Picture This!

In the Bible, God gives a prophet this instruction.  “Write what you see. Write it (the vision) out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time” Habakkuk 2: 2-3 (The Message) Another translation says that the vision hastens to the end fulfillment. God showed the prophet the end result before it even started happening.

Are your dreams important to God?


We should carefully treat our desires and dreams in the same way. Our hearts desires are put there by God. The fulfillment of those desires is therefore His will for us.
I gained the impression when growing up in a Calvinist church that my talents and dreams were unimportant to God. The joy of life was somehow frowned upon by the church fathers. Dancing was forbidden. It was as though simple pleasures like that or a glass of wine with a good meal or a cold beer on a hot day would somehow lead to a debauched life style. It took me years to accept that my talents and gifts were there to be a blessing to myself and to others. In the same way I believe that the dreams of my heart, be it to have a successful business, fulfilling relationships, to travel and experience the richness of other cultures or to be healthy and whole are there as blessings from God and up to me to fulfill without guilt or shame.

Is it all about Jesus?

You may know the beautiful song and the words by Michael W. Smith, "It IS all about YOU......I'm sorry that I made it about ANYTHING else! It is a beautiful worship song but could again leave you with a sense of guilt that if you dared to want anything for yourself. To put the words of the song in in perspective, yes indeed, it is all about Jesus and all that He requires of us. Too often have I seen the disappointment and resignation on a person’s face when something that they had hoped for did not materialize and even heard the words, “It’s not about what I want Brother, It’s all about Jesus.”

He requires us to have our minds transformed by the Word. For Him, it is all about us! We read that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, interceding day and night. Why would He be praying for us who are already saved? I believe he prays for the lost to be saved and for the saved to fulfill their destiny. God is continually creating opportunities for us to be raised up to our full potential according to the desires of our hearts.

Are your thoughts killing your dreams?

In a following article I will deal with the issue of core beliefs and how they may be keeping your dreams from being fulfilled. Right now, let me return to the issue of pictures.

Contemplate the end result.

The intention or purpose of a vision is to put in words the outcome of the desired event. As described in my previous article, “How to make your dreams come true”, God places desires in our hearts and then gives us the tools to see them realized. He gave the prophet Habakkuk a tool to enable him to see the end result manifested. One of the steps in this process as we have seen is to give maximum time, attention and focus to thinking about the situation or item that we are desiring and asking God for. Do not focus on how it will happen, that is up to God and as we know His ways are not our ways. Just describe the desired end result in words or in a picture. It is God’s task to bring it about. 

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Even better than words, describe what you want in picture form. “The adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the idea that complex stories can be described with just a single still image, or that an image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text. It also aptly characterizes the goals of visualization where large amounts of data must be absorbed quickly.” (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

See it on the run.

God tells Habakkuk to write it in big letters so he can read it on the run! Think of a printing out a few cards with the words that describe your desire in the present tense as though it had already happened. Better yet, print a few cards with a picture that symbolizes to you what it is you have asked God for. Place them where you can see them often, on an the mirror, one at your desk, one in the car, refrigerator, etc.

Don’t strive to get!

This Scriptures clearly tells us not to strive to get, but to delight ourselves in God. Rather than labor and strive to get we should instead ask, and believing by picturing that we already have what we desire to have and need to live a complete life. This goes for heath, wealth, or anything else. “Oh no, Brother, we are not allowed to ask for wealth, I hear someone say”. Well, the fact is that I have never heard anyone complain when they receive a $1000 check, free and gratis”!

Just imagine that you already have it! And as God told Habakkuk, it will come right on time!