Following Your Vision out of the Prison

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my vision for my life. What is it. What is my passion, whats one of the BIG things God is asking me to do? What is my HARD THING that he has called me to live out the expression of him that he place in my that no one else possesses...well I have an answer for you. Ready??

I have no idea.

Its hard at times to keep trusting and clinging to God with no vision. I have recently been meditating on Hebrews 10:35-36 (yes I've been on a Hebrews 10 kick in my blogs..), in the NLT it says "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remeber the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all he has promised. " Think about what God has whispered to your heart. The dreams, the hopes, the hard things that you couldn't possibly do by yourself. Remember that sweet moment when he first brought that preposterous idea to your mind? How he loved the reality that you CANT do it on your own. The broad smile that enveloped his face as he whispered to you "You see beloved, we get to do this together! You are right in thinking you can't do it alone, no my child, together we will be more than conquerers!"

Now think of that vision for your life you have, where are you now? Are you in a place where it is dry. Do you see any sign of that dream coming to pass? What does Hebrews say? Dont you dare throw away that trust in God, and have patient endurance. With this thought in mind God laid Acts 12:9 on my heart tonight.

"So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didnt realize it was really happening." -Acts 12:9

Now track with me. I read this in context and God brought up some things. Imagine it, Peter is in the prison. This is the famous scripture where he is rejoicing while in this desolate place. Sining praise and worship while chained to the wall. Do you think he had a firm grasp on the vision God gave him of being building the foundation the church? It wasn't in plain site, I think its safe to say. There were some three things I saw God point out in this situation.
1) Peter was asleep and the angel told him to "Quick! Get Up!"
We to often are asleep to what God is trying to do. We need to ask God to put an urgency in us that keeps us alert and in active pursuit of what God has for us. Even when we dont know the big picture, pursuing a deeper relationship with God is a step in the right direction. Here, Peter was asleep, and you can't blame him, but whose not to say God wanted him awake to what was about to happen?
2) "Get dressed and put on your sandals"
While we need to be awake, we need to be prepared. You say- what!? If we don't know where God is taking us, we dont know the vision for our lives (me either, remember). I've been reading Bill Johnson's 'Strengthen Yourself in the Lord' and he said something that blew me away to grip in your mind. God never puts you through something you aren't prepared to handle. Think of the scriptures, time and time and time again you see it played out. Even now if you look back over the past year of your life, picture some of the hard things, you obviously came out the other end alive. Now think back months, weeks before those events, do you remember those verses that popped out to you that were so very applicable? God was preparing you. You must take the garments you acquired from those events and dress yourself for what is around the corner on the path to your vision, you hopes, the big thing God wants to walk through with you.
3) Follow your vision out of the prison
The verse that God brought me to says how Peter followed the angel out of the cell but the entire time he thought it was a vision. We need to be kingdom minded, have a focus on the vision. The promise for the dream that God deposited in your heart, however far down the line that dream applies, we need to see that dream and hear God's promise and movie forward. Set our faces like flint and dont fear when we stumble and trip. God is working with us on this one remember? He will pull you back up and set you on your feet as you step forward once more focused on that vision, on that promise.

In this cell place, this prison where you feel chained, helpless, lost without seeing leaps of advancement in your hopes and dreams-dont throw away the confident trust in the Lord-NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. One minute Peter was chained, asleep and seemingly ill-equipped. Next thing he was awakened, prepared and following his vision right out of this prison he was sleeping in. God is saying wake up to the things I have for you. Stop thinking you arent going to make it, I created you, I breathed into you-you are my crowning glory and I made you to carry out that part of my plan that no one else could!

Lastly, at the end of the verse, a little tag on to Acts 12:9 you see "He didn't realize it was really happening" Peter was so focused on the vision God had for him, as he was dressed and awake he followed his vision right of of the prison. He wasn't focused on the chains God broke off of him. He just walked out focused on the vision. Follow your vision out of the dry place your in. Cling to the promise God has whispered in your ear, dont throw away the confident trust in the Lord. You can walk out of this place focused on your vision.

For those of you like me, who arent yet sure of that big life vision-we need to be singing and praying and worshiping and waiting on God in our every day life as we get closer to him till we can hear that whisper of what he is inviting us to do with him. Until then, set your face toward the goal of living out the unique expression of God that was breathed into you at the time God was knitting you together. Hold to the Confident Trust and Patient Endurance we have in Christ.