Thriving Through God's Vision and Purpose

Devotional

Day 1: God's Blueprint for Thriving

God desires for us to thrive in every aspect of our lives, from our relationships and careers to our spiritual growth and personal well-being. Thriving is not just about surviving or getting by; it is about flourishing and reaching our full potential as God intends. To achieve this, we must commit ourselves fully to God and develop holy habits that align with His desires. Consistency in prayer, Bible study, and living with excellence are essential to cultivating a life that thrives. By aligning our actions with God's will, we position ourselves to experience the abundant life He has planned for us. [01:40]

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (ESV): "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Reflection: What specific daily habit can you start today to align more closely with God's desire for you to thrive?

Day 2: Vision as a Compass

A vision from God acts as a compass, providing direction and purpose in our lives. Without a clear vision, we risk wandering aimlessly, lacking fulfillment and purpose. Writing the vision and making it plain helps us stay focused and motivated, ensuring we move toward the future God has planned for us. This involves not only seeing the vision but also documenting it clearly, perhaps through a vision board or journal, to keep it constantly before our eyes. By doing so, we can navigate life's challenges with confidence and clarity. [06:12]

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV): "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law."

Reflection: What is one vision or goal you believe God has placed on your heart, and how can you make it more tangible and visible in your daily life?

Day 3: Known and Loved by God

God's intimate knowledge of us is a profound truth that brings comfort and purpose. He knew us before we were born and has a specific plan for our lives. Recognizing that we are created with purpose encourages us to seek and live according to God's vision, leading to fulfillment and success. This understanding should inspire us to trust in God's plan and to pursue the unique path He has set for us, knowing that we are deeply known and loved by our Creator. [11:23]

Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV): "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth."

Reflection: How does knowing that God has a specific plan for your life change the way you approach your daily decisions and long-term goals?

Day 4: The Power of Visualization

Visualization is a powerful tool that helps us believe and act on God's promises. By imagining the future God has for us, we can endure present challenges and remain motivated to pursue our God-given destiny. Visualization involves using our imagination to see the future God has for us, which strengthens our faith and encourages us to take actionable steps toward that future. This practice can transform our mindset and empower us to live with purpose and determination. [19:18]

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

Reflection: What is one promise from God that you need to visualize more clearly in your life, and how can you use this visualization to strengthen your faith and actions?

Day 5: Documenting and Planning Your Vision

Writing and planning our vision involves setting specific goals and keeping them visible. This process helps us stay on track and make consistent progress toward achieving the future God has for us. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound goals, we can create a roadmap that guides us toward fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. This intentional planning not only keeps us focused but also allows us to celebrate milestones along the way, reinforcing our commitment to God's vision. [32:37]

Habakkuk 2:2-3 (ESV): "And the Lord answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.'"

Reflection: What is one specific goal you can set today to move closer to the vision God has for your life, and how will you hold yourself accountable to achieve it?

Sermon Summary

Summary:

In this continuation of the series "New Year Who Dis?", we explore the concept of thriving as God intends for us. Thriving means to succeed, prosper, grow, and flourish, much like a blossoming flower. God desires for us to thrive in every aspect of our lives, from our marriages and jobs to our finances and ministries. To achieve this, we must commit fully to God, have a vision for our lives, maximize our potential, and produce fruit for God.

The sermon emphasizes the importance of daily routines in shaping our future. Consistency in prayer, reading the Bible, listening to messages, exercising, and doing everything with excellence are key to developing holy habits that lead to thriving. We delve into Habakkuk 2, where God instructs the prophet to write the vision and make it plain. This highlights the significance of having a clear vision from God, as it provides direction and purpose.

God has a unique vision for each of us, as seen in Jeremiah 1, where God reveals His plan for Jeremiah's life even before he was born. We are reminded that God knows us intimately and has set us apart for a specific purpose. To align with God's vision, we must see it, write it, and plan it. Seeing the vision involves using our imagination to visualize the future God has for us. Writing the vision involves documenting it clearly, perhaps through a vision board, to keep it constantly before our eyes. Planning the vision involves setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound goals to guide us toward fulfilling God's purpose for our lives.

Key Takeaways

1. -1Ltw&t=100s'>[01:40]
2. The Power of Vision: A vision from God provides direction and purpose. Without it, we risk living a rudderless and unfulfilled life. Writing the vision and making it plain helps us stay focused and motivated, ensuring we move toward the future God has planned for us.

3. God's Intimate Knowledge of Us: God knew us before we were born and has a specific plan for our lives. Recognizing that we are created with purpose encourages us to seek and live according to God's vision, leading to fulfillment and success.

4. Seeing the Vision: Visualization is a powerful tool that helps us believe and act on God's promises. By imagining the future God has for us, we can endure present challenges and remain motivated to pursue our God-given destiny.

5. Writing and Planning the Vision: Documenting and planning our vision involves setting specific goals and keeping them visible. This process helps us stay on track and make consistent progress toward achieving the future God has for us.

** [01:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:40] - The Secret of Your Future
[02:35] - Holy Habits for Thriving
[03:33] - Habakkuk's Vision
[04:21] - Faith and Patience
[06:12] - Importance of Vision
[07:53] - God's Vision for You
[11:23] - God's Intimate Knowledge
[12:23] - Biblical Examples of Vision
[13:27] - God's Plans for Your Future
[14:51] - Seeing the Vision
[19:18] - Visualization and Faith
[20:51] - Imagination and Vision
[23:59] - Writing the Vision
[32:37] - Planning the Vision

Sermon Clips

"Amen. All right, today we're continuing a series we began a couple of weeks ago called New Year Who Dis? And of course, as we've said, this is a year where God wants you to thrive. God wants you to have a great success. In fact, we looked at the word thrive and we found that it means to succeed. We found that it means to prosper. We found that it means to grow and that it means to flourish. And the picture that comes in my heart when I talk about this is just a flower blossoming." [00:00:58] (32 seconds)

"That's what God wants you to be this year, just blossoming. That's what he wants your life to be this year. And I don't know about you, but I'm glad that that's what God wants because I'm tired of things withering, right? The Bible says in Psalm 1 that the person that lives for God, they'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water and they'll bring forth fruit in their season and their leaf shall not wither." [00:33:78] (24 seconds)

"And I'm tired of things withering. Anybody tired of things withering? I don't want any more withering, no more failing, no more losing money, no more seeing things fall apart. No. Instead, I want to see God cause me to succeed. I want God to cause you to succeed in your marriages and your jobs financially and your bodies and your ministries and winning your family and friends to Jesus. And that's what God wants to do in your life." [00:57:44] (28 seconds)

"The third was to maximize your godly potential. We kind of dove into some of that last week. And the last is to produce fruit for God. And so last week we ministered the title of the message, Start Your Day the Right Way. And we learned that the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." [01:40:00] (22 seconds)

"That's not our favorite word. That's like the Christian four-letter word right there. Patience. Nobody wants to talk about patience, but you have to have patience to obtain what God wants you to have. And being patient is not just sitting there griping and complaining while you wait. It's cheerfully enduring." [04:55:82] (17 seconds)

"the vision that came from god which tells me that god does give vision that god will show you some things so that you can believe for it you can act on it god will give you a dream or a revelation and i like something mike todd said he said when god gives you a vision don't treat it as a cheap suggestion" [07:24:45] (28 seconds)

"it's a vision from god and so when he gives you a vision you got to recognize he's given it to you so it can be seen so that it can be read so it could be understood and that's the heart of what he's saying here write the vision and make it plain so he may run that read it that i want it to be seen i want it to be read i want it to be understood why because the vision is important and that's the heart of what he's saying here the vision is important in fact proverbs 29 18 shows us how important it is to have a vision from god it says where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he where there is no vision the people perish i remember my sister used to preach on this and she would call she would say it this way no vision no future you don't have a vision from god and what you'll find is your life is rudderless what you'll find is that you live in a depressed state and it can also be very destructive you know you're you're if you're not on the right track you can end up tearing up other people too right vision is vital having a vision from god is vital and so So, go to Jeremiah chapter 1, and let me show you a little something about the vision that God has for you, because God has a vision for you. Turn to him and tell him, God has a vision for you. Yeah, he does. He has a vision for you. He has a dream for your life, and man, it's important. It's vital that you know it. It's vital that you live according to it. So, let's look at what he said to Jeremiah. This is Jeremiah as a younger man, and verse 4, he said, The Lord gave me this message." [07:53:95] (122 seconds)

"Because he did, he made you, he formed you. And what's really deep is that he's not even just talking about his body. That's part of it. That's part of what we're talking about. We say God made you, but he's saying here that really, I knew you before I formed you. In other words, you existed and was known by God. Before you were in your mother's belly, which, because you're not a body, you know, man is a three-part being. You are a spirit. You possess a soul. That's your mind, your will, and your emotions. You live in a body, but this is just the house you live in. That's why when this dies, you're not dying. You're really going somewhere. And if you're somebody that's chosen to follow God, you're going to heaven. And if you're somebody that's not, well, you're going to hell." [10:32:43] (51 seconds)

"That's why you want to follow God. And if you're saying, I'm not sure where I'm going, we want to help you with that today. But notice, man, you existed before God even made you. God knew you. I mean, before you were born, I should say, God knew you before you were born. Somebody say, God knows me." [11:23:37] (18 seconds)

"to the nations. He's not the only person this is true of. When you read about Samson, anybody ever heard of Samson? Well, the angel appeared to Samson's mother to tell her he was coming and what his life's mission was. He was to deliver Israel from the Philistines. And although he kind of messed things up, he got the job done." [12:23:09] (19 seconds)

"John the Baptist, anybody ever heard of John the Baptist? An angel showed up to his father and let him know he was on the way and also let him know what his mission was, which is ultimately to prepare the way for Jesus." [12:42:41] (13 seconds)

"That's what his whole life's mission was, right? And in the same way, when God sent you on the earth, somebody say, God sent me, because he did. He sent you on the earth with a particular vision, with an assignment. There's something you're here to do." [12:58:21] (18 seconds)

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