Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Fearless Vision


For the last 3 Blogs we have been talking (Writing) about Vision.

Focused Vision ~Living With A Christ-Centered and Focused Vision.

X-Ray Vision ~ Seeing Through Satan’s Schemes.

Looking Backwards To Go forward ~ A Vision of God’s Faithfulness.

We “Finish” up this little Blog series with the 4th & final installment.

The Stare Down

“To overcome or cause to waver or submit by (or as if by) staring.”


Vision Changes everything.

What we See determines what we feel, what we think, what we do next, sometimes even what we Believe.

We can see things not as they are, but as we are. (Pause, think about that)

Viewing the world through windows of interpretation and expectation, our mind creates a drama, a comedy, a tragedy, a romance, or a soap opera out of what simply arises. And so our mind creates our dreams and dramas.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of Mind. ~William James

We often take the limits of our own vision for the limits of the world. ~Schopenhauer

If only we could get glasses that gave us A Christ-Centered and Focused Vision

Would the world look different?

Would our problems look bigger or smaller?

Would we see ourselves Differently?

Imagine what X-Ray Vision Seeing Satan’s Schemes could add to our arsenal

What if we could “SEE” what he was up to?

Would it help us?

Would it make him less powerful?

Would it make The church more Power-Filled?

What would happen if we had A Vision of God’s Faithfulness if we really Remembered what God has done for us?

Would we Doubt Less?

Would we Fear Less?

Would we Attempt More?

Would we Be Dangerous?

What if we had the ability to Stare Down our problems and situations and not let them change us but by Faith change them?

Imagine if we dared to see what God wanted us to become instead of looking at who we are?

There’s a story about a cancer ridden football player who lay in a hospital bed, managing a smile as his coach entered the room and asked how he was doing. “Okay, I guess,” the player replied. But his sunken eyes told another story. After a long pause, the coach leaned close to the player’s face. “Listen, Mike. I need you at training camp in July, on the field and ready to go. We’re going all the way this year.” Mike Westhoff, recovered from cancer, and still the special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins would say of Coach Don Shula: “He treated me the way I could be, not the way I was. It made the difference in the speed of my recovery.”

Hardship is a part of life – but whether you view it as tragic or heroic, grotesque or purposeful, depends on your Perspective.

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. ~Marie Curie

Your mind can make meaning or madness, light a candle or curse the darkness. ~ The Choice is Yours.

You are not alone Christ stands with you!

Believe His plans for You. Believe He has gifted you to accomplish something of value for His Kingdom.

Your Belief (Faith) in His Providential Plan will put fire in your vision and you will STARE DOWN all opposition.

Solomon (One smart Dude) said:

Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; ~ Proverbs 29:18

One modern translation puts it this way;

If people can't see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what He reveals,
they are most blessed.

So Be Blessed & Stare Down Whatever You Face In Jesus Name!

Deb & I are standing and Staring with You

“SEE” You in Church

For additional Vision Exercise Check out attached Study

“A Fearless Vision”

A little Blog Contest:

Write a Caption for our photo this week and leave it as a comment; winner will receive Fame and Free Book! Winner announced in next Blog Post.

26 comments:

Lee Webb said...

What does the first to leave a comment receive?

Great blog PM! I loved this series on "vision"!! Its really opened my eyes...

Willie... said...

Wow! This is really powerful! Amen! Nehemiah had a monumental task, and faced a lot of opposition. That sounds familiar. ;) Although nobody has threatened me, different kinds of things have seemingly "stood in the way" for a long time now.

I sincerely believe that over 22 years ago, God gave me a Vision for a 24 hour FM radio station to fill the airwaves of Fairfield County with Christ-Centered music. I still believe this with all of my heart. (There are absolutely NO stations playing Christian music in this area.)

Just today, (8/12/09) I discovered that the rules and costs associated with Internet "broadcasting" have been dramatically reduced, making a possible ONLINE version of this music station a very real (and affordable) possibility.

Sometimes a great work starts with something very small. :)

The "Morning Light" music program on WFIF was small, in that it was only on the air an hour a day, and only during the spring and summer... yet God used it to bless the lives of many. Losing that ministry to "downsizing" 2 years ago was not easy, but I believe God was in that, too.

I can only imagine what He can and will do with a 24 hour station that is absolutely and totally dedicated to HIM. \o/

I ask for prayer, for God's Wisdom and direction regarding this very large undertaking... starting, perhaps, with a simple Internet station.

The WEBsite is here:
http://www.wphafm.org

If it is, indeed, the Lord's will that I get an online stream of WPHA running, that is where it will be.

God bless you, Pastor Mark, for being willing to share your God-given wisdom with all of us, and especially for taking time to talk with me one-on-one. I want to see this long-term dream come to fruition for the Glory of God. I look forward to discussing it further. :)

I have heard so many different messages over the years, encouraging me to have a Fearless Vision, Dream Big, Pray, Knock on doors, Cast bread upon the waters, etc. I guess I should do more of that, huh? :)

God bless!

kathy muniz said...

Hey Pastor mark and debbie :) Sitting here in the hospital waiting for my son, thanks for the Selah and blog! Attitude about everything we go through is so important and I'm so thankful that you have taught us about it because it helps to be so much more aware of how I react to things and remember that how I experience life is up to me. Even with these contractions, I can either fight them and let them get to me, or I can remember that this pain is for a purpose and because of them I will have a beautiful baby. God is so good...this was just the reassurance I needed to get through this. Who needs an epidural when you've got God :) Bring on the pain!!! Hope to see you both soon, good luck with bible study tomorrow :)

P.s. I'm not good with picking cool picture comments so I'll have john think of something cool, daddy's taking a rest now :)

Anonymous said...

Great blog this week! I kept thinking about the part where you said "Dare to see what God wants us to become, instead of looking at who we are." I find myself fixated too much on the present and past. And that can easily hold me back from what God wants me to be. Definitely going to think about this for a while!-Kristy M.

Anonymous said...

KISS ME YOU FOOL!

Shane said...

Pastor Mark.....These blogs just get better and better with each one. The 'meat' in this one is so plenty....just so so plenty.

"Our mind creates".....I just need to let that rattle around in my head for a few days....just think..the mind God gives us has the power to create. That just floors me!!!! Help me Lord to "create" for your glory...Amen.

My old friend "Perseverence" seems to pop up in these blogs quite regularly too. A little perseverance helps the vision become a reality...right?

Awesome blog Pastor, all four of them in this series. I like the way you made a series of these. Not bad for a Taffy at all. You are one smart dude too my friend. I love the tweets too, but there's something wrong with being called a twit of my pastor!?!

As for the caption;
"He's in grad school, not seminary"!!!!!

Shane said...

Willie....my dear brother.....

JUST GO AND DO IT....

Enough talking, just go and set up your radio station. If you really really really feel this is what God has for you, then He will make a way....just go and do it.

Step out....

With much love, respect, and admiration for you my friend....just go and do it.

Shane

Anonymous said...

Photo Caption: " Why yes, I do swing that way....with my right hook."

Ginny S. said...

You look through my eyes and I'll look through yours......then we'll understand.

Anonymous said...

Dude!Your breath is Garlic city!

Willie... said...

Brother Shane, bless you, man... but it takes MONEY to "just do it". Although I do possess the ability and even the equipment to "just do it" on a small scale, that would be illegal! ;)

On a real scale, it is incredibly expensive to buy a radio station.

Now, with an Internet station, the costs are several orders of magnitude less than a real radio station... but to a poor working stiff, they're still pretty significant. Now that they've finally brought the royalty fees down to a more logical and FAIR level, it's still expensive to do it well.

Another major DISadvantage to an Internet-only station, is that it leaves the vast majority of people over 60 out of the picture. Why? Most Seniors do NOT own computers. :(

I spoke with three precious prayer ladies this evening about this very issue. None of them have computers. They are a MAJOR part of the audience I am compelled to reach with WPHA! The Internet station will leave them completely out of the blessing. :(

- - - -

As for the picture caption...

Guy on left,
"You REALLY expect me to BELIEVE that?"

Guy on right,
"YES! Or I'll beat the snot out of you with my Bible!"

Anonymous said...

If you only knew how scared I was at this moment!

Anonymous said...

This summer has been life changing for me - much of it due to your studies and teachings and preaching, Mark. It's been so awesome to be me! I have more self-confidence, self-assurance, belief in my self - all because I know that Christ is with me, empowering me, filling me with all his goodness and strength, making me LIMITLESS in my potential! The power that created the universe lives inside of ME! What can't I do????

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

kronickwino said...

'If Mark had known that tweeting while at battle would have made his leader this peeved, he would have NEVER mentioned that the commander's only soft spot was being tickled to death....I mean, who really reads those tweets anyway?? ;)'

-Natalie

Unknown said...

This really made me smile today:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4763476n

Hard work, perseverance in the face of adversity.... she made the goal!

-Natalie

shane said...

Sorry Willie.....I hear what you're saying but I'm not listening. This station can't get off the ground, it just can't. You threw the keys away before you could even go for a test drive.

Your Master owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Don't you think He could give you a few bob for a radio station?

I think you really ought to think this through. Either step out in faith and let God help you, whatever that may look like, or stop talking about it and take up knitting! Seriously Willie, why do you keep offering the reasons why you can't do it, instead of letting God work with the ones you know are already in place: your experience, your committment, your passion to do this, your great radio voice, your love of music, your love for others, your wife who will help and support you, your friends and family at New Life who will encourage you, and your God who loves you and wants nothing but life's best for you.

Maybe the biggest thing standing in the way is simply you!!! I'm here for you in whatever way you want me to be, but you gotta quit the stinkin' thinkin'!!!

Kim....I'm praying for you honey:)

Bob A said...

Hey Willie,
My brother Chris has a christian radio broadcast on WNYG 1440am and also can be heard on the internet at wnygspiritofny.com. It's called Iron Sharpens Iron (sharpens.org). He may be able to help you or give you some insite etc. carnzen@optonline.net or his cell is 631-991-1226, he'd be happy to help you.

Bob A said...

caption:

Hey listen man, do not, I mean DO NOT look to your left but there's a dude who looks like Jason man....you mean Jason, the cool worship pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship in Trumbull CT, noooo maaaan, Jason from Friday the 13th and he's freakin me out....ohhhhh....wanna Tic Tac.

Bob A said...

This was a great series PM

I think my biggest problem is when I find myself looking through my own eyes as if it was all up to me to do it all....when God was no where in my life I was terrible at making good life decisions....I scare myself when I look back sometimes.....
Thank God things have changed...

Galatians 2:20 (Amplified Bible)

20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

in Jesus name, Amen !! \O/

Willie... said...

Hey, Bro Shane. Serious food for thought... my gears have been turning since yesterday, and they still are.

I have believed all along that God will provide, and have quoted that 1,000 hills passage many times. :)

As Pastor Mark has often said, "When God wants to bless you, He will use a person." So, I have been networking as much as I can, sharing the burden for WPHA and sharing the WEBsite as well.

Perhaps we should sit down and talk.

More than anything, I want to see this radio station go on the air for the Glory of God. With every fiber of my being, I believe this is why He put me upon this Earth.

BTW, I asked to Kim log on specifically to read everything here. We both got a big kick out of that expression, "a few bob"!

God bless! :)

kronickwino said...

Caption:
"Stick some money in the bucket, or else you get to hear Pastor Mark sing for the rest of the service..." (Tithing at New Life)

Can't wait for Thursday class!!

-Natalie

Lee Webb said...

Captions:

"welcome to New Life...you're in my seat!"

"where there is no vision the people perish"(Prov 29:18) this means if I poke you in the eyes, you'll die!

"Im responsible to you, not for you!"

"im not gay...not that there's anything wrong with that"

"Im no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Here's looking at you kid."

"...and one more thing. Do you use some kind of special moisturizer to get that complexion?"

"You sure are unkempt, for a guard at Buckingham Palace..."

"(Right) Gump! What's your sole purpose in this army?
(Left) To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant!
Right) Gump! You're a genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. You must have a I.Q. of 160. You are gifted, Private Gump."

"(Right) Soldier, I've noticed that you're always last.
(Left) Im pacing myself, Drill Sergent!"

Susie Vieira said...

Caption: "go ahead, make MY day"

Bob A said...

Rich Selah today PM

"God wants to show you what He can do in you, for you, with you, and through you! Will you let Him?"

What a great thought.....I mentioned it before but I've been reading (over and over) "He Loves Me" by Wayne Jacobsen...it's a fantastic study of God's tremendous love for us.

In it, Jacobsen sheds a new light on Galatians 2:20, which I think lends itself to today's Selah.

Galatians 2:20 (King James Version)

20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The KJV seems to be the only version I came across that translates as the original Greek intended....that I should live by "the faith of the Son of God", who loved me and gave himself for me"....so Paul was saying he lived by the faith of Jesus...the perfect faith....not his own, but he let Jesus live in him and let Jesus' trust in the Father stand for his. The ultimate trust Jesus had in the Father when He said, "Father into thy hands I commend My spirit."
I want to have the faith Jesus had.

This will give us the will to see how "God wants to show you what He can do in you, for you, with you, and through you! Will you let Him?"

Thanks PM, another job well done.

Praise Him \O/

GI-JOE said...

Im lost I need help can any one direct me please I used to feel like I had a relationship with God but I feel like Thomas i denigh god every day and tell people there is no such thin as God and that kind of thing but deep down in my heart i believe in him I need a closer walk with him and i feel he hates me for what i have done overseas and here now ( please help me)

GI-JOE said...

some one