WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Vision 1 Publishing Date: 2019-12-15T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/vision-1/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.000 Ready to go Sheldon? Okay guys we've been talking about Zechariah 8 as the 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:14.680 chapter that we need to look at to kind of figure out where we are supposed to 00:00:14.680 --> 00:00:22.600 go in 2020 and Zechariah by itself as a book is a book where God through visions 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:27.280 that he gives Zechariah begins to outline for Israel what the future looks 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:33.120 like and so it just so happens that we are at Zechariah 8 verse 9 and 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:37.720 Zechariah 8 verse 9 reads something like this depending on the version you're 00:00:37.720 --> 00:00:44.040 reading from that says the Lord of hosts let your hands be strong you who in 00:00:44.040 --> 00:00:48.200 these days hear these words from the mouth of the prophets who on the day 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:52.400 that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid foretold that the 00:00:52.400 --> 00:00:57.560 temple might be rebuilt so Zechariah 8 9 is basically talking about how God 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:04.120 began through visions and through words to Zerubbabel and through Zechariah was 00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:07.320 able to tell Israel Israel this is what the future looks like so let's assume 00:01:07.320 --> 00:01:12.600 this Zechariah was written today in 2019 God is basically saying to Zechariah 00:01:12.600 --> 00:01:16.700 hey want to show you what 2020 looks like so let me speak to you through the 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:21.320 prophetic through visions so that you guys have an idea of what 2020 will look 00:01:21.320 --> 00:01:26.360 like so we're just taking that one verse and now building this idea or what 00:01:26.360 --> 00:01:33.680 does vision really look like that's what we'll be looking at yeah so most of you 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:39.160 know Proverbs 29 18 Proverbs 29 18 says that where there is a lack of vision 00:01:39.160 --> 00:01:44.320 there is no restraint or where there is a lack of revelation there is no 00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:48.320 restraint so at the end of the day guys by the time we go through this today and 00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:53.680 I really think we'll be able to finish on time by the time we go through this 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:59.760 you and I will have an idea of how to begin to figure out 2020 for each of us 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:05.800 individually and perhaps an idea of how to handle Zechariah 8 as our inheritance 00:02:05.800 --> 00:02:11.800 verse for 2020 so you get to figure out father what does my 2020 look like what 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:17.760 are the plans that you've crafted for me and we get to practice that as a body so 00:02:18.160 --> 00:02:23.800 Proverbs 29 18 says that where there is no vision people lack restraint and 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:29.680 Hosea chapter 4 verse 6 says where there is no vision people perish as in where 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:34.080 there is no knowledge people perish so here's kind of the equation where there 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:41.360 is no vision there is no knowledge and if there is no knowledge there is no 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:46.560 track to run in and because there is no track to run in there is no restraint 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:52.200 and people do as they please or as they think is best and that is often the 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:55.880 condition of our lives and often the condition of the church because we go 00:02:55.880 --> 00:03:00.960 with what may have been tried before and looks like must be tried again because 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:07.760 it's working for somebody else and yet God because he's a father has a dream 00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:12.800 that applies to each person this is an amazing thing about this God who is the 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:18.200 universe when it comes to his children sons and daughters it's very personalized 00:03:18.200 --> 00:03:23.240 it's not some kind of generic thing that he's throwing away saying one size fits 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:29.840 all no and so where there is no vision there is no knowledge where there is no 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:34.000 knowledge there is no track to run in where there is no track to run in there 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:40.400 is no restraint or no borders so people do whatever they want and what do we 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:47.080 substitute that with we substitute it with goals and targets so we have the 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:51.560 ability to come up with goals we have the ability to come up with projects we 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:55.360 have the ability to come up with targets but we don't have vision that God is 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:00.000 crafted for us this is not some mission statement that I come up with this is 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.080 not some vision statement that the church comes up with this is God crafted 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:09.680 if it's not God crafted it's really not big enough to follow any man-made the 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:14.040 vision or mission is absolutely achievable one of the ways you know 00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:19.040 that what you are following is not a God vision is that it is doable with the 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:24.600 resources that you have that's how you know it's not God if you can do it then 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:32.080 it ain't God as a question I know we've asked before over this last one year 00:04:32.080 --> 00:04:36.400 what is it that you and I are attempting in our life right now that is beyond you 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:40.680 and me we don't have the resources the abilities the skills the gifting or the 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:49.600 manpower for it all of us need that because otherwise what do you live for 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:58.920 so projects targets goals is what we usually are good at but what we require 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:03.460 first is a vision that God has crafted for us because before we are called to 00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:07.820 something like a goal we are called to someone who has a master plan as 00:05:07.820 --> 00:05:13.540 Christians before we are called to something like a goal or a target or a 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:19.340 project we are called to someone who has a master plan and it's important to 00:05:19.340 --> 00:05:26.780 differentiate that we can go 2020 let's have 20 churches in 2020 with 20 house 00:05:26.780 --> 00:05:31.900 churches 2020 2020 that could be our next slogan and then throw fire at the 00:05:31.900 --> 00:05:39.260 beginning or river at the end and you've got it made but but what if what 00:05:39.260 --> 00:05:45.060 if we had to go in instead of finding a target we have to go not look for 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:48.740 something but look for someone because that someone has a master plan and 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:53.660 surprisingly he's got a master plan for Finn he's got a master plan for Betty 00:05:53.660 --> 00:06:00.460 he's got a master plan for Heidi and it's so crafty it is so crafted for each 00:06:00.460 --> 00:06:07.460 person so we can write down things to do and targets but here's a question can 00:06:07.460 --> 00:06:15.700 you write down God's vision for you can you write down can you write down God's 00:06:15.700 --> 00:06:38.300 vision for you in language that Tate can understand can you write down God's 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:48.580 vision for you in language that Tate can understand Tate is Greek for a child 00:06:48.580 --> 00:06:57.420 so some call it Tate or Tate so I would go with Tate Tate is Greek for a child 00:06:57.420 --> 00:07:03.500 so a child can understand yeah it's amazing what you can get away with in 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:12.700 Greek yeah Havokuk 2 puts it this way Havokuk 2 says that write down your 00:07:12.700 --> 00:07:16.820 vision and make it plain so that anyone who reads it can understand if your 00:07:16.820 --> 00:07:21.660 vision is so complicated that you need to sit down for an hour and explain it 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:25.100 something is seriously wrong it just means that you don't know what God is 00:07:25.100 --> 00:07:33.480 saying has to be really simple and so let's define the idea of vision so here 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:43.760 is what vision would look like vision is God's dream for you hey why God's dream 00:07:43.760 --> 00:07:48.400 because he's a father every father has a dream for his child every mother has a 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:52.520 dream for a child you think Sheldon and Jane don't dream for their child you 00:07:52.520 --> 00:07:57.000 think Shikha and Subin don't dream for their boy each one begins to dream you 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:01.520 think Rachel and Matt are not already dreaming about the twins even though 00:08:01.520 --> 00:08:06.680 they're not born as in this is what they will become this is who they are 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:10.640 the great thing about the prophetic what is the prophetic the prophetic is a 00:08:10.640 --> 00:08:16.040 revealing of God's dream before things have even formed so that you know that 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:21.720 this is a father's desire that at the end of the day is the simplest way to 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:26.320 explain the prophetic it is someone putting into words the dream of God for 00:08:26.320 --> 00:08:33.120 a situation a person a nation a city so vision is God's dream for your life and 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:37.280 it becomes an overarching canopy it becomes like a tent that covers your 00:08:37.280 --> 00:08:42.400 life every father has a dream for his son man the crazy thing is these dreams 00:08:42.400 --> 00:08:47.280 begin in God's mind before we were even formed there is a Jacob that was in 00:08:47.280 --> 00:08:53.160 God's mind before the earth was created and then God was waiting for a day when 00:08:53.160 --> 00:08:57.560 Jacob would be found or Jacob would find him and then one day Jacob gets 00:08:57.560 --> 00:09:01.680 saved and the moment he gets saved what happens God says now I can begin to 00:09:01.680 --> 00:09:06.560 actively bring my dream for you to pass and as I begin to cooperate with him the 00:09:06.560 --> 00:09:11.560 dream begins to unfold and his dream is really not about Jacob it is his dream 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:16.240 through Jacob for the benefit of others that's the cool thing about this dad's 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:20.680 dream every other dad or mother will dream for their child that they become 00:09:20.680 --> 00:09:29.560 doctors and lawyers Bob and I were traveling once in Calgary and we wanted 00:09:29.560 --> 00:09:34.400 an upgrade to the lounge I had a guitar so they told us I went and asked if we 00:09:34.400 --> 00:09:39.040 could get a lounge to sit in and they said you have a guitar if you sing we'll 00:09:39.040 --> 00:09:44.320 give you the lounge so I pull out my guitar and I started singing mamas don't 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:49.360 laugh don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys don't let them play guitars 00:09:49.400 --> 00:09:53.480 and drive them old trucks make them big doctors and lawyers and such it looked 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:58.320 very stranger East Indians singing a cowboy song and so I mean we got what 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:01.600 they wanted to give us but the point is most parents want their children to 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.520 become lawyers and doctors this parent wants their children to become something 00:10:05.520 --> 00:10:09.040 that will benefit the world so it's always a strengthening of a boy or a 00:10:09.040 --> 00:10:12.920 girl to pour them out for the benefit of the world that's how God's dream works 00:10:12.920 --> 00:10:16.600 God's dream is always towards strengthening you so that he can pour 00:10:16.640 --> 00:10:28.560 you out this church must be poured out you must die empty so God's dream for 00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:33.420 your life and it becomes an overarching canopy and God releases it in portions 00:10:33.420 --> 00:10:38.120 he releases it in portions hey Jacob 2020 is coming I'm gonna release to you 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:44.320 in portions what I expect you to begin to discover possess and then build on 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.160 I'll release it to you in portions I won't give it to you in one lot you 00:10:47.160 --> 00:10:50.920 wouldn't be able to handle it I did the same thing with Israel when I took them 00:10:50.920 --> 00:10:53.920 into the promised land I told them I won't give you this land in one shot 00:10:53.920 --> 00:10:56.880 because you wouldn't be able to deal with the beasts that are in the land 00:10:56.880 --> 00:11:01.080 they'd rather juice so I'll give it to you bit by bit by bit and so it is the 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:05.280 same with what he allots to us begin to discover it because all of us have it 00:11:05.280 --> 00:11:10.840 waiting for us in 2020 a portion that God allots to us and he gives it to us 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:14.520 in appointed times meaning there are seasons for this God does not work with 00:11:14.520 --> 00:11:19.120 chronological years sometimes what he releases you to you over the next 15 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:26.920 days may last you three years men because that's how massive it is but as 00:11:26.920 --> 00:11:31.200 God because he's not a reluctant giver which father who has a dream and has a 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.200 son or a daughter who passionately wants to seek and follow God will not release 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:39.240 that dream to his child because it's a father's desire he's not reluctant to 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:44.320 show you what he wants but it requires some work to extract it to draw it out 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:50.180 to press in that is the part we fail at a because we go and think it's like 00:11:50.180 --> 00:11:55.680 asking what's that thing that answers when you ask for questions no no no 00:11:55.680 --> 00:12:02.280 that other thingy what's Alexa this is not Alexa tell me my future you will be 00:12:02.280 --> 00:12:07.640 no no this is not that way this requires pressing in extracting drawing it out a 00:12:07.640 --> 00:12:12.120 and that's where we fail because we've gotten so used to Alexa that waiting on 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:21.440 God to extract stuff doesn't come easy so and he gives releases it to us in a 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.560 point of time so that we can accomplish his purpose so that we can accomplish 00:12:24.560 --> 00:12:30.600 his purpose any questions guys any questions 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:38.280 God's not reluctant to reveal the say but he expects you to press and extract 00:12:38.280 --> 00:12:43.360 it and then after you extract it guys here's what you need to do once you 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:51.240 extract what God is trying to say to you refine it or distill it into three 00:12:51.240 --> 00:13:00.760 sentences confer with someone so that you can confirm what God has said and 00:13:00.760 --> 00:13:11.680 then begin to work on it which we'll talk about so refine it once you've heard 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:17.040 what God has said refine it distill it into three sentences then go confer and 00:13:17.040 --> 00:13:20.120 confirm to someone what do you mean confer and confirm it to someone in 00:13:20.160 --> 00:13:25.480 Galatians 2 2 it says that Paul having received different revelations from 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:30.320 Jesus himself decided to go up to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and a few 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:35.720 other Apostles to verify what he had heard so that he would not be running in 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:39.920 vain as in I wanted to go and confer with Peter and a few others that what I 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:45.240 was hearing and receiving from God was real and once he confirmed it he knew 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:48.960 that he wasn't running in vain confer it and confirm it with others it's a 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:52.600 necessary step hey guys after saying all this I want to tell you something 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:56.680 and this is not a negative confession it's just factual after writing all this 00:13:56.680 --> 00:14:03.240 you know there might be 60 or 70 of us here right now 30 of us won't do this 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:12.320 why for different reasons man oh my god if you press in you have no idea what 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:30.800 life begins to look like half of us won't do this any questions no all good 00:14:30.800 --> 00:14:39.400 cool like it says in Philip Philippians 312 I think it says in Philippians 312 00:14:39.400 --> 00:14:48.240 that I have been accosted by God to run after him Anna that's not what it says 00:14:48.240 --> 00:15:01.920 can someone I'll read it Philippians 312 Philippians 312 it says not that I've 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:05.640 already obtained all this or have already made been made perfect but I 00:15:05.640 --> 00:15:10.840 press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me I press on to 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.800 take hold of God's vision must apprehend you so you can press in to take hold of 00:15:15.800 --> 00:15:21.040 it and this is a this is a cool thing every year around September or so I'll 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:26.840 start asking Godfather what's your vision for acts 29 what's your dream or 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:31.720 desire for me and there might be leftovers from 2019 that I'll have to 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:37.280 2020 what is it that you're casting a fresh for me and I got to begin to work 00:15:37.280 --> 00:15:42.080 on it so that come January or February 2020 I'm already in the thick of it and 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:46.160 I've been so apprehended by it that everything I do is poured towards a 00:15:46.160 --> 00:15:49.680 complete accomplishing what God has for me and not what the church has for me 00:15:49.680 --> 00:15:55.400 not what Jacob has for me not what a book has for me but what God has for me 00:15:55.440 --> 00:16:03.200 because it'll be much larger than a book Jacob or anybody can offer me the 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:12.080 impossibility is what is so attractive guys both for the church and for us as 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:18.640 individuals a so begin to think like this we we're not waiting for January 00:16:18.640 --> 00:16:22.600 1st oh god we got to get this for before January 1st no God's really not into 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:29.360 those kind of deadlines he just begins to process and then it began you add to 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:33.840 it you add to it it begins to grow but man we got a press into this hey 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:38.360 remember I've said this before God is super intentional why don't we become 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.080 intentional too 00:16:43.400 --> 00:16:49.560 you you won't hear case or us or us sung in heaven 00:16:52.600 --> 00:17:03.040 it is a vision of God guys that will fuel you when there are no projects no 00:17:03.040 --> 00:17:09.720 goals when life is routine and sometimes life involves suffering if you don't 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:14.800 have vision those times will kill you but when there are no projects when 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:19.560 there are no goals when life is mundane when life is sometimes a life of 00:17:19.560 --> 00:17:24.800 suffering or where you're paying a very high cost the only thing that will 00:17:24.800 --> 00:17:28.900 sustain you during those times is when you have a God vision that's how Joseph 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:35.040 survived they that's how Paul survived no that's how Joseph thrived that's how 00:17:35.040 --> 00:17:42.360 Paul thrived that's how Jesus for 30 years worked away at wood as a carpenter 00:17:42.360 --> 00:17:49.800 that's how Habakkuk survived when you read Habakkuk one two and three you 00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:54.120 realize that huh this is what sustained them 00:17:55.360 --> 00:18:01.480 thrive a and so here's what vision does for us it orients our goals as in it 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:06.720 begins to it begins to show us what goals are worth pursuing what goals are 00:18:07.280 --> 00:18:14.040 you stop imitating others because my god your vision is crafted for you man and 00:18:14.040 --> 00:18:18.880 don't ever let your age begin to determine what God can set for you there 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:21.560 were two guys in the Bible one was called barzila the other one was called 00:18:21.560 --> 00:18:25.560 Caleb barzila I was 80 Caleb was 84 both were very different in their 00:18:25.560 --> 00:18:31.800 approach barzila's comment to David was I am too old now to cross over and enjoy 00:18:31.800 --> 00:18:38.000 the good things that the king has for me and he was 80 and Caleb's statement 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:42.320 was I'm 84 but can I have the hills where the an act dwell and the chariots 00:18:42.320 --> 00:18:48.240 have wheels of steel because that is what I want when I let age determine 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:58.680 what I can do or cannot do that's that's like really downsizing God eh so vision 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:04.080 orients goals the goals for acts 29 will not be set by a church that is bigger 00:19:04.080 --> 00:19:08.600 better we can look at their ways and learn from them but my god you can't 00:19:08.600 --> 00:19:12.000 have their vision for you man I mean you guys see it with your own kids you got 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.300 two kids and they're so blooming different you you think maybe you 00:19:15.300 --> 00:19:26.800 adopted one by mistake sorry yeah I mean Derek's parents always think that 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:42.160 what about Dawn's parents so vision orients goals vision orients goals it 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:46.080 sets targets it's a completely different target then it's a completely different 00:19:46.080 --> 00:19:56.160 target what do you think Jesus's vision was man 12 people really low target a it 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:59.840 ignites passion my god it ignites fashion and if you don't have that what 00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:11.640 do you have yep go ahead yeah yeah so let's assume that I get this glimpse of 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:19.720 what I need to do in 2020 and I I'm overwhelmed by it I began to think is 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:23.920 this God or is this not going to work out or is this my desire so I come to 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:27.600 you because you've run this before this race before and so I come to you and I 00:20:27.600 --> 00:20:32.200 say hey and what do you think this is what I heard and then we begin to talk 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:36.960 and you helped me figure out whether this is God or not and so that's what 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.600 Paul did when he went to the Apostles and said this is the revelation that 00:20:40.600 --> 00:20:43.960 Christ has given me I want to talk to you and figure out is this really God or 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:48.360 am I running in vain so you go to somebody who's done this before run this 00:20:48.360 --> 00:20:52.400 before knows how to walk in this and you begin to work with them to help you 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:56.800 flesh out what you have heard and whether in a small church like this 00:20:56.800 --> 00:21:06.400 you're at such an advantage because there's always time for you yeah it 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:11.200 ignites passion it prioritizes time actually doesn't priority prioritize 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:17.840 time it prioritizes time is the result of priorities time is a result of 00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:23.640 priorities you always have time for that which you prioritize so it doesn't 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:28.800 prioritize time it just prioritizes and when things are prioritized you always 00:21:28.800 --> 00:21:34.560 have time I'm surprised at how I always have time for important things like 00:21:34.560 --> 00:21:44.920 hockey there's a game today at five against Las Vegas we lost yesterday but 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:50.920 there is hope today see the point is I didn't use hate that loss against the 00:21:50.920 --> 00:22:01.120 Leafs okay moving on prioritize when you prioritize you create time the next 00:22:01.120 --> 00:22:06.880 thing is you readjust focus you readjust focus you readjust focus as in vision 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:11.960 allows you to keep going back and saying our shucks I kind of lost my way I kind 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:15.500 of stopped to smell the roses or I kind of followed something else that is 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:19.040 successful or I kind of kept doing what I did last year because it was highly 00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:23.440 successful and people liked it let me refocus Jesus would do this eh we were 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:27.000 just doing mark 2 at one of the house churches and Jesus goes off in the 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:31.120 morning Peter comes looking for him and Peter saying why aren't you out there 00:22:31.120 --> 00:22:35.960 with the crowd that's clamoring for you and Jesus is replied mark chapter 1 is I 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:41.160 have other towns and villages to go to it's a readjusting of focus so that you 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:47.800 don't lose your not star it's a readjusting of focus so that you don't 00:22:47.800 --> 00:22:54.880 lose sight of the North Star you readjust focus and then you you accurately 00:22:54.880 --> 00:23:00.600 apportion time talent strength treasure to the thing that God is calling you to 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:05.920 you accurately apportion or allocate your time your talent your strength your 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:09.740 treasure to the thing that God is calling you to so when acts 29 gets a 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:13.620 bunch load of money it doesn't decide that okay let's give it all to Jacob 00:23:13.620 --> 00:23:17.460 though that would be a great thing but it decides that what is most important 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:29.100 that is where they should go to any questions any questions guys any 00:23:29.100 --> 00:23:36.940 disagreements anything you want to add 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:53.340 no cool you guys are pretty awake I thought I'd send Bob to speak first to 00:23:53.340 --> 00:23:58.060 see how you would respond and I was watching you I wasn't listening to him 00:23:58.060 --> 00:24:03.860 no I'm kidding I was listening to every word he and Dawn spoke thank you guys 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:18.340 hey grasping vision is hard work grasping vision is hard work it requires 00:24:18.340 --> 00:24:27.580 that you climb up the watchtower that you climb up the watchtower as in in 00:24:27.580 --> 00:24:33.900 Habakkuk chapter one I think it says God have accepted to it says I'll climb up 00:24:33.900 --> 00:24:37.300 the watchtower and wait for God's response so there is a need to actually 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:46.380 go seeking him so you climb up the watchtower and then you look for God you 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:51.780 look for God you wait patiently for his answer because he is in the cosmic 00:24:51.780 --> 00:24:56.820 vending machine who pops out an answer as soon as you put in a coin there is 00:24:56.820 --> 00:25:03.820 the idea of being in relationship before things so precious can be revealed but 00:25:03.860 --> 00:25:09.300 it's so worth it and then you begin to wrestle with what he has said because it 00:25:09.300 --> 00:25:12.820 goes against the grain of your flesh and it goes against the grain of your 00:25:12.820 --> 00:25:17.780 thinking because it's it it almost defies logic that God would choose you 00:25:17.780 --> 00:25:24.140 to do the things he's asking you to do you wrestle with it you grapple with it 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:28.180 you think you're grappling with it but the word is wrestling you jockeying for 00:25:28.180 --> 00:25:32.140 position till it begins to change your thinking and as you change as you as 00:25:32.140 --> 00:25:35.660 your thinking begins to change you become a different person and once you 00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:42.580 become a different person that vision becomes a reality it is beautiful man 00:25:42.580 --> 00:25:50.620 how God does this sometimes it takes years make time your ally so he takes a 00:25:50.620 --> 00:25:54.940 man who is a prince of Egypt out of Egypt he teaches him how to walk till 00:25:54.940 --> 00:25:59.060 he's the meekest man on the face of the earth takes him to a burning bush and 00:25:59.060 --> 00:26:03.340 begins to show him the name of God Yahweh the first time in the history of 00:26:03.340 --> 00:26:09.100 the earth revealing his name and who he is his mind begins to change this meek 00:26:09.100 --> 00:26:13.980 man now has the audacity with a stammering mouth to go before the most 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:20.460 powerful person in the face of the earth Pharaoh begins to trust God that the same 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:24.820 God who was in there when he fled Egypt now has the power to cause Egypt to flee 00:26:24.820 --> 00:26:29.220 and Israel to walk out with its head held high takes them through ten 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:32.860 different situations but finally they're released and they're walking through the 00:26:32.860 --> 00:26:36.700 desert but that ain't enough they've crossed the Red Sea that was enough but 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:41.200 now he needs a further upgrade so God calls him up a mountain and for the 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:47.320 first time a man besides Adam sees some form of God on Mount Sinai and it 00:26:47.320 --> 00:26:51.940 changes him again it changes his thinking and now he has the ability to 00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:58.940 lead a people through the desert out into the promised land guys every year 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:03.940 that we enter into must result in an upgrade of the way we think of God 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:09.260 because if we don't have that then the vision of God stays the same because 00:27:09.260 --> 00:27:19.940 every year it's going to be more God than we can imagine and so climb up the 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:28.140 watchtower look for God patiently let the picture develop wrestle with what 00:27:28.140 --> 00:27:32.980 God has said let it begin to change your mind and then as it changes your mind 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:37.300 you become the man or woman you're shaped that he wants you to be shaped 00:27:37.300 --> 00:27:42.860 into and stay with it a don't let things crowded these things out and because it 00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:47.660 ain't worth it man I like yeah I don't know how you go climbing the watchtower 00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:54.100 I got my own ways man each one does it differently but find start looking for 00:27:54.100 --> 00:28:03.900 him because he's waiting any questions if anything is too abstract let me know 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:12.220 and I'll try to make it simpler make time your ally God is not interested in 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:15.940 God is interested in your growth he's not interested in how much time you spend 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:21.060 growing because he's got all the time in the world he created it so if I don't 00:28:21.060 --> 00:28:26.860 change he'll spend more time where I am trying to change me so instead of trying 00:28:26.860 --> 00:28:30.100 to make things happen quickly I gotta get this done by this I've got to become 00:28:30.100 --> 00:28:34.100 this by this it doesn't work that way the reason targets never work is because 00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:39.660 you set the timeline for it and either you hurry it I mean the one area where 00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:45.620 nobody can intervene is when you've got to have a baby take nine months to form 00:28:45.620 --> 00:28:53.060 I remember a lady called Susan who got up from her hospital bed running out of 00:28:53.060 --> 00:28:55.460 the hospital starting I don't want to have this baby or either I want to have 00:28:55.460 --> 00:28:58.060 it now I don't want to have this baby and the doctor said to convince her it 00:28:58.060 --> 00:29:05.220 doesn't work like that really I'm not I'm not exaggerating this is what she did 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:11.140 the point being there is a time where things of God gestate and there is 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:15.460 nothing we can do but let it happen make time your ally because you cannot hurry 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:20.700 it because this is one this is the only kingdom that deals not with things but 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:26.860 with people and God will not allow me to deal with people till he can change me 00:29:31.020 --> 00:29:36.220 as wonderful as I am have you noticed our Sheldon and Jane will never give me 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:48.260 their baby to hold there is a reason so make time your ally in the sense be 00:29:48.260 --> 00:29:53.700 changed so that God can then begin to use you and the more you cooperate with 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:57.540 him the quicker you are able to become what he wants you to become three things 00:29:57.540 --> 00:30:03.980 that you have to watch out for guys that are like enemies of this process it's 00:30:04.860 --> 00:30:20.420 complacency procrastination and unbelief 00:30:26.420 --> 00:30:33.660 complacency procrastination and unbelief don't let these three things get in way 00:30:33.660 --> 00:30:37.940 because the complacent won't grasp vision the complacent won't grasp vision 00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:42.820 if I was a famous pastor the moment I do this there would be someone who would come 00:30:42.820 --> 00:30:47.500 to take this off and fold it and hang it properly but I have to do these things 00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:50.020 myself 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:58.500 complacency unbelief procrastination 00:30:58.500 --> 00:31:06.780 complacency unbelief procrastination the complacent won't grasp vision the 00:31:06.780 --> 00:31:12.380 unbelieving won't embrace it with faith the complacent won't grasp 00:31:12.380 --> 00:31:18.980 vision as in mediocrity is good enough so vision mission shishan big deal life 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:24.420 is pretty good as it is mediocrity is bliss so let's just continue in it the 00:31:24.540 --> 00:31:29.780 unbelief is when you don't have the faith to now take this vision and run 00:31:29.780 --> 00:31:32.660 with it because it's really beyond you it's going to cost you way too much and 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:38.420 you don't have faith for it and then the third one is procrastination where you 00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:44.540 won't walk in it because you you think you can walk in it tomorrow or July guys 00:31:44.540 --> 00:31:50.580 at the end of the day procrastination is defined as the practice of doing that 00:31:50.580 --> 00:31:57.420 which is more pleasurable less urgent and putting off impending things to 00:31:57.420 --> 00:32:00.860 another day procrastination is when I choose to do things that are more 00:32:00.860 --> 00:32:10.220 pleasurable when I choose to make my focus the less urgent things and when I 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:16.780 choose to put off impending tasks to a later time that's what procrastination 00:32:16.780 --> 00:32:32.820 is one can have sight and vision and yet be lame lameness is a condition where 00:32:32.820 --> 00:32:39.540 you can see but you can't walk in what you see and so some of us here have 00:32:39.540 --> 00:32:43.780 vision it's not a lack of vision you have climbed the mountain you've seen 00:32:43.780 --> 00:32:47.540 what God wants you to see but now that you have the vision you don't know how 00:32:47.540 --> 00:32:51.140 to walk in it and when I don't know how to walk in something guess what I do I 00:32:51.140 --> 00:32:58.260 go to someone who has walked before me and I ask them to help me if you want 00:32:58.260 --> 00:33:03.180 God visions to come to pass in your life it is impossible to do that without 00:33:03.180 --> 00:33:10.340 humility because there is not there is no vision that God gives that will not 00:33:10.340 --> 00:33:15.460 require you to be humble and dependent he will never give you a vision that you 00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:27.340 can accomplish on your own you will need someone else therein lies the rub a 00:33:27.340 --> 00:33:35.540 people have vision but they want to be lone stars or mavericks or stuff like 00:33:35.540 --> 00:33:39.600 that and then what happens is lone Rangers or mavericks and what then 00:33:39.600 --> 00:33:44.640 happens is you have sight but you can't walk in it because you're lame once you 00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:48.920 know you have vision go and ask someone who has done this before to help you man 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:59.600 these are these are characteristics of the often these are this is the nature 00:33:59.600 --> 00:34:05.280 of God and he just sticks to it he can be pretty stubborn when he wants to a 00:34:05.280 --> 00:34:11.400 he just stick to it saying well if you Jacob are going to be proud and not ask 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:16.000 for help you can keep trying yourself you'll keep falling I'll pick you up 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:23.240 multiple times because I'm faithful and time a problem for me this is what he'll 00:34:23.240 --> 00:34:28.640 do any questions hey some of these things should really 00:34:28.640 --> 00:34:35.640 right and I'm sure it's working us but what can you do it ain't me who's saying 00:34:35.640 --> 00:34:38.480 this I can show you situations in the Bible where exactly this happened 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:41.920 welcome again guys 00:34:47.480 --> 00:34:50.800 someone took your place 00:34:50.800 --> 00:35:05.440 any questions guys impending tasks when I know I have to do something today I 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:10.880 decide that I can do less urgent things first let more pleasurable things first 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:15.960 so why not push it to tomorrow because yeah guys there are things that God 00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:19.760 things is urgent that you may not think it's urgent always do the things that 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:26.240 got things are urgent first that's where we make a mistake we have things 00:35:26.240 --> 00:35:30.640 that I'm a demand of you that I think are urgent and then there are things that 00:35:30.640 --> 00:35:34.920 got things are urgent and you will try to finish what the world demands of you 00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:39.200 first but you will set aside that with God is demanding a few first and the 00:35:39.200 --> 00:35:42.720 reason God is demanding something else of you first is if you get that you have 00:35:42.720 --> 00:35:48.560 the key to do everything else so one of the things I do on a Sunday or any day 00:35:48.640 --> 00:35:52.640 the week is father what are the things that are super important to you can I 00:35:52.640 --> 00:35:56.000 have them first and then once I have them I can take care of the rest because 00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:02.120 they'll all fall into place because which email is not urgent which text 00:36:02.120 --> 00:36:05.080 message is not urgent which whatsapp message other than the ones that the 00:36:05.080 --> 00:36:08.720 young adults send is not urgent 00:36:18.560 --> 00:36:22.760 once you capture vision and I pray God that you do guys it's not difficult it 00:36:22.760 --> 00:36:28.720 is not difficult it is just a question of putting your nose to the what do you 00:36:28.720 --> 00:36:34.080 put your nose to yeah that just doesn't compute in my head putting my nose to the 00:36:34.080 --> 00:36:42.080 grindstone no yeah let's just forget the nose for now just why would one put 00:36:42.080 --> 00:36:45.240 their nose to the grindstone 00:36:48.760 --> 00:36:57.560 you don't know obviously okay it once you capture vision here are a few things 00:36:57.560 --> 00:37:08.320 that happens it connects you it connects you to heaven that might sound like a 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:13.680 very glib statement very churchy statement but it's really not what it 00:37:13.680 --> 00:37:18.440 does when you connect to vision is that once you capture vision you actually 00:37:18.440 --> 00:37:23.880 connect to heaven as in hey Jacob this is what I had for acts 29 now that you've 00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:28.840 clued on man you're right in the center of my plan hey Jacob this is exactly 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:33.320 what I had for you in 2020 now that you've clued on watch how I back you 00:37:33.320 --> 00:37:40.360 that's what I mean by connecting to heaven it would be like someone here 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:46.120 connecting to something that I want done you think I won't help you then I'm a 00:37:46.120 --> 00:37:58.320 not but let's say I do second it quickens life it quickens mortal not 00:37:58.320 --> 00:38:04.280 mortal just it quickens life as in there are guys who suddenly connect to God's 00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:08.400 vision and their lives are extended their physical lives are extended they 00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:14.480 get a extra kick of energy or strength that they didn't have previously why 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:21.320 because suddenly you find yourself in the purpose of God hey God's purpose 00:38:21.320 --> 00:38:30.680 revives they don't doubt it for a second God's purpose revives God's purpose 00:38:30.680 --> 00:38:44.120 revives it quickens your mortal body shudder at the term retirement God's 00:38:44.160 --> 00:38:49.400 purpose revives it quickens your life quickens your life I'm telling you man 00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:56.280 the older you get the better it gets if you have vision our vision is much 00:38:56.280 --> 00:39:00.600 bigger than you're gifting vision is much bigger than you're singing vision is 00:39:00.600 --> 00:39:04.840 much bigger than the work you presently are doing vision is much bigger than the 00:39:04.840 --> 00:39:08.280 targets or the goals you set for yourself vision is much bigger than that 00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:12.680 remember what we said it is God's dream which is an overarching canopy that you 00:39:12.680 --> 00:39:15.960 have to discover that you have to possess that you have to build on that 00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:19.800 is given to you in a portion times why so that you may fulfill the purpose of 00:39:19.800 --> 00:39:24.200 the God once we capture it and it's validated through the processes we've 00:39:24.200 --> 00:39:33.360 explained it quickens you man and it connects you to heaven this is real even 00:39:33.360 --> 00:39:37.240 if it were to lie dormant for six months it would still quicken you and connect 00:39:37.240 --> 00:39:42.560 you to heaven because sometimes it may be so that your circumstances at present 00:39:42.560 --> 00:39:48.040 don't allow you to run in your vision Jacob had a vision but he got stuck in 00:39:48.040 --> 00:39:54.680 layman's land for 20 years and for 20 years his vision lay dormant but my god 00:39:54.680 --> 00:39:58.880 it was there all it needed was a bit of wrestling that would reshape that man 00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:02.560 into the man that he was supposed to be 00:40:02.560 --> 00:40:23.840 thanks for that encouragement really it allocates resources it allocates 00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:31.560 resources it allocates resources hey once you click on division you'll be 00:40:31.560 --> 00:40:36.280 surprised at how money is not the problem money is a problem sometimes 00:40:36.280 --> 00:40:41.960 when God is when God's not the vision sponsor money is a problem when you're 00:40:41.960 --> 00:40:51.760 working in land you should not be working in money is a problem when you're 00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:57.200 working in someone else's land had you were supposed to leave long ago money is 00:40:57.200 --> 00:41:00.400 a problem and the vision that you have or the purpose that you have is not 00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:06.880 necessarily God crafted and it's not for you at this time but once you find that 00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:11.320 our shucks this is the inheritance of the vision or the purpose that God has 00:41:11.320 --> 00:41:19.000 allotted to me you'll find that money is not a problem the money is there and it 00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:24.840 doesn't matter how small your house is how small your job is how limited your 00:41:24.840 --> 00:41:37.200 salary is money will never be a problem it's very odd how this works but I've 00:41:37.200 --> 00:41:42.160 proven it way too many times and I know it's true this church has proven it many 00:41:42.160 --> 00:41:47.640 times over we've never undertaken a project we can handle or have the money 00:41:47.640 --> 00:42:01.320 for never somehow generosity kicks in from all over the world and from us it'll 00:42:01.320 --> 00:42:08.240 express your personality it'll express your personality the vision of God 00:42:08.240 --> 00:42:13.720 expresses your personality the vision of God expresses your personality are shucks 00:42:13.720 --> 00:42:25.520 it's four almost four I'll go for another 15 minutes guys it's all Don's fault we just 00:42:25.520 --> 00:42:30.080 thought we might put it on you Don because we always blame Bob for everything yeah yeah 00:42:30.080 --> 00:42:41.040 no worries Bob I got your back yeah so guys it expresses your personality I love the fact 00:42:41.040 --> 00:42:46.600 that God's vision is so crafted for us that it'll always express your personality it'll 00:42:46.600 --> 00:42:52.160 express who you are how God wired you what you were meant to do as a church or as an individual 00:42:52.160 --> 00:42:57.040 it will always express your personality it'll help you endure through hard times it'll help you 00:42:57.040 --> 00:43:03.000 endure through hard times it'll help you endure through hard times where it is impossible to 00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:07.680 push you down because my God inside you you got something it says in Psalm 105 that they 00:43:07.680 --> 00:43:15.080 shackled Joseph but he knew what he had inside and the word of the Lord tested him and then 00:43:15.080 --> 00:43:23.480 he was set free it's impossible to shackle something inside impossible you'll endure 00:43:23.480 --> 00:43:36.000 through hard times you'll leave a legacy you'll leave a legacy you'll leave a legacy because all 00:43:36.520 --> 00:43:43.720 God visions end up benefiting somebody else what a God this God is so not about himself this God 00:43:43.720 --> 00:43:50.360 is so about others and so any purpose that he has for us will always end up benefiting others you 00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:59.040 won't even have to set up a trust or a monument it will benefit others and by the way once you 00:43:59.040 --> 00:44:03.600 start going down this route road you'll find that Aquila's and Priscilla's will rise up to help you 00:44:03.600 --> 00:44:10.720 in your tent making you will find pagan kings like Cyrus say what do you want to build what 00:44:10.720 --> 00:44:17.840 God has asked you to build you'll find Jonathan's who Jonathan who is the son of Saul come and 00:44:17.840 --> 00:44:23.520 associate with you even though your father his father does not like you you'll find Elisha's 00:44:23.520 --> 00:44:29.320 rise up people will rise up to help you because these are things like Bob was saying these are 00:44:29.320 --> 00:44:37.720 things that God planned years ago years ago 13 14 years ago he had set up something saying at 00:44:37.720 --> 00:44:43.080 this particular day at this particular time I'm gonna send someone your way so that hoping you 00:44:43.080 --> 00:44:48.080 will become who you will become at that point this person will interject your path at the right time 00:44:48.080 --> 00:44:57.080 and all that I had planned will come to pass amazing God of tapestry this is how he works man so it's 00:44:57.080 --> 00:45:16.600 did I scare a kid sorry Jane not everyone takes to my preaching well shallow dust yeah he got in 00:45:16.600 --> 00:45:29.240 he got used to it actually yeah four years three years right my bad hey so where does this where 00:45:29.240 --> 00:45:35.480 does this visioning begin all visioning begins in the father's house all visioning begins in 00:45:35.480 --> 00:45:39.480 the father's house and what do I mean by that guys till you're convinced that the father is 00:45:39.480 --> 00:45:45.960 good and he loves you it's very hard for vision to develop kids that grow up in a home where 00:45:46.520 --> 00:45:53.920 fathers in particular are not loving will never learn to dream never one of the saddest things 00:45:53.920 --> 00:46:00.720 that happens to orphans and to kids who grow up in homes where parents are not loving is that the 00:46:00.720 --> 00:46:09.160 child never learns to dream the child only learns to survive sets goals that are achievable surrounds 00:46:09.160 --> 00:46:15.560 himself protects himself and you can never protect and surround yourself with survival and dreaming 00:46:15.560 --> 00:46:21.720 it's two opposite things Joseph the reason he learned to dream and dream well in prison is 00:46:21.720 --> 00:46:26.720 because he grew up in his father's house and his father loved him and favored him tremendously there 00:46:26.720 --> 00:46:31.880 is no dreaming till there is growing up in the house of a father and by father I mean hit that 00:46:31.880 --> 00:46:37.240 father we can create the same environment here but my god if you don't have that you ain't dreaming 00:46:37.240 --> 00:46:48.200 so it's critical that as you approach 2020 that you find yourself wrapped up swaddled in cloth only 00:46:48.200 --> 00:46:57.640 this is the father's love and father's favor it allows you to dream man I know I've told you this 00:46:57.640 --> 00:47:03.600 but man one of the nicest things my dad did was he would allow me to dream and then he would 00:47:03.640 --> 00:47:10.840 reasonably try to explain why he couldn't do it for you when I wanted a horse to ride to school 00:47:10.840 --> 00:47:20.000 instead of going on a bike he stopped because there was a man selling a horse and he allowed 00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:25.400 me to go touch the horse and I said can we buy this I want to ride the horse to school and then 00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:30.120 he asked the price of the horse and I'm thinking about the wow and then he sat me down in his 00:47:30.120 --> 00:47:35.440 Jeep and he said this horse eats a lot that was not a problem I thought my parents could feed it 00:47:35.440 --> 00:47:42.920 and so I said that's okay and then I said then he said if it eats a lot it poos a lot and you 00:47:42.920 --> 00:47:49.560 would have to clean it up in school you'd have to go and gather all the poop put it in a like it 00:47:49.560 --> 00:47:57.120 hardly took me four seconds to forget the idea man so but I was fascinated at how reasonable he 00:47:57.120 --> 00:48:02.840 was in helping me with my dream and then telling me why it was impossible for it to be a reality 00:48:02.840 --> 00:48:14.080 right now I mean some things my dad got so right I pray God that we begin to understand the love 00:48:14.080 --> 00:48:24.240 of this father a cuz it'll allow you to dream father I just pray that over the next few weeks 00:48:24.280 --> 00:48:31.680 we understand that we can only dream if we have this freedom not to be protected not to fight for 00:48:31.680 --> 00:48:37.280 our survival but to dream knowing we are safe father you got to help this church to dream because 00:48:37.280 --> 00:48:43.960 you or God have dreamt so many beautiful things for us I just pray that I pray that as the one 00:48:43.960 --> 00:48:49.120 who leads this house father that you would help me to help people to know they are safe and they 00:48:49.120 --> 00:49:01.680 can dream help me about it was in his father's house that he learned submission when he made 00:49:01.680 --> 00:49:06.160 errors with the way he talked about his dreams it was in his father's house that he found his 00:49:06.160 --> 00:49:11.120 place we are talking about Joseph it was his father's house that he earned trust it was in 00:49:11.120 --> 00:49:16.040 his father's house that he began to prove his gift of dreaming it was in his father's house that he 00:49:16.040 --> 00:49:25.640 began to speak about his vision his dream I pray God that you find that with your father a so before 00:49:25.640 --> 00:49:31.080 you go and ask God Oh God I want a vision say Oh God I'd so like to receive your love so that I 00:49:31.080 --> 00:49:45.040 can lay back in your arms and dream and there will be seductions on the way there will be 00:49:45.040 --> 00:49:53.240 satanic traps on the way you got to avoid them because one of the things with God is that purity 00:49:53.240 --> 00:49:58.440 matters you can have a dream and never accomplish it because there was no purity to go with the 00:49:58.440 --> 00:50:03.360 dream why does purity matter because your God is holy and therefore his purposes and dreams are 00:50:03.360 --> 00:50:09.520 holy and therefore it is impossible to hold those dreams with hands that are unholy it doesn't mean 00:50:09.520 --> 00:50:14.840 that one has to be perfect but one has to be in pursuit of the one who is holy and that is 00:50:14.840 --> 00:50:20.640 sufficient because when one is in pursuit of something he always changes towards it not away 00:50:20.640 --> 00:50:31.080 from it I love that if you're pursuing something you're always moving closer to become like that 00:50:31.080 --> 00:50:36.160 which you're pursuing and behind you it is is debris of things that you've thrown away 00:50:36.160 --> 00:50:46.160 let's conclude so here are some things that you can do to begin to figure out this process one 00:50:46.160 --> 00:50:53.640 look at your photo album as in look at the ways and the works of the Holy Spirit that have dotted 00:50:53.640 --> 00:50:59.600 your life scape over the last two years look at your photo album as in when you look at the past 00:50:59.760 --> 00:51:05.600 over the last two years when you look at what God has been doing in your life for the last two years 00:51:05.600 --> 00:51:11.960 you'll begin to find out the direction that God has been tracking for the last while and perhaps 00:51:11.960 --> 00:51:23.560 he'll continue that for a way for a while so look at your photo album look at your photo album track 00:51:23.600 --> 00:51:34.680 what God has been doing over the last two years track God's track God works for two years where 00:51:34.680 --> 00:51:39.040 I mean if I look at my life right now for the last few years I'll find that he's beginning to send 00:51:39.040 --> 00:51:44.400 me into certain nations where the intent is not necessarily to have a conference or a teaching 00:51:44.400 --> 00:51:49.160 but go into a nation where something needs to be broken something that stood for sometimes 00:51:49.160 --> 00:51:53.720 thousands of years sometimes hundreds of years and he'll reveal that and I go there and I have to 00:51:53.720 --> 00:51:59.120 spend some time breaking it that seems to be the pattern and it's just started about a year ago 00:51:59.120 --> 00:52:03.520 and so in my mind it is thinking my thinking is father as I look at what you've been doing with 00:52:03.520 --> 00:52:09.320 my life over the last one year I know that it will continue so ready me so that I can deal with these 00:52:09.320 --> 00:52:14.960 ancient demonic doors or ancient godly doors that need to be opened or shut in different nations 00:52:14.960 --> 00:52:20.120 across the world so that whatever you want to do after that needs gets done so it doesn't matter 00:52:20.120 --> 00:52:24.960 whether it's Diana of Artemis in Ephesus or it doesn't matter if it is something else in India 00:52:24.960 --> 00:52:29.960 or doesn't matter if it's something else in New Zealand sure God so as you look at your past you 00:52:29.960 --> 00:52:37.120 begin to get an idea of our shots so this is what have you been up to Oh God that's one second 00:52:37.880 --> 00:52:45.860 telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you telescope into the future through 00:52:45.860 --> 00:52:51.400 the prophetic spoken over you telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you 00:52:51.400 --> 00:53:06.400 telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you so what have you heard in the last 00:53:06.400 --> 00:53:11.760 little while that God has spoken with your life. Many sitting under this roof 00:53:11.760 --> 00:53:17.760 have had God speak over your life and as you go and look at all the things and I 00:53:17.760 --> 00:53:22.760 know you've heard this before but it's such a cool practice to go over all 00:53:22.760 --> 00:53:28.760 that has been said since 2018 September over your life and you'll find that 00:53:28.760 --> 00:53:33.640 every time things have been said you will find that there's a certain thing 00:53:33.640 --> 00:53:38.920 that is repeated every time and that forms your core that God wants you to 00:53:38.920 --> 00:53:42.880 use as a filter to operate through and then there are other things that people 00:53:42.880 --> 00:53:48.420 have said that are peripheral and those are important but take what God 00:53:48.420 --> 00:53:53.320 has kept repeating again and again and again and again. What is God trying to do? 00:53:53.320 --> 00:53:57.320 God is standing in the future and saying hey Jacob I've spoken over your 00:53:57.320 --> 00:54:02.600 lives four times in the last 15 months and have you noticed how anybody and 00:54:02.640 --> 00:54:06.560 everybody that I have sent to speak into your life keeps repeating the same thing 00:54:06.560 --> 00:54:11.400 even though they don't know you or they don't know what I've said before. So why 00:54:11.400 --> 00:54:16.360 don't you take what has been said many times and begin to use it as a filter 00:54:16.360 --> 00:54:25.760 that you see through as you walk into 2020. This is what Isaiah and Jeremiah 00:54:25.760 --> 00:54:28.360 and others would do and sometimes people would get the hang of it and say ah 00:54:28.360 --> 00:54:34.840 Shucks you said this a few times oh God. Oh no did you want to ask a question? 00:54:34.840 --> 00:54:44.760 Okay you raised your hand that's why I thought. Okay turn. Guys go over it 00:54:44.760 --> 00:54:55.280 again and again. Go over it again and again. Man this is so critical. Whatever 00:54:55.360 --> 00:54:59.560 God has said write it down man writing is so critical. I mean Habakkuk when 00:54:59.560 --> 00:55:05.000 they didn't have pens and paper he said Habakkuk write it down. Isaiah write it 00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:09.320 down. Jeremiah write it down. Moses write it down. These five books have to be read. 00:55:09.320 --> 00:55:13.640 Write it down. Write it down. Paul write it down. John write it down. Daniel write 00:55:13.640 --> 00:55:22.160 it down. God write it down man. Please don't depend on your memories. You're not 00:55:22.160 --> 00:55:30.440 that smart. Write it down and why write it down? Not so that you have a record of 00:55:30.440 --> 00:55:34.200 it. Write it down so that you can go over it again and again and again and again. 00:55:34.200 --> 00:55:39.040 Why? Because you only inhabit that which you think. You only inhabit that which 00:55:39.040 --> 00:55:43.520 you think. Guys I'm telling you man I go over words written over my life or that 00:55:43.520 --> 00:55:52.800 God wants me to become. I go over them once every week for 52 weeks. It changes 00:55:52.800 --> 00:55:56.540 who I am. It gives me confidence when I should be afraid. It makes me think of 00:55:56.540 --> 00:56:00.640 myself more than I normally think of myself. It gives me the faith to walk 00:56:00.640 --> 00:56:04.400 into things that I'm dead scared of. It makes me take risks when I don't have 00:56:04.400 --> 00:56:09.860 the money or the resources for it. Why? Because somewhere inside something has 00:56:09.860 --> 00:56:14.060 changed. Because I'm reading what God has said over and over and over and over 00:56:14.060 --> 00:56:17.340 and over again. And I'm not just talking about the prophetic. I'm talking about 00:56:17.340 --> 00:56:21.460 what the word says about God and what the word says about you. And then the 00:56:21.460 --> 00:56:25.340 prophetic which is a direct reema word to you saying, hey Jacob this is what I 00:56:25.340 --> 00:56:32.300 had for you. What you think you will inhabit. Think like God man. Think like 00:56:32.300 --> 00:56:38.940 God. Think like God. And then set up a witness. One of the things that the Old 00:56:38.940 --> 00:56:42.860 Testament guys used to, gosh I got three minutes. One of the things that Old 00:56:42.860 --> 00:56:45.740 Testament guys used to do is once they were convinced that God had said 00:56:45.740 --> 00:56:48.500 something they would take a heap of stones or they would take something and 00:56:48.500 --> 00:56:53.820 set up a witness. The intent was this will prove for generations to come that 00:56:53.820 --> 00:57:01.380 God said this. I do that every year man. We used to do that at Acts 29. Certain 00:57:01.380 --> 00:57:06.200 pictures that would be put up would be to remind us that this is what God is 00:57:06.200 --> 00:57:14.040 doing. Every year you come to my home you'll find something. Some piece of 00:57:14.040 --> 00:57:20.240 art that I will buy that will symbolize what God is doing. So that every time I 00:57:20.240 --> 00:57:26.560 walk into my house I'll look at it and say, Ashaks I know what you're up to. 00:57:27.800 --> 00:57:32.880 Two more things and we're done. I'll finish the rest next time. Which ain't 00:57:33.040 --> 00:57:40.200 usually doesn't usually happen. Look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual 00:57:40.200 --> 00:57:44.700 mentor you're connected to and you will have an idea of some of the ways that 00:57:44.700 --> 00:57:50.200 await you in 2020. Look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual mentor that 00:57:50.200 --> 00:57:54.240 you have decided you need to connect to. There are some of us who may be 00:57:54.240 --> 00:57:57.600 connected to somebody just because that's where our grandfathers went. That's 00:57:57.600 --> 00:58:02.560 different. But look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual mentor or father 00:58:02.560 --> 00:58:07.000 that you're connected to and it'll give you a good idea of ah so this is what's 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:12.560 gonna happen. That's very natural right? I mean if you go to Julia it's unlikely 00:58:12.560 --> 00:58:16.200 that you're gonna end up being an athlete. It's likely that you'll end up 00:58:16.200 --> 00:58:21.880 being Sheldon. So the point is the house that you're connected to has some traits 00:58:21.880 --> 00:58:26.520 that will become evident. The spiritual father or mentor that you're connected to 00:58:26.520 --> 00:58:32.080 certain things of him will become yours. It's very natural. There's a reason 00:58:32.080 --> 00:58:41.040 Shiloh doesn't look like any of us. He will look like his parents. Next one. Look 00:58:41.040 --> 00:58:45.040 at the demands being made of you right now. Look at the demands being made of 00:58:45.040 --> 00:58:51.440 you that you didn't ask for but there are demands being made of you. In this 00:58:51.440 --> 00:58:57.520 church, sometimes in the world, look at the demands being made of you and you'll 00:58:57.520 --> 00:59:01.920 begin to figure out ah the kind of demand of God that you're putting right 00:59:01.920 --> 00:59:05.880 now on my life. I didn't ask for it. I didn't shape it. I didn't invite it but 00:59:05.880 --> 00:59:10.520 my God it's bearing down on me. Why? Because a seed does not grow unless a 00:59:10.520 --> 00:59:16.440 demand is placed on it. Look at the demands that are being placed on you. 00:59:23.160 --> 00:59:29.200 Let's take two more. I'll just read it so I don't have to explain it. Have an idea 00:59:29.200 --> 00:59:37.840 of your most enjoyed skills. Have an idea of your most enjoyed skills, most 00:59:37.840 --> 00:59:51.840 compelling interests, most practiced spiritual gifts right now. I'll give you 00:59:51.840 --> 01:00:07.360 an idea of which way God is walking. Now the last one. Look at your context. Some 01:00:07.360 --> 01:00:11.640 of us are retired. Some of us need a financial breakthrough. Some of us are 01:00:11.640 --> 01:00:16.200 pregnant. Some of us are new parents. Some of us have a new job. Look at your 01:00:16.200 --> 01:00:21.360 context. Your context determines the freedom you have to do things. Look at 01:00:21.360 --> 01:00:32.880 your context and know that whatever God gives you will fit within that context. 01:00:34.080 --> 01:00:39.880 And so don't panic when God says read all of Isaiah and you have twins and you 01:00:39.880 --> 01:00:43.000 don't know how to read it and the strange thing is you'll read three verses 01:00:43.000 --> 01:00:46.720 of Isaiah and you'll get more out of that than us who read three chapters of 01:00:46.800 --> 01:00:52.200 Isaiah. Your context, God knows how to step into it and create situations where 01:00:52.200 --> 01:00:56.600 in very limited time he can give you much more than what others would take 01:00:56.600 --> 01:01:01.800 ages to get to. He's a God who knows how to accelerate things. It doesn't matter 01:01:01.800 --> 01:01:11.480 that Ahab is riding a chariot. Elijah can run. Let's stop there guys. Just 01:01:11.480 --> 01:01:15.560 remember that some of us may need to step out of misplaced loyalties and 01:01:15.560 --> 01:01:21.360 allegiances. Just remember that as you go for figuring this out, some of us may 01:01:21.360 --> 01:01:25.520 be able to get where God wants us to get in terms of grasping the vision but 01:01:25.520 --> 01:01:32.160 sometimes vision doesn't come to pass till you step out of old or misplaced 01:01:32.160 --> 01:01:40.120 allegiances and loyalties. Meaning Jacob can have a vision but he needs to leave 01:01:40.120 --> 01:01:46.240 Laban's land for it to be realized. Otherwise you can stay stuck with a 01:01:46.240 --> 01:01:53.160 vision and you will die with your vision and they will say of you, here lies a 01:01:53.160 --> 01:02:01.320 great visionary who died with his vision. Please learn how to not continue in your 01:02:01.320 --> 01:02:05.440 misplaced allegiances and loyalties. Do you know something and I said this two 01:02:05.440 --> 01:02:11.960 nights ago to someone, Jonathan was always known as Saul's son not as David's 01:02:11.960 --> 01:02:18.520 friend. That's excusable. He was the next king, supposed to be the next king but 01:02:18.520 --> 01:02:25.640 listen to this, Michael, Saul's daughter, David's wife was never known as David's 01:02:25.640 --> 01:02:34.440 wife. Michael was always known as Saul's daughter. That is bothersome. Don't be 01:02:34.440 --> 01:02:39.880 known as Saul's daughter when you're married to David man. Make sure your 01:02:39.880 --> 01:02:44.440 allegiances are not misplaced or not old loyalties that you don't know how to 01:02:44.440 --> 01:02:50.640 sever because they're too scared of how it may grieve your past when God is 01:02:50.640 --> 01:02:55.960 saying man I got so much that I want to do with you in the future. Cool? Let's 01:02:55.960 --> 01:02:59.920 just pray. Father