Vision Before Provision

Having a written compelling vision is the foundation for this process. Everything we’ll do for the future builds upon this clarity. This is what will get you out of bed in the morning, inspire you to follow through on your biz homework and get you focused in the right areas.

You need to put vision ahead of provision. So many people get this backwards. They abandon dreams because they don't believe that opportunity, finances, time etc will come through for them. Throwing up a wall to your vision because of lack is going to stop here.

Having a focus on provision usually results in a lack thereof, therefore, we are putting the focus upfront on vision.

The word provision is made up of two parts: Pro - or “for” or “in favor of” and vision, which signifies being able to see the end from the beginning. Webster’s actually defines vision as “the ability to perceive something not actually visible, as through mental acuteness or foresight .” So provision is what comes to you at the beginning for the purpose of taking you to the end goal. Vision must precede provision.

Where there is no vision, people perish because provision only comes to support vision. Provision, as you see can take many forms. It's usually thought of as money, but can be any resource, skill, talent, connection, or opportunity that will get you to the end result.

The science behind this may have to do with your reticular activating system.

Your reticular activating system acts as a filter between the conscious and subconscious minds. It's the thing that lets you ignore general noise, yet still pay attention when your name is being called. It's function is to get you to pay attention to what is important to you while filtering all the stuff that is ancillary.

For this reason, getting deeply in touch with your vision will program your reticular activating system to be on alert where ever you go, whatever you do, to grab opportunities that will move you closer to your vision.

This is what it looks like in real life. My husband decided he wanted a Toyota Tacoma pickup with an extended cab. From then on, he saw them everywhere and kept commenting on them. We could drive by a car lot and he could glimpse the roof of one way in the back and go "that's a nice little Tacoma." Anytime I went anywhere with him, we were happening on to trucks to test drive. Fortunately, he had also decided on some other specifics like price and mileage, so it took him a while to pull one out of the pack.

Dad was the same way about dead red fir trees. (We used wood heat.) He could drive down the road and somehow see one that nobody else could, and that you had to hike back in to get.

The goal for this week is to create your ideal written vision for not only your business, but also your life. Your business model will need to support, or at least not be a hindrance to all that you are called to do, which will reach beyond just business.

Almost all entrepreneurs sought to get out of the rat race, have more freedom, flexibility, time to spend with family or other pursuits so they decided to start a business. What usually happens is that they end up working harder at a business than they did their day job. What was intended to bring freedom became a prison. If you do this right, by setting your priorities and needs up front, you can avoid or minimize the pitfalls. I know that many of you already have a business and may have the above situation going on, but lets acknowledge where you want to be, so that the transition can begin.

Business is often your means of being able to do what you need to do. Your calling in life may or may not have anything to do with business. Your business can provide the finances, and if you structure it right, the flexibility to have the lifestyle that is necessary to carry out all that you're called to do in life. Granted, God can work out the details if He wants us somewhere doing something, but I think that we have a degree of responsibility to not get ourselves into bondage in the effort to make a living.

Your vision should be exciting and feel "big". Even intimidating. Be bold! Don't worry about the how. We'll get there. On a scale of 1-10 of exciting possibilities, you need this to be a 10. 10 is what will captivate and motivate you and turn you into a magnet for provision. Getting to a 10 may not be easy if you've made a life of laying it all down and putting everything and everyone else first. Keep working at it.

Pssst! Ever wonder about that verse regarding God giving you the desires of your heart? Everybody gets all wound up about whether their desires are in line with what God wants for them. Mom made me learn Latin so I could take words apart. "De" is "from" or "of," "sire" of course means "father." FROM FATHER. Any questions?

"For it is God who is producing in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases him." Phil 2:13

I love that verse. Read it again. "For it is God who is producing in you both the desire and ability to do what pleases Him." What a relief right? Everything you need is already in you! What if it isn't just your flesh? What if all the stuff religion was trying to snuff out of you is actually what you're supposed to be up to?

I think I take it for granted that I work with delighted people, (Psalm 37:4) It might be worth an examination of motive if you have any doubts about yourself. I really don't question people's desires. Even those who would say a desire isn't godly, probably are not looking at the essence of the desire, but the outward display of it. A person who wants to be a bank robber for instance. The desire for money - not wrong. Desire for adrenaline and risk - not wrong. Robbing banks - wrong.

There’s plenty to be said for specificity, but you might need to get down to what you really want and detach from the form it might come in. For instance, you can have a set income in mind, but perhaps it’s not really about the dollar figure, but what that amount of money will provide. You might be able to engage with your vision much better if you realize you are after the feeling of financial security and plenty of relaxation and fun. It might happen on more or less of an income than what you had in mind. The same goes with specificity in a business. If you can understand the "why" behind the "what," the door can be open to things beyond what you could ask or dream of. Put the specifics down, but also the motivation behind it. I had said that I wanted to be a florist, writer and vet as a kid. All of those motives are now intertwined in a unique business that is uniquely mine.

On big visions and how much you think you can take on:

I've been questioning whether or not I can and should be taking on this latest new thing. I'm involved in a lot and I'm effective in multiple areas but I'm always asking what things are for now, what's later, where does my focus need to be this minute etc. I had a day of really doubting I can take on one more new thing.

It was my intention to check out your visions and guide you into one area of focus and concentrated effort for the next few months, but last night I had a dream that just proves I don't know anything.

Dream:
I was doing drugs and wanting to buy some speed so I went upstairs to Apt 2 where my dealer lived. He hooks me up with the speed but also gives me birth control pills because he doesn't think it would be a good thing if I became pregnant while I'm doing speed. I do not think the birth control will be good for "my body" and at the end I'm refusing them.

Interpretation: When we are experiencing anything negative, second heaven is quick to cash in on our vulnerability by offering a "deal." In our moments of fear, doubt, pain etc, our enemy offers coping strategies and sometimes we end up making a deal for the short term that is all bad in the long run. After all, I can cruise through all my current stuff much faster if I'm not conceiving and birthing new visions, innovations, and new endeavors. But where's the future in that?.

There's also a subtle implication here, that I would not give the baby the appropriate attention, so better to not have it at all. That may be true, and it may not be. God knows what you're capable of. And He can bring the aid you need to pull it off. Conventional wisdom says that you can only do so much. I'm saying, you need to not limit God, but pray pray pray about what's right for you. If He says "yes you can" then who are you to argue?

Lord I repent of any deals or agreements I've made with the enemy where I've said I can't take on anything new. I refuse any of the enemy's attempts to abort or control by preying on my doubt. I ask that I would be able to conceive in Your timing, and I ask for the ability to recognize, and the faith and grace to carry what You desire to be birthed through me. I ask that I would always stand firm and discerning against that which would be destructive to those in the body of Christ that are under my care.

So, you are going to fill out the worksheets as best you can, and post the answers below. You'll write out a vision for your overall life in a paragraph form and engage with that daily. One for your business also. This is the daydreaming part. Many of us haven't done that in years and it will be rusty. This is not going to be a "once and done" endeavor. I want you to be very intentional about setting aside time to do this every day for a week. Give your imagination over to Holy Spirit, let Him sharpen it up and add to it. Make notes throughout the week as you go deeper/see new things/get new ideas.

Sometimes, I think He is just waiting for us to figure out what it is that we want and voice it. To be specific. Most of the time we are not specific, we just know what we don't want any more of. I have looked over worksheets from previous classes and am amazed to see that they have attained some and are close to other things that they identified and put down in a tangible form. It's a direction to move toward.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
- Conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

So that you don't cast me into the Cheshire Cat role (We're all mad here.) you'll need to spend some time soul searching and also invite God into your visioning process. You'll need revelation on the details. This is why Paul prayed that God would “give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him … that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling.”

You don't have to have all the right answers anyway. Your vision can take a lot of editing and expansion.

Essential Homework:
1. Fill out your vision questionnaires that are in the attached files. Do the lifestyle one first. Make it the absolute best it can be. Suspend all doubt, worry over obstacles, or how you’re gonna get there. We will be getting practical over the next few days but that’s not your job right now.
2. Spend a few minutes each day this week engaging with your vision and imagine that it is already attained. If you continue to see it as off in the horizon, then it always will be. Pull it into your present. Daydream about how your life/business would be. If it takes on new positive details, add them to your written version.
3. Release your vision to God. Ask Him to deal with any limited thinking/dreaming you have, and work on issues with Alice's healing tools that you learned in the video.

Optional Homework: If you need some motivation for this exercise, I interviewed Tammy, the first business out of the gate when I started these classes, because she did the biggest vision in the class and has completely stumbled on to the path to attaining it. When we did the interview it was more like we could see the possibility from there, but at this point, she's actually started her first women's home.  Here that is, sorry about the sound quality on my voice.