"Where there is no vision, thepeople perish"

PROVERBS 29:18 (KJV)

Having a vision in life is vital. When aperson is allowed to think big and have apositive view of the future, that person willexperience more joy and overcome life’schallenges more easily. Those who have avision for their life not only thrive but livelonger than those without a sense of thefuture. A person with a vision is like a jetsoaring through the sky, while a personwithout a dream is like a ship on the ocean,blown any direction by the winds. Are youlike that ship without a destination, or areyou like the jet rocketing through the skywith direction?

WHAT IS A VISION?What is a vision? The prophet Habakkuksaid the Lord instructed him to “writedown the vision; write it clearly on claytablets so whoever reads it can run to tellothers. It is not yet time for the message tocome true, but that time is coming soon;the message will come true (See Habakkuk2:1­3 NCV) The word “vision” comesfrom the Greek word “horasis” meaning "asense of sight". It means having a mentalpicture of what God has planned for yourfuture. Proverbs instructs us that “whenthere’s no vision, the people get out ofcontrol, but whoever obeys instruction ishappy." (Proverbs 29:18 CEB) A visiongives a person direction and purpose fortheir lives. Without a divine plan, people

will never experience the maximum joyand fulfillment God has planned for them!

A VISION GIVES US DIRECTIONWhen God lays a vision on your heart youare able to move ahead with purpose anddesign. When God imparted a vision forPaul's mission, he had direction! "Thatnight Paul had a vision: A man fromMacedonia in northern Greece wasstanding there, pleading with him, ‘Comeover to Macedonia and help us!’ So wedecided to leave for Macedonia at once,having concluded that God was calling usto preach the Good News there.” (Acts16:9, 10 NLT) Receiving a vision fromGod gives us confidence to move ahead inlife.

A VISION EMPOWERS USA vision will give you power to do thosethings you could not do on your own. Avision empowered a disciple namedAnanias to seek out a dreaded foe,assisting him to serve God's plan whichwould have eternal consequences! Godcalled Ananias to visit and pray for Saul,an enemy of the early church. Through avision, Ananias received the followinginstructions: “Go, for Saul is my choseninstrument to take my message to theGentiles and to kings, as well as to thepeople of Israel.” (See Acts 9:10­17 NLT)Supernaturally, Ananias was able to facehis fears and meet Saul, praying for hishealing and prophesying his future.

A VISION LEADS US TO HELPOTHERSGod had to give Peter a vision to show himto help a group of Gentile (non­Jewish)people he would have otherwise neverconnected with. In Peter’s day, Jews andGentiles did not mix. This went totallyagainst his cultural context and mindset!Peter was unaware that God planned toreach the Gentiles with the message ofsalvation by grace. “He (Peter) saw thesky open, and something like a large sheetwas let down by its four corners…Whatcould the vision mean?...Meanwhile, asPeter was puzzling over the vision, theHoly Spirit said to him, “Three men havecome looking for you. Get up, godownstairs, and go with them withouthesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sentthem.” (See Acts 10:9­20 NLT) God cansupernaturally inspire us to help others wewould not naturally think about helping!

A VISION IS VITALIt's very important for every person to havea vision. If you don’t have a vision foryour life, ask God for one! James 1:5 says,“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should askGod…” He will show you His plan. Onceyou have received the plan, start makingthe necessary changes in your lifestyle andattitude so you can start following thevision for your life. Write down the visionand break it into steps or objectives.Ensure you are doing something daily andweekly to fulfill the vision. Author AnnieDillard said, “How we spend our days is,of course, how we spend our lives.”People with a vision live outstanding lives.They are happier, healthier, possess greatattitudes, live longer and have meaning intheir lives. They enjoy life every day andthrive; not just survive! You can be one ofthese people too when you live out thevision God has for you!________________by Pastor Roma Fisher

SPIRIT ALIVE NEWS: URGENT REQUEST!Thank You and Meegwetch to our partners and friends for taking time to read thisnewsletter and for supporting Spirit Alive! Over the last year, our goal has been to raisefunds to upgrade to digital equipment (including cameras, lighting and HD switcher). Wehave made progress, but we still need over $5,000. These upgrades will greatly improveour program quality assisting us to present the message of the Gospel with excellence!

Another challenge we have been facing is the increasing cost of airtime. As you mayremember, our time slot on VisionTV was taken over by a higher paying customer. Inorder for us to maintain more affordable airtime at primetime, we are moving to JoyTVWinnipeg on Sundays at 2:00 pm starting May 5, 2013.

We apologize to any viewers who have missed our broadcast! Our goal is to keep SpiritAlive on the air, both regionally and nationally. Please know you can view every programat your convenience online at www.spiritalive.org.

Sharing the Spirit of Faith,Pastor Roma Fisher and Team

Upcoming Events: Pastor Roma & Anita will be in Western Canada in Augustministering at churches in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary. See website for details.