See Yourself in God's Vision - Prophetic Identity and Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjmZvXLQzJw

When we talk about vision, we are not talking about a slogan. We are not talking about something that looks good on a website or sounds good in a video. We are talking about how you see yourself in God. We are talking about whether you are living from heaven’s perspective or from your own history. Because the truth is, you will always live according to the vision you carry of yourself. You will follow whatever picture you believe is true.

In Revelation 7:9, John says, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” They are clothed in white. They are holding palm branches. They are worshiping. They are whole. They are redeemed. They are confident in who they are before God. That picture matters. That is where we are headed. That is what God sees when He looks at His people. And until we learn to see ourselves there, we will keep living beneath what He has called us into.

So much of our struggle in life is not because God has not spoken. It is because we have not learned to agree with what He has already said. We carry shame. We carry disappointment. We carry labels that were put on us years ago. We carry failures that happened in other seasons. And then we try to build a future while still seeing ourselves through those filters. But prophetic vision lifts your eyes. It gives you heaven’s picture of who you are becoming.

Proverbs 29:18 tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” Another translation says, “Without revelation, people run wild.” When you do not know who you are, you will live however your flesh feels in the moment. When you do not have God’s vision - prophetic identity for your life, you will end up letting your emotions, your appetites, and your fears lead you. Vision keeps you listening. Vision keeps you anchored. Vision keeps you aligned.

The Hebrew word used here for “vision” speaks of divine revelation. It is something God reveals in your spirit. It is something you see in your heart before you ever see it in your circumstances. It is not self-made. It is God-given. And when that vision is missing, people begin to lead themselves. They become their own authority. They define themselves according to their own understanding. And eventually, that always leads back to vulnerability and confusion.

Habakkuk 2:2–3 says, “Write the vision and make it plain… For the vision is yet for an appointed time.” God speaks vision so that we can steward it. We protect it. We rehearse it. We pray into it. We live toward it. And when we do that, we are ready when it begins to manifest. But if we never internalize it, we will miss what God is doing even when it is right in front of us.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that vision keeps you focused on purpose. When people lose sight of purpose, they start living aimlessly. They drift. They get distracted. They settle into survival mode. But when you know why you are here, when you know what God has put in you, discipline becomes natural. Self-control becomes normal. You are not fighting yourself every day. You are cooperating with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. That means freedom is not doing whatever you want. Freedom is having the grace to live how God designed you to live. When you see yourself as free, you stop reaching for things that were never meant to define you. You no longer identify as someone who needs bondage. You identify as someone who walks in victory.

That is why vision is tied to identity. You will always lead yourself according to who you think you are. If you believe you are broken, you will live broken. If you believe you are powerless, you will live powerless. But when you begin to see yourself as holy, called, redeemed, and sent, your behavior starts to change naturally. You do not have to be forced into obedience. You want alignment.

Isaiah 59:10 describes people without vision as those who “grope along the wall like the blind.” That is what life looks like without revelation. People are just feeling their way through existence. Making decisions based on fear. Following whatever feels safe in the moment. But God has never intended His people to live that way. He has always provided prophetic leadership, community, and vision so that we can walk in clarity.

Jesus saw this in Matthew 9:36. It says He had compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He did not see rebels. He saw people who needed direction. He saw people who needed someone to love them into who they were created to be. That is still true today. The world is full of people who are waiting for someone to show them what life with God actually looks like.

And that brings us to harvest. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” We live in harvest time. People are ready. Hearts are open. Lives are hungry. But harvesting requires responsibility. It requires relationship. It requires intention. It looks like inviting people into your life. Into your home. Into your church. Into your walk with God. It is not complicated. It is relational.

When your life revolves only around safe Christian circles, you are not harvesting. Harvest happens in real connection. It happens when you take responsibility for someone’s spiritual journey. When you walk with them until Jesus becomes closer to them than you are. That is vision lived out.

Isaiah 59 also reminds us that when people lose truth, they lose identity. They begin believing lies about themselves. “I’ll always be like this.” “I can’t change.” “I’m just broken.” But God says His arm is not too short to save. He has already provided everything we need for transformation. When we receive His vision, we receive His power.

Over the years, I have learned that I would never ask you to become something that I have not already seen you as. Prophetic leadership speaks to destiny. It calls out what God has planted in you. It reminds you who you are when you forget. It challenges you to live toward something bigger than comfort.

The puzzle illustration we used shows this so clearly. Every person carries a piece. No one carries the whole picture alone. But when the pieces come together, vision makes sense. Suddenly you realize, “My life fits here. My gifts belong here. My story matters here.” That is what prophetic community does. It brings identity into alignment with purpose.

Vision is not about finding a church that agrees with everything you think. It is about finding a body that knows you have a part to play in something greater. Humility allows you to receive that. Pride resists it. But humility unlocks it.

I want this house to be built on vision, not personality. People change. Leaders change. Seasons shift. But God’s purpose remains. If you attach yourself to vision, you will never be shaken when transitions come. You will remain rooted.

When we talk about the next fifteen years, we are talking about imagination. God places dreams in His people. But until they are embraced, they remain dormant. Just because God sees it does not mean we do. We have to choose to see it. To believe it. To live toward it.

We are entering a season where prophetic leadership matters more than ever. Technology is advancing. Voices are multiplying. Opinions are everywhere. But no system can replace hearing God. No algorithm can replace spiritual discernment. The city needs people who know how to listen.

This is why 2026 is a year of harvest. We have planted. We have prayed. We have prepared. Now it is time to gather. To bring people in. To walk with them. To disciple them. To love them into freedom. If we do not, something else will.

Your puzzle piece represents a dream God has placed inside you. And that dream is not about self-promotion. It is about transformation. It is about what this city can become. It is about what families can become. It is about what generations can become.

We are not called to build comfort. We are called to build people. We are called to prepare workers. We are called to raise leaders. We are called to see Davenport and the Quad Cities saturated with the presence of Jesus.

Some visions require sacrifice. They require investment. They require obedience. But they are worth it. Every time.

The kingdom advances when ordinary people say yes to extraordinary purpose.

So my prayer is simple. That you would see yourself rightly. That you would see yourself as God sees you. That you would stop living from old narratives and start living from prophetic truth. That you would embrace your identity as a son, a daughter, a worker, a witness, a carrier of presence.

Because when you see yourself clearly, you live differently.

And when enough people do that together, cities change.

Looking for a Spirit-led, presence-centered church in the Quad Cities? At Riverside Church in Davenport, Iowa, we exist to help people encounter Jesus, be transformed in His presence, and live out their God-given calling.

Explore more teachings at onechurchqc.org/teachings, discover our heart and vision at onechurchqc.org/vision, or visit our home page at onechurchqc.org to learn about service times and community life.

If you’re searching for a church family in the Davenport and Quad Cities area, we would love to worship with you this Sunday at 9:30 am.