The Consequence of Not Running with the Vision

The time comes in every believer’s life when the Lord will cast the vision for the call He has placed on our lives. This is a very exciting time in most believers’ lives. The hours we have spent in scripture and prayer seeking which role He will chose for us is finally revealed. This excitement, however, doesn’t always last as the joy of the vision can be easily choked out by the cares of the affairs of this life or other obstacles we must overcome before the fulfillment of that vision.

Too often these obstacles become overbearing and we begin too lose sight of that vision. As we begin to lose sight of that vision we begin walking away from our call and the command the Lord has placed on our lives. Losing the vision has serious consequences not only for us but for others around us including family and others the Lord has entrusted in our ministries. King Solomon is a great example of this.

We often hear about the successful side of Solomon’s life, how he was blessed by God with great wisdom and riches but we don’t seem to hear the other side as often. 1 Kings 11 tells us that in his old age, Solomon’s heart turned away from the Lord and did not keep what the Lord had commanded him. As a result, the kingdom was torn away from Solomon and given to someone else.

“So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant (1 Kings 11:9-11).”

Some may try to argue that this was a consequence under the old covenant but Jesus warned us more than once in the New Testament:

“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” - Luke 9:62

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” – Luke 6:46

To further illustrate the consequence of not running with the vision let us take a look at an excerpt from an article by The 700 Club about world renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke:

“When Reinhard tells of God calling him to a life of evangelism, he speaks easily about a dialogue they had. It seems God laid out for him what would be expected. And Reinhard told God that he would obey and follow what God was asking of him. Before this extended conversation ended, however, God told him, “You weren’t my first choice.” Reinhard listened. “You weren’t my second choice either.” Later on there was a time when Reinhard hesitated to schedule a specific crusade. He says as he wavered, “God said, ‘You drop the vision and I drop you.” The evangelist attributes the tremendous responses he sees in ministry to simple obedience to what God requires (CBN.com).”

WOW! What a dreadful rebuke from the Lord but I’m sure Reinhard Bonnke was happy to receive it especially now, knowing the millions of souls that have been saved through his ministry. Could you imagine how the first two guys that didn’t run with the vision feel now? If nothing else this story proves that God is serious and if we don’t run with the vision He has given us, He will give to someone else!

As a minister, this terrifies me and keeps me continually praying to be in His will at all times. It also inspires me to read the revelation and experiences of other men and woman of God in order to see how they overcame the schemes of the enemy to keep us from fulfilling that vision. So to end this article I want to quote Rick Joyner from his book, Overcoming Witchcraft, in which he says that loss of vision is one of eight “stings” the enemy uses to overwhelm believers and that staying the course is crucial on that road to victory.

“When we begin to lose our vision, we must commit ourselves to strengthening our vision more than ever… Above all, we must hold our course! We should not change our direction until we can clearly see the new course… we need to just hold our course and keep going forward. We will soon break into the clear (Joyner, 1996, pp37-38).”

***May the Lord continually keep you in His perfect will and provide you with the strength, peace, and drive to continually pursue the fulfillment of the vision He has casts for your life in Jesus’ most precious name! AMEN!

God bless!

Mike Thompson