(Dissecting The Mechanics)
-Pastor Bimbo Animashaun
The emphasis of this teaching will be on VISION INTERPRETATION because of the significant role it plays in the entire value chain of VISION DELIVERY AND IMPLEMENTATION.
Many ministers don’t really miss it at the level of having genuine visions from God i.e. VISION CONCEPTION but at the level of INTERPRETING their visions from God.
VISION INTERPRETATION is a core part of the pursuit of the call because it will heavily impact on the entire process and value chain of vision implementation.
Wrong interpretation of a genuine and credible vision can make a shipwreck of the call.
“Vision” in the context of this piece depicts the “pictures” and “images” that God through the agency of the Holy Spirit paints in your heart through the spoken Word, divinely-granted appearances, visions, dreams, trances, night encounters, prophecies, etc. and are connected to your purpose on the earth.
That connection with your purpose on earth is very key because that’s the acid test that lends credibility to its arrogated status as “vision”.
Note that VISION IS HEAVENLY i.e. it’s of Heavenly origin, for Paul told King Agrippa, “Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto THE HEAVENLY VISION” – Acts 26:19.
Also VISION COMES WITH DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS, and this is also well established in the defense that Paul put before Agrippa – Acts 26:13-18.
It therefore goes to show that ANY VISION THAT DOES NOT INSTRUCT YOU WILL DESTROY YOU.
Genuine and authentic vision will also engage your TIME, ENERGY and RESOURCES.
Vision doesn’t make a lazy man out of you; it confers responsibility for pursuit and partnership on you.
Now, having said all of that, it behooves us to understand that one strategy of the enemy against ministers of the Gospel is to miss it at THE LEVEL OF INTERPRETATION.
And if you fail in the INTERPRETATION OF VISION, you will equally fail in its IMPLEMENTATION. That’s very straightforward!
A minister must therefore realize that GOD IS BOTH THE GIVER AND INTERPRETER OF VISION, and He does this through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Just like the Scriptures are both AUTHORED and INTERPRETED by the Holy Spirit – 2 Pet.1:20-21, Jn.16:13, the same goes for vision.
When you receive a genuine vision from God, DON’T PUT YOUR OWN INTERPRETATION ON IT. Let God interprete it for you.
And often, He does this by:
(1) A direct word from Him.
(2) An impression in your heart.
(3) Through the ministry of your God-ordained authority figures.
Note that the third point i.e. an interpretation coming from your spiritual father or mentor or leader will be with a note of peace and assurance in your heart – Ps.85:8, Isa.30:20-21.
And this becomes a safe guide when such authority figures are divested of sentiments, nuances and prejudices and are current with the things of the Spirit.
But more often, you will receive AN INNER IMPRESSION following the communication of the VISION to you.
I like to always say it like this: EVERY SUPERNATURAL VISION COMES WITH A SUPERNATURAL IMPRESSION IN YOUR HEART. Just stay sensitive Beloved!
Sometimes visions will come to you in a FIGURATIVE or ILLUSTRATIVE manner; don’t be too quick to put YOUR OWN INTERPRETATION on it.
Seek for clarity with the Holy Spirit before implementation so that you will not be chasing after shadows or building a castle in the air.
Let me at this juncture mention four Bible characters here to butress this teaching.
(1) ABRAHAM
GENESIS 15:5-6
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
God asked Abraham to look towards Heaven and showed him the stars but it didn’t end there; God INTERPRETED the encounter to him, “So shall thy seed be”. Simple as ABC!
Somebody with wrong interpretation would have interpreted it to mean that God wanted him to start WORSHIPPING THE STARS and that would be against the Scripture.
(2) JEREMIAH
God had earlier told Jeremiah:
JEREMIAH 1:10
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
And then he showed him a vision:
JEREMIAH 1:11
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Now Jeremiah could have wrongly interpreted the Word encounter in verse 10 to mean that God wanted him to engage in physical wars against the nations and the kingdoms.
And then he could have also interpreted verse 11 vision wrongly to start ALMOND TREE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL or felt he was meant to be a farmer, “called” by God to produce ALMOND FRUITS.
But look at how God interpreted the vision:
JEREMIAH 1:12
Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
The picture of the almond tree was symbolic of the fact that the word that God gave him in verse 10 would be fruitful and productive. Simple!!!
Now if a man of God has a dealing in his heart to name his ministry ALMOND TREE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL, then so be it.
It’s PERFECTLY IN LINE. Like I said, it’s all about God’s interpretation to you.
I only talked about the interpretation that God gave Jeremiah (not some other minister), so this is not targeted at anyone please.
(3) EZEKIEL
EZEKIEL 37:1-2
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
Prophet Ezekiel could have interpreted that vision to mean that God wanted him to be going from one mortuary to another mortuary to raise the dead but look at God’s interpretation:
EZEKIEL 37:10-14
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 THEN HE SAID UNTO ME, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
(4) PETER
ACTS 10:10-17
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while PETER DOUBTED IN HIMSELF WHAT THIS VISION WHICH HE HAD SEEN SHOULD MEAN, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
Notice that the first part of verse 17 implies that THERE’S ALWAYS THE INTENT OF VISION. There’s always A DIVINE MEANING that every God-given vision wants to communicate.
Peter at first misinterpreted the vision untill the Holy Spirit gave him the go ahead to minister to a Gentile by the name of Cornelius.
Look at the Spirit’s interpretation here:
ACTS 10:19-20
19 While Peter thought on the vision, THE SPIRIT SAID UNTO HIM, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and GO WITH THEM, DOUBTING NOTHING: FOR I HAVE SENT THEM.
What a beautiful sight here!!!
Gentiles were considered by the Jews as unclean but through that VISION, God was teaching the Apostle Peter that THERE’S NO DISCRIMINATION IN GRACE.
You know; some other people could have, based on the content of that vision, opened a slaughter’s slab but that would have been a distraction from the call because God did not author it.
Other examples also abound in Scriptures. We saw how Paul correctly interpreted the vision that led him and his team to Macedonia – Acts 16:9-10.
The bottom line Sir and Ma is that YOU MUST GET IT RIGHT IN INTERPRETATION SO THAT IMPLEMENTATION BECOMES SEAMLESS.
God authors your vision, and He also interprets it, and He does this through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t be in a hurry to put YOUR OWN INTERPRETATION on the vision. Seek the face of God and let the Spirit of God lead and guide you steadily.
You don’t have all the time in the world to do ministry by trial and error.
GET YOUR VISION RIGHT!
GET THE INTERPRETATION RIGHT!!
O
GET THE IMPLEMENTATION RIGHT!!!
God’s Grace is sufficient for us all!!!q
Amen!!!
Aphorism CITY 