“Dream, the Passion for the Vision”

The Destiny Principle (Spiritual Marker # 3)

Joel 2:28, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days.”

Dreams.  Sometimes we don’t see things the way we ought to. Here are a few examples of how some people missed out on a big vision.

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."  --Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year." -- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."   --Ken Olson, president, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

"This ’telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."  --Western Union internal memo, 1876.

"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" --David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ’C,’ the idea must be feasible." --A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."   --Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.

"If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this."   --Spencer Silver, on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads.

"So we went to Atari and said, ’Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ’No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ’Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’"
--Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his personal computer.

"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value."  --Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." --Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." -- Bill Gates, 1981   

.

A dream without the will of God produces a daydreamer.
The will of God without a dream produces a person who means well but has no hope..
A dream together with a great attitude and obedience to the Lord produces a person pursuing the unlimited possibilities and potential of the will of God!

What is vision?

Helen Keller, probably the most recognized blind person who has ever lived, once said, “What would be worse than being born blind? To have sight without vision.”   

I’d like to suggest that there are four aspects of a Godly vision.

1) A clear picture. Vision is a clear picture.

We must be able to see clearly what we anticipate God to do.

One the things I have asked you to do during the 40 Days of Destiny is to write the vision down. Write down your purpose – your vision. Why? So that you can run with it. Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write the vision down so the herald may run with it.”

2) A divine destiny

Psalm 103:7, “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.”

The people saw the Lord’s deeds.

Moses understood the Lord’s ways.

It’s one thing to see what the Lord is doing. It’s another thing know His ways.

God doesn’t just want you to see what He is doing, He wants you to know His heart.

That’s why He has challenged us to set aside 40 Days to simply seek Him.

The Lord desires to take you from seeing to knowing.

Vision is much, much more than just sight.

Sight brings perception and direction.

Faith brings knowledge and wisdom.

   -   We walk by faith, not by sight.  -

There is a reason why you are facing financial difficulties.

There is a reason why your family has faced extreme difficulties.

There is a reason why you’re feeling the stress of your job.

3) Revealed by a Sovereign God

Man-Made Vision                                          God-Given Vision

1. You create it based on your gifts and skills       You receive it as a revelation from God

2. Focused on staying ahead                                Focused on obedience to God

3. Others are seen as competitors                       Others are seen as teammates

4. Goal is to gain honor and revenue                    Goal is to honor God and serve people

5. Stress emerges inwardly and outwardly            Although there is outward opposition, there is                                                                                              inward peace

4) His willing servants.

God will do His part, but we must do our part.

We must have   .  .  .

a) the ability to see

b) the faith to believe

You can’t have vision if you don’t have faith. Jesus said, “According to your faith, it will be done.”

c) the courage to do

Look at Moses. He was a man of vision.

- He had no official role or authority among the Hebrew salves.

- Everyone knew that he had murdered a man.

- He went AWOL for 40 years.

- He had a history of the ‘easy life’ in the palace.

- He stuttered, and

- He lacked self-confidence

Other than that, no problem.

Even in the midst of all that, Moses had the vision and the courage to let God use him.

d) the hope to endure

Vision A clear picture of a divine destiny revealed by a Sovereign God to His willing servants.

What is your vision for your family?

What is your vision for your church?

What is your vision for God using you in ministry?

What is your vision for your own spiritual life?

This is what The Destiny Principle is all about.