ARTICLES ON DESTINY

DATE:  5 January 2003

SPEAKER:  Pastor Tayo Adeyemi

TITLE:  Pressing toward the mark - Part I.

TEXT:

Philippians 3:13-14

Proverbs 29:18 tells us that "where there is no vision the people perish" That expression "the people perish" is translated as follows: "The people cast off restraint" - NKJV
"The people run wild" - Berkeley
"The people become demoralised - NAB
"The people stumble all over themselves - Message
At the very beginning of the year, you have the option to live our life this year by design or to live from crisis to crisis. And the difference will be your vision But it's not enough just to have a vision, you need to know how to achieve it Paul acknowledged that he had not yet reached his goal But he was pressing toward it - reaching for it
We will examine some principles that will help you in the pursuit of your vision

1. Start from the end - Isaiah 46:9-10
   Your vision is the picture of your future. How clear is that picture? How defined and vivid is it?
   
   If you must fulfil your vision, you must know what it is. You must picture it, smell it, taste it, touch it, feel it. Know your outcome, know the result you want. Develop with absolute clarity, the exact result you want to produce Picture in your mind exactly what you want it to look like. Every ball game has a goal, every race has a finishing line. Otherwise the players will be discouraged.
   
   If you don't know what you want, you won't even know when you get it. Jim Rohn described the house he wanted to build in such detail that a friend bumped his elbow on the corner of the fireplace.
   
   Habakkuk 2:2-3 - make it plain, make it understandable The clearer the vision, the more powerful its influence on you and on others who read it. Every vision is a magnetic force - it carries a magnetic attraction And the clearer the vision, the stronger its magnetic pull. The clarity of the vision releases your commitment to the process.
   
   There is a process that takes you to the end result; and you must be as committed to the process as you are to the end result. Most people are committed to a vision until they have to deal with the process involved Every vision has a process that takes you to it; and if you're not committed to the process, you'll never experience the end result. What is process? It is a systematic series of actions directed to a specific end.
   
   First you decide the end you desire, then you determine the process required. Unfortunately, some people do it the other way round - they fix the process and still expect the desired end result. They say "this is what is convenient for me, this is how much time I will commit to prayer, studying the word, practice, exercise" etc Guess what - you have already settled for mediocre performance Think about athletes and footballers. What do they fix - the amount of training and practice they will put in; or the desired result of winnning?
   
   Process is critical to the fulfilment of every vision, because it helps you to take a huge vision and break it down into bite size chunks This is why every vision has a time element to it. You want to lose weight? First decide how much - 30lbs. In what time frame - 6 months. Now break it down You need to lose 5lbs each month You need to lose 1¼lb every week All of a sudden, 30lbs is not a lot of weight anymore.
   
   
2. Speak your Vision
   There is power in your words. Proverbs 18:21 - death and life are in the power of the tongue Job 22:28 - you will decree a thing and it will be established for you.
   
   There is creative power in your words. When you speak, forces are set in motion to bring your words to pass How does this actually work? Speaking your vision does two things:
   
   First it places two burdens on you, you become committed to your vision, you become accountable for the vision People who heard you will hold you accountable. This is what separates the men from the boys.
   
   Second, speaking your vision attracts the people and resources required to bring it to pass When you speak your vision, you release the signals - the vibes - that attract everything required for the fulfillment of the vision It seems as if everyone begins to make room for you and everything begins to fall in place.
   
   In 1 Samuel 17:31-32, David had a vision to remove the reproach of the Philistines from God's people. He spoke his vision; and before he knew it, the words had reached Saul's ears. In music, there is something called the law of sympathetic resonance. If you strike a key on a piano on one end of the room, you will find the same key vibrating on a second piano across the room - making the same sound This is how the tuning fork works
   
   When you speak your vision, you are giving a certain sound on your trumpet; and those who hear it will begin to gravitate towards you 1 Corinthians 14:8 Not everybody will hear the sound you're making, but certainly someone will hear it.
   
   The law of sympathetic resonance is the reason why the baby inside Elizabeth leaped when Mary came into the room You send out vibrations in the airwaves, and there will be someone on the same wavelength who will pick up your vibrations.
   
   You see, visions are inter-connected and inter-related. Vision provides for vision. Vision feeds off vision. There are people whose vision it is to provide for your vision. Without your vision, their vision has no relevance. Someone has the vision to build a church, another has the vision to sell land. Yet another has the vision to construct buildings.
   
   One person has the vision to manufacture cars, another has the vision to make tyres, or upholstery or engine oil. Their vision is inter-connected. The word Sympathetic is coined from "Syn" which means same or sum and "Pathos" which means feeling.
   
   Also be aware that there are some people whose job it is to sponge off your vision Some people design bridges, some people build bridges, some people walk across the bridge. All are necessary.
   
   So speak your vision - get word out about your vision. If you have a business, find a way to advertise, no matter how low the budget.
   
   
   
3. Release your passion into the vision
   Passion is defined as a compelling emotion or boundless enthusiasm. Matthew 6:21 - where your treasure is, there your heart will be also Your vision is the treasure, your passion is the heart No one will take you seriously if you're not passionate about your vision. Men will not forgo their dearest pleasures upon the drowsy request of a person who doesn't even seem to mean what he's saying.
   
   Passion is the electricity that powers your vision Isaiah 9:7 - "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it"
   Perform is the Hebrew word "Asah" which means to create or to fashion.
   
   Isaiah 59:17 - "He was clad with zeal as a cloak".
   John 2:17 - "Zeal for you house has eaten me up"
   2 Corinthians 9:1-2 - "your zeal has stirred up the majority"
   "your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action" - NIV
   
   Your passion for something motivates and inspires other people to get involved The more passionate you are. The greater the power of attraction. Your passion creates the momentum that helps you overcome obstacles in the difficult days But there is a balance. Passion must be governed with knowledge Romans 10:1-2 Uncontrolled passion is both dangerous and destructive.

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