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Men of Extraordinary Vision

We kicked off D7 Men with what I find to be a crucial thing in life: Vision.  Men in our society lack vision - not on my watch! As long as I live I will challenge the men around me to grab hold of what God intends for them. Men, you were created for a purpose and sitting watching TV eating junk is not one of them. I refuse to be surrounded by purposeless, visionless men.  

D7 Men are men of extraordinary vision

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. 
Proverbs 21:5

“You never just focus on what you’ve accomplished for the year; you focus on what you’ve accomplished relative to exactly what you said you were going to accomplish.”
– George Rathmann

You measure the success of your vision according to what you’ve planned and how much you’ve managed to accomplish toward that goal. Remember that the future belongs to those who plan for it, even though some people would rather spend more time planning their holidays than their life. As a D7 man you have to have vision.

When writing down your vision consider: 

1- God
Great vision requires remarkable, reckless faith. When devising a vision for your life make sure you make God’s priorities your priorities. Make sure your dreams are also God’s dreams, otherwise you might end up chasing the wind, just like king Solomon. (See Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, 17, 1:2-4, 1:5-8, 1:8-9)

2- The People in Your World
Teamwork makes the dream work. If you can achieve your vision by flying solo, then chances are you're not doing anything worthwhile. A big vision requires people. We can’t accomplish great things alone. Examples of people that had a great team: David (his mighty men), Jesus (the twelve disciples) and the Apostles (spirit filled men). Your vision should have the capacity to turn ordinary men into “giant killers”. So look after the people that God has put in your world. Don't take them for granted, they might become your best friends. Stay planted in God's house no matter what, serve the people in your world with a humble attitude and you will see that they will be more than willing to help you out.

3- The Clarity of Your Vision (thanks to Dr. John Maxwell for the insight)

Write the vision and make it plain on tablets
Habakkuk 2:2

Make sure you clarify your vision. Make sure you know what you want (James 1:6-8). Make you vision clear.

Clarity requires effort. Ask yourself these questions.

1) What are your deep concerns?
2) What are your values?
3) What strengths do you have?
4) How have your experiences shaped you?

These questions uncover how you are wired and what you value the most. Once the vision starts to come together in your mind, write it down and share it with someone you trust. As your vision crystallizes, you might want to surround yourself with inspirational resources (books, movies, paintings, people who can help you realise your vision).

Clarity specifies your direction. Why should we make the effort to see the vision clearly? Because vague visions cannot serve as compelling guides. Writing down your vision is a great way to make it clear. This will also provide you with direction, accountability and possible problems.

Clarity will determine your priorities. Every man has limitations. Limited time, limited resources, and limited energy. As such, nobody can have it all in life. In light of our limitations, we each have to make sacrifices and scale back the scope of our ambitions. Seeing the vision clearly helps us to prioritize which opportunities to bypass and which activities deserve our dedication. The choices we make either draw us closer to our vision or push us farther away from it. If we're unsure of the vision, then we won't know how to make decisions that carry us in the right direction. If we don't live by priorities we will live by pressures. So set your priorities right, at the very beginning.

How NOT to Be Double-Minded

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
–  Henry Ford

... but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14

The answer is: You Focus and Press on. Ask yourself these questions.

Focus: Write down your short term and long term Goals.
Press on: How are you going to implement the above?
Take your time to read and meditate on these verses: Ephesians 3:20, 2 John 1:8, James 1:12, Galatians 6:9

Recommended Reading:
Believe That You Can by Jentezen Franklin

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