You Need A Plan | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

One of the most knee-weakening experiences a person can have is receiving a vision from GOD.  I'm not talking about some little aspiration, but rather Him showing you something so HUGE that its manifestation requires GOD's involvement.  It can be pretty scary coming face to face with such a ginormous assignment because many times it requires us to tap into a knowledge base or skill set we have little or no experience utilizing.  Just ask Noah: he built an ark as a visible symbol of GOD's saving grace with no recorded shipbuilding experience.  In addition to tapping into the unfamiliar, people of vision must sort through a variety of emotions when they receive GOD's assignment.  We just may experience a plethora of emotions, such as shock, bewilderment, excitement and relief, simultaneously.  However, bringing a GOD-given vision to pass requires reigning in our emotions to plainly write the vision and create a strategic plan BEFORE we get moving accomplishing tasks.

Too often, GOD's people receive a vision and, out of sheer excitement, quickly jump into making things happen before anything is ever placed in writing.  BAD IDEA!  The LORD says in Habakkuk 2:2 to plainly write the vision so that it can be quickly read and easily understood.  Vision is purpose in pictures, but the pictures need to be translated into a written statement.  Doing so empowers visionaries to effectively communicate that which they have seen to others.  And this is important because the ability to effectively communicate the vision orally and in writing inspires others to catch the vision (or see the purpose in pictures for themselves).  A compelling statement that inspires others to catch the vision creates accountability because now someone other than the visionary has become vested in bringing the vision to pass.  And without accountability measures in place, it's easy to lose focus and stray away from the vision.

With that said, experience has revealed that it's generally easier getting the saints to write vision statements than to plan strategically. Christians are quick to say they have a vision for something, but fail to see the need for a plan.  Oddly enough, the super spiritual among us don't plan strategically because they're "being led by the Spirit."  However, claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit is no excuse for not having a working plan to accomplish the goals associated with manifesting the vision.  Success is not haphazardly progressing towards a desired end under the guise of the Holy Spirit leading the way.  We must plan to succeed.  After all, Jesus Himself expressed the importance of planning in Luke 14:28-30.  Furthermore, as I heard one entrepreneur say, "When you fail to plan you plan to fail."

Strategic planning is not about detailing every single task that must be accomplished.  It's simply a blueprint of what will be necessary in obtaining our desired results.  GOD expects us to have an understanding of what will be required to manifest the vision because this helps us become great missionaries as well as visionaries.  Without understanding, how else can we obligate GOD and His power to bring about an expected end?  No matter how passionately we may feel about what we've envisioned, GOD is not going to bless our mess and risk His reputation being tarnished by our lack of preparation.  The anointing on our lives, the giftings we possess and the favor we're extended do not absolve us of the need for a plan to manifest every GOD-given vision.  So let's resolve to do that which is necessary to secure the success GOD has promised, instead of allowing negligence on our part to abort the vision we've been given.