Vision: Seeing Before Seeing
Key Scripture:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” — Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Vision is not ambition.
Vision is not wishful thinking.
Vision is God-revealed direction that gives a man purpose, discipline, and endurance.
God does not merely call men to survive—He calls them to see. Vision enables a man to live intentionally rather than reactively. It turns faith from theory into direction and gives meaning to sacrifice, perseverance, and leadership.
What Is Vision?
Vision is the ability to see what can be with God before it is manifested in reality.
Throughout Scripture, God consistently relates to men through vision. Before He changes circumstances, He changes sight. Vision always comes before provision.
When God called Abraham, He did not first give him a child. He gave him a picture.
“Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars…” (Genesis 15:5)
Before Abraham held a promise in his hands, he carried it in his heart and mind. This is how God works. He reveals the future before He releases it. Until a man can see differently, he will live the same.
Why a Man Must Have Vision (Mentally and Spiritually)
Without vision, a man drifts. He goes nowhere, lacks motivation, and eventually lives for comfort rather than calling. Without vision, the appetite of now always wins over the promise of later.
Vision gives a man:
Direction – Where am I going?
Motivation – Why do I get up?
Discipline – What do I say no to?
Endurance – Why do I keep going when it’s hard?
A man without vision will consistently choose immediate pleasure over long-term purpose. Vision anchors him when emotions fluctuate and circumstances resist.
Vision Must Come Before a Woman
There is a powerful principle in Genesis: God gave Adam purpose before partnership.
Adam had an assignment before he had a wife. Vision preceded relationship.
A helpful way to say it is this:
A woman should join a vision, not become one.
Or even more plainly:
A man without vision plus a woman equals confusion.
When a man lacks vision, a vacuum is created. Something—or someone—will fill it. This often leads to frustration, reactivity, and misplaced leadership. A woman is not designed to replace a man’s vision; she is designed to run with it.
The Danger of Two Visions
The Church has a clear, biblical vision: reaching the lost, making disciples, and planting churches.
When a man carries a competing vision, tension is inevitable. Two visions cannot occupy the same direction. Over time, misalignment produces division.
This is why clarity matters. If a man holds a fundamentally different vision, he will eventually need a different direction. The role of the Church is to continually cast and reinforce God’s vision so men stay focused, aligned, and fruitful.
A Man Must Protect His Vision
Vision attracts resistance.
Every God-given vision will be challenged by doubt, fear, distraction, comfort, sin, competing priorities, and wrong relationships. Vision that is not guarded will be diluted, delayed, or destroyed.
What a man tolerates today will eventually pollute what God revealed to him yesterday. Vision must be protected intentionally, or it will be compromised subtly.
A Man Must Communicate His Vision
Leadership is limited by communication. A man cannot lead what he refuses to articulate.
Vision must be communicated:
To a wife
To children
In the home
Through consistent words and actions
Many families lack leadership not because men lack authority, but because they lack clarity. Silence is not humility. Silence is abdication.
Developing Your Personal Vision
Every man should take time to prayerfully define vision in key areas of life.
1. Church Vision
What do you want God to do through your life for His Kingdom?
How are you actively serving the mission of the Church?
2. Work or Ministry Vision
What is the vision for your primary role?
How does your work glorify God and advance His purposes?
3. Family Vision
If married: Where do you want your marriage to be headed?
If not married: What kind of home are you building toward?
4. Personal Growth Vision
Choose specific areas such as health, learning, finances, friendships, discipline, and spiritual life. Vision brings intentional growth instead of accidental living.
Practical Next Steps
Write the vision down clearly.
Pray over it consistently.
Create a proactive action list.
Remove distractions that compete with it.
Protect it from doubt, fear, and compromise.
Closing Thought
God is not asking men to be perfect.
He is calling men to be purposeful.
A man with vision knows where he is going, what to say no to, how to lead, and how to protect what God has shown him. Vision allows a man to live before he sees—and to lead others where God is calling him to go.