Take a look at Proverb 29:18 in three different translation

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the
law, happy is he.”

“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.”

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

Introduction

Where there is no vision, no prophet to proclaim the Word, no pastor to teach the good news, the people perish, no revelation of what God is doing or what He intends to do:

• The people are made naked.
• They are stripped and exposed to shame and exposed to danger.
• They rebel, not only against God but also against leadership, and authority,
• They are idle and lose their commitment and devotion to the Lord.
• They are scattered as wondering sheep with no shepherd to guard them.
• They are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

What is the meaning of vision?

Vision is a captivating and compelling picture or dream of the future. It is a revelation of God’s perfect will concerning particular aspects of one’s destiny. It is usually followed by a strong desire or passion that pulls one forward and drives them to pursue that vision with everything in the fiber of their being.

There is nothing more dangerous than a dreamless believer – nothing more dangerous than a dreamless church. Paul says:

“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.”  1 Corinthians 9:26

7 things that can steal your dream and kill your vision

Out of control but temporary circumstances

Out of control circumstances often cause us to cast a cloud of doubt and fear over our future. There are two things about out of control circumstances that we need to understand:

• They are temporary. We ‘go through,’ not dwell in the valley of the shadow of death. We’re never meant to stay there. This too, (whatever the valley) shall pass.
• They are under God’s control. Out of control circumstances may be out of our control, but they are not out of God’s authority. This is where we need to apply the wisdom of ‘letting go to let God.’

Unwanted and sometimes divine delays 

Abraham’s story is a classic example of unwanted delays. In his story, we learn about the temptation that usually ensues when God seems to be late in fulfilling His promises. We are often tempted to revert to taking matters into our own hands. The lesson to learn from this story is that the arm of the ‘flesh’ will always fail us and we end up birthing ‘Ishmaels’ that plunge us deeper into unnecessary chaos.

Fear

Somebody once described fear as “false evidence appearing real.” Makes a lot of sense. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Job said, “the thing I feard the most has come upon me.”  It is meant to rob you or make you miserable on your way to the beautiful future God has for you. If you allow it, it can stop you dead in your track. That’s why God always commands His people to ‘fear not.’

Self-doubt

If fear is being ruled by a constant obsession that ‘the other shoe is about to drop’ syndrome than self-doubt is loaded with an incorrect notion of who we really are. It’s a feeling of

• I’m not good enough
• I don’t measure up
• I don’t belong
• I don’t have what it takes
• I am not worthy

The tricky thing with self-doubt is that it can manifest as humility, but in reality, it is false humility.  We must intentionally reclaim who God says we are through acceptance and obedience for us to indeed break free from this mindset.

Distractions

We live in a day and age where everything is screaming for our attention. Even good things can become a distraction from living an ideal life. This kind of life must bring the most important things to get us to achieving our goals and reaching our destiny into a razor-sharp focus. Bouncing here and there, dabbing into this and that, experiencing such and such, easily get us offbeat. That is why planning, setting goals and establishing priorities are paramount to staying focused.

Spiritual Opposition

The enemy will fight everything worth living for in your life. If God spoke it over you, he would come after it like a dog chasing a bone. Let me remind you, for we often dwell in the land of forgetfulness, the devil hits your guts and everything good and godly you stand for. But our God has equipped us with everything we need to defeat him. So after you have done everything, hold steadfast!

Bad habits

Habits are easily created. Once they are formed, they can prove hard to change, but not entirely impossible. Habits, good or bad,  have the power of optimizing our vision or potentially rendering it useless. For example:

• Discipline or the lack thereof
• Decisiveness or a procrastinating nature
• Desire but no drive

These and many more can either make or break you on your road to destiny.

 Conclusion

What you don’t know can hinder you or even kill you. Equally, what you do know but lack clarity can deliver fatal blows. Therefore it is essential to do life with urgency and vigilance.

Those who do are able to run, focus, persevere, overcome, and trust God to take them beyond hindrances into their destiny.

Deep Deeper: 1 Sam. 4:18-22; Judges 6:14-16; Job 3:25; 1 Kings 13; 1 Thess. 2:18; Ephesians 5:16; Habakkuk. 2:2; Judges 16:19-21