Based on what I wrote earlier on “Vision, from the beginning to the finish.” I will continue again with “Yesterday, Today and your Tomorrow” and then in the next blog, we will conclude by discussing and talking about PLANNING and how to fulfil your calling and destiny in conclusion.
I will also endeavour to throw in-between, in both write ups, some wisdom nuggets on Hope, Purpose, Faith etc, and how to reach or fulfil your God-given Dreams – or His CALLING on your life.
OK, let us go.
First of all, it is worth noting that some people suffer from Destination Disease.
They think they will be happy when they arrive at a certain point; when they retire, get that loan, take that vacation or trip, get married, win the lottery, get some big money, or reach a particular goal, etc.
But your happiest moments are along the way, not at the end of the trip.
Then some suffer from yesterday’s Blues.
Someone wrote to a TV producer, saying, “Your shows are not as good as they used to be.” He wrote back, “It has never been!”.
So be glad where you are today! ENJOY TODAY.
“This is the day the Lord hath made, LET US rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NIV).
We should make plans-COUNTING on God to DIRECT us.
“Any enterprise is built by WISE PLANNING, becomes strong through COMMON SENSE and profits by keeping abreast of the FACTS” (Proverbs 24:2-4).
Plan, and because God is your PARTNER-PLAN BIG!
Then, stay with the Programme!
“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, KNOWING that your labours are not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Whatever you are going through today, STAND FIRM on your commitment, STAY on the course, and TRUST God and He will cause you to triumph. ” BEING CONFIDENT of this very thing, that He who has begun this/a GOOD work in you, will surely perform (carry it on to completion) it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).
NEVER, Never, Never, Never, Give up! (Said Winston Churchill), when asked for the one secret wisdom Key and the source of his greatest strength. And so, in a speech at his Alma Mata, and with all the world listening, and in rapt expectancy of a long address full of do’s and don’ts and many hidden and secret wisdom keys, were taken by surprise when standing to his old grand self, made that now most famous speech-”Never, Never, Give up!”.
That was it—end of the speech.
And so, I say to you today, – Whatever you believe God for, Never, Never, Never Give up! (Jeremiah 12:5 / Proverbs 24:10).
So OK, Bro John, I have heard you, and I will Never, Never Give up! But please tell me, what is the one thing you will advise me today, apart from Never, Never, Never Give up? What should I do, know, and do, or keep at the back of my mind to reach the Goal of my Dreams or Vision?
I am glad you asked.
From digging into the Word of God in the little time I have done so, some 27 years or so, I found some answers. But for the sake of today’s topic, here is the one wisdom key relevant for today.
And it is this: ‘To enjoy the Blessings of Abraham, you and I will have to WALK in the same kind of FAITH that he did. (Romans 4:23-24).
Some people want the blessings without having to walk by FAITH. BUT like it or not, it does not work that way.
Well, I wish they did! No, it does not. 🙄
And in fact, you will not want it to work that way, and neither will God.
God did not set it up that way to make things difficult for you. God’s system is designed to keep your Blessings and Inheritance from being stolen or robbed from you by Satan and his crew, who are always trying or going to try.
Same as a Bank in the Natural. You have money deposited there. You know it belongs to you. But if you want to receive it, there are some things you must do. Why is that? Well, it is certainly NOT to keep you from getting your money, but to keep others from getting it.
THE PROCEDURES ARE FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
Of course, if you want to, you can ignore the procedures. You can go into the bank and Squall, and Cry, beg, plead, and jump up and down. If you do not follow the ESTABLISHED procedures, you can forget it, because you will not get your money.
You can speak all the Holy Ghost tongues you want.
In fact, you may find yourself in the Mental Home after being arrested for disorderly conduct before you know it.
In the same way, God’s Promises belong to you, but they are locked up in the Spiritual Banks of Heaven in glory. (Ephesians 1: 3).
You will have to take THE TIME to LEARN the PROCEDURES to access them.
Let us take for example financial prosperity. Well, financial prosperity or Kingdom economics does not answer to praying or fasting or extra-long, long work hours, although working diligently is good. BUT by working the Established Covenant of Seed Time and Harvest. (Genesis 8:22). That is the procedure for your Kingdom prosperity. Nothing else will work!
You will have to STUDY God’s Word for yourself and discover His ways and principles on any subject or area relevant to your Christian journey and adventure on this side of eternity.
Now, also, when you start, STAY WITH THE PROGRAMME!
Some people in the Body of Christ use about any other body part to think, except the BRAIN-or the Mind of Christ they have at their new birth. (1 Corinthians 2: 16)
You have spent years getting HIGH on whatever, and you have spent many unsaved, backslid or wilderness years doing ALL the whatsoever. Let us leave that alone, but you know what I mean.
Now, Gory to God, you have become born again or rededicated your life back to the Lord. Praise God for that.
But now you want a new set of circumstances overnight, just because last week, you began to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or “The Lord will supply my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus”. Now, wait a minute!!
First, as you begin to STAY (notice I said STAY) in the Word, Bible HOPE will be born in you.
As you RENEW your MIND and THOUGHTS with the Word of God, and or as you replace your STINKING thoughts (the way you used to think before you became born again) with what the Word says you MUST think on, your thoughts will begin to FORM A MENTAL PICTURE of a Hope of what God is leading you to do or become.-His Reason for Creating you!. His PLAN for your life. (Jeremiah 29: 11).
Once that PICTURE IS FORMED, you CAN see it happening every time you THINK of or on that thing. You see (by revealed knowledge – not sense knowledge) the possibility of it becoming a reality (Jeremiah 1: 11 – 12).
Then as you CONCENTRATE on that PICTURE, you MUST begin to WRITE IT/THEM down-”And the Lord answered me and said, “WRITE THE VISION” (Habakkuk 2:2). Then as you throw yourself more unto God and His Presence, both in fellowship with Him, with His family and in His Word, your spirit will get stronger and stronger. As you MULL over and over the HOPE you continually SEE in Him (His Word), IT/THEY will keep getting stronger and clearer.
Now what you are doing is you are MEDITATING on Something/Things that have not yet happened or come to pass. And then, with faith in the Word, you will/must begin to SPEAK those things that are not as though they are. (Romans 4: 17 / 2 Corinthians 4: 13 / Mark 11: 23).
And then, as you STAY on the Programme and do not chicken out (primarily through lack of the Word and associating with Chickens and Buzzards, Dream Killers, and Busy-Bodies in the Body of Christ), you will begin to TALK like it has already happened because of the Inner Image you have built inside your Consciousness (Joel 3: 10).
If you TALK about it long enough, that IMAGE will show up as reality in your World.
That is the way HOPE works.
Hope’s PICTURES are NOT based on natural circumstances and devil-inspired fears, but on God’s Word.
And if you follow the FAITH of Father Abraham-which we should (Isaiah 51:2), you need to practise DEVELOPING that kind of Hope.
Lastly, START SMALL!
I cannot emphasise this enough.
And I can tell you this from PERSONAL experience.
When I had a supernatural encounter with the Lord in my house in Lagos, Nigeria, on the morning of 1 Jan 1995, and was subsequently and gloriously swept into the Kingdom of God at 3.15 am, the Lord commissioned me to a Great Work of a worldwide Media, Resource and Technology ministry. I proceeded to write down all the instructions immediately.
But I cannot tell you enough the pains and wounds I have experienced in trying to bring them to pass in my strength at certain times in some of the 25 years or so of my walk with the Lord. And the tears and weeping on all the Prayer mountains, from South Korea to Africa, to Europe.
But I have learnt the hard way not to give up and to WAIT for God to launch in His own time why He has created me.
On the 6th of Feb 2008, at 9.30 am in Hong Kong, God separated me (there is a calling at first, then a separation later to ministry-most Christians confuse both). And through the years of diligently studying and doing everything He tells me to do and going everywhere, He sends me to preach, encourage, and teach; I am beginning to see the first fruits of my labours in Ministry proper. So, learn to be patient, but diligent. Meanwhile, or in the waiting period, Study and Pray, like your life depends on it. It does.
Your Vision and Dreams will not happen overnight. You can say that again.
Forget it! It will not happen that way.
Many miss it, and some even jump ahead of God or even try to help God. Please do not do it! Remember Uzziah? (2 Samuel 6: 6-7). I did it twice or more times with excruciatingly painful lessons.
It is always funny how you want to DO all the great things God shows you, but you do not want to START SMALL. You want to be a Kenneth Copeland, a Charles Wesley, a Smith Wigglesworth, a Bishop David Oyedepo, a Pastor Adeboye, or a Kathryn Kuhlman overnight. Yet, in the past three months, you have not even bought any tapes, books, and your Bible is not even a study Bible. I better leave that side alone before I ruffle some soft or weak feathers.
So OK, God has shown you that you will be the next VIRGIN AIRLINES, so you now go to the Bank. You say to the MANAGER, “God has shown me I’m going to be operating a FLEET of Airlines”. That is wonderful, says the Manager, so what do you want from us? How can we help you?
“Well, I will be operating all over the world,” you say. In fact, I will start with THE new A-380. “I am looking for 100 million pounds, or let’s say dollars, to start.”.
Well, that is quite some money, the bank manager says. What is your COLLATERAL, if I may ask?” Well, I am BORN AGAIN, you say.
And to convince Him, you speak some powerful tongues of angels. Lol. Do you know what he will do? He will call Security! He will say to them, “Please take this madman or woman away”.
But that is what some Believers do.
They have seen the FLICKER of Hope of a calling, dream, vision, ministry, or business, BUT they do not want to start SMALL.
They do not want any submissions.
Please read your Bible well. Everything with God starts SMALL. (Zechariah 4:10).
I started all my worldwide Ministry with £40 from my bedroom in London with Vistaprint cards, websites etc., but see today.
If you can do it yourself, it is NOT GOD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
It is not by Power or Might, BUT by God’s Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6 / John 15: 5 & 16).
In conclusion, it does not matter what you have been in the past-what matters is what you are becoming today. (Philippians 3:13-14). PREPARATION time with God is never wasted time. (2 Timothy 2: 15).
I see you succeed beyond your wildest imaginations (Ephesians 3:20) because the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Lord God, YOUR God.
“Fear not, for the Lord THY God, He is the one who doth go with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
It is well.
In the next and final blog on Vision, we will conclude by discussing PLANNING.
Be Blessed 🙏
John. ❤
