God-given visions are big -they are huge. They are not small, easy to obtain by natural means; they require a Big God! They are found in the place of impossibility for man to accomplish. Visions fall under the “too good to be true” category, but they are not. What is impossible for man is possible for God.
The difficult thing about God-given visions is that they can seem like vain imaginations that someone drummed up. This is crazy comes to mind when a person thinks about it. The first step in holding onto a vision is receiving it. We must maintain a believing heart that will receive the Word of God, just as good seed requires good fertile ground to produce much fruit (compare this to “The Parable of the Sower” found in Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8). If we do not receive the vision, the enemy will steal it.
The second step to holding onto the vision is letting the vision take root. Going to the Parable of the Sower, if we have a stony or hard heart there will be no place for the seed to take root. When difficulties come one will be offended and the vision will die because it could not take root. Without a good root system, no plant will survive when harsh weather conditions come. Likewise, a vision that does not take root will not survive when difficulty comes.
Thirdly, the ground must continually be worked or the weeds and thorns will choke out what does grow. We must renew the mind and keep vision before us. If we get caught up in the care of the world, we will lose sight of the vision. For example, if the economy looks bad we can become worried about about finances, which in turn causes us to fear. This leads to the fear that the provision for the vision will not be there. We can lose sight of the fact that God is our Provision. We must remember that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6), and He will “supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Another aspect to be aware of is the lust of other things. Living in the world makes it easy to get caught up in materialism, which in turn chokes out the vision which is spiritual in nature. If we chase after the wrong dream we will lose sight of the vision. As believers we must understand that the material things are to be used to further the Kingdom. Remember, we are to store up treasures in heaven. Attaching materialism to the vision will taint it -it will become a corrupt vision!
Fertile ground is ground that has been tilled and full of nutrients that are conducive to producing fruit. The Word of God protects our hearts and minds from that which is ungodly. It provides the spiritual nutrients to produce much fruit. If we want to protect the visions we must protect our hearts and minds. Simply spend much time in God’s Word and His presence, and eliminate the ungodly distractions. Remove anything that chokes out the seed. Stop inputting the things that are contrary to the Word of God into your brain. Stop being double minded. We cannot live as the world lives and expect the vision to come to pass. We must weed the garden -renew the mind!
Finally, maintain a good heart of belief. As stated already, we need to guard our hearts. God is well-pleased with those who believe Him. We must make the decision to believe the Father. It is impossible for Him to lie and there is no variableness or shadow of turning in Him. He is faithful and faithful to complete a good work within us. Keep the vision in front of you, an do not place that which is wicked before your eyes. We are not of those who depart from God with an evil heart of unbelief.
