What Is A Spiritual Visionary

The term visionary spiritual experience (VSE) will be used in this chapter to refer to such experiences [see Geels, Volume 1]. The term visionary is used in anthropological and religious literature to describe a mental state that causes a person to suggest significant cultural changes.

What is the meaning of spiritual vision?

A vision is a supernatural appearance that usually imparts a revelation and is seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy. Visions are often clearer than dreams, but they have fewer psychological implications. Spiritual traditions have been known to provide visions that can provide insight into human nature and reality. Visions are frequently related with prophecy.

What is a visionary according to the Bible?

Leaders, in my experience, have no direct control over whether or not they have vision. It's worth noting that the Bible provides no instructions on how to receive a vision. God's visions, on the other hand, appear to be gifts bestowed at his discretion. A feeling of future vision appears to come to leaders most frequently in the context of Bible study, prayer, and contemplation on a group or individual. God appears to boost the leader's imagination at specific times in order for him to envision a good future. This frequently occurs during times of prayer, but it can also occur when listening to another person teach. Such images can appear suddenly at odd moments, including while sleeping.

Leaders should pray God to give them a vision for each individual with whom they work, as well as for their entire organization. It's possible that we already know where we want to go as a group, but we're just not excited about it. This could be described as a loss of vision. As a result, we frequently want not just facts, but also a sense of urgency and passion for goals that we already believe are correct. And picturing the future as it may develop if people obey God's plan, or as it might develop if they don't, is a common source of excitement. This implies that leaders must have both a positive and pessimistic outlook on the future.

Aside from the Bible and prayer, God can utilize a variety of triggers to convey an inner sense of exhilaration. You may want to expose yourself to some of these as a leader, but always with a critical eye.

Visiting other ministries or churches. These are frequently full with novel ideas that could become part of your vision. Other times, being in the company of a different style of ministry will inspire us to have a vision that has nothing to do with how that group operates. To put it another way, the very presence of various approaches appears to stimulate a creative aspect of our own mind, even if our conclusions may be diametrically opposed to the conclusions made by the group we are visiting. Seeing another group may, in fact, serve to remind us why we do things the way we do. Always be wary of following in the footsteps of other ministries. Take the time to see if their method is congruent with yours, and keep in mind that groups like to recall their own ministries in romanticized, ugliness-free ways.

History of the Church. Church history, like that of all modern churches, is never authoritative. We can take bits and pieces from many movements in church history while condemning others. Many of the best ideas have existed in the past, and seeing how God has used them can pique our interest and make us want to try our hand at something new. Keep an eye out for author bias, stuff that has been left out, and issues that have arisen as a result of various movements. Check the accuracy of any account by correlating independent sources. Remember to include the New Testament church in your research, and evaluate other movements in light of the biblical example.

Biographies that are either Christian or secular. Great individuals and women's stories are known to pique our interest and inspire us to want to emulate or avoid their mistakes. These biographies are frequently false and romanticized (particularly those involving missionaries and Christian leaders). It's hard to know how much lust, worry, egotism, or bitterness a great missionary had, for example, thus these aspects are left out to some extent. According to some histories, these Christians did nothing but pray and witness. Nonetheless, these works are entertaining and stimulating to read. Take care not to compare oneself to the romanticized biographical characters to the point of feeling defeated.

Being in the company of other visionaries. The church benefits greatly from well-known visionaries. Even if we don't agree with them or desire to follow in their footsteps, we may find that simply listening to them stimulates our minds and spirits in a pleasant way. Look for opportunities to hang out with a noted visionary once in a while, whether these be leaders of other churches or other home churches. Make sure you're not simply copying a ministry method that isn't compatible with the foundation you've already created with your group's personnel or with the circumstances in your particular field of service.

Assessing your own group's strengths and weaknesses or doing a force-field analysis. When we do the difficult job of evaluating our current situation, God often uses it to inspire a new vision for the future. We are frequently perplexed about our current situation, and I believe that this perplexity effectively suffocates new vision. We will trust our impressions about the future only when we are convinced that we have a reasonable grasp on the present. In this assessment, strive for realism while avoiding any personal impulses to be unduly optimistic or negative. This is something I enjoy doing with a small group of trustworthy colleagues.

Spend time with lost individuals in your sphere of ministry for group vision. We are better able to sympathize and imagine what would be enticing or at least palatable to lost people if we spend time with them. While standing in the stream, we have some of our best fishing ideas. Christian leaders who rarely interact with non-Christians or find themselves in sinful situations are prone to concocting corny fantasies that alienate the lost. “How can we reach these people?” pray to God while at a bar or a rock event.

Examine a journal or other historical materials from your own ministry (including photographs). Reviewing prior years of my ministry often leads to the “recapture” of some piece of vision that has drifted away. Photographs of previous colleagues and organizations can transport you to a time and place you may have forgotten. “Remember the former things, repent, and do the deeds you did at first,” Jesus tells the Ephesians. 2:5 Some authors caution against attempting to relive the past, and it's easy to see why. However, if we adapt our tactics to current realities, we can reclaim ethos and pathos from the past.

The next stage is to confirm your feeling of vision once you've started to feel it. Spend time praying about it and researching resources, especially everything the Bible has to say about it. God will tend to weaken or strengthen your belief as you reflect over time. Don't make the mistake of believing that others can tell you whether or not your vision is from God. Being a visionary allows you to get ahead of the competition. They may be averse to danger or change, preferring the status quo. Of course, a theological or ethical critique from others is absolutely valid if it is founded on biblical principles.

What is a visionary person like?

A visionary leader is someone who has a distinct vision of the future. They lay out specific procedures for bringing a vision to reality, then lead a group of people in that direction. We discuss the important characteristics that create a successful visionary leader, as well as some of the problems they may confront, in this post. We'll then look at some of the benefits of visionary leadership as well as some practical steps you can take to implement this management style.

What does it mean to see yourself as a visionary?

adjective – 1. thinking about or planning the future with imagination and wisdom (particularly of a person). “a visionary leader” is a term used to describe someone who has the ability to

2. capable of seeing visions in a dream, trance, or through a supernatural event “an enlightening experience”

1. a person who has unique thoughts about what the future may or may not be like.

How many of us think what it would be like to put the practice of picturing what we want our lives to be into practice?

I designed what has now become one of my favorite client workouts a few years ago. It's called the Authentic Life Plan, and it allows you to accomplish two things that I believe are essential for creating the life we want: dreaming and defining.

We all used to fantasize about what we wanted to accomplish and be when we grew up. We'd conjure up thrilling scenarios in which anything was possible. As we grew older, these images became more confined and “practical” in nature for many of us.

To dream, on the other hand, is to reach into our deepest well of desire and bring our true desires to the surface. We have these desires because we were born with them.

I've come to feel, as I recently told a client, that the Source of All would not allow us to have a desire that we weren't supposed to have. I'm not talking about superficial or dysfunctional desires; I'm talking about the deep, wholehearted, and unique desires that each of us holds close to our hearts; the desires that we know will help us achieve our greatest potential.

Then give yourself permission to listen to the response that comes from deep within. Make room for it in your day-to-day decisions and core concerns.

These inner desires are meant for us to conceive, act on, and live. This, I feel, is why we came to this magnificent existence in the first place.

Allowing ourselves to write down how we want our lives to be gives us the opportunity to go a step closer to claiming that life. When we do so with an open mind and heart, we give ourselves permission to accept the idea and keep taking actions to make what we see as feasible a reality.

When we write, we use words to express ourselves. The words we use to describe our vision define its meaning. As a result, it's critical to pay close attention to the language we use when writing down (or speaking out) our dreams.

We continue to identify and interpret something based on how we say it. This has an impact on our emotions, actions, and reactions to it. When that “it” is our own personal vision of our lives, we can understand how important it is to think about, mold, and choose our words intelligently and from a position of actual possibilities.

We risk developing something we don't want if we don't. If we don't think about what we want, we risk surrendering our lives to chance and the control of our own default processes (conditioning, limiting beliefs, fears, etc.).

The difficulty in defining what we want is frequently met by acclimating to the practice of dreaming.

Many people will tell me, “I'm not sure what I want.” This is fair, because many of us have not given ourselves the luxury of pondering what we truly, deeply desire from the position of knowing we can have it.

Answering some lead-in questions is a smart place to start. Hannah Brame's recent piece, 20 Journaling Prompts for Self Discovery, has some fantastic ones.

1. How would you describe your ideal day?

6.Can you name three hobbies that brighten your day and make you feel energized?

10. In the coming year, what one part of your life would you like to improve? What would that enhancement entail?

12. What is the most important problem in the world that you would like to tackle (or see solved)?

13. What is the most common way in which you are misinterpreted by others?

14. Describe the various roles you perform in your life. (For example, mother, partner, sister, and so on.)

15. What is the best advice you've ever received?

16. Describe one book, film, or television show that had a significant impact on you.

17. What do you feel is the most important thing lacking from your life right now?

18. Who do you consider to be the three most significant individuals in your life right now?

19. When have you felt the most prosperous?

20. How do you believe your three closest friends would characterize you if they were asked?

What do you have to lose at the end of the day? When you think about it, you stand to lose a lot more if you don't start taking actions to actively and consciously become the visionary of your own life.

How can I see my spiritual eyes?

• Pray with your eyes closed. You don't have to close your eyes, but there's something about tuning into God's realm and shutting out the earthly sphere that allows us to see what He sees.

What is the spiritual gift of vision?

People today are groaning for God's people to step forward, claim their rightful place in God's Kingdom, and step up to the plate. But how can someone achieve that if they don't even have a vision for their own life? Father God wants you to understand why you were born and what your true purpose is on this planet! For you, he has a destiny – a plan. I'm not sure how individuals exist outside of Christ's canopy when they are surrounded by hopelessness, uncertainty, moral decay, trauma, and dread. Just pay attention to the people in the post office or in the break room at work. There are a lot of people who don't have a clear vision for their lives and don't know how to get one. Others have a vision, but they are mired in a quagmire of confusion or past transgressions, unsure of what to do next. Then there are individuals who had a vision but gave up on it due to disappointment, failure, or discouragement.

So, how does a person regain their life's vision? Our life aren't some sort of divine experiment with a cruel God, but rather a Providence-directed mission to fulfill the precise reason you were born. God wants us to rediscover our passions and believe in our dreams. Your vision is waiting for you to take action! Let's take a closer look at this concept known as vision, which controls our own fate.

Ask yourself this question if you take a time to be quiet and take a fearless look at your life. Is your life a reflection of who you are and who you've always wanted to be? Are the folks who work next to you every day aware of the person you've always wanted to be? Maybe you feel like it takes everything you've got just to get through each day with your current responsibilities. Are you linked to the Source in such a way that you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing right now? Are there gifts and talents within you that you have yet to discover or have been dormant for a long time? What is your ambition? What is something you've always wanted to do? What do you believe God has called you to accomplish that you are currently not doing? Never give up on your ambitions! Vision is the ability to glimpse the future before it occurs.

God gave us vision so that we wouldn't have to rely solely on what we can see. Sometimes the terms vision and revelation are used interchangeably. To reveal means to reveal something that was always there but couldn't be seen from the outside.

Consider the following analogy. A spruce cone's destiny is to become a tree. You may see the tree within the seed if you have confidence. Because you recognize the seed's potential, you have a mental image of it. The same can be said of you and me. God created us for a reason, and it's already completed in God's eyes, because God sees us in the same way we see a spruce cone. He understands that He has given us the ability to see it through. Faith is the substance of what you aspire to achieve, the proof of what you can see when others can't. Your ideal is, in fact, your reality. Think about it! What do you notice about yourself?

I am convinced that if you don't have a vision, you will only rehash the past's disappointments and failures. As I counsel my clients, I occasionally see it. It's what we call “the comfortable.” Because it is all we have ever known, fear can lead us to embrace the same misery over and over again. As a result, vision is essential for breaking free from previous patterns.

Simply looking around will reveal that you are surrounded by people who are busy but not necessarily effective or satisfied. As a result, they spend their lives toiling away, following the same old patterns and never making any progress. Perhaps you have similar feelings about yourself.

Many people's dreams never come true because they can't make up their minds whether or not to pursue them. Long-term indecisiveness destroys one's vision and saps one's enthusiasm in life. People who can't make a decision are often the happiest people on the planet.

How do you become a visionary person?

• Re-imagine how things are currently. Taking the time to consider alternatives to your company's current processes and explore options for change might be a window into the future. Breakthrough thinking and the possibility for tremendous advancements come as a result of such consideration.
• Take a step back and look at things from the outside in. It's eye-opening to look at the company from a different perspective. Because it allows a company to re-examine its “holy cows,” the technique might inform new ways of thinking and doing. The process can lead to the discovery of new product ideas and improvements, as well as better approaches to delighting customers.
• “Why not?” you might wonder. Don't give up on a favored solution simply because it looks to be tough to achieve at first. Instead, make it a habit to constantly question, “Why not?” Such a convention can aid in the discovery of ground-breaking answers to challenging issues.
• Look for synergies. Make use of ideas and concepts from like-minded individuals. Synergistic thinking aids in the discovery of superior solutions than those that are more easily found. When supporting thoughts are combined in a problem-solving attempt, a genuinely visionary solution can emerge.
• Integrate a variety of viewpoints into your thinking. The reapplication of existing technology might be defined as innovation. A sort of innovative thinking that genuinely visionary leaders possess is the process of combining different concepts and theories to generate fresh and ground-breaking answers to today's problems.

Who had a vision of God in the Bible?

The author of the Book of Revelation, John of Patmos, claims to have been “in the Spirit” on the Lord's Day and heard a loud voice “like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10). When he turned around, he beheld the figure of the Son of Man. The figure that John sees in Revelation 1:18 describes himself as “the First and the Last,” who “was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever,” a reference to Jesus' resurrection.