Topic: Empowering Your Vision
Text: Nehemiah 2:2-6, Nehemiah 4:1-4
Minister: Pst. Otonye Davies

Until, and unless a vision is empowered, it is not worth more than the piece of paper upon which it’s written, or the space it occupies in your computer.

The vision is an expected future place, some reality you desire to be in place at a certain time in the future. Every vision needs labor to bring it to reality. It is when you have applied the labour that is required, when you are done what is required that the vision becomes a reality. So, there is reason for you to empower your vision.

Why should you empower your vision? A vision is like a living organism; it needs to be fed. Every vision that is not fed will filter away. From conception, when you have declared a vision, there needs to be action that will follow the vision. Many persons have vision but are in frustration because their visions are not empowered. The Lord will give us the grace for our vision to be empowered in Jesus name.

There are so many things that can happen to a vision after it is conceived. The vision may be delayed, diverted, prolonged, or it may be simply achieved as planned or even earlier than it was planned. A vision also can be modified and sadly, a vision can die.

WHY SHOULD YOU EMPOWER YOUR VISION?

1. You should empower your vision because a vision is like a new born baby, it needs to be nourished, it needs to be protected, it needs to be built up. Nobody, who wants his vision to prosper throws it to the birds of the air to feed on it.
2. A vision can be attacked by detractors. Hence, if not empowered, it can be scourged.
3. The conception of a vision is not a guarantee that that vision will be realized. It’s not everybody that set to do a building plan that ended up raising the building.
4. An unempowered vision will loose theme, focus and even the possibilities of actualization.
5. A vision may require redefinition, realignment, but if a vision is not empowered, that vision may not have the ability to go through the rigors required to see from conception to actualization. Every vision is unique, it requires deep understanding, deep appreciation to know how it is going to work.

HOW CAN YOU EMPOWER YOUR VISION?

1. Have a clear description of the vision. If you do not know where you are going, you will stop at the wrong Bustop.
2. You need to deal effectively with distraction. (John 4:31-34)
3. Prepare and maintain a spiritual and physical body capable of carrying your vision to realization. Many people are carrying a vision without a physical body to that can deliver that vision. Some are carrying vision without the spiritual body that can deliver the vision. One guarantee that you have to empower your vision, is that you have a spiritual and physical body to carry out the vision. 1 Cor. 6:19-20
4. Do a SWOT. Check for the strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threat to your vision. When this is done, we build on our strength, work on your weaknesses, understand the opportunities tied to your vision, and also identify the threats to your vision and deal with them as required.
5. Embrace needed changes. Ecc. 3:1
6. Know and work within your limits. If you don’t know your limit, you cannot empower your vision. You cannot compete in a place where you are disadvantaged.
7. Set smart goals with clear timelines. Habakkuk 2:2-3. Every Vision can be broken into goals with clear timelines. Take you vision for that high place to a place of actions and timelines.
8. Pay the price. To move your vision from the shelf to the place where it will be actively realized, there may be implications on your time, resources, and reducing activities. Your vision may require realigning your finances, having time to fast and pray, etc. You have to pay every price required to be pay.
9. Keep your Focus. Many visions are not empowered because the visioneers have lost their focus. Keep the vision in front of you by day and by night. Let is be something you look at all the time. Don’t allow yourself to be deviated from that vision. Keep your focus. Philippians 3:15-16 (MSG), Proverbs 4:25 (NLT).
10. Keep God in the picture and pray. Psalm 37:4-5

Brethren, the Lord is set to enable us empower our vision, and my prayer for you all is that, you will play your part in fulfilling your vision adequately. No more, shall you speak about frustrated visions, we shall come to a realm where we shall say glory to God, our vision is realized.

PRAYER POINT
My Father, my God, everything we need to achieve our vision, please give unto us in Jesus name. Give us focus and grace to work on our weaknesses and improve on our strengths in Jesus name.