Carrying God's Vision

Let's look at some people, from the times in the Bible, and even one in more recent years, who carried God's vision, from conception, to birth. 

Mary, the mother of Jesus

Mary listened to the word of God, that was given her. Luke 1:26

There's a verse that I have proclaimed many times in regards to my new land (that which I feel that God has shown me), being Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. NKJV.

When I continue to proclaim these things that I believe has been told me by the Lord, then I am on my journey to eventually arrive at the birthing stage.  

We find the announcement to Mary made in Luke 1:26-38. The words Mary spoke (verse 38) are so very important. She was aligning with the word of God. She aligned. She believed. And, in time, she delivered. 

When the shepherds came and shared what they had seen and heard, all those who heard it marveled. Luke 2:8-20. 

And what did Mary do? 
Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (vs 19). 

Mary kept all these things which were told her, in her heart and thought about/reflected on them. In the very early days of her pregnancy (before showing signs of being pregnant) she kept that word from God alive. She carried God's vision. 

Noah

Now let's look at Noah. Both Mary and Noah kept a vision that was told them, alive, even before they started to manifest. 

Noah is advised to make this MASSIVE ark of gopher wood to God's exact blueprint. It is to house all those who decide to walk up that plank (open door), plus a remnant of the WHOLE animal kingdom. Wow!!! 

So what did Noah do, even though there was no rain on the nightly weather forecast? 

He carried God's vision and set about to build what God had given him the blueprint for. Even if he and his sons had hired help, it still would have taken quite a time to build. And then on top of all this, they didn't have a boat trailer! And what about all the different kinds of animals that had to board and get settled in. And don't even mention the gathering of all the food. 

We've got to put aside our 'this isn't possible' human earthly way of thinking, for anything to manifest on earth. Luke 1:37.  

Moses had to carry the vision of God's people being set free from slavery and bondage. 
Joshua had to carry the vision of entering the Promised Land.
And, of course, there have been so many others.

What are some of the things that we need, to carry a vision:

• Remembrance: Don't put it away; keep it out and in view. Be creative 'to see it to pray it'. Paint or draw it and place it in a photo frame and put it in a prominent place, or Keep a note in your Bible (perhaps even your own hand-made bookmark with the vision either written on it or drawn/painted on it). Have it come up on your phone/computer/laptop (or any other device) regularly as a prayer reminder. Or if you're like me, have an old-fashioned notebook kept on my bedside table. 
• Prayer: This is closely related to 'remembrance', but it's the actual action of praying it in, not just the remembering of a vision. For example, let's say God reveals to you that you'll be working with teens, then you could pray regularly in alignment with this, to have it manifest. A prayer of declaration could be something like: Dear Father, I declare the words in Luke 1:45 in regards to what you have revealed to me regarding working with teens. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.  
• Courage: Let's look at someone who hid her son for three months, and then placed him in an ark of bulrushes in the reeds by a river's bank. Exodus Chapter 2. This mother's name is not even mentioned in this passage of scripture, but she was a very courageous woman. Not just courageous for hiding her son, but even more so, for letting her son go so that he could live.
• Persistence: It takes persistence not to give up when things don't come easily. 
• Perseverance: It takes perseverance not to give up when things don't come easily or quickly.
• Sacrifice: Let's look at Hannah. Hannah gave up her firstborn, for God's ministry. We too often have to make sacrifices, to carry God's vision. It may be, our wants, our desires, our ambitions, our time, our plans, our ...

Someone of more recent times in history: 

Harry S. Truman 33rd President of the United States of America

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/he-man-from-missouri-who-helped-change-jewish-history-627970

Credit: The Jerusalem Post

Correct me Father

I had a dream some years ago in which I got excited and started planning things about it - my interpretation. Then my friend had a dream in which I was pushing a pram with a baby in it who's name was Will. I didn't understand it at first, but I then came to understanding that, I was pushing my own will. 

This was God's gracious and loving warning. 

We need to continually be in a place of having an open heart and an open mind to be corrected. And be thankful for the correction.

POST: Correct me Father

King David decided he wanted to build God a House. This can be us. We might think it would be nice to build something for God. Now this was a beautiful gesture. But we learn that even gestures need to come up before God. The prophet Nathan agreed to David's gesture without consulting God because Nathan had seen that God was with King David. But we learn in scripture that King David couldn't build this house for God because: 

• He had shed much blood and had made great wars, and shed much blood on the earth in God's sight. 

2 Samuel Chapter 7. 1 Kings 5:3. 1 Chronicles 22:8, 28:3.

Revelation: If you think or feel to do something, ask God first, and then wait on Him. And if He says yes, ask Him who's to build it (physically and/or spiritually). And even if we get a 'yes', we need to then wait on God for further instructions such as, when, who, where...

Now let's look at Jonah.

The fish was mercy. His near death experience, was Jonah's wake-up call. 

(Jonah wasn't born 'to be' a prophet. He was born a prophet. This was his life calling, not his 'adult' life calling. You don't become a prophet, rather; you grow, as a prophet. There is no age limit to a gift/calling of God. Yes, we need to grow and mature in our gift, but we don't need to wait until we reach a certain age to start walking in it. 

At the age of 40, when I became a Christian, I started having a keen interest to write, and a love of words, sayings. It was in my spiritual DNA. I wasn't born to be a writer; I was born a writer. It was already within me, but I was too busy and occupied and lost and... to even be aware of it. When I came to Jesus, and was then in Jesus, it just bloomed. John 15:4.   

Samuel was walking in his gift/calling from a very early age.)

Back to Jonah and that fish. Jonah was born a prophet. God had specific work for him to do, as Jonah the prophet. There are many prophets, there are many teachers, there are many musicians to praise the Lord. But we each, every individual one of us has a specific, song or tune or gift of an instrument, book to be written, a warning to be proclaimed or shared privately, a prayer to be prayed, a declaration to be declared, a painting to be painted, a helper to help, ....

Some years ago we bought our son a brand new 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. When he finished it, lo and behold, it was missing a piece. It was strange. It was there to look at, in all it's 999 pieces. But one piece was missing. It made this beautiful colourful jigsaw incomplete. The 999 pieces couldn't compensate for this one missing piece. It was an individual piece that completed the picture.

Revelation: Each one of us has a unique gift that we've been given for a specific time and place. If Jonah hadn't fulfilled his specific work, then there would have been more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who could not have discerned between their right hand and their left - and much livestock that would not have received compassion through Jonah and the warning that God had instructed him to give. 

Now let's look at one last thing for this post - God's rod and staff, as comfort to us. Psalm 23:4(c).

Why is God's rod and staff a comfort to us? Because they correct and protect. The title of Psalm 23 is 'The LORD the Shepherd of His people'. 

A shepherd uses their rod and staff for different reasons, from, guiding their sheep in which way they should go, to stop them from going to a certain area, to stop them from wandering off alone, to warding off predators, AND TO KEEP THEM CLOSE TO HIM.

Revelation: Overall, a rod and a staff, is used for protection. In our case, spiritually (and sometimes physically). But they are only comfort if one chooses to be, guided, corrected, aligned, and in our Shepherd's presence continually. 
      



Psalm 37:23-24 
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, 
and He delights in his way. 
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; 
For the LORD upholds him with His hand. 

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, 
And lean not on your own understanding; 
In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the 
chastening of the LORD,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

All verses are NKJV.   

Jesus asks Martha a question...

John 11:25-26 NKJV (Emphasis mine)
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

What does Jesus mean by, though he may die, he shall live?

The well known song, 'It is well with my soul' was written by a man who had known much heartache. But Horatio Spafford knew that it was well with his soul. 

Jesus has risen! He has risen indeed! 

And, it is well with my soul.

The Virtuous Wife (verse 31)

Proverbs 31:31 NKJV

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

The Virtuous Wife (verse 30)

Proverbs 31:30 NKJV
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD,
she shall be praised.
Charm: the power or quality of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. (Google.)
Passing: the passage of something, especially time. (Google.)
Fear: reverential awe.

This wife knows that charm is insincere, and that (external) beauty suffers from the passage of time. She knows that fearing the LORD is the best thing to be praised for. 

The Virtuous Wife (verse 29)

Proverbs 31:29 NKJV
Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.

Daughter: having the characteristics or relationship of a daughter, and, something considered as a daughter. (Merriam-Webster). 

This wife is referred to as a daughter. This verse reminds me of Ruth in the book of Ruth in the Bible. One who supports others who are hurting, lost or alone, rather than looking out for oneself. 

This is what love is. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8.  

 

The Virtuous Wife (verse 28)

Proverbs 31:28 NKJV
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

Did you know that a blessed person is not merely the one who is thriving with good health, great wealth or material prosperity. From a Biblical point of view, a blessed person is first and foremost a man or woman who is in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and who no longer submits to the world but now submits to the word. (Internet Archive.)

Praise: express warm approval or admiration of. (Google).