What if all the motivational teachings and Christian books on “vision” are actually leading you away from God’s design for your life?
A few days ago, I was reading a book about vision written by a well-known “Christian” coach and author, which would imply it was grounded in biblical principles. But as I read the introduction, something felt off. The author described vision as something coming from your heart that God has “determined” for you to do, and suggested that everyone with vision is destined for greatness.
He used the analogy of an acorn: by faith, you can see the tree from the seed. This sounds inspiring, right? But here’s the truth: we don’t need faith to believe an acorn will become a tree. That is not vision. That’s just how God designed it to work.
An acorn doesn’t need to dream about becoming a tree. It doesn’t need a vision board or a five-year plan. God already wired everything necessary into that seed. All it needs is the right soil, water, and time.
But this confusion between vision and design is everywhere in Christian self-help today. We’ve started treating God’s natural design like it requires some special revelation or intense personal striving.
Jesus said it plainly: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Notice He didn’t say “visualize fruit” or “dream about fruit.” He said remain. Abide. Let the design work.
The Problem with Endless Books
Here is what Solomon figured out thousands of years ago: “Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Ecclesiastes 12:12-13).
Think about that. The wisest man who ever lived essentially said, “You can read yourself into exhaustion, but it all comes down to this: fear God and do what He says.”
So why do we keep chasing the next motivational speaker, the next book, the next breakthrough method? Because deep down, we think there’s some secret formula we haven’t discovered yet. But here is the thing. Self-help principles only “work” for people who are already rooted in the principles, and those principles are mostly found in the bible. And even then, what actually transforms us isn’t the principles we learn but the Holy Spirit working in us as we walk in alignment with God.
David understood this: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Without that foundation, vision becomes just another form of striving. And striving outside of God’s design always leads to emptiness.
When Vision Goes Wrong
Picture a young person raised in chaos. Poverty, abuse, survival mode. They listen to one of these self-help teachings or read one of these books and get fired up. They create this inspiring life plan, complete with goals and timelines. On paper, it looks amazing.
They’re a Christian, but not rooted in God’s Word. So instead of cultivating what God has actually placed in their hands, they spend years chasing a mental picture they created. The foundation isn’t solid, so everything built on it eventually crumbles or worse – nothing gets built.
Let me give you a better example. I was recently speaking to a man well past typical marriage age who has never been married. He’d been following one of these teachers and kept telling me, “We’re supposed to work. That’s what makes you wealthy.”
He is not wrong. Work does bring money. But only work done in alignment with God’s commands results in fruitfulness.
Here is what should probably have happened in God’s design: This man would have received some clarity about his life assignment much earlier. An assignment that required a helper. He would have prioritized marriage out of obedience, not convenience. He would have cultivated that relationship well and watched God multiply his efforts. Scripture is clear: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22).
And here’s something deeper: most men need a marriage to be truly fruitful. If that weren’t true, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die for the Church to be His bride. Marriage isn’t just a nice-to-have relationship – it’s a reflection of the ultimate spiritual reality.
God’s assignments are designed to require the helper He provides. Even when you choose, it’s still God that provides. If you can handle your life assignment completely on your own, it’s probably not from God.
Instead, he decided to have casual relationships with women, wasted years doing what felt good to him, and buried himself in work that went nowhere. Now he’s trying to get married in his forties, but he’s out of season.
He’s financially stable but not wealthy. He’s older but not relationally mature. The women he approaches expect maturity and leadership he doesn’t have, which makes perfect sense, and he’s not meeting their expectations. Rejection piles up. Frustration builds.
So he thinks going after much younger women will solve the problem, but those relationships fail, too. Here is what people don’t understand: the same broken systems that shaped him have also shaped many of the women he’s pursuing, creating unrealistic expectations on both sides.
So he goes to a pastor, who blames spiritual warfare and tells him to sow more seed offerings. He does it, but nothing changes. Why? Because the problem isn’t the devil. It’s a misalignment with God’s design.
Now he’s starting to think Christianity doesn’t work or that marriage may not be for him. But the real issue is simple: he aligned with human systems instead of God’s design.
Thriving vs. Striving: Two Different Definitions of Success
Here is the difference: thriving is living according to God’s design and letting Him produce the fruit. Striving is trying to force outcomes through human effort and willpower.
There is a massive difference between fruitfulness as God defines it and fruitfulness as the world defines it. The world calls fruitfulness wealth, status, recognition, and achievement. God calls fruitfulness obedience, covenant relationships, and lasting kingdom impact.
If you want marriage, don’t start with dating apps and pickup lines. Start with alignment:
- Ground your identity in Christ, not in being single or relational status.
- Grow your faith through an actual relationship with God, not just church attendance
- Build healthy friendships and learn how relationships actually work
- Learn to steward your finances, your health, and your time.
- Mature emotionally and spiritually. Nobody wants to marry a child in an adult’s body
Then guard what you’re building with the Holy Spirit’s help. Fruit will come naturally because that’s how God designed it to work. Not through forcing or manipulating outcomes.
It’s about having a growth mindset rooted in God’s Word. True biblical growth happens when we surrender our plans and trust His design. The day you stop growing in Christ, you stop making real progress in life.
But Wait—What About Successful Unbelievers?
I know what you’re thinking: “If abiding in Christ is the key to fruitfulness, why do non-Christians also succeed when they chase their dreams?”
Let’s be honest. There are plenty of unbelievers who are wealthy, influential, and even celebrated by the world. They’re not following Christ; they may even openly reject His design, yet they “prosper.”
That shouldn’t surprise us. Wealth, fame, or power are not proof of alignment with God. They are simply outcomes of applying certain principles in a system. Someone who is openly not living by God’s design but still has wealth and influence. Why? Because God wired creation with order. Discipline, innovation, and stewardship often produce results, even if the heart is far from Him.
First, principles work even without the relationship. God wired the world with certain patterns. Just like that acorn becomes an oak by design, diligence, discipline, and smart stewardship usually produce results. Even when someone doesn’t acknowledge God or live by His design. That’s why your non-Christian neighbor might follow some biblical principles of work and saving and see success, even though they don’t know they’re following biblical principles.
Second, God shows kindness to everyone. Jesus said it plainly: “He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45). This is what theologians call “common grace.” God’s general kindness sustains creation and allows even unbelievers to benefit from His order.
But here’s the danger: results outside of Christ almost always lead to pride. Pride says, “I did this on my own. I don’t need God.” That is Babylon at work – building towers to the sky while ignoring the One who created the ground they’re standing on.
So yes, unbelievers can accumulate wealth. But wealth without Christ is ultimately empty. It doesn’t transform into eternal fruit. It can’t reflect God’s image. And often, it becomes the very snare that keeps people blind to their need for Him.
True fruitfulness isn’t just getting results. It’s getting results through God’s design in a way that brings Him glory, not us.
It’s Not Too Late
Maybe you’re reading this thinking, “Great, I’ve wasted years going the wrong direction. Is it too late?”
Absolutely not. God specializes in second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances. The thief on the cross got eternal life in his final moments.
Here’s what repentance looks like practically:
- Stop striving and start abiding. Admit that your way isn’t working and surrender control to God.
- Return to the basics. What is God’s Word actually saying about your situation? Start there.
- Ask God what’s already in your hands. Don’t wait for some dramatic vision. Look at what He’s already given you to steward.
- If you can’t hear clearly, obey what you already know. Follow His clear commands while you wait for specific direction.
Start where you are. Cultivate, keep what you have. Resist the urge to lean on your own understanding. Be like Christ in everything you do.
Remember: you don’t need to strain to become the oak tree. You need to abide in the Vine and let God’s design unfold naturally. That’s where true fruitfulness begins.
Wherever you are right now, it’s never too late for God to start fresh with you.
As always, I’m rooting for you!
The oak tree was always inside the acorn. God’s design for your life is already inside you, too.
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