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5 Ways To See Your Vision From God Become A Reality – Viral Believer
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5 Ways To See Your Vision From God Become A Reality

Recently I came across a video blog by Phil Strout talking about qualities found in successful leaders. In those videos, I saw some principles that I have always believed in concerning how to see your vision from God for your life become real.

So I wanted to pass along to you the ways I have learned to see my spiritual goals become a reality so you too can implement these principles in your life and ministry.

The book of Proverbs states in chapter 29, this statement.

Proverbs 29:18

18 Where there is no vision, the people perish:

Now I could go on and on about how people need vision and that leaders need to teach how to have a vision from God. However, in all honesty, most of the time it is not that people don’t have a vision from God, but that they are not empowered to carry out their vision.

So in this article, I hope to pass on to you the lessons that I have learned about how to help others fulfill their vision from God, and in doing so, see that you are enabled to achieve God’s vision for your life.

5 Steps To Fulfilling Your Vision From God

image of a boy being empowered

Step #1 – Empower Others And You Will Be Empowered

Early in my ministry, I was terrible about getting a vision from God and then chasing after it only to realize that I was not leading anyone else behind me. Everyone was standing back where I started looking at me and question where the heck I was going.

The problem was that although I had a vision, I had not set the stage to be able to ask others to help me accomplish God’s vision for the church.

The first thing that a good leader and visionary have to learn is that they have to invest in the lives of others and help others accomplish their vision from God before you can ask them to help you achieve yours.

This is accomplished by not using people to build your ministry but instead using your ministry to build people.

You see, the model that I had seen for years was different pastors trying to recruit people to fill positions in their ministry. They were trying to build some significant ministry for God.

Now I believe that their motive was honorable. They were trying to serve God, but they were doing it with the world’s methods. Unfortunately, this method very rarely works.

Instead of looking for people to fill positions, listen to people and what they are passionate about. Find out what their vision is and then use your gifts and abilities to help them accomplish that vision.

If they are gifted musically, then make room for them in the worship team. Teach them what you know, then turn it over to them. Let them fail, let them do things differently than you, and always encourage them.

When you do that, you will have done something that not very many others are willing to do. You will have believed in them.

When you do that, they will believe in you.

Step #2 – Be Willing To Do Whatever It Takes

If you are ever going to accomplish your vision from God, you are going to have to remove some words from your vocabulary. The word “can’t” and the word “no” has to be removed. Those words have to be replaced with the words “whatever it takes.”

You will never overcome the obstacles that will inevitably come your way if you allow the word “can’t” to influence your thinking.

When I was young, my father used to always say to me, “can’t never did anything.” When I was young I didn’t particularly appreciate that saying but now as I have grown older and had more experience in my life, I find his words were right.

I would never have returned to ministry if I had allowed “can’t” to influence my thinking. It took eight years and over 180 rejection letters before I saw that vision become a reality.

If I had allowed the word “can’t” to influence my thinking, this website would never have come into existence and the 1/2 million people per year that visit it, would never have been blessed.

If I had allowed “can’t” to influence my thinking, then I never would have started my first church or my second one.

If I allowed “can’t” to tell me what was possible, then the church I now pastor would not be turning into the church without borders. Remember Jesus said…..

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The same goes for the word “no.”

No is the biggest de-motivator that people can hear. When they come to you and express an idea to you about how they can get involved and serve God, the last word a good leader wants to use is no. Use it too many times, and you will have a church of pew-sitters and sermon critics.

Think about it. When you get enough guts to share with someone an idea you have, you would not be sharing it unless you think it is a good idea. Nobody sets out to share bad ideas.

So when your people come to you and share with you an idea, they think it is a good idea. A good leader realizes this and goes out of his way to help the person become successful in their idea rather than shoot it down with a no.

If you are a pastor or a spiritual leader in your church, understand that when you say no, the person whom you are saying no to hears it as the no is coming from God since you are God’s representative.

Instead of saying no, find ways to say yes! Even if you think it is a bad idea or it will not work, do not stifle their enthusiasm or passion. Also if later it turns out that it was a bad idea or did not work, laugh about it. Praise them for wanting to try and the effort they put into it.

When you do, you remove the fear of failure that many people have, and they will keep trying until they find something that does work. All of a sudden you will have an activated church member and leader who is doing something successfully. It will never happen if you say no.

I try to pay attention to how many times I say no. I try to say yes at least ten times before I ever say no.

When people come to you with an idea or a vision, be the type of person that says we will do “whatever it takes” to see this idea be successful.

If you have a whatever it takes attitude then when it comes time for you to challenge your people to rise above where they are at, they will have whatever it takes attitude. It is a win/win situation.

In my church, I don’t have to recruit people. People volunteer to clean the church believe it or not.

Why?

Because they know that we are a team and we do whatever it takes. We know that all of this is God’s vision for us. We are a team pursuing God’s vision.

Step #3 – Giving Away The Credit

Growing up as a child, receiving praise was not something that happened a lot. As a result for many years, I worked hard to win the approval of others.

This caused me to make sure I got credit when credit was due. However, if you are going to be a good leader and visionary you have to learn to give away the credit.

Nothing empowers people to accomplish great things than getting a pat on the back for what they do.

Every Sunday I pick a couple of people in my congregation to praise.

Whether it is the ladies who decorate the church, or the director of our food bank, or the Sunday school teachers, I make sure that either publicly or privately I lavishly pour out praise.

Even when I am leading a project, and it goes right, I make sure that people know that I would not have been able to do it without the help of the others who were involved.

When you do this, people want to help you accomplish your vision because they realize that you are doing it for the right motives and not just doing it to make yourself look good. You are not doing it to build your ministry, but you are doing it to build His church.

This is another key to having an activated flock. When you lavish out praise, people volunteer without having to be asked.

On the flip side of this, I NEVER correct or dress someone down in public. I might take them aside privately and encourage them to do something different, but I will never embarrass or humiliate someone in front of everyone else.

If you do, then nobody will ever volunteer for anything except out of obligation. Nothing is more demoralizing than to look like a fool in front of your peers.

Step #4 – Making the INSIGNIFICANT into the Significant

Another key to seeing a vision from God come to pass is what I call “not despising the small things.” It comes from the prophet Zechariah.

Zechariah 4:10

For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

It is the little things that will make or break you. They are your foundation.

The little things like giving the kids a piece of candy before sending them off to children’s church or taking a moment to let your white-haired ladies share about their week. These things are important.

Every event, every program, every outreach needs to be treated as if it was the most important thing that you are going to do that day. If you do not handle what is going on as important then neither will your congregation.

We live in an era that glorifies big things, but in ministry and both helping others and in seeing your vision come to pass, it is the little things that get you to the finish line.

In the case of the word that was given to the nation of Israel, it was the little thing of marking out the lines to where the new temple would be built.

In your case, it might be the little thing of making people feel significant in what they are doing even if it is just cleaning the church.

Do not despise the little things. Those that start with small things will graduate to bigger things.

Luke 16:10

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Step #5 – Lead By Example

As leaders many times we are tempted to think it is our responsibility to make something happen. We believe that we have to control everything and micromanage people. We are shepherds, not Jesus.

Many times the most important thing I do is step out of the way. I may be capable of doing something. I may even be called to do something but not always it is profitable for the people for me to do it.

I have to be willing to put them first and let them learn to serve Jesus just like I learned to serve Jesus 33 years ago. If I do it for them, then they will not learn.

I am a capable guitarist. I played professionally in my long hair days. However, that does not mean I need to play or should be the worship leader. Nor should I dictate what songs are to be sung or what styles should always be used.

I have given some broad parameters and principles concerning what makes good worship, but I let someone else hear from Jesus and learn to serve Him with music. It does more good for the people in the church to see me be a worshiper.

They are released to be worshipers when they know that I am not afraid to raise my hands, clap my hands, move my feet, or get on my knees.

It does no good to tell them they need to do the stuff. You have to walk beside them as they do the stuff. You can’t do that if you are doing the stuff yourself.

So to lead by example, you have to let go. You have to set the precedent that they are not there to build your ministry, but you are there to develop their ministry. You are there to build people. You are there to help them fulfill their vision from God. If you do, then you will see your vision from God come to pass as well.

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Pastor Duke Taber
Pastor Duke Taber

Pastor Duke Taber

All articles have been written or reviewed by Pastor Duke Taber.
Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of Life Pacific University and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.
Today he is the owner and managing editor of 3 successful Christian websites that support missionaries around the world.
He is currently starting a brand new church in Mesquite NV called Mesquite Worship Center, a Non-Denominational Spirit Filled Christian church in Mesquite Nevada.