Embracing Vision: Faith Over Fear in the New Year

Devotional

Day 1: The Necessity of Vision for Purposeful Living

Without a clear vision, individuals may find themselves aimlessly navigating through life, missing out on opportunities and failing to fulfill their God-given purpose. Vision acts as a guiding force, providing direction and unity, both personally and collectively. It helps individuals become good stewards of what God has entrusted to them, ensuring that they make the most of their talents and resources. A lack of vision can lead to indecision, division, and even collision, as people drift without a clear sense of purpose. By seeking and clarifying God's vision for their lives, individuals can align themselves with His plans and experience a more meaningful and impactful existence. [04:53]

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV): "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Reflection: What specific area of your life feels directionless right now, and how can you seek God's vision to bring clarity and purpose to it?

Day 2: Choosing Faith Over Fear

The story of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the Promised Land highlights the stark contrast between fear and faith. While ten spies were overwhelmed by fear, focusing on the obstacles and challenges, Joshua and Caleb chose to see with eyes of faith, recognizing the opportunities and promises of God. Fear can lead to negativity, causing individuals to overemphasize the negative aspects of a situation and underestimate their abilities. It can also spread to others, infecting them with doubt and discouragement. In contrast, faith empowers individuals to act boldly, trusting in God's promises and stepping out in confidence. By choosing faith over fear, individuals can experience God's blessings and live a life of purpose and fulfillment. [15:12]

Numbers 14:8-9 (ESV): "If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."

Reflection: Identify a fear that has been holding you back. How can you take a step of faith today to overcome it and trust in God's promises?

Day 3: Trusting in Jesus for Spiritual Vision

To develop a vision of faith, individuals must first place their trust in Jesus Christ. Being born again allows them to see with spiritual eyes, perceiving God's plans and purposes for their lives. This spiritual vision enables them to live with hope and expectation, confident in the knowledge that God is at work in their lives. By trusting in Jesus, individuals can align themselves with His will and experience the fullness of His blessings. As they move forward in faith, they can expect God to do great things in their lives, embracing the future He has for them. [31:48]

Ephesians 1:17-18 (ESV): "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints."

Reflection: In what ways can you deepen your trust in Jesus today to gain clearer spiritual vision for your life?

Day 4: The Destructive Nature of Fear

Fear can have a profound impact on individuals, causing them to overemphasize the negative, underestimate their abilities, and spread negativity to others. It leads to missed opportunities and blessings, making individuals miserable and preventing them from experiencing God's best. By choosing faith over fear, individuals can break free from the chains of negativity and embrace the abundant life that God has promised. Faith empowers them to see beyond the obstacles and challenges, recognizing the opportunities and blessings that God has in store. By focusing on God's promises and moving against their fears, individuals can experience a life of joy, peace, and fulfillment. [23:22]

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV): "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Reflection: What negative thoughts or fears have been dominating your mind lately? How can you replace them with God's truth and promises today?

Day 5: Embracing a Future of Faith

As individuals enter a new year, they are encouraged to commit to living by faith, expecting God to do great things in their lives. By focusing on God's promises and moving against their fears, they can embrace the future He has for them. Living by faith involves trusting in God's plans and purposes, even when circumstances seem uncertain or challenging. It requires a willingness to step out in confidence, knowing that God is with them and will guide them every step of the way. By choosing to see with eyes of faith, individuals can experience the fullness of God's blessings and live a life of purpose and impact. [33:01]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Reflection: As you look ahead to this year, what is one specific area where you can choose to live by faith and expect God to work in your life?

Sermon Summary

As we step into a new year, it's important to reflect on the past and look forward with hope and vision. Despite the challenges of 2020, we not only survived but thrived as a community, witnessing unprecedented growth in ministry and outreach. This year, I want to guide you in clarifying God's vision for your life, inspired by the story of Paul in Acts and the journey of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, became a missionary because he was obedient to the vision God gave him. Similarly, I want each of you to be able to say that you fulfilled the vision God has for your life.

Proverbs 29:18 reminds us that without vision, people perish. An unclear vision leads to indecision, division, and collision. Without a clear direction, we drift through life, missing opportunities and failing to be good stewards of what God has given us. Vision is crucial for unity and purpose, both personally and collectively. As we embark on this series, we will explore how to develop a life vision of faith, not fear.

The story of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the Promised Land illustrates the difference between seeing with eyes of faith and eyes of fear. Ten spies saw obstacles and were paralyzed by fear, while Joshua and Caleb saw opportunities and were driven by faith. Fear leads to overemphasizing the negative, underestimating our abilities, and infecting others with negativity. It causes us to miss out on God's blessings and makes us miserable. In contrast, faith empowers us to see God's promises and act boldly.

To develop a vision of faith, we must first put our trust in Jesus Christ. Being born again allows us to see with spiritual eyes, perceiving God's plans and purposes for our lives. As we move forward, let's commit to living by faith, expecting God to do great things in our lives this year. Remember, what you see is what you get. Let's choose to see with eyes of faith and embrace the future God has for us.

Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Vision: Without a clear vision, we drift through life, missing opportunities and failing to fulfill our purpose. Vision provides direction and unity, helping us to be good stewards of what God has given us. [04:53]
2. **Fear vs. Faith:** The story of the twelve spies shows the impact of fear and faith. Fear leads to negativity and missed opportunities, while faith empowers us to see God's promises and act boldly. [15:12]
3. Developing a Vision of Faith: To see with eyes of faith, we must first trust in Jesus Christ. Being born again allows us to perceive God's plans and purposes for our lives, enabling us to live with hope and expectation. [31:48]
4. The Consequences of Fear: Fear causes us to overemphasize the negative, underestimate our abilities, and spread negativity. It leads to missed blessings and makes us miserable. Choosing faith over fear is crucial for experiencing God's best. [23:22]
5. Living by Faith in 2021: As we enter a new year, let's commit to living by faith, expecting God to do great things in our lives. By focusing on God's promises and moving against our fears, we can embrace the future He has for us. [33:01]
** [33:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Surviving and Thriving in 2020
[00:44] - Record Growth and Ministry Impact
[02:11] - Gratitude for Faithfulness and Creativity
[03:03] - Introducing the Vision Series
[03:30] - Paul's Transformation and Vision
[04:27] - Fulfilling God's Vision for Your Life
[05:09] - The Consequences of an Unclear Vision
[06:06] - Vision as the Answer to Division
[07:10] - The Inevitable Collision Without Vision
[08:11] - Seeing with Eyes of Faith
[09:00] - The Metaphor of Blindness
[10:31] - The Story of the Twelve Spies
[15:12] - Fear vs. Faith: A New Year's Perspective
[31:48] - The Starting Point: Trust in Jesus

Sermon Clips

"I want to help you get to the place that you're able to say the same thing one day when you stand before God to give an account of your life. I want you to be able to say to God, 'I fulfilled the vision that you gave me for my life.' That's why we're going to do this mini-series." [04:24]

"Where there is no vision the people perish. Now what does that mean? Well, there are at least three results of not having a vision for your life. I want you to write these down. An unclear vision leads to three things: it leads to indecision, it leads to division, and it leads to a collision." [04:53]

"Without a vision for your future, you're just drifting. You wander, you ramble through life. You're not really living, you're just existing. You don't have any goal or purpose or plan or meaning. You just kind of let life happen to you. I don't want you to do that in 2021." [05:29]

"Vision is the answer to division. The third thing that happens when you don't have a clear vision for life is a collision. In other words, without a clear direction for your life, it is inevitable that at some point in your life you're going to crash into some kind of dead end." [07:00]

"To develop a life vision of faith, you need to see with eyes of faith, not eyes of fear. And I'm going to teach you how to do that during this series. As I said, this is just the intro. Now there were two guys who were the minority report, and they were Caleb and Joshua." [28:06]

"Joshua and Caleb looked at their future with eyes of faith, but the other 10 of the 12 spies looked at their future with the eyes of fear. And I want to contrast that today as we start 2021. Are you looking at this new year with eyes of fear or with eyes of faith?" [15:02]

"When I look at the future in fear, I overemphasize the negative in life. Verses 27-28, it says this was their report to Moses: 'We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country, the land flowing with milk and honey. Here's some of the fruit as proof.'" [16:12]

"Fear creates self-fulfilling prophecies. You got a vision based on fear rather than faith, it's going to limit you for your entire life. You're going to miss opportunities, you're going to waste talent that God has put inside you, and you're going to set yourself up with self-fulfilling and self-defeating predictions." [20:41]

"Fear is contagious. Did you know parents can pass on fear to kids and it can actually be passed from generation to generation? Verse 32, it says they spread a bad report about the land they had explored. They didn't just keep it to themselves. This is what happens when you become afraid." [23:22]

"Unless you were born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. You can't see it, you can't see God's vision unless you're born again. So you need this. You see, when you're born again, when you're born physically, you get five senses: hear, taste, touch, smell, see." [31:48]

"Stop listening to your feelings and stop looking in fear and start living in faith. Believe that God is going to help you in this new year. Believe God will help you and you will see God help you. I'll end with this story. You know, Jesus had some friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus." [32:41]

"Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe? You will see God's glory if you believe. So here's my question: How badly do you want to see God's glory in your life in 2021? You got to stop nursing your worries; they just get bigger." [33:01]

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