Spiritual Vision

The Bible states in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." The vision to which this verse refers to is spiritual vision. 

Spiritual vision provides direction.  It provides challenge and structure for life.  Without it, people become spiritually dead.  Developing spiritual vision is the process of recognizing the purpose for which you have been brought into the Kingdom of God.  This development is called the "Birth of a Vision.”

Why is spiritual vision necessary and why do people perish without it?

The answer is found in one of many Biblical examples of spiritual vision concerning the story of the Prophet Elisha and his servant, Gehazi in II Kings 6:15-17. 

God's people, Israel, were surrounded by the enemy nation of Syria. There were many soldiers, horses, and chariots of war. When Elisha's servant, Gehazi, saw the great force of the enemy he was afraid.  He cried out to Elisha, "What shall we do?"  Elisha told him:

II Kings 6:16 "Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."    

Then Elisha prayed that God would open Gehazi's eyes and allow him to see in the spirit world.  The request was granted, and Gehazi saw the spiritual forces of God surrounding Israel. 

God actually let Gehazi see the spiritual vision with his natural eyes. The important point is that without spiritual vision the people of God cannot see beyond the natural circumstances of life.

Like Gehazi, they are defeated by the powers of the enemy which they see at work in the natural world around them. Their vision is focused on their problems and their life becomes a cycle of crying out, "What shall we do?" Without spiritual vision, they cannot see and understand the divine plan of God.

Before you are born again you are blinded by sin. Through salvation by the blood of Jesus your basic blindness is healed. Then God wants to develop your spiritual vision.

This process is a spiritual parallel of an actual incident in the ministry of Jesus:

Mark 8:22-25 "And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
After that He put His hands again upon his eyes and made him look up:  and he was restored, and saw every man clearly."

This miracle was an actual physical healing performed by Jesus during His earthly ministry.

Why didn't the first touch of Jesus heal the man completely? Didn't Jesus have all power? Wasn't He the Son of the living God?  Jesus was providing a natural example of a spiritual truth.  Jesus wants to touch you spiritually just as He did in this natural healing.  First He wants to clear up the basic blindness of sin in your life.  Then He wants to develop your spiritual vision.

Spiritual vision involves seeing beyond the natural world into the spiritual world.  It is understanding the divine purpose of God and recognizing your part in His plan.

Believers who are spiritually "perishing" are in one of the following categories:

-They do not have spiritual vision.

-They have received a spiritual vision but have been disobedient to it.

-They have a vision, but do not know how to fulfill it. They have tried and failed or perhaps have never tried at all.

Spiritual vision provides a clear image of what God wants you to do and then directs every step of your Christian life towards achieving that goal.