Knowing who you are, what makes you tick, what you’re good at, what you love to do—all those things build to your personal vision. When you find out why God put you where you are, gave you the gifts and passions you have, and allowed you to live the experiences you’ve been through, you can begin to be an influence on those around you.

Some call it a dream. Others stick with the vision terminology. I like either one because it’s really all about seeing. How do you see yourself? If you don’t have clear vision, you’re stuck. You won’t make a move. You’re scared, frozen in your tracks.

You can never start moving in life without a clear vision for where you’re going. But when you finally have your eyes open to who you really are, you can’t wait to get moving.

The Original Vision Caster

Vision leads to action. People with vision are people who move. Just like churches with vision are the ones that grow and lead others to spiritual growth. The idea of having a vision for your ministry goes all the way back to Jesus himself.

By the time you get to the fourth chapter of Luke, Jesus had just begun his preaching ministry. He hadn’t upset the Pharisees yet. He had picked up a positive reputation for healing people—demons were cast out, those who were lame walked again, and even those who were blind could see. People loved Jesus, and they all wanted to see him. In fact, the gospel tells us that “he taught in the synagogues and they glorified him” (Luke 4:15 TPT).

And that’s where he was one Sabbath. He was sitting in a local synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. The leader in charge of the service asked Jesus if he would read that day’s Scripture text. So Jesus stood up, they unrolled the scroll of Isaiah, and he got right to it.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, ‘You are set free!’ I have come to share the message of Jubilee, for the time of God’s great acceptance has begun.”

Luke 4:18–19 TPT

Now here’s the cool part. Right after reading that part of the scroll, Jesus rolled it back up, handed it to the attendant, and then took a seat. He must have paused for dramatic effect because Luke tells us that all eyes were on him, waiting for what he’d have to say. “Today, these Scriptures came true in front of you” (Luke 4:21 TPT). In other words, “What I just read, you can stop waiting for. I’m here. I’m ready. Let’s go!”

Jesus articulated his vision for ministry as clearly as possible. He knew that the Holy Spirit was on him. He had experienced that at his baptism. And he knew that his Father had given him a job to do, bringing good news to the world. He came to the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed. He came to tell them that God has unlimited grace for them. He knew what he was going to do, whom he was going to help, and how he would do it. And he knew all that because he knew what God had hidden inside him.

Get the Gloom Out

I really like how James talked about this whole idea of seeing yourself. He compared getting a clear vision of what God has hidden inside you to looking into a mirror.

“If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!”

James 1:23–25 TPT

That makes a lot of sense. A mirror will show you if you’re ready to face the world. But mirrors can also be hard to face. If you don’t like what you see, you might get stuck trying to fix it.

Having a messed-up spiritual mirror can keep you from seeing your vision clearly. The prophet Isaiah put it this way: “In that day the deaf will begin to hear the words that have been written, and out of the darkness and gloom, the eyes of the blind will be opened to see” (Isaiah 29:18 TPT). The day he was talking about is when God brings salvation to his people. It could mean in the past, when the nation of Israel finally returned from captivity. It could mean that day Jesus spoke of, when he came to earth the first time. It may even refer to a future time, when Jesus finally comes back for all of us. It could even be referring to all three.

In fact, I’d add a fourth. I think that anytime someone comes to believe in Jesus, this verse is for them. They were spiritually deaf, but God opened their ears to really hear his words. They were spiritually blind, but God healed them so they could truly see. Good hearing and good vision, that’s what it takes to keep moving forward—growing in faith and fulfilling your dreams. God brings us out of gloom and darkness. That’s what his prophet told us. When we choose to follow his leading, he removes all the gunk from the mirror, he wipes it clean, and he shows us a clear vision of what he’s hidden inside us all along.

Gloomy Gideon

Let’s take a page out of the book of Judges and follow God’s vision like Gideon.

The book of Judges is about, well, judges. But not the judges that you and I think of when we think of judges. The judges in the book of Judges didn’t wear black robes. Some of them did resolve conflicts, sure. But most of them were called by God to lead his people, the Israelites, in battle against their enemies.

Those judges had to be tough. But not all the judges could be superhero types. One guy, in fact, was pretty much the opposite. His name was Gideon. And although God called him a mighty man, he was more of a mouse.

Gideon was kind of a gloomy person. He definitely needed God to bring him out of gloom and darkness to really see who he was. And Israel needed someone with clear vision to help them against their latest enemies, the Midianites.

So here’s what was going on. The Israelites were minding their own business, planting their crops, but whenever they did that, the Midianites would come in on horses with swords and shields and scare them away, stealing their crops and ruining their fields. The Midianites left the Israelites with nothing to eat. They robbed them of their sheep and cattle and goats too. And Israel was on the brink of starvation (Judges 6:2–6).

There is a famine in the world of the Word of God. There is a shortage of love, an absence of joy, and a deficit of peace. The Enemy has stripped people of their hope and left them helpless. And unless they hear the truth from someone who knows—like you and me—they have little chance of spiritual survival. God is calling us today, just like he called Gideon thousands of years ago.

When the angel of the Lord showed up to give Gideon his big plan, he found Gideon hiding out. He wasn’t just hiding out; he was threshing his grain in a winepress. In those days, they threshed wheat out in the open. To thresh wheat—and I’ll bet some of you already know this—is to separate the husk from the kernel inside. The kernel is what you eat. So they would beat the wheat, separating the kernel from the shell, and then toss it up in the air. The kernel would fall to the ground, and the shell would float off in the wind.

But Gideon? He was doing this in a winepress—a kind of shallow well dug in the ground where you would stomp grapes to get the juice. I don’t know how this was going. It probably wasn’t working too well. But if he did this out in the open, the Midianites would see him and come steal his grain.

The angel of the Lord saw him hiding and said, “Y_AHWEH’s presence goes with you, man of fearless courage!” (Judges 6:12 TPT). And Gideon’s response is great. Your version of the Bible may say something like “Sir” or “My lord.” What I imagine him really saying is “Hey! What’s going on? Who’s there?” He was scared to death. He was afraid a Midianite had seen him and had come to steal his grain. But the angel of the Lord was persistent. He told Gideon the plan, that Gideon was going to lead the charge to rid the Israelites of the Midianites. He told Gideon, “Go in the strength that you now have!” (v. 14 TPT).

The strength I now have, thought Gideon. You’ve got it all wrong, angel. “But Lord, how could I ever rescue Israel? Of all the thousands in Manasseh, my clan is the weakest, and I’m the least qualified in my family.” (v. 15 TPT).

Gideon was gloomy. He couldn’t see the truth. He couldn’t find what God had put in him. And it kept him from moving forward. Instead of finding God’s dream inside, he was hiding. Instead of standing on that promise, he was tearing himself down. And it was all because he just couldn’t see clearly.

What can’t you see about yourself? What’s blocking your view? If you keep feeling stuck, I think some things in Gideon’s story may be the same for you. If you have trouble recovering from hurts, moving past your past, or getting ahead when you fall behind, Gideon’s attitude may just be your own. Take a look at some of these attitudes that Gideon had. Do you have one of them?

1. I’m Too Scared

Maybe God has given you some dream, and now you’re scared. What will happen if you fail? What will change if you succeed? It’s so big. Can it really happen?

Instead of letting fear keep you stuck in one place, let it drive you to the rest God has prepared for you. He has put the strength within you. When you get scared, go to him to find where he has hidden that strength.

2. I’m Not Good Enough

We all feel this way sometimes. The most successful, the brightest, the best. Everyone who has ever done something great has had a moment when they didn’t feel good enough.

I know what it’s like to have a desire to do something great and get excited about seeing it happen. Then comes the crashing blow. That little voice inside whispers to you, reminds you of your past mistakes, and tears down that dream God is building. When you hear that voice, shut it up! Don’t let it drown out God’s Word in your life. Find yourself in the Bible. Read his promises to you. And block out those negative voices.

The truth is that someone else will do it if you opt out. But God’s dream is for you! He wants you to do whatever it is he put in your heart. But he will move on to someone else if you refuse to move with it. We all have an individual responsibility to make as much of our life as possible. And we only have one shot at it. Why not take that shot? Why not risk when the reward is so great? Why not go all in on the dream God put in you? When you feel like staying put, find a way to get moving. It may be one small step, but that one step will lead to the next.

Out of the Darkness and into the Light

Let’s get back to Gideon—little Gideon who was hiding from the Midianites and tearing himself down. God gave him a plan—a dream, really—to take on the whole Midianite army. There were at least 135,000 troops in the enemy’s camp (Judges 8:10). How many men did Gideon have? It looks like he was able to get 32,000 or so warriors for Israel. Those aren’t great odds. Israel was outnumbered by over 100,000 men.

But wait. There’s more. God then told Gideon to send home anyone who was scared. So 22,000 said, “See you later, Gideon,” leaving him with only 10,000.

But wait. There’s more. Then God had Gideon take his men to a stream to drink water. He told Gideon to separate the men who got on their knees to drink from those who lapped the water up from their hands, like a dog, their head on a swivel watching their backs. God knew what type of warrior he was looking for. One who kept his eyes fixed on the job. The problem was that only 300 men drank the water from their hands. That’s not a typo. That’s not an error. Gideon was left with an army of 300 men to take on the battalion nearly 500 times that size. Not good odds at all.

It’s no surprise God gave Gideon instructions for what to do if he was afraid. Of course, he was scared! God told Gideon, “But if you are afraid to engage them, first go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what they are saying, and then you will be brave and have the courage to attack.” (Judges 7:10–11 TPT). Gideon, under the cover of darkness, sneaked into the camp and right up to one of the tents. He and his servant Purah heard two Midianites talking. And here’s what they were saying:

“As soon as Gideon arrived, he heard an enemy soldier telling a friend about a dream. He was saying, ‘Well, I had a dream of this huge commotion in our camp. I dreamed a round loaf of barley bread came whirling into our camp and leveled a tent. It hit the tent so hard it turned it upside down, and the tent collapsed on the ground.’

His friend interpreted the dream and said, ‘Your dream symbolizes the sword of the Israelite, Gideon son of Joash! It can’t mean anything else! God has given him victory over Midian and our whole army!'”

Judges 7:13–14 TPT

I’m sorry, but that dream doesn’t make much sense to me. Does it to you? Well, at least in our ears it doesn’t. But I did some reading and found out some things that may help us here. First of all, the loaf of barley bread is not really a loaf like you and I think of it. It’s not a package of Wonder Bread or a French baguette. It’s not even a roll, which would make sense. The word for “loaf” might better be thought of as a cake, one that’s rolled up and flattened out and then cooked on a flat griddle. Think of it like a waffle.[i]

So the Midianite saw an Eggo waffle come rolling into the camp. But not ordinary frozen Eggo. This was a barley waffle. And back then, no one liked barley bread. Think of it like one of those multigrain Eggos. I bet they sell more blueberry waffles than multigrain ones. So this multigrain Eggo—just go with me here—rolled into the camp and knocked over the tent. Why? Was it not tied down? What kind of tent can get knocked over by a frozen waffle? But the man’s friend knew exactly what was going on in this dream. “A multigrain Eggo? That can only mean one thing. Gideon is on his way!”

Now we need to get some help here. How did they know about Gideon? And why were they making that connection? I have an idea. You see, people then thought of barley as food for peasants. And the Midianites considered all the Israelites to be beneath them. It looks like they came up with this nickname for Gideon—and not a good nickname either. Maybe they called him Ole Barley Loaf. I’ll bet Gideon even knew about that nickname.

But the joke was on the Midianites. With only 300 men, armed with torches and jars, Gideon launched a sneak attack and routed his enemy. He ended up taking down the entire army, all 135,000 of them! And God got all the glory.

It Takes a Dream

Gideon was scared. He had every right to be scared. God knew that. Instead of telling him to grow some guts, to get brave, the Lord had him go listen in on a dream. Sometimes it takes hearing a dream to get moving. Sometimes when we’re stuck, we just need to hear what others think about us, what they really see in us, or how God has revealed the same dream in another way. What’s your dream? What are others saying about it? How can God use that dream to get you moving?

Gideon was hiding. He was stuffing all his grain down the chute of his winepress. But instead, God wanted him to see the dream he had hidden in Gideon’s heart. God will reach for those places deep inside us to call us to do great things. Are you looking?

Gideon tore himself down. He called himself the runt of the litter. He was the youngest of his family, his family was the weakest of his tribe, and his tribe was the smallest of all Israel. But God didn’t care. God saw the strength he put in Gideon, and he wanted Gideon to see it too. Gideon wasn’t some frozen waffle; he was a decisive general ready to make a move. Did Gideon believe it? It took him a few tries. He asked God for a sign. And then another sign. Okay, one more sign. He followed God’s orders though. To the letter. And it led him to a great victory. When we listen to God’s orders—following the dream he placed deep within us—we can accomplish great things. Because we’re doing it in God’s power.

Let’s be encouraged that God wants us to see clearly. Psalm 146:8 talks about how much God cares for you. “You open the eyes of the blind, and you fully restore those bent over with shame. You love those who love and honor you” (TPT). Are you weighed down? Do you find yourself tearing yourself down? Do you feel like the world has let you down? It’s time to lift your head up, to open your eyes, and to really see.

_{[i] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Dream of Barley Cake,” The Spurgeon Center for Biblical Preaching at Midwestern Seminary, sermon given November 22, 1885, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-dream-of-barley-cake/.}

What if you didn’t give up?

The obstacles you face don’t have to be the end of your story. Pastor Tyler Feller integrates his experiences and biblical wisdom with practical steps and motivating messages to boost your resilience and endurance, improve your decisions, and grow your faith in two new books:

Don’t Stop: Learn to See Your Failures and Struggles as Opportunities

Don’t Stop: 365 Daily Devotions to Ignite Your Purpose