Jude 24, 25.

Able to keep me from stumbling and to present me faultless before the presence of His glory

with exceeding joy.

God says I am so happy to have you in the presence of My Glory, I am so happy to present you

faultless Jesus says with a big, wide grin – you are mine, and I am so happy to present you and

you are so beautiful!

I want you in the presence of My Glory.

That’s what those verses mean. Both here and now and in the new millennium. W.O.W.

..."Write the vision and make it plain"...' <span>Habakkuk 2:2</span>

<span></span>

Notice two important things about vision: 1) Your vision must come from God. There's a

difference between setting your own goals and having a God-given vision. When your vision is of

God, '...it will surely come...' (Habakkuk 2:3). You won't have to orchestrate events; God will

provide the resources and open doors at the right time. Your steps will be directed by Him.

Here's an interesting Scripture: '...time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not

know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are

snared in an evil time...' (Ecclesiastes9:11-12 NKJV). God will reveal to you your destiny and give

you an opportunity to fulfil it. But you can resist it, or postpone it, or give your life to other things

and end up missing your 'time' and 'chance.' Don't get caught in that net or trapped in that

snare and forfeit what God has for you. 2) Your vision will be connected to a certain field.

Joseph's dream started with a field of wheat (Genesis 37:6-7). What's your field? Whether God

calls you to the field of medicine, education, finance, real estate, or some other field, it's to be a

blessing to others. God told Abraham, '...I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing'

(Genesis 12:2 NIV). Don't seek fame, seek to serve others. If you do your impact will be greater

than your image and your eternal reward greater than anything you can drive, wear, live in, or

hang on a wall.

'..."Write the vision and make it plain"...' <span>Habakkuk 2:2</span>

<span></span>

Jesus said, '...for this reason I was born...' (John 18:37 NIV). When you know why you're here and

what your God-given purpose is, you become virtually unstoppable. You won't be flawless, but

you'll have the innate power to overcome each obstacle as you proceed. If you get turned

around, God loves you enough to get your attention, correct and redirect you, and get you back
on track. But to find the right answers you must first ask the right questions, such as: 1) What

desires have been living in me most of my life? 2) What motivates me to be productive? 3) What

keeps me going forward when I'm worn out? 4) What makes me refuse to quit when I meet with

resistance or opposition? 5) What do I do that doesn't seem like work? 6) What do I do that

brings positive response and support from others? 7) What am I doing, or what's happening in

my life when doors seem to open automatically and effortlessly? 8) What do discerning leaders

and godly counsellors think about my work? 9) What makes me feel good about being who I am?

10) What makes my creative juices flow? 11) What am I willing to sacrifice to accomplish it? 12)

What am I doing that I'd be proud to offer for God's approval? 13) What would I do without being

paid for, if I could afford to? 14) What would I be willing to withstand satan over, in order to

accomplish it? What is God saying to you? It's not too late; 'find' your vision and follow it!

'..."Write the vision and make it plain"...' <span>Habakkuk 2:2</span>

<span></span>

Paul was on a mission. He travelled light, practiced personal discipline, avoided distractions and

kept his eye on the ball. '...one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching

forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal...' (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV).

Successful companies live by a mission statement every team member can understand; they

keep it before them at all times. God told Habakkuk, '..."Write the vision and make it plain...that

he may run who reads it.' Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV You must write your vision down, read it regularly,

remember it at all times and run with it. Your greatest enemy isn't the opposition, it's the

distractions. Ever heard of 'a white elephant?' When the King of Siam wanted to destroy an

enemy, he supposedly gave them a white elephant. In those days white elephants were

considered sacred, and nobody dared refuse a king's gift. The trouble was, white elephants

couldn't be put to work but they had to be fed - a lot! So the king's 'gift' ended up causing his

enemy's downfall. Hello! Guard against 'white elephants' that drain your time, energy and

resources. In order to protect your vision, live by these words: '...lay aside every weight, and the

sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him

endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of

God...Consider Him...lest you become weary and discouraged...' (Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV).

'..."Write the vision and make it plain"...' <span>Habakkuk 2:2</span>

<span></span>

Five times in Genesis chapter thirty-nine we read: 'But the Lord was with Joseph.' Be

encouraged: God is at work in what you're going through right now. Where did Joseph get the

wisdom to lead a nation? By dealing with his own family problems, by handling Potiphar's
household staff, and by running a prison system. Like rungs on a ladder, each one took him

closer to the top. Notice how it worked: his brothers sold him to Ishmaelite slave traders, who

sold him to Potiphar, who put him in prison where he met the butler, who introduced him to

Pharaoh, who made him Prime Minister of Egypt, fulfilling his dream. Was it easy? No, Until the

timecame,'...the word of the Lord tested him' (Psalm 105:19). Your vision will be 'tried' by

situations that either make or break you. Bill Gothard describes this process as the birth of the

vision, the death of the vision, and the resurrection of the vision. When you've no funds, no

friends, and no fight left in you (the death stage), remember the words of Jesus: '...unless a grain

of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies [to self], it produces much

grain' (John 12:24 NKJV). When your vision dies and God resurrects it, you begin to talk and act

differently. With ego subtracted and grace added, you start saying with the Psalmist , 'I had

fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living' (Psalm

27:13 KJV). At that point God smiles and says, 'You're finally getting it right!'

'..."Write the vision and make it plain"...' <span>Habakkuk 2:2</span>

<span></span>

When a dream comes from God and you commit yourself to it, it will 'surely' be fulfilled. Yes,

you'll stumble, be stretched to new limits and maybe even stagger across the finish line, but

you'll make it. You'll get to the Promised Land. Look at Moses: he had a history-changing

message to deliver to Pharaoh, yet he was a poor speaker. He had marriage problems. He was a

'sole trader' who had to reach his breaking point before he learned to delegate responsibility to

others. He had a problem with his temper, as a result God said, '..."This is the land I promised...I

have let you see it... but you will not cross over into it." (Deuteronomy 34:4 NIV). But Moses

finally got there! 1,400 years later he stood with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration: right in

the middle of it! You say, 'I've failed so badly.' David committed adultery, yet his psalms bring

strength to multitudes and he's quoted in pulpits around the world. God didn't excuse David, but

he forgave him and used him. '...David, after he had served his own generation by the will of

God...was buried...' (Acts 13:36 NKJV). The Bible describes God as, '...ready to pardon, gracious

and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness...' (Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV). Notice the words

'ready to pardon.' God is ready when you are, all you have to do is turn to Him. Before Habakkuk

wrote about his vision, he said, 'I will...watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will

answer when I am corrected' (Habakkuk 2:1NKJV). Corrected but not discarded! Isn't that

wonderful? That's how God's grace works.