The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life (26 page)

Read The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life Online

Authors: Casey Treat

Day 11: Vision Versus Fantasy
Habakkuk 2:2, 3—“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time.’ ”
• Are the visions you have for your life directly related to the God-given gifts you possess?
• Do you have a strategy for how you are going to achieve your visions, or are you only “believing by faith” they will fall into your lap?
• Have you shared your visions with any mature Christians around with the honest attempt to receive feedback or confirmation?
Many people will say they have a vision, when in fact it’s simply a fantasy. And especially with all this teaching on faith and how to have mountain-moving faith, it’s easy for us Christians to think we are operating in faith, when really we’re just trippin’. Let me explain the difference.
In the area of finances, a vision is: “We’re struggling to make ends meet, so we believe to move from an income of forty thousand to sixty thousand dollars a year. Here’s our plan on how we can do our part to make it happen, and here are the scriptures we are standing on.” A fantasy is: “I have no idea how I’m ever going to pay these bills, but bless God, I know someday God is going to make me a millionaire.”
In the area of our health, a vision is: “I want to live a long and healthy life, so I’m going to educate myself about how to stay strong in every season of life. I’m going to be disciplined when it comes to eating good foods and to working out my body, and these are promises from God for supernatural health.” A fantasy is: “By Jesus’ stripes I am healed and made whole, so pass me the bag of Doritos and the two-liter bottle of pop while I sit here and watch TV.”
Even if you have what you would call clear and detailed visions for your life but you are doing nothing to make them happen, then those dreams are simply fantasies. Proverbs tells us that the
steps
of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord—not the butt-prints in the sofa of a righteous man. James tells us that faith without works is dead; in other words, your vision without any tangible effort or strategy on your part is just a pipe dream. Today, take an honest look at your vision for your life, and as we walk through these next several days, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any needed adjustments.
Day 12: Walk with God
Romans 8:14-16—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
• How is your relationship with God?
• Does your vision for your life include daily guidance from Him, or is He the one you call on only when you are in trouble?
Our vision of who God is, and how He acts, is crucial to living a successful Christian life. If our vision of God is an old guy with a long white beard and an amazingly large hand poised to thump us on the head the minute we get out of line, then we probably aren’t going to pursue much intimacy with Him. And rightly so—who would want to have that kind of a Heavenly Father? Many of us have grown up with a very staunch and religious image of God, rather than the loving, generous, and gracious Father Jesus imitated in the New Testament. Throughout the book of John, Jesus tells us in numerous ways that if we have seen Him (Jesus), then we have seen the Father, and that He never says nor does anything separate from or in opposition to the Father. If your vision of God is anything less than the incredible compassion, love, faithfulness, and sacrifice displayed by Jesus, then take some time renewing your vision to what is communicated in the Gospels.
God wants to be a part of every aspect of your life, not only involved in the big issues but also in the day-to-day things that crop up. If your vision for your relationship with God is only as a mentor, checking in here and there for His advice and input, then you are missing out on the exciting life that comes from walking step by step
with
God. He did not send His only Son to die for you so that He could have only a casual relationship with you. His desire is to know you deeply and for you to experience Him working in every realm of your life.
Day 13: Church
Acts 4:23—“And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.”
• What part does a local church play in the vision for your life?
• Do you believe becoming involved in building and serving a local church is optional or integral for your success in life?
Jesus came to build His church, not religion, not a social club, not man’s ways of doing things. He was passionate about the church to the extent that when He witnessed men and women operating within the walls of the temple in an immoral way, He single-handedly cleared everyone out with only a whip! In Matthew 16:17-18, after Peter declares Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus reveals to them His master plan: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock [or the revelation that Jesus is the Christ] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
What an amazing promise! None of the powers of Hell will ever prevail against His church. Notice Jesus did not say Hell would not prevail over God’s will for your life, or your family, or your career; He said it would not prevail over His
church
. This means, when we as Christians are actively participating and giving of ourselves inside a local church body, we will be covered under a supernatural umbrella of God’s protection—in every realm of life. Jesus has always been about establishing and growing His church. In fact, if your vision for your life does not include being planted in a local church, you really do not have much going in your relationship with God. But alive and active inside His Body, you will flourish like never before.
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Psalm 92:12-13). If you are not presently rooted in a local church, then find one today. Look for one that has a pastor who preaches the Bible, music that is strong and passionate, and an unwavering pursuit to bring salvation to the lost.
Day 14: Finances
2 Corinthians 9:6—“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
• What do you believe deep in your heart about finances? Is your vision to never get ahead or to barely get by? Or do you envision living in abundance?
• Do you work with a spirit of excellence?
• Do you operate according to biblical financial strategies?
This may be one of the easiest areas to recognize what kind of vision you truly possess. “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). It might be a hard pill to swallow, but where you are today in your finances is a direct result of your vision. If you don’t like that statement, rather than feeling guilty or defensive, take some time to humbly ask God what really is in your heart with regard to finances. If you are not where you want to be, or at least on the road to where you want to be, then ask God to help you renew your mind and your vision to His will for your life.
It is God’s will for you to prosper—for
every
Christian to prosper—but you must align your vision to His vision. This includes aligning your actions to His biblical principles. Prosperity is not simply going to rain out of the sky because you are faithful to confess scriptures over your life every day; it takes action, and it takes discipline. Are you faithful to tithing 10 percent of your income? Are you patient to live within your means, or do you allow greed to drive you into massive debt? Do you operate your household inside a budget? Do you know where your money is being spent each month? These are just the basics to having a vision for prosperity.
In addition, when you are working, are you working as unto the Lord with excellence and diligence? Are you an example to your co-workers of integrity and of discipline? If you believe that you will get raises and promotions on your job, then you cannot just pray for them; you need to be the best person for them. If you are a business owner, you cannot just pray for the new deals and the best prices; you must work hard to go after what you want. God cannot bless inactivity! However, if we will go for God’s best with enthusiasm and excellence, He can flow with you and give you supernatural favor in your every endeavor.
Day 15: Health
1 Peter 2:24—“. . . who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
• Do you expect to get the seasonal colds, allergies, and the flu?
• Do you live your life in such a way that promotes health or that promotes sickness?
• What is your vision for old age—to be vibrant and active until you take your last breath or to be old and decrepit?
What is your vision for when you are ninety? If you are really honest, some of you would say, “Well, I’m not sure I’m going to be alive when I’m ninety.” Well, if that’s what you believe, that’s what you will get. But here’s a new thought: let’s make a covenant, and when we are all in our eighties and nineties, let’s climb a mountain and take in the panoramic view from the top. Instead of secretly visualizing our latter decades full of medications, walkers, and Social Security, what if we saw adventure, travel, and accomplishing new victories?
Many people live their life like they are dying. I have chosen not to think this way. I’m not going to live dying—I’m going to die living! My life is going to be so full of new projects and new challenges; death is going to be a huge interruption to my plans. And this mind-set actually guides and guards my actions. When I was in my twenties, I could eat whatever I wanted and exist on little to no sleep. But now that I am in my fifties, if I’m going to die living, then I will need to use discipline to keep this body strong. I’ve educated myself about health: I eat right, I exercise, and I put time aside to allow my body to rest and restore itself. I speak God’s Word over my body, and I walk in faith that I am free from sickness and disease. This vision has become so engrained in me that if my body begins to feel sick, I’m completely surprised.
If you are expecting sickness to be a part of your life, then you have opened the door for that to be your reality. If you are stocking up the cabinet every fall with Theraflu, then get ready to catch the flu. If you find yourself thinking,
I knew I’d get that cold
, or
I was always afraid I’d get that cancer,
then your vision for your health is negative. Start to speak God’s Word in this area, and build a new vision for your future in the realm of supernatural health and healing.
Day 16: Marriage
Ephesians 5:33—“Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
• Do you have a vision of a healthy and loving marriage?
• In your heart, have you completely ruled out separation and divorce?
• What steps are you taking daily to ensure a long-lasting, fulfilled marriage?
No person walks up the aisle on their wedding day thinking,
Boy I hope this thing ends up in divorce.
And yet, we know (even in the Christian world) over 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. How can that be? If no one sets out to get a divorce, if no one truly wants to end up in divorce, why do over half of married couples find themselves talking to their lawyers and signing papers that rip their families apart?
It has everything to do with vision. Most people have left a back door open in their mind. Maybe they didn’t leave that door open consciously, but when their marriage faces a trial or difficult situation (which it
always
will), they begin to think about exiting. If in your heart, you are resonating with this right now, it’s time to shut every door, every window, and every secret exit you have saved as your “out” when the times get tough. I realize this is a huge task, and I cannot begin to fully express in this short paragraph how to go about achieving it. Start with finding a strong, mature Christian (of the same gender) whom you know has a great marriage. Ask questions, be accountable, and go for God’s best in your marriage.
Maybe you don’t deal with thoughts of divorce, but you realize you have allowed your marriage to become mediocre and commonplace. Both you and your spouse have let the passion sizzle out of your sex life. It’s time to stoke up those embers! Start to date each other (this means
no
kids out with you), talk and share like you did before you were married, and learn to fall in love again. God has given you a gift—I’m referring to your spouse—so enjoy and make that relationship the most intimate it can be.

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