Sketching A Vision For Your Future, Pastor Joël Malm

Check out Joël's Vision Map on YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/29464-vision-map

🎯 Key Takeaways

Core Points: Develop a Vision: Create a clear vision for your future by sketching out your desired outcomes, just as artists sketch before painting.

Embrace Stewardship: Focus on being a good steward of what God has already given you, rather than trying to plan every detail of your life.

Identify Life Domains: Assess your current situation in key life areas: family, finances, career, ministry/serving, and personal goals.

Distinguish Your Role: Separate what you can do (black pen) from what only God can do (red pen) in achieving your vision.

Take Consistent Action: Work as if it depends on you, taking small, consistent steps, while praying as if it depends on God.

Be Flexible: Hold plans loosely and remain adaptable, recognizing that circumstances can change.

🔍 Summary The Importance of Vision and Stewardship

The core message of this discussion centers on the vital importance of developing a vision for the future and embracing the concept of stewardship. Host draws an analogy to artists sketching their work before beginning, suggesting that Christians should similarly sketch out a vision for their future. This is supported by Proverbs 29:18, which states that without vision, people go astray. A clear vision acts as a guiding principle, like a backpack analogy where one packs according to the destination. This vision is crucial for navigating life’s busyness and distractions, preventing individuals from simply reacting to circumstances or running away from what they don’t want, rather than moving towards something they do want.

Planning vs. Stewardship

The discussion distinguishes between meticulous life planning and practical stewardship. While acknowledging that life’s unpredictability, as famously noted by Mike Tyson, can disrupt plans, Host emphasizes that Christians are called to be good stewards of what God has already provided. This means focusing on how to best utilize current resources—talents, time, and money—rather than trying to control every outcome. The parable of the talents is used to illustrate that merely breaking even is insufficient; God expects individuals to actively use and grow what they have been given. This involves recognizing that individuals already possess what they need to fulfill their current callings, often relying on God’s strength rather than their own.

A Framework for Vision: The Vision Map

To make this vision tangible, a practical framework called the “Vision Map” is introduced. This method involves evaluating five key domains of life: family, finances, career, ministry or serving others, and personal goals. For each domain, individuals are encouraged to honestly assess their current situation and identify obstacles. The Vision Map then prompts them to differentiate between actions they can take (written in black) and challenges that only God can overcome (written in red). This approach encourages proactive effort (“work as if it depends on you”) combined with faith and prayer (“pray as if it depends on God”). The emphasis is on taking intentional steps, even small ones, and trusting God to work in the “impossible” situations.

Navigating Challenges and the Waiting Period

The message also addresses the reality of life’s challenges and the impatience that can arise during waiting periods. Drawing from the book of Habakkuk, Host highlights that visions may take time to materialize. During these times, a clear vision serves as a “North Star,” preventing despair and maintaining focus. The concept of “Semper Gumby” (always flexible) is offered as a reminder to adapt plans as needed. The discussion concludes by encouraging a commitment to sketching out a vision, emphasizing that seriousness and focus can lead to God opening doors and propelling individuals forward. The path of the righteous is likened to the dawn, growing brighter, assuring that God has a plan and a future for those who trust Him and take action.