If you believe in the supernatural, you may have had a vision. But how do you know if the vision is from God or if it was a good idea that came to your mind?
We’re all tempted to go after our dreams, call them “visions,” and ask God to bless them.
God’s plan for us should be the driving force behind everything we do. But how do we separate a Godly vision from our desires?
Finding out who God made you to be and what God is shaping you to do is not a one-time thing. Over time, God shows us His plans.
And at first, we only see a small part of the whole picture. As you act on the vision, the vision gets clearer.
This blog post will discuss Godly vision and how to recognize a vision from God. We will also look at the characteristics of a Godly vision and the steps you should take for that vision to become a reality.
Characteristics of a God-given Vision
There are times when we have a vision. These visions can come from any source. How do you then recognize if the vision is from God or not? Here are ways to know if a vision is from God.
1. A God-given vision exposes your humanness and frailty.
After God’s glory was shown to the prophet Isaiah, he said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)
A vision will always show the glory of God. When you see His glory and power, you can’t help but realize your flaws and weaknesses.
2. A God-given vision will astonish you and sometimes even leave you numb for days.
This is the case with Prophet Ezekiel. As Ezekiel sat with the captives by the Chebar River (Ezekiel 1-3), God opened the heavens to him and showed him many things, such as the whirlwind and God’s throne room, the living creatures, the wheels, and much more.
After seeing this vision, Ezekiel was shocked and couldn’t talk for days (Ezekiel 3:15).
3. The interpretation of a vision will always follow the vision if it is from God.
Daniel chapter 7 talks about the vision that was shown to the prophet Daniel. It then says, “My thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face changed, but I kept the matter in my heart” (Daniel 7:28).
The prophet’s troubling thoughts are called “cognitions” in the King James Bible. God sent an angel to reveal what the vision meant because Daniel didn’t understand what he was thinking:
“Then, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was trying to figure out what it meant, suddenly, someone who looked like a man stood in front of me. And I heard a man calling from across the Ulai. He said, “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.”
“So, he came close to where I was standing. When he got close, I was scared and fell on my face, but he told me, ‘Know, son of man, that the vision is about the end of the world.’” (Daniel 8:15-17)
This shows that when you have a vision, you sometimes need help understanding it. When this happens, you should try to find out God’s interpretation of the vision.
4. A God-given vision points to God
When someone mistakes a good idea for a vision, glory or honor can be the natural result. But when God gives us a vision, it’s usually something that would be impossible for us to do on our own.
Good ideas won’t be enough on their own. God invites us to work with Him by keying into His plan. If you’re tempted to take credit for your good ideas or bask in praise for them, look closely to see if it’s part of God’s plan for you.
Remind yourself that God is inviting you to be a part of a vision. Remember Paul’s words when you start thinking that your idea is why something works.
Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you say or do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and thank God the Father through him.”
Remember that He is the one who gives us our skills, abilities, and chances. He alone receives the praises.
5. A God-given vision lines up with the truth
God made us so that we can plan, dream, build, create, and lead. One of the difficult things for a leader to do is to figure out if a vision is from God or not.
When you don’t know what to do, turn to the truth, which is the word of God! What does the Bible say?
Where can you find wise counsel? Proverbs 19:20–21 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction so that you can gain wisdom in the future.” Man has many plans, but only the will of God will be done.
Seek wisdom when figuring out if something is just a good idea or a vision from God. The best way to go about this is to ask God for wisdom by praying, studying the scriptures, and seeking godly counsel.
6. God’s vision is big
Our Creator doesn’t play small. He has big plans for His children. When God gives one a vision, sometimes it’s something big that you can wonder how possible it will be to attain.
He does that so you can solely rely on Him for guidance and direction for the vision to be fulfilled.
Types of Godly Vision
There are many types of visions God gives his children to fulfill destiny. Let’s look at some of them below:
- God will show you the way when He wants you to reach a specific goal. But there will be problems along the way.
He also wants you to be the best at what you do. People say that good things don’t come easy, so you have to work hard and make a lot of personal sacrifices to get them.
- When God reveals a vision for the future, he will still show you how to reach it, regardless of how difficult it is. There would be a lot of trouble along the way, and you might feel like giving up.
You probably could, too. But God will always open one door if you hold on. And that’s when you’ll know how to tell if a vision is from him.
- God will always put you in situations where you can’t give up and have to continue pushing for the best.
Sometimes, you might feel like everything is falling apart or you can’t do anything. When that happens, He steps in and makes way for you to stand back up and fight back.
Five Steps to Help You Turn a Vision into Reality
One thing is to get a vision. But it is another thing to understand what you are expected to do. The prophet Habakkuk told us five things we need to do to make our vision becomes a reality.
1. Pray
When Prophet Habukkuk got a vision from God, it was a sad picture of what was to come. The prophet quickly prayed and opened himself up to what God wanted him to see and do.
He said, “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 say when I am corrected.” (Habakkuk 2:1)
Praying is the first thing you should do after a vision is revealed to you. Prayer is that key that opens all doors. And it is crucial to making your dreams, visions, revelations, understanding, and knowledge a reality.
The effectiveness of prayer cannot be overemphasized. That is why you should pray and ask God for an understanding of the vision.
Read also: Who is the Richest Pastor in the World?
2. Write the vision down
Time can make you forget your vision. The enemy of your soul, the devil, will stop at nothing to stop your vision from becoming a reality.
You might forget some significant parts of the vision if you don’t write them down. That is why you should rely on things other than your memory for something as important as this.
The Lord gave Habakkuk clear instructions: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2)
3. Act upon the vision
That part, “run who reads it,” means to act on what God has shown you by stepping out in faith. If you must follow God, you should be a person of faith and firm conviction.
As soon as you take a step of faith by acting upon the vision you received, you cooperate with God to fulfill it.
4. Wait for it
This goes against acting on the vision, but waiting is a vital part of making the vision become a reality.
Even as you take a step of faith, you need to know that God’s timing is essential. “Because the vision is yet for an appointed time, wait for it even though it delays.” (Habakkuk 2:3)
A vision from God will always come to pass; that’s a certainty. But God is not limited to the way people think about time.
The scriptures say that a thousand years is like a day in the eyes of God.
While you wait for a vision to be fulfilled, do everything you can to work with God and be patient as you wait for His perfect time to fulfill it.
At such points in your life, the Psalmist admonishes us to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7 ESV). Wait for Him. Seek not just the visions but the one who gives them.
Andrew Murray wrote, “Give God glory by resting in Him, trusting Him completely, and patiently waiting for Him.
This kind of patience gives Him great honor. It lets Him be the God He is and shows you depend entirely on Him.
5. Don’t lose faith
“It will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:2). The prophet says the vision may delay but wait for it and don’t give up. T
he Bible further states, “The just shall live by his faith,” (Habakkuk 2:4). And if you have faith, you won’t give up while waiting. It could be a test of your patience and trust in God.
When you get something from God, like a vision, you should know that the devil will try to keep you frustrated, defeated, and down.
Even teasing you into thinking the vision was just an illusion.
But “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” (1 John 4:4). When you focus on God and the vision He gave you, the enemy’s power will be defeated. And you will live in victory as you stand on His promises and walk in faith.
Remember the story in the Bible about how God called Samuel in the middle of the night when he was a child?
In the dark, he heard the voice of God twice. Finally, Eli, his teacher, told him to wait in silence until he was called again.
Samuel answered, “Talk. I am your servant and ready to listen” (1 Samuel 3:10 MSG). God told him to pay close attention, and then he gave him instructions that would change history.
What God wants to show you might not be a dramatic experience like Samuel’s, but that doesn’t mean it is any less important.
We all have times when we get a vision from God, and it lies on us to be steadfast because He who promised is faithful.
Conclusion: How To Recognize A Vision From God
From this blog post, we can understand how to recognize a vision from God. A God-given vision is big, points to God, astonishes us, and is always followed by an interpretation.
So when next you have a vision and are in doubt if the vision is from God or not, these characteristics will provide a guide.
Then you should ensure to stay with God for the vision to be fulfilled.
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