Living by a Vision

Life could become so worthless living in when a man has no idea of what to do. The thought of how cruel the world is, struggles for survival and the pain coupled with the journey of life can make a man conclude on that common saying: “this world is nothing but full of troubles." A man who embarks on a journey he doesn’t have provisions for will see every stop to check his preparedness for the trip as “trouble” and an unsurmountable one at that. Being wealthy, prosperous and very comfortable does not translate to a fulfilled life.  The only way to having a fulfilled and trouble-proof life is when you know the reason for your existence and you are living it.

It was the maiden edition of Innovation Hour -arm of Innovation Resort which deals with teaching of God’s word. Despite the rains, the Lord brought a good number of youths and teenagers. We took time to explore what it entail to live by a vision. This week’s Innovation Dose will be one of the lectures taught at the Innovation school- Living by a vision.

Vision has been described in the English dictionary as the ability to see. Another definition says it is an idea or a picture in your imagination. Now, bringing the two definitions together, it can be concluded that vision is seeing the picture that is in your image nation. This means there is a picture in every man’s imagination. However, the challenge lies in seeing it. And the inability to see it leaves many wandering in frustration and pain.  

No matter who you are, your background or current status, there is a place God has designed for you to occupy. In this plan of God, He made it so awesome that all that is needed to get you to where He designed you to function are what He will bring along your way. Understanding God’s vision for your life is then central to having a journey devoid of frustration. If you walk in contrast to what He has designed, you will meet frustration that may be unsurmountable on the road.

Joseph was comfortable when he was in the prison because he was fulfilling God’s assignment for his life. God already ensured provisions were made available for him at every check point to his destiny. Joseph was able to maintain his peace because he was never out of his grace area even in the turbulent moments. He was designed an administrator, so, it didn’t matter if it was in a friendly or unfriendly place as long as he had the opportunity to administer he had peace.

There are different dimension to the power and abilities of God. There is God the creator; when He established the heavens and earth; the repairer- when He repaired the default on earth; the architect- when He designed the earth; the administrator; when he arranged the duty of every creature on earth; the Prophet: when He saw what He created and saw it good; the Pastor- when He was checking and looking after His subjects- Adam and Eve. The scriptures revealed to us many more abilities and dimensions of the Father. If God deposits all His ability in one man, then, the man will become equal with God. So, He deposited His abilities in different proportions in every man. This is why the scripture called men “gods”- a proportion of God.

In essence, you possess a portion of God’s ability in you which He is the one who willingly shared it with you as a pointer to His image in you. When the scripture says you are God’s image, it isn’t a physical appeal; there is a particular ability and dimension of God that is unique to you. So, vision is seeing that image of God by which His nature will be made known through you to the world. The world cannot see Him but they see you to show them Him.

Living by a vision then is not just living a life of comfort or luxury but a life giving God back to the society whether directly or indirectly; there is a consciousness of what to contribute to have a better life for others around and the society at large. The question then is, “how you have been able to complete existence through what God has graced you with?”

Each time vision is mentioned, some are of the belief that it must be spiritual or about the ministry. It is a great misconception that vision has to be within the corridors of the five-fold ministry. Joseph was never a prophet, pastor, evangelist, teacher or apostle but he functioned as an administrator and economist of great pedigree. He revealed God’s nature through the ability of God in Him. The fulfillment of the administrative nature of God in him preserved the genealogy of Jesus.

When you decide to live by a vision; you eliminate frustration from your life, bring God closer to the world and make it easier for unbelievers to come to God. However, without knowing Jesus you cannot see perfectly the image of God embedded in you as Jesus is the light through which you can see the Father. Would you please beyond your profession seek Him on how He has fashioned to make Himself known to the world through you?

I will be writing on other practical ways to identifying your vision next week.

Be Innovated

Olufemi Ibitoye

@toyeolufemi