Vision 1

Ready to go Sheldon? Okay guys we've been talking about Zechariah 8 as the

chapter that we need to look at to kind of figure out where we are supposed to

go in 2020 and Zechariah by itself as a book is a book where God through visions

that he gives Zechariah begins to outline for Israel what the future looks

like and so it just so happens that we are at Zechariah 8 verse 9 and

Zechariah 8:9

Zechariah 8 verse 9 reads something like this depending on the version you're

Zechariah 8:9

reading from that says the Lord of hosts let your hands be strong you who in

these days hear these words from the mouth of the prophets who on the day

that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid foretold that the

temple might be rebuilt so Zechariah 8 9 is basically talking about how God

began through visions and through words to Zerubbabel and through Zechariah was

able to tell Israel Israel this is what the future looks like so let's assume

this Zechariah was written today in 2019 God is basically saying to Zechariah

hey want to show you what 2020 looks like so let me speak to you through the

prophetic through visions so that you guys have an idea of what 2020 will look

like so we're just taking that one verse and now building this idea or what

does vision really look like that's what we'll be looking at yeah so most of you

know Proverbs 29 18 Proverbs 29 18 says that where there is a lack of vision

there is no restraint or where there is a lack of revelation there is no

restraint so at the end of the day guys by the time we go through this today and

I really think we'll be able to finish on time by the time we go through this

you and I will have an idea of how to begin to figure out 2020 for each of us

individually and perhaps an idea of how to handle Zechariah 8 as our inheritance

verse for 2020 so you get to figure out father what does my 2020 look like what

are the plans that you've crafted for me and we get to practice that as a body so

Proverbs 29 18 says that where there is no vision people lack restraint and

Hosea chapter 4 verse 6 says where there is no vision people perish as in where

Hosea 4:6

there is no knowledge people perish so here's kind of the equation where there

is no vision there is no knowledge and if there is no knowledge there is no

track to run in and because there is no track to run in there is no restraint

and people do as they please or as they think is best and that is often the

condition of our lives and often the condition of the church because we go

with what may have been tried before and looks like must be tried again because

it's working for somebody else and yet God because he's a father has a dream

that applies to each person this is an amazing thing about this God who is the

universe when it comes to his children sons and daughters it's very personalized

it's not some kind of generic thing that he's throwing away saying one size fits

all no and so where there is no vision there is no knowledge where there is no

knowledge there is no track to run in where there is no track to run in there

is no restraint or no borders so people do whatever they want and what do we

substitute that with we substitute it with goals and targets so we have the

ability to come up with goals we have the ability to come up with projects we

have the ability to come up with targets but we don't have vision that God is

crafted for us this is not some mission statement that I come up with this is

not some vision statement that the church comes up with this is God crafted

if it's not God crafted it's really not big enough to follow any man-made the

vision or mission is absolutely achievable one of the ways you know

that what you are following is not a God vision is that it is doable with the

resources that you have that's how you know it's not God if you can do it then

it ain't God as a question I know we've asked before over this last one year

what is it that you and I are attempting in our life right now that is beyond you

and me we don't have the resources the abilities the skills the gifting or the

manpower for it all of us need that because otherwise what do you live for

so projects targets goals is what we usually are good at but what we require

first is a vision that God has crafted for us because before we are called to

something like a goal we are called to someone who has a master plan as

Christians before we are called to something like a goal or a target or a

project we are called to someone who has a master plan and it's important to

differentiate that we can go 2020 let's have 20 churches in 2020 with 20 house

churches 2020 2020 that could be our next slogan and then throw fire at the

beginning or river at the end and you've got it made but but what if what

if we had to go in instead of finding a target we have to go not look for

something but look for someone because that someone has a master plan and

surprisingly he's got a master plan for Finn he's got a master plan for Betty

he's got a master plan for Heidi and it's so crafty it is so crafted for each

person so we can write down things to do and targets but here's a question can

you write down God's vision for you can you write down can you write down God's

vision for you in language that Tate can understand can you write down God's

vision for you in language that Tate can understand Tate is Greek for a child

so some call it Tate or Tate so I would go with Tate Tate is Greek for a child

so a child can understand yeah it's amazing what you can get away with in

Greek yeah Havokuk 2 puts it this way Havokuk 2 says that write down your

vision and make it plain so that anyone who reads it can understand if your

vision is so complicated that you need to sit down for an hour and explain it

something is seriously wrong it just means that you don't know what God is

saying has to be really simple and so let's define the idea of vision so here

is what vision would look like vision is God's dream for you hey why God's dream

because he's a father every father has a dream for his child every mother has a

dream for a child you think Sheldon and Jane don't dream for their child you

think Shikha and Subin don't dream for their boy each one begins to dream you

think Rachel and Matt are not already dreaming about the twins even though

they're not born as in this is what they will become this is who they are

the great thing about the prophetic what is the prophetic the prophetic is a

revealing of God's dream before things have even formed so that you know that

this is a father's desire that at the end of the day is the simplest way to

explain the prophetic it is someone putting into words the dream of God for

a situation a person a nation a city so vision is God's dream for your life and

it becomes an overarching canopy it becomes like a tent that covers your

life every father has a dream for his son man the crazy thing is these dreams

begin in God's mind before we were even formed there is a Jacob that was in

God's mind before the earth was created and then God was waiting for a day when

Jacob would be found or Jacob would find him and then one day Jacob gets

saved and the moment he gets saved what happens God says now I can begin to

actively bring my dream for you to pass and as I begin to cooperate with him the

dream begins to unfold and his dream is really not about Jacob it is his dream

through Jacob for the benefit of others that's the cool thing about this dad's

dream every other dad or mother will dream for their child that they become

doctors and lawyers Bob and I were traveling once in Calgary and we wanted

an upgrade to the lounge I had a guitar so they told us I went and asked if we

could get a lounge to sit in and they said you have a guitar if you sing we'll

give you the lounge so I pull out my guitar and I started singing mamas don't

laugh don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys don't let them play guitars

and drive them old trucks make them big doctors and lawyers and such it looked

very stranger East Indians singing a cowboy song and so I mean we got what

they wanted to give us but the point is most parents want their children to

become lawyers and doctors this parent wants their children to become something

that will benefit the world so it's always a strengthening of a boy or a

girl to pour them out for the benefit of the world that's how God's dream works

God's dream is always towards strengthening you so that he can pour

you out this church must be poured out you must die empty so God's dream for

your life and it becomes an overarching canopy and God releases it in portions

he releases it in portions hey Jacob 2020 is coming I'm gonna release to you

in portions what I expect you to begin to discover possess and then build on

I'll release it to you in portions I won't give it to you in one lot you

wouldn't be able to handle it I did the same thing with Israel when I took them

into the promised land I told them I won't give you this land in one shot

because you wouldn't be able to deal with the beasts that are in the land

they'd rather juice so I'll give it to you bit by bit by bit and so it is the

same with what he allots to us begin to discover it because all of us have it

waiting for us in 2020 a portion that God allots to us and he gives it to us

in appointed times meaning there are seasons for this God does not work with

chronological years sometimes what he releases you to you over the next 15

days may last you three years men because that's how massive it is but as

God because he's not a reluctant giver which father who has a dream and has a

son or a daughter who passionately wants to seek and follow God will not release

that dream to his child because it's a father's desire he's not reluctant to

show you what he wants but it requires some work to extract it to draw it out

to press in that is the part we fail at a because we go and think it's like

asking what's that thing that answers when you ask for questions no no no

that other thingy what's Alexa this is not Alexa tell me my future you will be

no no this is not that way this requires pressing in extracting drawing it out a

and that's where we fail because we've gotten so used to Alexa that waiting on

God to extract stuff doesn't come easy so and he gives releases it to us in a

point of time so that we can accomplish his purpose so that we can accomplish

his purpose any questions guys any questions

God's not reluctant to reveal the say but he expects you to press and extract

it and then after you extract it guys here's what you need to do once you

extract what God is trying to say to you refine it or distill it into three

sentences confer with someone so that you can confirm what God has said and

then begin to work on it which we'll talk about so refine it once you've heard

what God has said refine it distill it into three sentences then go confer and

confirm to someone what do you mean confer and confirm it to someone in

Galatians 2 2 it says that Paul having received different revelations from

Jesus himself decided to go up to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and a few

other Apostles to verify what he had heard so that he would not be running in

vain as in I wanted to go and confer with Peter and a few others that what I

was hearing and receiving from God was real and once he confirmed it he knew

that he wasn't running in vain confer it and confirm it with others it's a

necessary step hey guys after saying all this I want to tell you something

and this is not a negative confession it's just factual after writing all this

you know there might be 60 or 70 of us here right now 30 of us won't do this

why for different reasons man oh my god if you press in you have no idea what

life begins to look like half of us won't do this any questions no all good

cool like it says in Philip Philippians 312 I think it says in Philippians 312

that I have been accosted by God to run after him Anna that's not what it says

can someone I'll read it Philippians 312 Philippians 312 it says not that I've

already obtained all this or have already made been made perfect but I

press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me I press on to

take hold of God's vision must apprehend you so you can press in to take hold of

it and this is a this is a cool thing every year around September or so I'll

start asking Godfather what's your vision for acts 29 what's your dream or

desire for me and there might be leftovers from 2019 that I'll have to

2020 what is it that you're casting a fresh for me and I got to begin to work

on it so that come January or February 2020 I'm already in the thick of it and

I've been so apprehended by it that everything I do is poured towards a

complete accomplishing what God has for me and not what the church has for me

not what Jacob has for me not what a book has for me but what God has for me

because it'll be much larger than a book Jacob or anybody can offer me the

impossibility is what is so attractive guys both for the church and for us as

individuals a so begin to think like this we we're not waiting for January

1st oh god we got to get this for before January 1st no God's really not into

those kind of deadlines he just begins to process and then it began you add to

it you add to it it begins to grow but man we got a press into this hey

remember I've said this before God is super intentional why don't we become

intentional too

you you won't hear case or us or us sung in heaven

it is a vision of God guys that will fuel you when there are no projects no

goals when life is routine and sometimes life involves suffering if you don't

have vision those times will kill you but when there are no projects when

there are no goals when life is mundane when life is sometimes a life of

suffering or where you're paying a very high cost the only thing that will

sustain you during those times is when you have a God vision that's how Joseph

survived they that's how Paul survived no that's how Joseph thrived that's how

Paul thrived that's how Jesus for 30 years worked away at wood as a carpenter

that's how Habakkuk survived when you read Habakkuk one two and three you

realize that huh this is what sustained them

thrive a and so here's what vision does for us it orients our goals as in it

begins to it begins to show us what goals are worth pursuing what goals are

you stop imitating others because my god your vision is crafted for you man and

don't ever let your age begin to determine what God can set for you there

were two guys in the Bible one was called barzila the other one was called

Caleb barzila I was 80 Caleb was 84 both were very different in their

approach barzila's comment to David was I am too old now to cross over and enjoy

the good things that the king has for me and he was 80 and Caleb's statement

was I'm 84 but can I have the hills where the an act dwell and the chariots

have wheels of steel because that is what I want when I let age determine

what I can do or cannot do that's that's like really downsizing God eh so vision

orients goals the goals for acts 29 will not be set by a church that is bigger

better we can look at their ways and learn from them but my god you can't

have their vision for you man I mean you guys see it with your own kids you got

two kids and they're so blooming different you you think maybe you

adopted one by mistake sorry yeah I mean Derek's parents always think that

what about Dawn's parents so vision orients goals vision orients goals it

sets targets it's a completely different target then it's a completely different

target what do you think Jesus's vision was man 12 people really low target a it

ignites passion my god it ignites fashion and if you don't have that what

do you have yep go ahead yeah yeah so let's assume that I get this glimpse of

what I need to do in 2020 and I I'm overwhelmed by it I began to think is

this God or is this not going to work out or is this my desire so I come to

you because you've run this before this race before and so I come to you and I

say hey and what do you think this is what I heard and then we begin to talk

and you helped me figure out whether this is God or not and so that's what

Paul did when he went to the Apostles and said this is the revelation that

Christ has given me I want to talk to you and figure out is this really God or

am I running in vain so you go to somebody who's done this before run this

before knows how to walk in this and you begin to work with them to help you

flesh out what you have heard and whether in a small church like this

you're at such an advantage because there's always time for you yeah it

ignites passion it prioritizes time actually doesn't priority prioritize

time it prioritizes time is the result of priorities time is a result of

priorities you always have time for that which you prioritize so it doesn't

prioritize time it just prioritizes and when things are prioritized you always

have time I'm surprised at how I always have time for important things like

hockey there's a game today at five against Las Vegas we lost yesterday but

there is hope today see the point is I didn't use hate that loss against the

Leafs okay moving on prioritize when you prioritize you create time the next

thing is you readjust focus you readjust focus you readjust focus as in vision

allows you to keep going back and saying our shucks I kind of lost my way I kind

of stopped to smell the roses or I kind of followed something else that is

successful or I kind of kept doing what I did last year because it was highly

successful and people liked it let me refocus Jesus would do this eh we were

just doing mark 2 at one of the house churches and Jesus goes off in the

morning Peter comes looking for him and Peter saying why aren't you out there

with the crowd that's clamoring for you and Jesus is replied mark chapter 1 is I

Mark 1 · chapter mention

have other towns and villages to go to it's a readjusting of focus so that you

don't lose your not star it's a readjusting of focus so that you don't

lose sight of the North Star you readjust focus and then you you accurately

apportion time talent strength treasure to the thing that God is calling you to

you accurately apportion or allocate your time your talent your strength your

treasure to the thing that God is calling you to so when acts 29 gets a

bunch load of money it doesn't decide that okay let's give it all to Jacob

though that would be a great thing but it decides that what is most important

that is where they should go to any questions any questions guys any

disagreements anything you want to add

no cool you guys are pretty awake I thought I'd send Bob to speak first to

see how you would respond and I was watching you I wasn't listening to him

no I'm kidding I was listening to every word he and Dawn spoke thank you guys

hey grasping vision is hard work grasping vision is hard work it requires

that you climb up the watchtower that you climb up the watchtower as in in

Habakkuk chapter one I think it says God have accepted to it says I'll climb up

the watchtower and wait for God's response so there is a need to actually

go seeking him so you climb up the watchtower and then you look for God you

look for God you wait patiently for his answer because he is in the cosmic

vending machine who pops out an answer as soon as you put in a coin there is

the idea of being in relationship before things so precious can be revealed but

it's so worth it and then you begin to wrestle with what he has said because it

goes against the grain of your flesh and it goes against the grain of your

thinking because it's it it almost defies logic that God would choose you

to do the things he's asking you to do you wrestle with it you grapple with it

you think you're grappling with it but the word is wrestling you jockeying for

position till it begins to change your thinking and as you change as you as

your thinking begins to change you become a different person and once you

become a different person that vision becomes a reality it is beautiful man

how God does this sometimes it takes years make time your ally so he takes a

man who is a prince of Egypt out of Egypt he teaches him how to walk till

he's the meekest man on the face of the earth takes him to a burning bush and

begins to show him the name of God Yahweh the first time in the history of

the earth revealing his name and who he is his mind begins to change this meek

man now has the audacity with a stammering mouth to go before the most

powerful person in the face of the earth Pharaoh begins to trust God that the same

God who was in there when he fled Egypt now has the power to cause Egypt to flee

and Israel to walk out with its head held high takes them through ten

different situations but finally they're released and they're walking through the

desert but that ain't enough they've crossed the Red Sea that was enough but

now he needs a further upgrade so God calls him up a mountain and for the

first time a man besides Adam sees some form of God on Mount Sinai and it

changes him again it changes his thinking and now he has the ability to

lead a people through the desert out into the promised land guys every year

that we enter into must result in an upgrade of the way we think of God

because if we don't have that then the vision of God stays the same because

every year it's going to be more God than we can imagine and so climb up the

watchtower look for God patiently let the picture develop wrestle with what

God has said let it begin to change your mind and then as it changes your mind

you become the man or woman you're shaped that he wants you to be shaped

into and stay with it a don't let things crowded these things out and because it

ain't worth it man I like yeah I don't know how you go climbing the watchtower

I got my own ways man each one does it differently but find start looking for

him because he's waiting any questions if anything is too abstract let me know

and I'll try to make it simpler make time your ally God is not interested in

God is interested in your growth he's not interested in how much time you spend

growing because he's got all the time in the world he created it so if I don't

change he'll spend more time where I am trying to change me so instead of trying

to make things happen quickly I gotta get this done by this I've got to become

this by this it doesn't work that way the reason targets never work is because

you set the timeline for it and either you hurry it I mean the one area where

nobody can intervene is when you've got to have a baby take nine months to form

I remember a lady called Susan who got up from her hospital bed running out of

the hospital starting I don't want to have this baby or either I want to have

it now I don't want to have this baby and the doctor said to convince her it

doesn't work like that really I'm not I'm not exaggerating this is what she did

the point being there is a time where things of God gestate and there is

nothing we can do but let it happen make time your ally because you cannot hurry

it because this is one this is the only kingdom that deals not with things but

with people and God will not allow me to deal with people till he can change me

as wonderful as I am have you noticed our Sheldon and Jane will never give me

their baby to hold there is a reason so make time your ally in the sense be

changed so that God can then begin to use you and the more you cooperate with

him the quicker you are able to become what he wants you to become three things

that you have to watch out for guys that are like enemies of this process it's

complacency procrastination and unbelief

complacency procrastination and unbelief don't let these three things get in way

because the complacent won't grasp vision the complacent won't grasp vision

if I was a famous pastor the moment I do this there would be someone who would come

to take this off and fold it and hang it properly but I have to do these things

myself

complacency unbelief procrastination

complacency unbelief procrastination the complacent won't grasp vision the

unbelieving won't embrace it with faith the complacent won't grasp

vision as in mediocrity is good enough so vision mission shishan big deal life

is pretty good as it is mediocrity is bliss so let's just continue in it the

unbelief is when you don't have the faith to now take this vision and run

with it because it's really beyond you it's going to cost you way too much and

you don't have faith for it and then the third one is procrastination where you

won't walk in it because you you think you can walk in it tomorrow or July guys

at the end of the day procrastination is defined as the practice of doing that

which is more pleasurable less urgent and putting off impending things to

another day procrastination is when I choose to do things that are more

pleasurable when I choose to make my focus the less urgent things and when I

choose to put off impending tasks to a later time that's what procrastination

is one can have sight and vision and yet be lame lameness is a condition where

you can see but you can't walk in what you see and so some of us here have

vision it's not a lack of vision you have climbed the mountain you've seen

what God wants you to see but now that you have the vision you don't know how

to walk in it and when I don't know how to walk in something guess what I do I

go to someone who has walked before me and I ask them to help me if you want

God visions to come to pass in your life it is impossible to do that without

humility because there is not there is no vision that God gives that will not

require you to be humble and dependent he will never give you a vision that you

can accomplish on your own you will need someone else therein lies the rub a

people have vision but they want to be lone stars or mavericks or stuff like

that and then what happens is lone Rangers or mavericks and what then

happens is you have sight but you can't walk in it because you're lame once you

know you have vision go and ask someone who has done this before to help you man

these are these are characteristics of the often these are this is the nature

of God and he just sticks to it he can be pretty stubborn when he wants to a

he just stick to it saying well if you Jacob are going to be proud and not ask

for help you can keep trying yourself you'll keep falling I'll pick you up

multiple times because I'm faithful and time a problem for me this is what he'll

do any questions hey some of these things should really

right and I'm sure it's working us but what can you do it ain't me who's saying

this I can show you situations in the Bible where exactly this happened

welcome again guys

someone took your place

any questions guys impending tasks when I know I have to do something today I

decide that I can do less urgent things first let more pleasurable things first

so why not push it to tomorrow because yeah guys there are things that God

things is urgent that you may not think it's urgent always do the things that

got things are urgent first that's where we make a mistake we have things

that I'm a demand of you that I think are urgent and then there are things that

got things are urgent and you will try to finish what the world demands of you

first but you will set aside that with God is demanding a few first and the

reason God is demanding something else of you first is if you get that you have

the key to do everything else so one of the things I do on a Sunday or any day

the week is father what are the things that are super important to you can I

have them first and then once I have them I can take care of the rest because

they'll all fall into place because which email is not urgent which text

message is not urgent which whatsapp message other than the ones that the

young adults send is not urgent

once you capture vision and I pray God that you do guys it's not difficult it

is not difficult it is just a question of putting your nose to the what do you

put your nose to yeah that just doesn't compute in my head putting my nose to the

grindstone no yeah let's just forget the nose for now just why would one put

their nose to the grindstone

you don't know obviously okay it once you capture vision here are a few things

that happens it connects you it connects you to heaven that might sound like a

very glib statement very churchy statement but it's really not what it

does when you connect to vision is that once you capture vision you actually

connect to heaven as in hey Jacob this is what I had for acts 29 now that you've

clued on man you're right in the center of my plan hey Jacob this is exactly

what I had for you in 2020 now that you've clued on watch how I back you

that's what I mean by connecting to heaven it would be like someone here

connecting to something that I want done you think I won't help you then I'm a

not but let's say I do second it quickens life it quickens mortal not

mortal just it quickens life as in there are guys who suddenly connect to God's

vision and their lives are extended their physical lives are extended they

get a extra kick of energy or strength that they didn't have previously why

because suddenly you find yourself in the purpose of God hey God's purpose

revives they don't doubt it for a second God's purpose revives God's purpose

revives it quickens your mortal body shudder at the term retirement God's

purpose revives it quickens your life quickens your life I'm telling you man

the older you get the better it gets if you have vision our vision is much

bigger than you're gifting vision is much bigger than you're singing vision is

much bigger than the work you presently are doing vision is much bigger than the

targets or the goals you set for yourself vision is much bigger than that

remember what we said it is God's dream which is an overarching canopy that you

have to discover that you have to possess that you have to build on that

is given to you in a portion times why so that you may fulfill the purpose of

the God once we capture it and it's validated through the processes we've

explained it quickens you man and it connects you to heaven this is real even

if it were to lie dormant for six months it would still quicken you and connect

you to heaven because sometimes it may be so that your circumstances at present

don't allow you to run in your vision Jacob had a vision but he got stuck in

layman's land for 20 years and for 20 years his vision lay dormant but my god

it was there all it needed was a bit of wrestling that would reshape that man

into the man that he was supposed to be

thanks for that encouragement really it allocates resources it allocates

resources it allocates resources hey once you click on division you'll be

surprised at how money is not the problem money is a problem sometimes

when God is when God's not the vision sponsor money is a problem when you're

working in land you should not be working in money is a problem when you're

working in someone else's land had you were supposed to leave long ago money is

a problem and the vision that you have or the purpose that you have is not

necessarily God crafted and it's not for you at this time but once you find that

our shucks this is the inheritance of the vision or the purpose that God has

allotted to me you'll find that money is not a problem the money is there and it

doesn't matter how small your house is how small your job is how limited your

salary is money will never be a problem it's very odd how this works but I've

proven it way too many times and I know it's true this church has proven it many

times over we've never undertaken a project we can handle or have the money

for never somehow generosity kicks in from all over the world and from us it'll

express your personality it'll express your personality the vision of God

expresses your personality the vision of God expresses your personality are shucks

it's four almost four I'll go for another 15 minutes guys it's all Don's fault we just

thought we might put it on you Don because we always blame Bob for everything yeah yeah

no worries Bob I got your back yeah so guys it expresses your personality I love the fact

that God's vision is so crafted for us that it'll always express your personality it'll

express who you are how God wired you what you were meant to do as a church or as an individual

it will always express your personality it'll help you endure through hard times it'll help you

endure through hard times it'll help you endure through hard times where it is impossible to

push you down because my God inside you you got something it says in Psalm 105 that they

shackled Joseph but he knew what he had inside and the word of the Lord tested him and then

he was set free it's impossible to shackle something inside impossible you'll endure

through hard times you'll leave a legacy you'll leave a legacy you'll leave a legacy because all

God visions end up benefiting somebody else what a God this God is so not about himself this God

is so about others and so any purpose that he has for us will always end up benefiting others you

won't even have to set up a trust or a monument it will benefit others and by the way once you

start going down this route road you'll find that Aquila's and Priscilla's will rise up to help you

in your tent making you will find pagan kings like Cyrus say what do you want to build what

God has asked you to build you'll find Jonathan's who Jonathan who is the son of Saul come and

associate with you even though your father his father does not like you you'll find Elisha's

rise up people will rise up to help you because these are things like Bob was saying these are

things that God planned years ago years ago 13 14 years ago he had set up something saying at

this particular day at this particular time I'm gonna send someone your way so that hoping you

will become who you will become at that point this person will interject your path at the right time

and all that I had planned will come to pass amazing God of tapestry this is how he works man so it's

did I scare a kid sorry Jane not everyone takes to my preaching well shallow dust yeah he got in

he got used to it actually yeah four years three years right my bad hey so where does this where

does this visioning begin all visioning begins in the father's house all visioning begins in

the father's house and what do I mean by that guys till you're convinced that the father is

good and he loves you it's very hard for vision to develop kids that grow up in a home where

fathers in particular are not loving will never learn to dream never one of the saddest things

that happens to orphans and to kids who grow up in homes where parents are not loving is that the

child never learns to dream the child only learns to survive sets goals that are achievable surrounds

himself protects himself and you can never protect and surround yourself with survival and dreaming

it's two opposite things Joseph the reason he learned to dream and dream well in prison is

because he grew up in his father's house and his father loved him and favored him tremendously there

is no dreaming till there is growing up in the house of a father and by father I mean hit that

father we can create the same environment here but my god if you don't have that you ain't dreaming

so it's critical that as you approach 2020 that you find yourself wrapped up swaddled in cloth only

this is the father's love and father's favor it allows you to dream man I know I've told you this

but man one of the nicest things my dad did was he would allow me to dream and then he would

reasonably try to explain why he couldn't do it for you when I wanted a horse to ride to school

instead of going on a bike he stopped because there was a man selling a horse and he allowed

me to go touch the horse and I said can we buy this I want to ride the horse to school and then

he asked the price of the horse and I'm thinking about the wow and then he sat me down in his

Jeep and he said this horse eats a lot that was not a problem I thought my parents could feed it

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

would have to clean it up in school you'd have to go and gather all the poop put it in a like it

hardly took me four seconds to forget the idea man so but I was fascinated at how reasonable he

was in helping me with my dream and then telling me why it was impossible for it to be a reality

right now I mean some things my dad got so right I pray God that we begin to understand the love

of this father a cuz it'll allow you to dream father I just pray that over the next few weeks

we understand that we can only dream if we have this freedom not to be protected not to fight for

our survival but to dream knowing we are safe father you got to help this church to dream because

you or God have dreamt so many beautiful things for us I just pray that I pray that as the one

who leads this house father that you would help me to help people to know they are safe and they

can dream help me about it was in his father's house that he learned submission when he made

errors with the way he talked about his dreams it was in his father's house that he found his

place we are talking about Joseph it was his father's house that he earned trust it was in

his father's house that he began to prove his gift of dreaming it was in his father's house that he

began to speak about his vision his dream I pray God that you find that with your father a so before

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

can lay back in your arms and dream and there will be seductions on the way there will be

satanic traps on the way you got to avoid them because one of the things with God is that purity

matters you can have a dream and never accomplish it because there was no purity to go with the

dream why does purity matter because your God is holy and therefore his purposes and dreams are

holy and therefore it is impossible to hold those dreams with hands that are unholy it doesn't mean

that one has to be perfect but one has to be in pursuit of the one who is holy and that is

sufficient because when one is in pursuit of something he always changes towards it not away

from it I love that if you're pursuing something you're always moving closer to become like that

which you're pursuing and behind you it is is debris of things that you've thrown away

let's conclude so here are some things that you can do to begin to figure out this process one

look at your photo album as in look at the ways and the works of the Holy Spirit that have dotted

your life scape over the last two years look at your photo album as in when you look at the past

over the last two years when you look at what God has been doing in your life for the last two years

you'll begin to find out the direction that God has been tracking for the last while and perhaps

he'll continue that for a way for a while so look at your photo album look at your photo album track

what God has been doing over the last two years track God's track God works for two years where

I mean if I look at my life right now for the last few years I'll find that he's beginning to send

me into certain nations where the intent is not necessarily to have a conference or a teaching

but go into a nation where something needs to be broken something that stood for sometimes

thousands of years sometimes hundreds of years and he'll reveal that and I go there and I have to

spend some time breaking it that seems to be the pattern and it's just started about a year ago

and so in my mind it is thinking my thinking is father as I look at what you've been doing with

my life over the last one year I know that it will continue so ready me so that I can deal with these

ancient demonic doors or ancient godly doors that need to be opened or shut in different nations

across the world so that whatever you want to do after that needs gets done so it doesn't matter

whether it's Diana of Artemis in Ephesus or it doesn't matter if it is something else in India

or doesn't matter if it's something else in New Zealand sure God so as you look at your past you

begin to get an idea of our shots so this is what have you been up to Oh God that's one second

telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you telescope into the future through

the prophetic spoken over you telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you

telescope into the future through the prophetic spoken over you so what have you heard in the last

little while that God has spoken with your life. Many sitting under this roof

have had God speak over your life and as you go and look at all the things and I

know you've heard this before but it's such a cool practice to go over all

that has been said since 2018 September over your life and you'll find that

every time things have been said you will find that there's a certain thing

that is repeated every time and that forms your core that God wants you to

use as a filter to operate through and then there are other things that people

have said that are peripheral and those are important but take what God

has kept repeating again and again and again and again. What is God trying to do?

God is standing in the future and saying hey Jacob I've spoken over your

lives four times in the last 15 months and have you noticed how anybody and

everybody that I have sent to speak into your life keeps repeating the same thing

even though they don't know you or they don't know what I've said before. So why

don't you take what has been said many times and begin to use it as a filter

that you see through as you walk into 2020. This is what Isaiah and Jeremiah

and others would do and sometimes people would get the hang of it and say ah

Shucks you said this a few times oh God. Oh no did you want to ask a question?

Okay you raised your hand that's why I thought. Okay turn. Guys go over it

again and again. Go over it again and again. Man this is so critical. Whatever

God has said write it down man writing is so critical. I mean Habakkuk when

they didn't have pens and paper he said Habakkuk write it down. Isaiah write it

down. Jeremiah write it down. Moses write it down. These five books have to be read.

Write it down. Write it down. Paul write it down. John write it down. Daniel write

it down. God write it down man. Please don't depend on your memories. You're not

that smart. Write it down and why write it down? Not so that you have a record of

it. Write it down so that you can go over it again and again and again and again.

Why? Because you only inhabit that which you think. You only inhabit that which

you think. Guys I'm telling you man I go over words written over my life or that

God wants me to become. I go over them once every week for 52 weeks. It changes

who I am. It gives me confidence when I should be afraid. It makes me think of

myself more than I normally think of myself. It gives me the faith to walk

into things that I'm dead scared of. It makes me take risks when I don't have

the money or the resources for it. Why? Because somewhere inside something has

changed. Because I'm reading what God has said over and over and over and over

and over again. And I'm not just talking about the prophetic. I'm talking about

what the word says about God and what the word says about you. And then the

prophetic which is a direct reema word to you saying, hey Jacob this is what I

had for you. What you think you will inhabit. Think like God man. Think like

God. Think like God. And then set up a witness. One of the things that the Old

Testament guys used to, gosh I got three minutes. One of the things that Old

Testament guys used to do is once they were convinced that God had said

something they would take a heap of stones or they would take something and

set up a witness. The intent was this will prove for generations to come that

God said this. I do that every year man. We used to do that at Acts 29. Certain

pictures that would be put up would be to remind us that this is what God is

doing. Every year you come to my home you'll find something. Some piece of

art that I will buy that will symbolize what God is doing. So that every time I

walk into my house I'll look at it and say, Ashaks I know what you're up to.

Two more things and we're done. I'll finish the rest next time. Which ain't

usually doesn't usually happen. Look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual

mentor you're connected to and you will have an idea of some of the ways that

await you in 2020. Look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual mentor that

you have decided you need to connect to. There are some of us who may be

connected to somebody just because that's where our grandfathers went. That's

different. But look at the house or the tribe or the spiritual mentor or father

that you're connected to and it'll give you a good idea of ah so this is what's

gonna happen. That's very natural right? I mean if you go to Julia it's unlikely

that you're gonna end up being an athlete. It's likely that you'll end up

being Sheldon. So the point is the house that you're connected to has some traits

that will become evident. The spiritual father or mentor that you're connected to

certain things of him will become yours. It's very natural. There's a reason

Shiloh doesn't look like any of us. He will look like his parents. Next one. Look

at the demands being made of you right now. Look at the demands being made of

you that you didn't ask for but there are demands being made of you. In this

church, sometimes in the world, look at the demands being made of you and you'll

begin to figure out ah the kind of demand of God that you're putting right

now on my life. I didn't ask for it. I didn't shape it. I didn't invite it but

my God it's bearing down on me. Why? Because a seed does not grow unless a

demand is placed on it. Look at the demands that are being placed on you.

Let's take two more. I'll just read it so I don't have to explain it. Have an idea

of your most enjoyed skills. Have an idea of your most enjoyed skills, most

compelling interests, most practiced spiritual gifts right now. I'll give you

an idea of which way God is walking. Now the last one. Look at your context. Some

of us are retired. Some of us need a financial breakthrough. Some of us are

pregnant. Some of us are new parents. Some of us have a new job. Look at your

context. Your context determines the freedom you have to do things. Look at

your context and know that whatever God gives you will fit within that context.

And so don't panic when God says read all of Isaiah and you have twins and you

don't know how to read it and the strange thing is you'll read three verses

of Isaiah and you'll get more out of that than us who read three chapters of

Isaiah. Your context, God knows how to step into it and create situations where

in very limited time he can give you much more than what others would take

ages to get to. He's a God who knows how to accelerate things. It doesn't matter

that Ahab is riding a chariot. Elijah can run. Let's stop there guys. Just

remember that some of us may need to step out of misplaced loyalties and

allegiances. Just remember that as you go for figuring this out, some of us may

be able to get where God wants us to get in terms of grasping the vision but

sometimes vision doesn't come to pass till you step out of old or misplaced

allegiances and loyalties. Meaning Jacob can have a vision but he needs to leave

Laban's land for it to be realized. Otherwise you can stay stuck with a

vision and you will die with your vision and they will say of you, here lies a

great visionary who died with his vision. Please learn how to not continue in your

misplaced allegiances and loyalties. Do you know something and I said this two

nights ago to someone, Jonathan was always known as Saul's son not as David's

friend. That's excusable. He was the next king, supposed to be the next king but

listen to this, Michael, Saul's daughter, David's wife was never known as David's

wife. Michael was always known as Saul's daughter. That is bothersome. Don't be

known as Saul's daughter when you're married to David man. Make sure your

allegiances are not misplaced or not old loyalties that you don't know how to

sever because they're too scared of how it may grieve your past when God is

saying man I got so much that I want to do with you in the future. Cool? Let's

just pray. Father