Listen to Insight

4 FEBRUARY 2019

Last week we looked at principles necessary to the fulfilment of a vision. We defined a principle with the help of Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary as the cause, source or origin of anything. A principle is that from which a thing proceeds; as the principle of motion; the principles of action.  A principle is the ground; foundation; that which supports an assertion, an action, or a series of actions or of reasoning. A principle is also defined as a general truth; a law comprehending many subordinate truths; as the principles of morality, of law, of government. It is a tenet; that which is believed, whether truth or not, but which serves as a rule of action or the basis of a system; as the principles of the Stoics, or of the Epicureans.

Vision is key to leadership and for vision to be realized, there are key principles that must not be flouted. Last week we looked at some of these using the seminal text of Dr. Myles Munroe, “The Principles and Power of Vision: Keys to Achieving Personal and Corporate Destiny”. We also made use of the text from Dr. Abu Bako, “The Seven Fundamental Questions”. 

The Seven fundamental questions we all must answer in life are:

1. Who am I? — Identity
2. Where am I? — Location
3. Why am I here? — Purpose
4. Where do I go from here? — Goal, destination or destiny in life
5. How do I get there? — Process
6. When do I start and when do I end? — Timing
7. What will I be remembered for? — Legacy

Vision can be located at within the 4^th question. This is because vision statement answers the basic question, “What do we want to become?”, “What is our eventual destination?” while the mission answers the question, “How do we get there?” — Question 5 above.

Questions  1-3 and 6-7 of the Seven Fundamental Questions that each person should ask in life helps us to adhere to principles that will lead to the fulfilment of vision. They are guiding principles in and of themselves. In my candid opinion, it is these guiding principles outlined by Dr. Abu Bako which are unpacked as,  “The Principles and Power of Vision: Keys to Achieving Personal and Corporate Destiny” by Dr. Myles Munroe. These principles that enable the fulfilment of vision as follows:

Principle # 1: Be Directed by a Clear Vision

Principle # 2: Know Your Potential for Fulfilling Vision

Principle # 3: Develop a Concrete Plan for Your Vision

Principle # 4: Possess the Passion of Vision

Principle # 5: Develop the Faith of Vision

Principle # 6: Understand the Process of Vision

Principle # 7: Set the Priorities of Vision

Principle # 8: Recognize People's Influence on Vision

Principle # 9: Employ the Provision of Vision

Principle # 10: Use Persistence in Achieving the Vision

Principle # 11: Be Patient in the Fulfillment of Vision

Principle # 12: Stay Connected to the Source of Vision

Last week, we looked at Principle # 1: Be Directed by a Clear Vision. This is a powerful statement which is rather often underestimated and miscalculated. Why is this principle important?Consider the map above. Now let us say Mr. X lives in Hanoi in Vietnam and has a vision to move his company from Hanoi to Cambodia. The destination or goal then is Cambodia but how does Mr. X get his company to Cambodia? For this vision or dream to become a reality, Mr. X needs a clear vision of the location of the destination so that he can plot a course of direction. A clear vision necessitates the comprehension of location, destination and direction. These are needed to adequately cost the vision—what resources are  required to fulfill it. Understanding the above also enables one to save time—because then one can keep the main thing the main thing—and not wander about in the wilderness doing trial and error.

Be Directed by a Clear Vision is principle #1. Adherence to this principle will ensure that the visionary arrives at Vietnam and not Myanmar.

Proverbs 29:18 (AMPC)  Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. [1Sa 3:1; Amo 8:11-12]

While Proverbs 29:18 is true, it is also true that where the vision is unclear, the people will still perish. But why? Because of their lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6) about the location of the eventual destination and direction(s) as to how to get there. Why did the older generation of the children of Israel die in the wilderness? The simple answer is their vision was set on the  familiar and dainty food of Egypt (their past) namely fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Numbers 11:5) rather than the rest of God to be gained in the land promised by God to them (their future). The dissonance fed their unbelief. They did not have a clear vision of the land promised and thus kept wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for a generation for 40 years. When they looked at the land that God promised would bring rest, all they saw was the giants. They elevated what their sensory perception above what God said. The only two men who saw clearly are the only ones who made it from that generation into the vision of the promised land.

I do not know the call of God upon your life today but God does. Seek him for clarity about the vision, the location of that destination (maybe it might be to be a Fortune 100 company or a mega church) or not. Seek Him for a clear vision and how to arrive at it—having accurately counted the cost of what it will take to fulfill it.