VISIONARY OR STATIONARY

Numbers 13:30 “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

John Maxwell says that, "Vision is...the ability to see...the faith to believe... and the courage to do."

What must we have the ability to see? See the possibilities. Here’s a story of am man who sold insurance, and he went after a particularly difficult customer, a man that no one had been able to sell. Eventually he sold him a fifty-thousand-dollar policy. Back in 1883 when this occurred, that was a very large policy. He took out his pen and handed it to the man to sign the contract. When the man tried to write, the pen wouldn’t write. He tried several times without success and finally handed the pen back with the contract and said, "I’d better think this over a little while longer." The man lost the sale. He went home disappointed and discouraged because he had lost the sale, and he determined right then and there that he would never lose another sale because of a fountain pen that didn’t work. So he sat down and invented his own fountain pen. His name was Louis Waterman, and the Waterman Fountain Pen became the premier writing instrument of America for the next fifty years.

A visionary has at his very heart the vision of God, and his word. He is first and foremost committed to the principles of God, and when one is committed to the principles of God he will always be in the advance mode. Caleb was a man who is said to have followed the Lord fully. He is referred to by the Lord as “my servant.” Joshua was like Caleb. It is said of him in Numbers 32:12 that he wholly followed the Lord.

What enabled Caleb to be a committed man to the Lord? How was he able to stand up and say let’s go up when all the others were saying we can’t do it? The secret lies within the fact that he had another spirit with him. That spirit was the Spirit of almighty God. The Spirit of God will give us courage to stand up, speak up, and get up. He will give us the power to speak out against unbelief, and the power to be positive instead of pessimistic. He will give us a Spirit of faith rather than fear.

Caleb had heard the promises of God. There was a piece of land awaiting him with his name on it in the promised land, and he was determined to lay claim to it. A visionary perceives the promises of God, and is driven by them. People with vision dream big and believe for great things because God is big and he is great.

People with vision stay the course. They don’t expend their energy fighting, worrying, or participating in anything else that isn’t a part of the vision. The people cried, “What about the giants Caleb? What about the enemies with the fortified cities?” Caleb replied, “The Lord will be with us, and will give it to us.” Caleb was committed to following the Lord, and leaving the conquering up to him.

It is important to ask these questions of ourselves – “What is my vision for life? Am I sticking with it or am I ready to abandon it? Do I see the possibilities in God?” Will you be visionary or stationary? God has a plan for you. Get the vision in your heart. Write it down and make it plain. Don’t stop short and never stop dreaming. If you see it and believe it, you will do it.