Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version) where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
What is the vision God has given you for your ministry of helps? You have prayed to God to give you guidance. You have prayed and taken an inventory of your resources to determine a sacred location for your ministry. It is now time to determine the vision of your ministry. Vision is a scary word. Do not let the weight of this word stop you now. You must take hold of this word and stay on its back for at least 8 seconds (sad PBR reference LOL).
Most people see vision as a word of prophetic inclinations. I do not see it as meaning you need to know what the end result. It is impossible for mere men to know the end result without direct revelation from God. In the verse above it says you need to have some vision, otherwise you will perish. So if the word means end result and no man knows what the future holds unless told by God I think the definition goes beyond the prophetic. So I think of this word as meaning part prophetic and part a modified word that makes more sense to our modern minds. It is a word not as heavy as vision. That word is focus. Yes we need to know the end state, but be willing to admit that the end state is in God’s hand. We need to have a focus, a map of where we need to travel. That allows us to keep on track. Vision statements are normally too grandiose or high level to allow us to manage our ministry on a day to day basis. We can quickly get off track. Once off-track, it is easier for the enemy to attack and potentially destroy us. That is why you need to now pray again and take a personal inventory and see what focus God has for your ministry.
Now the next statement I will say is not 100% true. I believe normally God has already placed you and equipped you to be successful in your focused area. There are times; He has led us to be what I call a fool for Christ. When that happens I believe there is a reason for that. I can hear you say it, what do I mean being a fool for Christ. Well I will tell you; some times you may be equipped for a certain ministry. Say you are a successful physician, you own your own facilities, your considered successful by the worlds standards. A sane woman’s assumption would be that your focus would be one providing these services to the poor. You try to do that, and you fail. You then feel led to start a soup kitchen or maybe a ministry fixing vehicles for small poor churches and you are successful beyond reason. I have seen it happen, but in my opinion it happens for a purpose. The purpose could be for many reasons. I also believe this is an exception and it not the norm. So take that inventory.
When I talk of taking an inventory, do not forget your passions, interests, financial resources, networks you have developed. Like I mentioned earlier, I believe normally God has you already well placed in order to successfully implement this ministry. If you have a company that makes soap, maybe providing other helps ministries with soap to give to the people the help. If you have a passion for knitting, you have many friends, who knit, belong to a knitting guild. Maybe God is calling you to knit baby blankets for women who are in women’s shelters. If you have a passion for the elderly, then maybe you can knit socks for people in assisted living, nursing homes, and hospitals.
I love food; anyone who sees me knows that. LOL God has always placed homeless men in my heart, so my family and I buy Bibles, tracks and makes sandwiches for homeless men. We then drive to where the homeless congregate and drop off a package with 2 sandwiches, one bottled water, a bible and a tract and one dollar in the bag. My daughter writes a note with a blessing in the bible and colors a picture for them. So no matter how few resources you may have, let God, your heart and your mind get together. Determine the focus/vision of your ministry. Once this is done, the fun can begin.
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