Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai
INTRODUCTION
Last week we learnt that God uses dreams to speak to us, reveal His plans, warn of impending trouble, etc. God gave this promise: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28 NKJV). We have established that God uses dreams to speak to us, reveal His plans, enable Spirit-directed communication, warn of impending trouble, establish prophetic revelation, and provide battle strategies. Visions, though comparable, have a different purpose. God uses visions to reveal Himself, His glory, and to make Himself known and revealed.
ABOUT VISIONS
• Vision is the art of seeing the invisible things.
• Visions act as a bridge between the logical and the emotional, engaging the whole person in an experience with a message.
• Visions occur when we are awake. A bonafide child of God that is awake will receive visions from God as He decides. In Numbers 24:4, visions, or “waking dreams,” are given “with eyes wide open.” “He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open”
God used visions to reveal His mind and intent to people such as Abraham (Genesis 15), Samuel (1 Samuel 3), Daniel (Daniel 7-12), Ananias (Acts 9), Cornelius (Acts 10), and Peter (Acts 10). Paul received several significant visions. (Acts 16), (Acts 18), and he also received a vision of heaven (2 Corinthians 12). John received the book of Revelation as a vision that offered greater detail of future events than Daniel had been shown.
TYPES OF VISIONS
There are several types of visions, personal visions (plans), open visions, false visions, and ultimately, God-given visions.
1. Personal Visions (Plans)
The Bible encourages wise planning and preparation, highlighting the benefits of foresight and diligence. Proverbs 21:5, Luke 14:28-30, Proverbs 24:27.
However, the Bible teaches us that while making plans is important, our plans should ultimately depend on God’s will. And we must trust God’s guidance rather than relying solely on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
2. Open Visions
Open Visions are visions where God speaks clearly and visibly, sometimes through a prophetic dream, a physical manifestation, or a clear word given to a prophet or leader.
1 Sam 3:1 “And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no open vision”
They often involve a supernatural encounter where a person is able to see or hear divine messages while they are awake, rather than in a dream. God uses them for prophetic revelations to His chosen messengers (e.g., Ezekiel, Daniel, John), for guidance and correction (e.g. Peter and Isaiah), and ultimately to reveal His glory (Isaiah and Ezekiel)
3.False Visions
As with everything the Lord does, the enemy creates a counterfeit with the ultimate aim of deceit and derailment.
Jer 14:14 says “Then the Lord said unto me. The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I sent them not neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them; they prophesy a false vision and divination and a thing of thought and the deceit of the heart."
Also Jeremiah 23:16 says: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.”
Ezekiel 13:2,6,7 “Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message. Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?”
4.God-Given Visions
In this section we will look at the characteristics of God-given visions.
•They reveal His holiness, glory, and power. (Isaiah 6:1-4)
•They expose our humanness and frailty. (Isaiah 6:5) and could leave us astonished andsometimes even numb for days. (Ezekiel 1-3), Ezekiel was astonished and speechless fordays (Ezekiel 3:15).
•Are always followed by its interpretation. “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” (Daniel 8:15-17).
IDENTIFYING GOD-GIVEN VISIONS
The more time you spend alone with God, the more you’ll learn how to recognize His voice when He speaks to you and the visions He places in your heart. Be alert for the Holy Spirit witnessing to your spirit. Always remember, the Holy Spirit will reveal truth to you only as you’re able to hear it and as God speaks to you, write the vision and make it plain.
UNDERSTANDING VISIONS
Your Vision comes from hearing Gods voice. To hear God’s voice you need to be near God. In order to be familiar with His Voice we have to be filled with His Word. If you have a vision that you don’t understand at first, seek God’s interpretation of what you just saw by asking the giver of the vision. Prayer is the key to unlocking the mysteries behind dreams, visions, revelations, and the receiving of interpretation, and knowledge. So, the first thing you must do is pray.
a) Pray
Habakkuk himself received (“saw”) a vision from God, I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. (Habakkuk 2:1) Also, Jer. 33:3 AMPC says: “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”
b) Write the vision down
Time can dim your memory. You may forget important parts of what you saw. The Lord told Habakkuk exactly what to do: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. (Habakkuk 2:2)
c) Act upon the vision
“Run who reads it” refers to stepping out in faith and acting upon what God has shown you. The instant you begin to act upon what you have seen, you begin cooperating with God to bring it to pass.
d) Wait for it
Even as you step out in faith, you must also realize that God’s timing is crucial: 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. (Habakkuk 2:3)
A God-given vision will always be fulfilled. However, God is not limited to human time-tables. While you wait for a vision to come to fruition, cooperate with God in every way you can, waiting patiently for His perfect timing to fulfill it.
e) Don’t lose faith
“It will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:2). It may tarry, but “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). understand that the enemy of your soul will do anything to keep you frustrated, defeated, and despondent, even taunting you to believe that the vision was a mere illusion.
Home Work
God allows visions for various reasons. Identify them from the following Bible verses.
Exodus 3:1-4; Acts 9:1-4; Jos. 5:13; 6:5; Jude 6:11-21; Acts 9:10; Acts 16:22-24; Luke 1:26-38; Acts 10:9-20; Ex. 3:7-10; Acts 10:1-8; Acts 9:10-15; Is. 6:1-5; Dan. 5:1-5; Dan. 5:25-30.
CONCLUSION
Final thoughts about God-given visions. They will always bring about divine transformation. God uses them to show you His calling for your life. While they may take time, God-given visions for us will surely come to pass, God works within us and with us as He gives us His visions that will edify, exhort, and comfort us. God has supplied us with the wisdom to understand His visions, which are prophetic that will lead us to where He has purposed for us. In God’s Word, we find many of His visions for us. As we continue to walk closer with Him, He will, by the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see all that He has for us.
