"A vision we give to others of who and what they could become has power when it echoes what the Spirit has already spoken into their souls." - Larry Crabb --
 
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming."  -- Goethe -
 
One of the points I wish to make here today in this devotional is how the majority of vision casting that we broadcast will have very little to do with us as it relates to our own personal life. We all understand that ministers are visionaries as well as entrepreneurs, upper management, executives and other high level leadership positions. But few of us recognize that we are all visionaries. What I mean is that most of the visions that you cast will be towards others and it will affect their future for good or bad. Every one of us cast vision throughout much of any given day. Chances are you have probably cast vision at some point today in someone's life. It is most likely that it was unintentional and probably was not seemingly something that you would call life-changing. However, we are all constantly vision casting what we see in someone as being their great potential or pointing out their flaws and deficiencies. We often make comments to someone as to what they could or should be. It's possible that it was something positive like: "I believe you can reach whatever you put your mind to do." And then again it could have been something negative like: "Well Bob, you just don't seem to be cut out for this kind of work and I don't believe you are going to last here very long." We may have affirmed someone in this way: "You are amazing; it's no wonder that opportunities find their way to you!" Or maybe we discouraged them with something along these lines: "You are completely stupid, why on earth can't you ever do anything right?" Comments such as these have a way of shaping how someone sees themselves and can inadvertently affect their future. The spoken word points to a certain direction in people's lives. They become seeds of torment or they fuel their capacity to reach their dreams. Our words can make or break a person's perception of themselves. Therefore, we are all casting a vision to some degree in the lives of those around us. Every relationship that I have has the potential for me to cast some kind of vision in their life.
 
Depending on the position that we hold within someone's life will determine how weighty our words can affect their future. My wife Kim and her encouraging words, impacts me much more than a stranger can. A little boy's adrenaline explodes with enthusiasm when his father shows him recognition and approval for his efforts to please him. And I must say that being a father I desire and crave to hear my children's approval of me, just as I am fully aware that they have the potential of hurting me. All of us have been impacted by someone's words whether they were intentional or unintentional. We all need to understand this concept of being vision casters as it can launch someone into a lifetime of success, or it can devastate their lives forever. We all can recall the power of words from someone we looked up to that set a course for our lives that still has a way of being the wind in our sails even today. Therefore, we need to understand the potential of our words regarding someone else as it can very likely alter the course of direction that they pursue. That my friend should place much importance on how I choose to use this thing called a tongue.  ( Click the read more tab)