It is awful to be blind but it is perhaps worse to have sight but no vision. How do we unleash our vision potential? In this passage we get some idea. There are those in life who are victims and those who are visionaries. Those who are victims go through life thinking someone owes them something. They are always complaining. The glass is half full and consequently they do little with their life. We need to dream big dreams.

1 – The victims

• They are very pessimistic. (13:25-28). The land was flowing with milk and honey. It was the land that God said He would give them. There is the word “nevertheless”. They are too many people who use this word. They look out and see the wrong thing.

1. Instead of seeing the majesty they saw the misery.
2. Instead of seeing the power they saw the pain.
3. Instead of seeing the opportunity they saw the obstacles.
4. Instead of seeing the glory they saw the grief.
5. Instead of seeing the excitement they saw the enemies.
6. Instead of seeing the deliverance they saw the difficulties.
7. Instead of seeing the hope they saw heartache.
8. Instead of seeing the power of God they saw the pressure.
9. Instead of seeing God they saw the giants.

• They are phobic. (13:29). They are scared. There are all these tribes already in the land. You are either controlled by fear or compelled by faith. If you are a victim then you are scared of the unknown. You need a vision in your life. See Proverbs 29:18. Where is the excitement in your life? What is it that gives you a spark in your life?
• They are powerless. (13:31). They reckoned that the other tribes in the land were bigger and stronger than them. They saw themselves as grasshoppers and the tribes as giants. They didn’t have the power but God did! You need to get your eyes off your giant. David didn’t say that Goliath was too big for him to take on. His attitude was that he was so big that he couldn’t miss! Daniel kept his eye on the Lord and trusted that God would keep his eye on the lions. There is a world of potential in you. Sometimes you have to fight for your blessings. The Lord will help you so what is the problem?
• They are problematic. They cause problems because of their negativity. See Joshua 14:1-8.

1. Crying (vs. 1).
2. Complaining (vs. 2).
3. Confused (vs. 4).
4. Consequences (vs. 22) – They will not see the Promised Land.

You will get to the point when you want to quit. You need vision. You need faith. When will you realise? Stop being a victim. Not one of those who complained went into the Promised Land. They all died out in the desert.

2 – The visionaries

Here come Joshua and Caleb. They can look through the negativity and see God’s will.

• Committed to the principles of God (14:24) – They saw God and not the giants and so would inherit the land.
• Controlled by the presence of God (14:24) – They had the Spirit of God. You can’t release your potential on your own.
• Cling to the promises of God (13:30) – Victims sit on the premises. Visionaries sit on the promises. Caleb knew God had promised the land and he wants to go and take it! He is not interested in the negativity. He knows that what God has promised nobody can take away.
• Conquer by the power of God (14:8) – Caleb knew that God was greater than the enemy. The people in the land were “bread” for the people of Israel by the power of God. Whatever we do, we do in the power of God. Otherwise we don’t do it. We have great potential – in God.

3 – Watch out for the vision killers

These will kill your vision if you let them.

• Disobedience – When we get out of the will of God.
• Fear – You need to get away from your comfort zone.
• Discouragement – The Devil wants to take the wind out of your sails. See Nehemiah 4:6. You need to get your eyes off the rubbish or rubble.
• Procrastination – You put things off. “One of these days I…”, “Some time I …”, “I plan to do …” One of these days you will be dead! You need to get on with it! You need to be in the will of God and then do it.
• Past failures – You tried and it didn’t work. You can learn from your mistakes.
• The opinion of others – You can’t tell everybody everything. It can be the people who are closest to you who will kill your dreams.
• Distractions – We have the vision but we allow ourselves to be distracted into something else. We need tunnel vision. Don’t stop for distractions!
• Success – You think it is all over. God has better and bigger things. Don’t think you have arrived. You need to focus your mind.
• Tradition – It has never been done that way before. The visionary says “Why not?”

Categories: Numbers