Vision

Too many of us continually meditate, excessively contemplate, and inordinately think about our troubles. We think about them until we have ulcers, cannot sleep; we can become paralyzed by them to the point of exhaustion and made sick by the constant worry. We come to be hard to get along with. We cannot even have a good relationship with ourselves.

In the same vein, by applying good thoughts into our lives, meditating on them, and living them out, we will quickly find ourselves up and going. Nurtured, they will flourish as surly as a peach seed produces a peach tree and the tree then producing fruit to eat and more seeds for planting.

The Bible says we are to take our every thought captive. This is for the purpose of examination and to weigh our thoughts against what the word of God says, for us to have and to hold and to help us with letting our dark thoughts go.

All the time we have is now. We will live in this moment or die in it. We cannot go back.

Solomon said, where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he (Proverbs 29:18, KJV).

The words of Solomon, the wisest of all men, is talking about the law of vision. He is not talking about the ten commands. He is saying that a sustained vision will keep us from perishing in thought and action.

The primary difference between visions and goals is action. Goals are action oriented. A vision is an end-in itself. A strongly held vision is the fuel that drives us to bring about all the actions we must take to see our vision to fruition. As we go, our vision will expand, yet repeatedly.

A tightly held vision is important in the context of how well we live in this life. As Solomon said, vision keeps us from perishing.

By having a vision, setting a goal, living with purpose, allowing only our pure thoughts to drive us; leaving out the thoughts of what other people think and the conditioning that has taught us to think negatively about ourselves; every “I cannot” is replaced with “I can.”

In the name of Jesus, all things are possible. He did not say “many” or a “few.” He said “all.”

Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub-4-minute mile, was told by physiologists that not only was running the four-minute mile impossible for an athlete to do but attempting to do so was dangerous to one’s health.

On May 6, 1954, at Oxford University, on a cinder track, Roger did the impossible. He became an instant legend by running one mile in 3:59.4.

Above all the accolades, Roger Bannister remained a man of the people, a caring, compassionate Doctor of Medicine, and a follower of Jesus Christ.

A vision held in our mind will take us wherever we want to go. Putting God first in our vision will refine and purify it.

Philippians 4:8-9

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We can take these things to the bank. They are in The Book.

If we are ever downcast, let us remember the light is still shining.

The vision we hold most high and tight above anything and everything else, the vision we do not let go of, gives us the light that will guide us to that very place. We must be strongly aware of our vision, never letting go.

If I were the one to tell anybody what to do, I would say, “Memorize scripture. Write it on the tablets of your heart. Use all of what it says and begin now with what you know already. Apply the law of vision. Hold it close. Never let your vision escape. Do not let the naysayers tell you that your vision is impossible.”

Then there was Jim Ryun, who in 1964, was the first high school athlete to run a sub-four mile in a time of 3:59. A record that held for 36 years. Ryun’s prayer after having been cut from every athletic program at his school in Kansas, said “Lord, if there is something you can do, it’s not looking good for me right now.”

Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.”

Cary John Efurd is founder and CEO of Cary John Efurd Ministries. You can obtain a copy of his new book Road to Recovery / To L and Back at Smith Furniture in Pittsburg and Lonestar Shed in Mount Pleasant or Amazon.com. Contact Efurd at caryjohnefurdministires.com, caryefurd@ gmail.com, or 214.240.9198. P.O. Box 72 Pittsburg, TX 75686