Three stages in the realization of each vision - edify, affirm and enrich

The Lord has put in my heart in these days what I call "horizontal sermons" that is to say they are spiritual based on the Word but they deal with practical life, horizontal daily life, the implications of the Gospel for normal day-to-day life .

So they're not obviously grounded in a specific passage of Scripture, a character, but the Presence of God is in the entire sermon itself.

Did you know? There are some Books, for example I think it was the Book of Esther that never mentions the word God if I'm not mistaken, you are the expert here. And there are other Books like the Book of Nehemiah which is not really a Book of great signs and wonders or Moses doing great and mighty things however the Book of Nehemiah is a Book where God is present everywhere in a very obvious way .

Interesting is the Book of Esther and Nehemiah, neither of them talks about supernatural signs and wonders like parting the Red Sea, but it is more the general miracle of God working through historical events.

I believe that the children of God have to maintain that double mentality; On the one hand, our life has to be permeated with God's principles, but we also have to be practical and everyday people who know how to move in an executive way, so to speak, in daily life.

So I started talking last Sunday about: how to turn our dreams into reality, how to go from a vision or a project that we conceive in our mind to executing it and bringing it to life and executing it in practical and visible and current ways.

And we said that he spends his whole life dreaming but does not execute and does not get to work and make things a reality, that is why we read in the Book of Proverbs 13:4 that says that: "The soul of the lazy desires and nothing reaches more than the soul Of the diligent is the soul that is prosperous." And right there I saw another verse this morning in verse 23 of chapter 13 it says that: "In the fallow land of the poor there is much bread but it is lost for lack of judgment."

The word fallow means a field that is not cultivated, is not cultivated. In this uncultivated field that is not there but there is potential there that is latent and uncultivated. That is what I believe happens with many people whose mind and sensitivity have not been cultivated, have not been treated by the principles of the Word, so they have great potential but do not know how to unleash it and how to develop it.

I believe that in each one of us there is a potentiality that God has placed, but only a few of us manage to develop it and turn it into concrete things, specific projects that we see come true in our lives, and that is because there is a disconnect between what our mind and our hearts conceive and desire and the skills we need and the habits we need to make those dreams come true. There is an inconsistency between what we confess with our mouth in our services "how great is my God" for example and what we live, our reality is actually a tiny God and that is not enough to bless our lives in different ways.

If we are going to be honest, it takes more than faith and good intentions to live a powerful and successful life, we must always have this ethic of lowering the sublime and the abstract to the real and the everyday.

For example: I used to say before giving tithes that we are instruments for God to advance His Kingdom here on Earth and everyone can say to that: glory to God, hallelujah! yes because that is an abstract expression but when it is said: now we have to give money to build our new sanctuary and at the moment it is not so easy to say: glory to God, hallelujah because that is already required; So we have to go down from the abstract to the real, right? from mind to pocket in other words.

And I find that this is the case with people, for example they say: well I want to finish university and I want to obtain a university degree, I want to acquire a profession or I want to finish my GiD for example. But when the time comes to: ok that means I have to go to the university and look for admissions materials, see what the admission requirements are, get some, learn English or whatever; when it is then necessary to begin to deal with the concrete, that is where we slow down and get discouraged and leave that simply with a dream. We go to church on Sunday and we say oh glory to God hallelujah I have a powerful God but he is not powerful enough to help me learn to drive a car or learn English or get a college degree there is a disconnect between the two dimensions isn't there ?

There's a lot more we could say on that point but I don't want to stop there, do I? All I want to say is this: successful people and people who live powerful lives have a capacity and that is the capacity to execute and turn their visions and projects into action over and over and over again.

An example of small things that can make a big difference: this morning I felt that God gave me this message, I had everything ready and it occurred to me: well I have to send a copy to Gregory so he can review it, I sent the message; These little preparation things can make a big difference, not just hearing from God, it's doing the little things that are necessary to prepare and do things with excellence.

That's why if you want to live a successful and powerful life you have to learn to always turn your dreams and your purposes into concrete and visual actions, visible. I'll tell you something else, another point that I want to make here: it's always intimidating to start putting a vision into practice and bring it down from the abstract to the real and everyday to the realm of action. That moment when we start translating our visions into action is usually a scary moment at times and kind of at the moment: oh oh it didn't just stay in my mind anymore but now I have to put it into practice.

So always get used to that feeling of fear and almost like: I'm not going to start doing it because if I start and fail then I'm going to feel bad. Get used to the fact that this comes with a normal and powerful life that you have to overcome fear and fear because that is going to come and discouragement and in any case force yourself to do things coldly in order to reach the realization of your visions.

And the other thing is this and that is that things in three dimensions always look less beautiful than what they look like in our mind and one has to get used to that from the beginning. Philosophers through the years have talked about it, the ideals are perfect but once we are in the flesh and blood reality there is imperfection, there are problems, there are setbacks and we have to push forward in this moment of potential discouragement. .

For example, many people say: well I want to learn about the Bible and there are many discipleship classes that the Church offers so I am going to take the classes but when we get there we either don't like the teacher or the people we are with are not from our intellectual height or whatever, we got discouraged and stopped going to class and abandoned the project because the reality was very different from what we expected in our minds. Now the active and powerful person says: no, I'm going to read everything I can, I'm going to look for another one but I set out to do this, I'm going to complete it and God is going to glorify himself in that in some way and finish the project that he started .

I have learned that many times what God uses is my energy, my investment and my faith and my actions are merely like a scaffolding for the power of God to manifest and many times even though I did not get to where I originally wanted to go, the investment of my effort and my sacrifice makes the grace of God come down on my life and that I even get more than what I was going to get at the beginning because I was simply willing to pay the price and my sacrifice unleashed God's blessing.

That is why you have to discipline yourself to hold on to the visions during that disheartening beginning and that time of difficulty in which we are translating the vision into reality, you have to hold on to it and say: I am not going to, I am not going to let go of the hand of the plow once I put her on the plow.

Because one of the things about powerful people in life is that and that is that they have that ability to overcome their emotions whatever they are and live by principle and purpose and not by emotions of discouragement, fear, low self esteem or whatever, the powerful person prevails over his emotions because the vision keeps him committed to the work.

If, despite the fear of inconveniences, of imperfections, we remain tied to the vision and its execution, little by little, the vision will gain its own life and density. Because the vision while we stay there will attract us and we will be committing more and more with it and others will join us, we will get allies who will join to bring the vision to its full realization.

For example, I have told you that God gave me a vision of that sanctuary out there with exactly four floors, a parking level, two auditoriums, another floor above offices and classes, I would say since '98 or '99 we are talking about 14 years or so ago.

And then when the vision was there I started and said to myself: you know what? The first thing we are going to need is an architect to help me because that is going to be the design, I have to get someone who dares to believe in the vision and to help me in that purpose. He needed an ally, someone to give the vision a little more strength; I began to speak about it and declare it, but then people were needed to join and I already needed to put legs and concreteness to the matter.

So one day I may have told you the story before, right? I met Glenn Knowles and I submitted the vision to him. He is an architect, a Christian, he wanted to work, he had his own vision of designing churches, two visions came together, that is what is interesting. When I started doing it, I told him: Glenn, I have this project, would you like to help me with it? Glenn said yes and I was already committed to him and he to me, see? And then the vision is gaining strength and is tying us down because now I have a professional who has committed to me and I cannot simply say: ah, you know what? I changed my mind, that forces me, it keeps me tied down.

Then the visions when we start to execute them themselves start to come alive and commit us and compel us to continue with them if we stay close to them.

So another very important point is this: that visions have to be undertaken one piece at a time, one day at a time, one intervention at a time, very important. There's like a natural and biological and structural progression that I see in the development of a vision.

I would say that the first point is: the vision, what you conceive, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we hope in your mind and in your spirit. Then that vision has to become a project, that is, something that has a name and that has a certain basic configuration, you have to start ordering the vision and separating it into its different constituent parts. So we see vision and project and from a project that you have in your mind already more clearly formed you have to start writing and developing it; It can no longer simply be such a general project, but rather it has to become something very specific, a building and the blueprint of a building.

So from that design you start putting design components piece by piece because you can't throw everything at once, so you have to develop like: ok what is the first thing I have to do and after that what is the second? What is the most important, the fundamental? and then what is it that goes on top of it and what is it that is attached to the side of it? You then have to begin to undertake pieces of the vision day by day, intervention by intervention.

And finally then you have the execution right? every day you are executing until you convert that into a reality executed, finished. You can sit and contemplate your vision and many times you won't even be able to fully contemplate it because the vision will be a lifelong process. You see this: vision, project, design, components and finally execution.

Someone once asked how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time because if you let yourself be carried away by the greatness of the elephant you will never eat it, right? you have to start somewhere and start biting into it little by little. You have to break whatever vision you have into its component parts and then you have to execute them one at a time starting with the easiest and most accessible to the most difficult and ambitious.

Saint Francis of Assisi said the following: "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and for the moment you will find yourself doing the impossible." Let me express this because I want to be very specific again, I think one of the things sometimes with pep talks is that they're not realistic enough and they don't relate to our own lives so I want to give you an example. I'm going to put Gregory on the spot here because it occurred to me this morning when I wrote the material for him that he was a good example of the discipleship classes that he designed.

I have known for a long time that Gregory had the idea to design a series of instructional classes on the Christian life and to train people in the basic elements of the formation of a healthy Christian. Ok so there is the vision right? but then he couldn't just stay with the vision speaking to her: oh yes how nice that would be, he began to see a project in his mind. Ok yes maybe the first thing we have to do is a class for more mature people and another class for people who are starting.

The general idea had to become a project that he said: you know what? one day I'm going to do it and I'm going to start reading and preparing, it's already gone from a general vision to a more specific project with a certain degree of specificity. Now after that he had to really sit down and start designing: ok I'm going to break it down into four courses with names and each course has to have classes that are appropriate for the stage that those people are going through, first thing: a leader, training of the character and a number of things and so he had to start designing that and setting it up.

And now then it came to deal with the components, he began to write each section and to undertake each project; what writings am I going to use, what illustrations, what is the language going to be, what is the progression going to be, what level of complexity am I going to use for each group, what things am I going to assume they know and don't know You know, that had to start breaking into different pieces.

What I'm saying is that early versions of the materials weren't very easy to teach, some teachers mad at me. I remember a lady saying to me: but that is very complicated, how can it be, who wrote these materials? and I was teaching the class and I thought: I did it and they: well, I don't know. It was a trial and error process but hey, one thing leads to another and it's not over.

Now there are many parts of the world, churches in Latin America and Europe that are being blessed by the work that our brother did and they write to me all the time from all over. We need each other, right? It is available around the world because there are people who manage the internet ministry who have made what we do here available, which would not be possible if there were not people with that dedication, that vision of making what we do here small in a big way.

By the way I cannot suppress at the cost of time a word of praise that you always hear me talk about Doctor Ernst Diehl and I hope he is listening to this because he is a hero in my book, this man wherever he travels if he travels has to take his computer because wherever he is he has to be attentive to everything that is happening on the internet on our page. He lives enslaved so to speak in a sense to his computer and his work and what I admire about him is his ability to execute day by day in the boring, in the everyday to produce the sublime of souls being edified, churches being blessed and that is what I appreciate; powerful people have that ability to deal with the everyday and the boring day by day.

And what we are talking about, brothers, is that behind these powerful actions there are always certain qualities of character and personality that we must learn and incorporate throughout our lives. There are elements of character that are the platform for the powerful actions that people admire and celebrate in the world.

And part of our vision in life should be to incorporate those qualities in my life and become that man, that woman who can keep changing and transforming and evolving until she becomes that person who embodies those attributes and those virtues.

And what are some of those qualities? If you want, write it down there and if you have a pencil and have been taking notes, I congratulate you because that is precisely what a person of power does precisely, take action and write things down and take notes, that is important. And we don't have time to discuss each of them but for example for me: determination is important, energy and ability to get things done, persistence, discipline, systemic thinking the ability to think systemically 360 degrees around, seeking allies in life, a team; arm yourself with a group of people who support you and support you and encourage you in your visions.

And finally an analytical capacity, cultivating an analytical capacity that allows you, which is part of this systems thinking, to be able to take things apart, see their relationships, go below the surface of reality and see the secret pipes that connect one thing with the other is very important.

A structural mentality that you can stop the reality that is flowing like a river as if it were a photo and then look at the situation and analyze it and see what is involved in it, it is a structural mentality to see the structure of things and situations.

And I see that everywhere in Scripture. One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 24:3 and I believe the Lord squeezed, codified a number of things that I hope one day to devote a sermon to just those two verses because he has incredible wisdom packed into those two verses. Proverbs 24:3 says: "With wisdom the house will be built and with prudence it will be established and with knowledge the chambers will be filled with all precious and pleasant goods."

What God gives us there is one, the house is that: it is visions, dreams, a Church, a family, finances, a career. What he is saying is that there are certain attributes and mental capacities that make it possible to realize a vision at each of the different stages in which that vision flows. The writer points out three faculties: wisdom, prudence and science.

Three faculties it takes right? for the completion of any project, any vision: wisdom, prudence and science and then there are three stages in the realization of each vision: building, affirming and filling or enriching.

What I want to tell you brothers is that it is wonderful the Word of God has all that knowledge. We ask the Lord for these attributes: Lord, give me the ability to enrich my life and my personality because it is not enough to simply get here, raise a lot of dust: oh glory to God! God has given us the Earth, he has given us the city, he is Lord of all, and then we just leave him there.

We want the prophetic declarations to come true, that our proclamation that Jesus is Lord be a reality in the schools, in the governments, in the streets, in the families of this city, but it will not happen if we only shout here, even if we shout by faith it is important, amen? but then also have a plan, have daily actions; actions that may be boring, not so spectacular but effective because the vision, the prophecy becomes reality in the surrounding society.

I know I have given you a lot of material but give me a couple more minutes, okay? because in fact one of the qualities of people is the quality to stay attentive to something even if they are tired but continue with a marathon pace. So give me a couple of minutes because I don't want to then, I want to finish this and start something else next Sunday, but give me a couple more minutes.

Now do you know what the problem is? I know that I am speaking to brothers and sisters who often do not have these qualities because their family or cultural formation did not help them to acquire these qualities. Because the problem is that sometimes, despite the fact that we hear a lot of teaching in the Church and give many principles of the successful life of abundant life, it is like saying to a paralytic: hey, move! you just have to put one foot in front of the other and raise your arms and he says: ok but my brain tells me, but the arms don't obey. You need an exercise that allows you to have that fluidity between the brain and the organs.

How can you become a determined, persistent, disciplined person who thinks analytically and systemically how can you acquire that? In other words: how can we become fertile soil for the seeds of motivation and healthy ambition and God's good purpose?

One of the things that we have to do is conceive of the project of personal transformation as one of those visions of which I have spoken. Say: I want to become that powerful person with these different attributes and conceive it as a vision for the rest of your life, a project that you are going to undertake day by day.

Unless we don't specifically think like that and say: you know what? today in the Name of Jesus I embrace that vision, I name it and I want to become a powerful, effective person with self-control and in the name of the Lord that is my giant and I am going to knock him down and I am going to become a possessor from the earth. There is a lot there to cut but I will not go into that the importance of that, a moment of conviction in life.

A second thing is this: to believe and understand one thing, and it is this, is that the human brain is the most malleable and practical thing there is and that your brain will reconfigure itself over time if you subject it to the correct exercises. It is important.

That verse that Gregory mentions Romans 12:2 is one of my favorite verses: "Be transformed by the renewing of your understanding." That mentality, that sensitivity is the screen on which the image of God is projected for us.

So number one: conceive the vision of a creative personality. And secondly: believing that you can move from the limited of your vision and your current attitude to a powerful attitude, can be done if you submit your sensitivity to the correct stimuli over time.

Now what are some of those exercises that are going to help us get there? and attributes, we need honesty to admit what things are. Humility, lucidity.

You need good reads, you need to read good things. Stop reading those silly lampoons and those novels that fill your head with cockroaches and read instructive things. It's like this weekend that I was invited to an activity for leaders and very successful people and all of that there was a person who is not used to that and who was invited for very interesting reasons but in any case, seeing him there uncomfortable in that environment because he is not used to that environment but a person of great potential and great endowment submitting to that environment breathing in the smells of an environment of highly functional, professional people, city leaders and all this is already a process for him to submit and be willing to go through the discomfort of this process is already beginning, it is formatting your mind, it is changing sensitivity.

He could have been home watching a TV show but he was there and he said this is worth me doing and he went through the process and it's what you have to do. That is why I say stimulating environments are very important.

And finally continuous intellectual exercise. Exercise your mind, exert your mind and use it because the mind absorbs and develops, it is like that at all times, right?

So good movies, documentaries, cultivation of good human relations, good environments. You have to do your part and God does His, God has made you organic, God has made you plastic, God has made you that when good things come into your life, good things happen in your spirit and if you submit to the stimuli correct throughout life and you conceive a mentality: I am going to live like this, that is what I want to be, I am going to take advantage of my time, you are going to become that person that you want to be in the Name of Jesus.

So the last thing is that you have to then, in many environments there is what is called alignment. You have to align your life to your vision. There has to be alignment between that vision of becoming a man, a powerful woman with the attributes of Christ Jesus and then everything you do, every day, every practice, the time you go to bed, the phone conversations you have , the readings you do, what you do and don't do, what you think and don't think, all the work you choose if you don't choose everything has to be reflecting the vision of your life, the trunk of your life has to be: I want to get there to be a powerful, creative person, with self-control who uses the power of God effectively and then I am going to commit my life day by day, step by step, everything I do, what I feel, what I think, what I dream, what I eat has to be aligned and if it is not aligned I am going to tie it and I am going to pull it and I am going to put it in the funnel of my vision.

And then as you do day after day after day you will discover that the power of Christ becomes a reality in your life and the visions of God and what you have confessed becomes a reality. It takes years and years. Amen? then that is the call of God, it is the desire; God wants men and women who reflect the image and likeness of God and God is the builder par excellence and is the executor of visions par excellence. It has taken thousands of years to execute His vision in the world.

God stays aligned with His principles and that is why the vision takes so long but He realizes it and we can do the same too. Stand up, let's breathe in the Word of God and receive it in our spirit and let it take root. This is still a very fragile plant, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, this plant can become a leafy tree.

We receive Your Word Lord. Oh make it come true, make it come true Lord, fill us with Your vision Father impregnate us with Your vision, thank you Father we received Your Word this morning Lord is life and so we confess it and so we believe it, we give You all the glory and all the honor. In the Name of Jesus we say: amen and amen, glory to the Lord, amen.