From Frustration to Vision
From Frustration to Vision • Sermon • Submitted
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From Frustration to Vision
From Frustration to Vision
Habakkuk
Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.
Introduction
When you look at all the things going on in the world around you today you maybe asking yourself “what is God doing about this? People are being killed, there is a atmosphere of hate. Today’s culture is a cross between Babylon and the Roman empire, and it exhibits many of the same attitudes and behaviors of these empires before their fall. Just know that God has done something about these ill of society. He gave vision as the solution. He is not simply allowing this to run rampart without providing any remedy for it. Instead He has a vision to address the society in which we live. The Prophet Habakkuk dealt with a wayward southern Kingdom of Israel. They frustrated God because of their wayward behavior. Habakkuk asked God, “How long You tolerate this behavior? God answered him in a vision, Habakkuk went to the watch post to see what God would say.
God tells Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain. In essence, God told the prophet to, inscribe the vision (write or carve), describe the vision (explain in words), prescribe the vision (action taken as something beneficial) so the people could subscribe the vision (receive something regularly).
He said to make the vision so clear that a runner could run into it. God called each of us to live by vision.
Thesis
A person with vision, walking with God and desiring to be all He called you to be, can get frustrated. You are willing to have the attitude He demands, but it seems like everything you do and attempt to do fails to bring the vision to pass. Nothing that you do seems to be working.
However, frustration is a part of walking in vision.
In the process God teaches you how to deal with your personal frustration as you wait for the manifestation of God.
While your waiting on the manifestation of the vision you will experience many different feeling and thoughts which will send you on an emotional roller coaster which can cause you to be frustrated and doubt what God showed you. You will say things like:
Did God really say that?
Did God really show me that or did i just imagine it?
I’m getting to old now?
If it had not come to pass by now?
When you allow your frustrations to get the best of you and you will no longer wait on God you will create you own vision to bring to pass, one that you can control.
Antithesis
In Genesis chapter 16-21, you will not find a greater story of delayed vision manifestation, which leads to frustration and doubt than Abraham. After God gave Abraham the promise that he would have a son in his old age, he decided it was taking too long to manifest. Abraham’s wife Sarah was not becoming impregnated as promised. Abraham became frustrated and decided that he could no longer wait on God. Thus, he took matters into his own hands, creating a vision of the flesh and having a son with another woman - Ishmael. When God finally gave Abraham a visitation, it was mind-blowing for him because he had been intimately walking around with something for 14 years that did not come from God. If God called you to do something, having barren people in your life does not matter! God can decree a thing, and it will happen. Your circumstances have nothing to do with God’s manifestation of the vision in your life. If He said it, He will do it, and if He spoke it, He will bring it to pass! You’ve got to watch your perspective during times of frustration because they can cause you to create Ishmael’s that you will have to give up one day.
Synthesis
There are three things you must do during times of frustration:
Watch your attitude - In your frustrations you begin to talk to people out of your frustrations. You cause additional frustrations, so people are walking around with your frustrations on them. You cant take your frustrations to just anybody. You take your frustrations to God, you take your frustrations to Dr. Moody or you take your frustrations to the Elders Council.
(Explain Jesus and the Cup) (Explain John the Baptist frustration with Jesus)
(Explain Jesus and the Cup)
(Explain John the Baptist frustration with Jesus)
We blame someone else for your lack of productivity.
2. Waive your aspirations - God came back to talk to Abraham and Sarah to tell them that they would have a son. Of course, Abraham thought that God made a mistake, because in his mind, the son that God promised him, he already had with Hagar. God clarified things: “You have a son, but he is not the son that I promised to you. Ishmael is not the seed of promise! The son that I will give you is yet to come”! To Abraham, this might not have been such a big deal. One might speculate that he thought, another son? I’m going to have tow sons? Well, the more the merrier! No problem. We can try and turn this into something positive. So I made a little error....everyone makes mistakes. I’ll correct it. I’ll just have two sons instead of one. Abraham was optimistic about having two sons, but what he did not realize was that vision and aspirations can’t be intimate with one another. They are not equally yoked! The same is true with us: we cannot marry our aspirations with our vision. Our aspirations help us to support our vision, but our vision is the main thing in our lives. Things that are opposing to vision must go! Once Abraham had Isaac (which means “laughter” because Sarah laughed at God when He said she would have a son in her old age), in his optimism, he thought that Isaac, the child of promise, and Ishmael, the son of the flesh, would be able to co-mingle as equals. Abraham’s real vision partner was Sarah, not Hagar.
3. Wait for Your appointment - Abraham was frustrated because the vision is for a moed, a Hebrew term that means “a season or a particular appointed time.” Until that time comes, you can kick, stomp, shout, cry, pray, fast, read the Bible, etc., and it is still not going to come to pass. You can change churches, change pastors and change fellowship groups, but it is still not going to happen until the season comes - it is for an appointed time. You do not get to choose the appointment - God does!
Abraham found himself in this position of having to send his son Ishmael away because he did not understand that the vision God spoke to him was for an appointed time. Isaac was always coming, with or without Ishmael. When God has something for your life, it will happen regardless of what other things you have done to rush the promise into manifestation! Even if you already have two or three Ishmaels, your Isaac is still coming!
Close
Though we know that God’s word is true - That the vision will speak and will not lie. But while waiting on the manifestation of the vision the enemy will lie to you/us. Satan will try to cause you to doubt, be frustrated and worry. But the scripture in Habakkuk says the vision will speak!
We must have the audacity to believe Gods vision. Not because the situation and circumstances looks favorable, not at all. Most of the time it when the situation looks unfavorable we no its God.
Challenge
My challenge to you is to believe what promised the Rock Austin will come to pass. The vision that God has given the man of God is as real as it ever was. God is still holding us to bring this vision to pass.
We have a great visionary in Dr. Moody, he has been anointed for this time this season. He is like Habakkuk on the watch post to see what God is saying.