Fall Sprint 2017: Vision vs. Spiritual Fantasies

Today we had the pleasure of listening to a great teacher named Dr. Nina Bariatak from Shiloh Church.  Dr. Nina was raised in a Jewish home and became a Christian on Halloween over 40 years ago.  WOW!  That's already impressive.

She taught a great lesson about Contagious Joy and she used the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys as a backdrop.

If you've ever read the book of Acts, Corinthians, or Philippians then you know Paul's missionary journeys weren't the easiest of journeys. In fact, I remember reading thinking "Boy...this is awful.  This isn't very encouraging at all to me.  I think I would have given up on the whole missionary thing"

Whippings, imprisonment, getting run out of town, the people missing the point in one instance, shipwrecks, snakes (I Would have been OUT after that), disagreements with the others, etc. 

Well Paul definitely was more committed than me (and I'm sure a lot of you) and he kept going.  In fact when we consider that he wrote his famous "Always be full of Joy in the Lord And again I say Rejoice" letter he was imprisoned.

That's not exactly a time most of us would be joyful.  

Vision vs. Spiritual Fantasies

Dr. Nina said we need to know the differences between Vision and Spiritual Fantasies.  

A lot of people want the stage and lots of adulation.  This is their fantasy.

She gave the example of the person who decides to call themselves Apostle.  We all know these people.  They buy fancy suits, and don't have nary an audience to be talking to.  They have zero influence and when they quit, they proclaim that people just don't want to hear the truth.

I personally have seen the people who decide they are going to be Writer/Conference Speaker extraordinaire.  

I have seen this both in church and in the secular arena.

They self publish a book of fluff and cliches and get on program at conferences and repeat what they heard others say or read in a book.  They have no message whatsoever or have any substantive content.  It was all a fantasy that they decided to create without God and then they become angry and bitter when they flop.

Now these are the people who actually get in action on the fantasies.  You have the people who proudly proclaim they have a vision for their life and have been stuck in the same place for the last ten years.  It's pipe dreams and something to talk about with others.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish

Dr. Nina taught us that the word perish in this instance means to go around in circles.  Other versions say the people stumble over themselves.

People without Vision Fall and stumble

Both Dr. Nina and another guy talked about how they had falls and it was because of a lack of focus and vision.

If you ever talk to both the trying to make it happen and the Big Talker spiritual fantasy people one thing they both lack is focus.  They're usually all over the place.  They're usually running around doing this and that with no real results.  They lack focus which is why they keep stumbling.

BTW I see this all the time on my day job.  People want to get healthier or Live Better but it's all a fantasy because they aren't willing to put in any REAL work and they also aren't willing to pay the price for what it takes to get where they want to be.

They would rather believe Quick Fix Scams.

You want a vision...Be ready to pay the price

"There is always a contention for things of the Kingdom" - Dr. Nina

The people who went ahead and tried to create a fantasy or the people who are still TALKING about a fantasy weren't willing to pay the price of a REAL spiritual vision.

You see a real spiritual vision entails some type of sacrifice.  You're going to have to give something up in order to see your vision come to pass.  You're going to have to get all the way up out of your comfort zone.  

For me it was leaving the Church of Legalism all those years ago, quitting my job, starting my own business, and saying that I am NOT going to marry outside of God's will even if I am over 35.

It also entails a loss of control.  A real spiritual vision will have you going RIGHT when you just knew God was going to have you go LEFT.  A real spiritual vision will have you saying NO to what makes sense because it does not line up with what God has revealed to you.

You want a vision...Be prepared to put in work

Just like with my Day Job in Health and Fitness, if you want results then you have to put in WORK.  Yes I have to plan my menus, plan my workouts, and go to bed early.

Same with a Vision from God.  You have to put in work and a lot of it...isn't pretty.  You have to work on yourself and you will have to get raw, honest, and real with yourself about what is going on beneath the surface so you can have a real message and not fluff or cliches.  People may say Amen to surface level stuff but nobody is transformed by it.

This is why people like Fantasies.  You don't have to put in real work.  You can just talk or pretend.  Even the people who take action on their  spiritual fantasies usually quit due to disillusionment and because they are mediocre at best.

If you KNOW you have a vision and God has gifted you, then you're not going to quit so easily. The Apostle Paul had a real vision of seeing the Gospel spread throughout the world so he wasn't about to quit...even after the snake bit him.  (THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE ROAD FOR ME)

Lots of Talk about Lions

Lately my Spidey senses have been focused on Lions.  I finished reading In the Pit with a Lion on A snowy day by Batterson, then something said to me doesn't Lisa Bevere have a book about Lionesses?  She does.  So I'm reading that next and after that,  Mark Batterson has another book called Chase the Lion

I am currently reading T.D. Jakes book:  Instinct which is more for Personal Development and it's excellent but even he's talking about Lions!

So what's this all about.  I know I am a proud Leo Lioness but maybe it's time to step it up!!

May the odds be ever in my FAVOR!!