Vision and Our Words - John Barksdale
The Vision and Our Words
Last Week pastor David talked about having a dream and visions in terms of getting the breakthrough. We were challenged and encouraged to create a “vision map”, writing down various steps it takes to see the culmination of the vision…
After having an encounter and experiencing the out pour of God’s Spirit, we are to make sure we don’t forget what God revealed and what He has said….
Hab 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Here’s the scripture David read to us last week.
Acts 2:17 – 18: "And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
And in those days I will pour out My Spirit upon My menservants and My maidservants and they shall prophesy.
So what we have in this passage is “dreams and visions” and then we have “prophesying”. What we notice again from last week’s lesson is that God’s Spirit is poured out on “all” flesh. And it was emphasized that this meant “all”flesh. Where ever there was flesh then that is where God’s spirit was poured out (saved or unsaved, bond or free, Gentile or Jew, Barbarian or Scythian, Baptist or Mormom, Jehovah Witness, New Ager, all faith no faith etc…..)
It was mentioned that, just because His Spirit is pouredout on all flesh does not necessarily mean that everyone knows what to do with it. Even entertainers, media people, those who influence many people have “an” anointing to “sway” the masses. We must have the proper image on the inside for vision developed from the dreams, to know who He is, what He’s doing with us, and where we are going. Amen. This is why we must have the dream and vision from the Holy Spirit to develop and live within us. The Development of vision from God requires then, that we cooperate with Him. So another key to breakthrough along with vision is “prophesying”
Prophesying = speaking, saying, declaring……I like to call it the releasing in your life environment the “declaring of God’s word……”
When we take a look a couple of verses later we see “anyone” calling on the Lord having the ability to be saved. Why? Because God’s Spirit is released, Vision is seen and the prophesying begins. A voice is given to what is being seen, words are spoken over the vision, and breakthroughs begin to happen……
The thing is; your breakthrough is not just for you. The implications of your breakthrough is bigger than you. It’s imperative that we keep a focus on the light of God’s word concerning our identity, who God says we are, and what he has shown concerning the vision.
Cooperating with him means agreeing with him, saying what he says, doing what he says.
I think that this happens much easier when we can find ourselves before Him often. Look at what King David’s experience was concerning the vision he had, and the declaration of what had been seen:
Acts 2:25-28, 30 - 31 For David speaks concerning Him, "I foresaw the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved.
Act 2:26 Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad; and also My flesh shall rest in hope,
Act 2:27 because You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 You revealed to Me the ways of life. You will fill Me with joy with Your countenance."
Act 2:29 Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne, seeing this beforehand, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor would His flesh see corruption,
We also must be careful of the word’s we release when it doesn’t look like nothing is happening after we have embraced the vision. Habakuk said “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come….”
It is so easy to speak of the adverse circumstances thatstare us in the face. And the thing is, is that these circumstances (cultural, personal, relational etc….) often can cause our focus on God’s promise and faithfulness to be broken. If that happens, then the pathway to the fulfillment of vision is disrupted, blocked, or hindered…..There was a clear vision & promise given to Israel coming out of Egypt and up to the land of Caanan. The maturity of the vision or the “breakthrough” depended much on the disposition of the people to whom the visionwas given as it pertained to God’s word to them.
Numbers 13:3-28, 30-31; 14 Num 13:3 And Moses by the command of Jehovah sent them from the wilderness of Paran. All those men were heads of the sons of Israel.
Num 13:17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Go up this way, southward, and go up into the mountain.
Num 13:18 And see the land, what it is, and the people that live in it, whether it is strong or weak, few or many.
Num 13:19 And see what the land is that they live in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds;
Num 13:20 and what the land is, whether fat or lean, whether there is wood in it or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of first ripe grapes.
Num 13:21 So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
Num 13:22 And they went up by the south and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the sons of Anak were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
Num 13:23 And they came to the valley of Eshcol and cut from there a branch with one cluster of grapes. And they carried it between two men upon a staff, and some of the pomegranates and of the figs.
Num 13:24 The place was called the valley of Eshcolbecause of the cluster of grapes which the sons of Israel cut down from there.
Num 13:25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
Num 13:26 And they left and came to Moses and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh. And they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
Num 13:27 And they told him and said, We came to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey. And this is the fruit of it.
Num 13:28 However, the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, very great. And also we saw the children of Anak there.
and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan.
Num 13:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan.
Num 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it. For we are well able to overcome it.
Num 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. Num 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.
Num 13:32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched to the sons of Israel, saying, The land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up those who live in it. And all the people whom we saw in it were men of stature.
Num 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, of the giants. And we were in our own sight like grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Num 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night.
Num 14:2 And all the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or, Oh that we had died in the wilderness!
Num 14:3 And why has Jehovah brought us into this land to fall by the sword, so that our wives and our sons should be a prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?
Num 14:4 And they said to one another, Let us make a leader, and let us return to Egypt.
What we see is how the vision for this group perished in the wilderness. The land of Caanan represented a new home land for then. It also represented up until this time God’s Promised “rest” for them. But even though they had seen God’s mighty works before, they could not get the enormity of what looked like “impossible”circumstances out of their heads.
Believing the lies will shut down any God given promise when the lie is embraced. God’s word was, I will give you this land. Their word after believing the bad report was ‘we can’t take them, for they are stronger than we are.’
There is noise going on in the minds and souls of people, that even though we hear the word of the Lord, and are aware of his promises, the “din” of the culture surrounding us causes many of us to break our focus. The roar of the societal problems coming through the media seems to interrupt the experience of Eternal Life deposited in us. So then the vision and promise fades and is replaced with turmoil and unrest. This is not God’s vision or plan for your life.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
I think laboring to enter into His rest requires effort on the part of the believer. Pastor David mentioned before that the “rest” part is easy. But getting to the “rest” takes a little work. We can plainly see that they (Israel) could not enter into the visionary breakthrough because of unbelief. They became emotional destabilized when they fixed their thoughts on lies. And the lie was that God is not able to deliver the land into our possession.
If you have to watch what you say, then it stands to reason that you must be careful of what you think…..Pro 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he……
We must be a people who think on the things decribed in Philippians 4:8
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things arejust, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
We have the promise and example of God’s unfailing care and support for his people:
When you are surrounded by impossible situations, a focus upon the Lord and listening to His voice command is the prescription for the breakthrough to the manifestation of the vision.
2Ch 20:1-23 And it happened after this the sons of Moab, and the sons of Ammon came in, and with them others besides the Ammonites, to battle against Jehoshaphat.
And they came in and spoke to Jehoshaphat, saying, Agreat multitude has come against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria. And behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek Jehovah, and called for a fast throughout all Judah.
And Judah gathered themselves to ask of Jehovah. Even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court,
and said, O Jehovah, the God of our Fathers, are You not God in Heaven? And do You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? And is there power and might in Your hand, so that none is able to withstand You?
Are You not our God? Did You not drive out the people of this land before Israel, and give it to the seed of Your friend Abraham forever?
And they lived in it. And they have built You a temple in it for Your name, saying,
If evil comes on us, whether the sword, judgment, or plague, or famine, and we stand before this house and in Your presence (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our affliction, then You will hear and help.
And now, behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them,
behold, they reward us by coming to cast us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit.
O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no might against this great company which comes against us. Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.
And all Judah stood before Jehovah with their little ones, their wives, and their sons.
And the Spirit of Jehovah came on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the congregation.
And he said, Listen, all Judah, and you people of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! So says Jehovah to you, Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude. For the battle is not yours, but God's.
Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz. And you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
You shall not fight in this battle. Set yourselves and stand, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for Jehovah will bewith you.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground. And all Judah and the people of Jerusalem fell before Jehovah, worshiping Jehovah.
And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you people of Jerusalem. Believe in Jehovah your God, and so you shall be established. Believe His prophets, and so you shall be blessed.
And he consulted with the people, and he appointed singers to Jehovah and praisers to praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise Jehovah, for His mercy endures forever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who had come against Judah. And they were beaten.
For the sons of Ammon and Moab stood up against the people of mount Seir to completely kill and destroy. And when they had made an end of the people of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another.
The path to the vision is protected………….PROPHESY………
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