EVERY MAN MUST HAVE A VISION AND HAS TO MANAGE IT WELL PART II

“Where there is no vision, the people perish ...” (Pr.29:18) (KJV), Look around us. Notice the tall buildings, machines, streets, schools, hospitals, bridges, airplanes, ships, etc. Look at our own homes: in the kitchen, sitting room, and bedrooms. Everything we see that is man-made was first an idea, a dream, or a vision in someone's mind. All things start as ideas, dreams or visions. Then, when that idea is implemented, it becomes a reality. Yes, all man-made creation starts as a thought in the mind. All great accomplishers have been people motivated by their dreams.

In vision management the belief is that all realistic dreams, aspirations and visions can be achieved if well planned, managed and cultivated by men who are open-minded, filled with faith in God and willing to pay the price it takes.

The birth of a vision is the starting point of success. A man without a vision lives an aimless life.Vision overcomes fear and hopelessness. It stimulates us to action and moves us from complacency to higher spiritual levels. James 2:14-17

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”(NKJV)

Make Your Vision Management a Reality

1. We need to release the brakes on our imaginations that hinder us from having new ideas. Stop depending on other people's ideas. Stop fearing people who criticize us. The fear of people and what they think of us can keep us from advancing.
2. We need to begin implementing our ideas, desires, and goals. Build on these ideas as new ideas manifest themselves. Be adventurous. Aspire to something larger than ourselves.  Do not settle for anything less.
3. Have a futuristic outlook.  Think long-term.  Let the past go, especially past failures, any past breakups, and bad experiences. Be modern, up-to-date. Look at life from a new perspective. You cannot do anything about the past as it is past and gone. Philippians 3:13-14

        “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting  those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”(NKJV)

4. We need to test our ideas realistically and see whether they are achievable. Sometimes an idea may be appealing, but the timing may be wrong or we may not be the right person to bring the vision to pass.
5. Aspire to integrity and excellence, be someone you could admire if you were that someone else.
6. Seek the will of God and pursue it. Complacency is the enemy of success.
7. Spend time with people who have a positive outlook on life, people with goals, visions, dreams and aspirations. Small-minded people never get anything done. They just water down our faith. Leave them alone in their small, poor world. 
8. Let us become a student of those who have succeeded before us. Learn to identify, train, and support leaders in our local church whose calling or vision is similar to ours.  We need to be mentored and to mentor others.

9. Be responsible. Do not let things get out of hand. Be in charge as God's steward. Avoid people who have no integrity. Avoid people who are irresponsible and careless.

10. We need to enlarge and expand our intellectual sphere, our skills and circle of life. Meet new people, do some hard reading, and venture into new areas of life.

11. We must be accountable. We must have mentors; people whose lives edify and affirm us. Have people we can love and with whom we can share our dreams. Never lose sight of love, for it is the greatest, above all. 
12. We are to dedicate our minds to God. Ask Him to give us insight. Once we conceive an idea that we believe in, meditate on it, visualize it, infuse it in our minds, verbalize it and set goals toward its birth.

13. We must fill our minds with God's Word of faith. Think of faith-building ideas. Think thoughts of success and not of failure. We need to surround ourselves with successful people, people of faith and sound minds; people who believe in us.

14. We must dig deeper, reach further, go the second mile, burn up some fuel, crawl down on our knees to reach under, and may be that last sacrifice is the gateway to our goals.

15. We have to learn to think clearly and learn to think on our feet. God will put ideas in our spirits if we learn to listen to His Spirit. These ideas are the keys to our success. What we think and do today will transform our tomorrows.

16. We need to allow the infinite possibilities of God to fill our dreams. With God nothing is too hard, no goal is too great, no dream too high. What God's Spirit can conceive through us, can be done. The only thing required is a positive advancement towards the dream, paying the price it takes. 

17. Always be grateful to God and to others. Without the power of God, we are nothing; without the love of others, our successes and achievements will be useless. Never give room to a critical spirit. We are to let our hearts be filled with gratitude.
18. Be selective when it comes to friends. We ought to be selective when we chose friends and acquaintances, they should be few and of quality material. Friends can build or destroy us. Avoid sluggish people who drift aimlessly in life.

19. Be willing to change. Make appropriate changes in our lives that will be compatible to our purpose. We are not to be stuck-up; avoid conformity; be current.  Do not wait to change until it has become too late

20. Remember, any vision which is from the Holy Spirit must have God at the center. We are only vessels.

The Price of a Vision

Luke 14:28-32

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace”.(NKJV)

There are several things we can see that are required to pay the price or cost of a vision. They include:

1. Discipline - Self-discipline is a price that a man must pay in order to bring the vision to pass. Discipline involves training, orderliness,obedience, and co-operation with others. It involves pruning unnecessary traits, self-denial,and cultivating godly virtues.It involves patience, understanding, and long-suffering.

      ii.   Pressure-To carry the vision we must be ready to bear pressure, afflictions, and trials. We should not allow any of this to side-track us from our main course. We must endure. We must be tough. We must have faith in the Lord .

    2 Corinthians 1:5; “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ”.(NKJV) .

2 Corinthians 6:11; “O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open”.(NKJV)

3. Sacrifice- We must be willing to sacrifice our comforts or even our own friends to carry on with the vision. We may have to sacrifice our worldly goods or something very important, depending on how expensive the vision is.

Who are the Supporters of our Vision

Not everyone is called by God to be a leader with a vision, but many are called to share in bringing other people's visions to reality. Those who share in this endeavor are spouses, family members, friends, and supporters who surround the person with a God-given vision. Are we one of the people in this list?

We, too, must have the faith that sees what is hoped for, and need the confidence that God is infinitely able to overcome any circumstances. We, too, must follow Christ's example of servant hood. We, too, must be called by God, not only to catch a glimpse of the vision itself, but also to the specific ways by which we personally help the vision to become reality.

(Ex.1 7: 11 -12).; "So it came about when Moses held his hand up that Israel prevailed ... But Moses' hands were heavy ... and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other side of Moses. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set"

The success of the battle depended on Moses' ability to keep his arms raised, holding before the army the vision of a victorious outcome. He could not do this, however, without the assistance of Aaron and Hur, the devoted and committed men beside him, who shared the same vision. In the same way, men of vision today need the untiring support of those around them.

Here are some things we can do to be an effective vision supporter:

1. Be an encourager. There will inevitably be times when the person with the vision, or other people working with us, will become tired and discouraged. Remind each other of God's faithfulness from the scriptures or by recalling a recent incident connected with the vision.
2. Be a willing helper. This has two important aspects: To be willing and a helper. Assisting our visionary in some seemingly menial task may not seem all that wonderful to us, but it will free the other person to do something that we may not be able to do. Doing it willingly enables the gift of joy to flow and creates the climate of freedom which is essential for making dreams into realities.
3. Since the leader with a vision thinks "future" and "big", we may be asked to do things that seem preposterously impossible. At such times, be sure to keep a willing attitude. Those are the times that God has the best opportunity to show what He can accomplish through us.
4. Be sure our relationship with the Lord is strong and healthy. A visionary man needs men around him who can offer advice based on Godly principles. Our ability to do this is directly proportional to how well we know God and His ways.
5. Be cooperative.   This involves realizing that we and other supporters have an important part in the vision.God's plans always involve relationships. Even Jesus did not set out on His own to accomplish His vision; He had disciples.
6. Be ready to make sacrifices. The leader with a vision often has to give up a lot to see it come to pass. We will probably be called upon, as a supporter, to do the same. The sacrifice could be financial, but more likely it will be in terms of time.
7. Be dependable. When we accept a task or responsibility, we need to see it through and do better than our best. We need to allow God to work miracles through us.

Continues in Part III