Vision In order to arrive at a specific destination, there has to be a clear vision of it, along with every waypoint. The greater the destination, the greater the need for keeping to a vision that will take you there. Oftentimes there are also many lesser destinations that make it possible to arrive at the greater one. If you’re just going out to get the mail, the vision is small. There will be several necessary steps that will get you there, like passing through a doorway and following the walkway to the box, but a relatively small amount of waypoints compared to navigating clear across the country or world. To arrive at any point on the other side of the globe, it will be necessary to get its exact coordinates from a reliable source, and then obtain a clear plan of intermediary points that will take you there. Actually arriving there, though, will require continued movement past anything along the way with an uninterrupted focus on the ultimate vision. As we enter into this coming year, there is a fresh opportunity to move towards a significant purpose and destination in many areas of natural personal development. There is a common tendency to come up with resolutions and vision for improved health, finances, relationships, etc. For those, however, who have been born of the Spirit, we have an opportunity to obtain a destination from a much more reliable source than our own understanding or preference. As the eternal destination He provides is established as our ultimate vision, it will influence every other one along the way, right down to each movement we make throughout the day. With heaven as our true destination and home, its vision will bring greater clarity to how we see every other vision of life and keep us moving past any temporary waypoint to an eternal one. Notes Vision of a destination or purpose enables the way that will take you there. Vision for the resident is much different than that of the foreigner. The resident sees surroundings and circumstances as permanent. The foreigner views them as points on the way to an ultimate destination. In Christ our vision of this life is changed from resident to foreigner. Vision of the past, present, and future has purpose when seen as part of the way to the eternal home Jesus is preparing. This vision only comes by the Spirit, but is promised when we seek the Lord with all our heart. Survival assured with heeded God revelation. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 (GW) 18 Without prophetic vision people run wild, but blessed are those who follow God's teachings. Proverbs 29:18 (MSG) 18 If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. Proverbs 29:18 (NIV) 18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction. Proverbs 29:18 (NLT) 18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. In Christ, no longer foreigners to God – citizens of heaven. Ephesians 2:18-19 (NLT) 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Vision from a foreign aspect brings victory over the perils of residence. 1 Peter 2:11 (NIV) 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Vision for each path is essential. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. God has a vision for every moment of our lives that will take us to permanent residence with Him. Psalms 139:16-18 (NLT) 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Jesus’ description of our ultimate destination/its impact on our vision John 14:1-3 (NLT) 1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. God’s vision and way are not found apart from Him. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Ministry to the Lord enables increased vision of His ways. 1 Samuel 3:1 (AMPC) 1 NOW THE boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision. Promised vision of the way by the Spirit Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. With an alien vision comes overcoming faith on the way home. Hebrews 11:13-16 (NLT) 13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Overview: Vision of a destination or purpose enables the way that will take you there. Vision for the resident is much different than that of the foreigner. The resident sees surroundings and circumstances as permanent. The foreigner views them as points on the way to an ultimate destination. In Christ our vision of this life is changed from resident to foreigner. Vision of the past, present, and future has purpose when seen as part of the way to the eternal home Jesus is preparing. This vision only comes by the Spirit, but is promised when we seek the Lord with all our heart. Prayer: “In seeking You, I find an identity and residence that is changing how I see everything else in life. I desire to be filled completely with the vision of who I am as Your child and assurance of a home with You. Free me completely from the power of this life and guide my every path by the voice of Your Spirit.” Declarations: As a child of my heavenly Father, I have become a foreigner here on earth. As I seek Him with all my heart, I am given vision for every path of life as a part of my ultimate destination with Him. The Spirit has come to reside in me, guiding my every step to the promise of eternal life by faith.