What is your excuse for not asking God to give you a vision—a new beginning, a new passion for pursuing all he wants to do with you and through you? Here’s one of those excuses:

I’ve made too many mistakes, there is too much baggage from my past for me to do anything great for God.

If God only used people with perfect track records, there would be no one to use. God takes us where we are and tells us to put our past behind us and move forward to the good things he wants to do for us. Isaiah wrote: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

There may be other excuses you have for your lack of vision, but could it be that you don’t have a vision of what God wants to do through you is because you’ve never asked for a vision? James wrote “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2b). Jesus told us “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; to the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

How do we recognize God’s vision?

Are you willing to ask God for a vision? You say, “I’m not sure I would know one if I saw it!” Good question—how do we know God’s vision for us?

A vision from God will be born in love—love of God, love of the Lord Jesus, and love of others. A God-given vision will not depend upon your giftedness or your hard work or your promotional abilities, though your gifts will be used and you will work hard. But the success of your vision will be a God-thing that can only be explained by his power working in you. And it will always be in harmony with God’s Word.

I urge you to seriously consider whether you need to ask God to give you a vision, to help you step out by faith and realize the potential he has created in you, and the joy that comes when you walk by faith and not by sight.

What is your excuse for not asking God to give you a vision—a new beginning, a new passion for pursuing all he wants to do with you and through you? Here’s one of those excuses: I’ve made too many mistakes,...

Many times we fail to soar like an eagle because we’re afraid to take any risks. Here’s an excuse that can keep you mired in mediocrity: I don’t have the talent or abilities or experience that it takes to be...

Many times we fail to soar like an eagle because we’re afraid to take any risks. Here’s an excuse that can keep you mired in mediocrity:

I don’t have the talent or abilities or experience that it takes to be a visionary.

Maybe you’re thinking: People who take risks are gifted in some way or another. I don’t have any special gifts–I’m just an ordinary person, who can do ordinary things in an ordinary way.

If this is your excuse, you are without excuse, because listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

How many examples do you want of how God uses ordinary people? Start with Peter, James and John—uneducated fishermen. Consider Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—all great-grandmothers in the lineage of Jesus Christ—and all totally unqualified for the job. The Bible and church history are replete with examples of people who were used mightily by God in small and large ways, even though they didn’t have the right credentials, the right education, the right skills and abilities. That way, God gets the glory.

I’m too old to ask for a vision.

Are you thinking: If I were in my twenties, well, then, I could do something great for the Lord. But it’s too late now.

Consider Caleb, who after 40 years of wandering in the desert, is allowed to go into the Promised Land. So, now 85 years old, Caleb goes to Joshua and says,

“I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day” (Joshua 14:11-12a).

If you’ve been using age or some disability as your excuse for not asking God for a vision, pray “God, give me this hill—give me a vision of what you want to do with me now at this age in this time.”

Have you ever asked God to give you a vision of what he wants you to do? Living without God’s vision for your life is missing the abundant life that Jesus came to give you. It is living in mediocrity. It is settling for so much less than God intends for you.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. God has a vision for each of us who are born from above and have been made a part of his family. He has prepared this vision for us—these good works he wants us to do.

Here is one of the most common excuses we give for not seeking God’s vision for our lives:

We’re not willing to take a risk.

Ron Hutchcraft tells the story of being invited to go hiking with some friends to see a breathtaking waterfall. So, as they hiked up the mountain, they came to a large stream that had to be crossed in order to get to the waterfall. Not seeing a bridge, he said to his companions, "How do we get across here?"

"Oh," they said, "you have to walk across the pipe there.” Ron took a look at the pipe and it was small; it was wet; it was dangerous. And his first reaction was, "Thanks but no thanks. I'll stay here.” But his friends urged him, "Come on. The view is on the other side. Come on; walk across the pipe."

Ron had a decision to make. Either stay where he was and miss the view or walk across the pipe. He decided to take the risky way, and he said, "I wouldn't have missed that view for anything. But I had to walk the pipe to get there."

Is Jesus calling you to walk across a pipe, but you are afraid to take the risk? Psalm 18:36 says: "You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.” When we start across that pipe that looks risky, as soon as you set foot on it, the pipe becomes a broad path, your ankles don't turn!

Walk across the pipe. Ask God for a vision, and when he gives you one that looks risky, go by faith and prove that he can do more than you can ask or think.

Have you ever asked God to give you a vision of what he wants you to do? Living without God’s vision for your life is missing the abundant life that Jesus came to give you. It is living in mediocrity....

I’d like you to imagine this scene. It’s time for your annual evaluation by your boss, and you’re confident it will be a good result because you’ve met all the requirements of your job description. In addition, you’ve only had two sick days and you’re almost always on time. So you’re expecting a good evaluation and hopefully a good raise.

Your boss agrees that you’ve done an adequate job, that you’ve met all the minimum requirements, and after that brief comment, he asks if you have any questions. You’re puzzled; is that all he’s going to say? You expected some credit for meeting the requirements. So you ask if you are going to get a raise.

Your boss then explains that raises are given for people who do more than the job description requires, and since you’ve only met the requirements, you are not qualified for a raise. Would you be shocked at that evaluation? Well, basically that’s what Jesus was teaching his disciples in this parable, as found in Luke 17:

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’?  Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?  Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:7-10).

Does it seem harsh to you? Well, Jesus was trying to teach his disciples that just getting by, doing what you’re supposed to do is not enough for commendation. He wants his disciples to have a passion for doing more than their mere duty. He wants his disciples to have a vision for all they could do and be because of Jesus.

The Bible says that without a vision, people perish. I’m not talking about some miraculous sign you receive, or an out-of-body experience or a dream. No, the vision I’m talking about is being able to see what God wants to do in and through you. And without this kind of vision, you perish, you fail to live up to your God-given potential.

I want to encourage you to ask God to give you a vision, so that you aren’t just doing the bare minimum, but you’re soaring like an eagle, way above the ordinary. That’s the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

I’d like you to imagine this scene. It’s time for your annual evaluation by your boss, and you’re confident it will be a good result because you’ve met all the requirements of your job description. In addition, you’ve only had...

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7b). Sometimes it’s easy for us to take credit for our accomplishments, our skills, our education, our talents and abilities, but Paul reminds us that everything that we are and have is something we’ve received from God. Therefore, we should never boast about what God has invested in us, but we should be aware that all of this is Kingdom Equity which we are to use primarily for God’s glory, to advance the Kingdom of God, not just for our own selfish gain.

Kingdom Equity includes our gifts and abilities, but this equity comes in another form, too:

Kingdom Equity of Suffering and Failure

We don’t usually think of the difficult things in our lives as investments, do we? I mean, investments are good things, positive things. If I make a financial investment in real estate or stock or whatever, I am making an investment that I trust will turn out for good—that will reap profits and benefits for me. I expect my investments to do me good; I make them in good faith that they will bring a profit in the long run.

Can it be true that the hard things you’ve gone through, the difficulties you’ve encountered, the heartaches you’ve known—even your sins and failures—can be seen as God’s investment in you? How can that be Kingdom Equity?

I ask you to think of anyone you know who is effective in the Kingdom who has not gone through some difficult situations, who does not have some kind of baggage from his or her past, whose life has always been easy and trouble-free. It is these hard things that drive us to know God, that keep us humble, that show us our total inadequacy and force us to depend on God. Yes, they are Kingdom Equity that God has allowed in our lives for his purpose. And they include things such as:

Your childhood experience. If you were deprived of what you needed as a child—love or protection or security or safety—any of those basics and instead you were abused or misused or abandoned or ignored—that is Kingdom Equity.

Your health issues. Maybe you’ve faced some real health fears—cancer or some other diseases or disabilities that have been very difficult—that is Kingdom Equity.

Your financial hardships. You’ve lost a job and you’ve faced month-ends without enough money to pay your bills—that is Kingdom Equity.

Your unfulfilled dreams and hopes. That man or woman you wanted to marry never came along. That child you wanted to birth, and you couldn’t—those are Kingdom Equity.

Broken relationships. That marriage that fell apart, or that friend or family member who is estranged or distant from you—again, Kingdom Equity.

Disappointments in people. That adult child who has left the church and the truths you taught him or her about God. That friend who betrayed you. That boss who fired you—more Kingdom Equity.

Significant losses. That parent who died—or mate or child or close friend—Kingdom Equity.

Unfair and abusive treatment. From a mate or a boss or a friend—Kingdom Equity.

Sins from your past. Yes, even those things of which you are ashamed, those times when you chose to live in sin and stray far from God—Kingdom Equity.

All of these are Kingdom Equity that God wants to use for good in your life. I know that sounds almost flippant or it seems to trivialize the pain and suffering of your life. But just the opposite is true: It means that although God is not the author of all these investments and he never condones sin or evil and it is never from God, still he doesn’t waste anything in our lives. And so, as we begin to see these things as Kingdom Equity, then we see that our God is so great that even our sorrows or our sins or the abuse we’ve suffered,

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7b). Sometimes it’s easy for us to...