Priorities

The Lord directed Habakkuk to write down the vision, and then He explained why this was important. The Lord stated that God’s vision brings clarity to our paths, so we can run with the vision set out for us.

If we are going to run according to God’s vision for us, we first have to ensure that His priorities are our priorities! Many people are seeking God’s purpose and vision for their individual lives, but they neglect how God builds the lives of His children! Our Pastor gave a prophetic message on New Year’s Eve about “building a healthy foundation.”  Having a healthy foundation is also important as it relates to the subject of vision! We cannot run towards God’s vision for our lives without properly securing a solid foundation!

For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,  in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. Deuteronomy 30:11-15

The Lord spoke to Moses concerning His people, and He stated that His commands are not too mysterious to be understood. Sometimes people think unless they receive a special word from heaven, they have not heard God. In reality, God’s instructions are not difficult to comprehend nor do they require us to be a theologian to understand them.

For some, God’s commandments may sound like Cliche’ because we have heard them so many times. Hence, they don’t consider them as God’s vision for their lives. The truth is that if we are not serious about following God’s instructions for our lives, we are building on a faulty foundation and are not prepared to run with God’s vision! 

People run from event to event or podcast to podcast to find the latest word of the Lord, but God tells Habakkuk that His word is near us and is on our lips. That tells me that we may know the word of God and proclaim it, but we may not do it!

All of us need to be very cautious about not deceiving ourselves by thinking that if we know the word of God that we must be obedient to it. One of the key areas for a seasoned believer to be deceived is when they justify their disobedience. They use the words such as “You don’t understand”, “You can’t trust them”, “I have been walking with the Lord for years and I know the Bible!”, or “If you only knew what they have done to me…”. These are the words that justify one’s actions to remain in sin, offense, unforgiveness, or hardened heart. Some can also be deceived when they look for people who agree with them, and if they don’t find them they feel rejected and judged.

Some people seek God’s vision and purpose in their lives all the while the Lord is showing them that the foundation still needs more work! Praise God that the Lord is merciful and gracious, but that does not change the fact that His commands still need to be the priority for our lives. When we follow His basic instructions for Godly living and Godly relating to others, we are building a solid and healthy foundation that honors the Lord!

In the above passage, the Lord told Moses that He has set before the people life and good, death and evil. God provides a blueprint for living that is full of His life and His goodness. This is His first and foremost vision!  He tells us that the alternative also exists for those who do not want to build according to God’s instructions.

So what is God’s vision for your life!? Begin with the areas that the Lord wants to shore up in your life. Are there people that you need to forgive? Do you need to expel jealousy, envy, or hatred? Is temper an issue for you? Do you need to stop murmuring and complaining? Is gossip or exaggeration something you struggle with? Do you tend to be lazy or lack motivation? Do you need to learn to live on a budget?  Is the Lord impressing on you to be more generous with your time, talents, and treasures? Any area that the Lord is speaking to you, find scriptures regarding those areas and write them down in your journal or on 3X5 cards and meditate on them regularly. Allow the Lord to rebuild the broken places and build up your life on solid foundation as you run with His vision for your life!