stars.

Stars are always there but you always see them the most clearly in the dark. However, you cannot see the stars if you are always in a place where you are constantly making excuses as to why you can’t do what God has called you to do. As long as you are letting your circumstances dictate what God says is possible, you will have limitations. Your circumstances are not your conclusion. God did not bring you to where you are to leave you in the tent. He wants you to come out of your tent and see the stars.

When it is dark in your life, I want you to lift your head to the hills where your help comes from and see multitudes coming into God’s kingdom, see children serving the Lord Jesus, see people getting out of wheelchairs, cancers being healed, blind eyes seeing and deaf ears hearing. See churches popping up like popcorn all over your state and all over the world.

I am not asking you to do anything differently; I am asking if you can see the stars. Can you see stadiums being filled with families and children and parents being changed by the power of the Gospel?

He did not call us to win a few people but to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit will come upon you, not just for a neighborhood but for Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Read: How God Reveals His Plan for Your Life

Your Past Isn’t a Limitation for God

It doesn’t matter where you live or where you come from. Jesus was from Nazareth and David was from Bethlehem which were both small towns. Sometimes great things come in small packages. I want to encourage your faith and tell you to lift your eyes and look to the stars. Look to the harvest field for they are ripe for harvest. People are hungry for the things of God. The devil has nothing new to offer but to kill, steal and destroy. Sin has nothing new to offer but divorce, heartbreak, suicide, demonic possession, and the eternal lake of fire. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus still loves, heals, saves, and restores. He says come out of your tent and see the vision.

The hardest thing to do is to believe when you have had years of delay and disappointment. For those of you who have prayed and fasted, prepare your heart because we are stepping into a new season. God is removing veils and He is taking us out of the place of limitation, stagnation, fear, and excuses. God is breaking limits off us so we can begin to dream with God. We might not have a formula or strategy but we have the power of the Holy Spirit. We are together in humility and hunger for God. God will open doors that no man can open for us and He will close doors that no man can shut for us. We will see the glory of God.

The vision of souls and discipleship involves your family, your children, and your children’s children and will bring immense purpose to your life. God will take care of each of us but we have to get His vision for our lives first.

The Lord is not asking you to dream inside the tent, He is asking you to dream outside the tent. Dare to believe in God’s vision for your life, your family, and your city.