Who is killing your vision?

   Every time I meet a new person, one of my favorite things to talk about is their vision for life. I like to see what they are passionate about, what makes them tick, and what makes them take risks that they would never take otherwise. One thing I have noticed about dreams is the fact that everyone has one. We all have this idea in the back of our mind that we really believe we should be doing. We don't always know what it is or how to interpret it, but it's there. We always start out strong ready to take on the world if need be, but somewhere along the way something happens to us. Discouragement starts to set in and that's when things begin to take a turn for the worse; until finally you have stopped trying and start blaming someone else. It's time to take your vision back. We need to learn how to fight discouragment and understand that no one can kill your dream but you. People can come into your life and say anything they want to about you, but that doesn't change the course of your destiny unless you allow it to.

1. Be careful who you listen to.

Surround yourself with people who care about you and what you are trying to accomplish. You can not allow people, who are intimidated by your dream, to speak into your life. It's important to surround yourself with people who will speak life and encouragement to you about the goals you are trying to accomplish. Intimidated people will sabotage you and your dream. 

2. Be careful what you say.

What you hear is what you think, what you think is what you say, and what you say is what you will become. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Why is that? Luke 6:45 says, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." You become who you are because your life follows your words. Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, and character becomes destiny.

Don't allow what others say about you define who you are. We are defined by the word of God and what He says about us. You don't have time to be stewards over everyone else's thoughts about you. Think God's thoughts and speak God's word and you will accomplish great things. You are the only person that can kill your dream. Don't allow the enemy to inject negative thoughts and words of discouragement causing you to abort your own dream. 

Unity is a Powerful thing!

What could we accomplish if we worked together?

Sadly that is a question that is hardly ever answered. People are not sure what they can do if they work together because it is rare that you ever find a group of people that are capable of working together. This is unfortunate because great things can be accomplished when you are working in unity. 

Genesis chapter 11 tells us an amazing story that most have already heard: The Tower of Babel. I was reading this story the other day and a few things stood out to me that have really helped me to understand how the process of accomplishing goals really works.

1. They communicated...

Gen 11:3-4

They were able to communicate their plan. If you cannot communicate your vision to others, then they will never know what it is. (Most people cant't read minds.) 

2. They had a plan...

Gen 11:3

A plan is the birth canal of a dream. It's the man with a plan, not the dream, that is successful. Look at Joseph, for example. Pharaoh was the man with the dream, but he had no idea what to do with it. Joseph had the ability to take a dream, couple it with a plan, and make it a reality. In Gen 11:3 you see the plan begin to unfold: "let us make brick", and again in vs.4, "Go let us build a city." They had a plan and that plan helped turn their dirt into bricks and their bricks into a city. What you hold in your hand may not be much now, but if you  will get a plan and stick to it then one day your dirt will be a city. You can't sit around waiting for it to happen, because your city will not build itself. You have to take certain steps to make it happen. 

3. They executed the plan...

Gen 11:6 ... "this they began to do."

There comes a time when you have to stop communicating and actually start doing. Most people are afraid to move forward with a plan because they are afraid to fail or they don't want to be disappointed. IT'S OK IF YOU FAIL... really. Anyone who has ever accomplished something in life has had to face and overcome the fear of failure. Most of them have even failed a time or two. If you don't face failure and move forward then your plan will continue to be a dream without ever becoming reality.   

Now, I know what most of you are thinking... "Did he really use a story about a city in defiance to God as an encouragement to work together?" Yes, I did...and here's why. The most powerful part of this story is in vs. 6. After they communicated, came up with a plan, and started working, vs. 6 says "now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." In other words, their dream is about to become reality. They set out to build the world's first sky scrapper and they would have accomplished it because they were all on the same page. How much more could the church do if we would learn to work together in unity?

What do you think? Leave me a comment below.