You can work diligently and be more disciplined than most… and still not have success.

It is so easy as business owners, builders, and entrepreneurs to think success is being good at the thing. But in reality being in alignment with our assignment from God is the thing and the only way to have success.

It doesn’t mean that what we are doing is necessarily “wrong” but we won’t find success there because it’s not for us.

I would know…I definitely try to control things WAY too much.

There have been seasons where I was showing up every day. Check the boxes. Cranking out content. Hustling faithfully in my own strength. And honestly, from the outside I look like I have it together

And yet… nothing was moving.

I wasn’t lazy. I wasn't doing anything wrong per se. I was just busy doing something God didn’t ask me to do anymore. I forgot when he speaks a new vision to move with it. And to be completely transparent, I was comfortable in the money from the last vision and didn’t want to move.

Ever been there?

Where your hands are full of tasks and to-do lists—but your spirit feels off? Where you’re trying to keep things from falling apart… but they still unravel?

I came across this verse and it made me realize the error of my way:

I’d read it before. But I never actually understood it.

So, I started asking: What does vision really mean? And what does it mean to "throw off all restraint"?

Here is what I found out about the word vision in Hebrew:

חָזוּן (chazon) It doesn’t mean a 5-year plan or a dream board. It means prophetic revelation.

Clarity from God. Not just a good idea. It comes down to divine alignment, not personal ambition.

In the Hebrew culture, chazon (vision) was received through proximity to God. It came from the Word. The Spirit. His presence.

And when you don’t have it?

That’s where the second part of the verse comes in:

That phrase comes from the Hebrew word יִפָרֲע (yippara)

It doesn’t just mean "they stop being disciplined." It literally means:

• To unravel

• To cast off structure

• To fall apart

So let me say this plainly:

When we don’t seek God’s vision, our lives unravel. Not in a dramatic, sinful collapse. But in slow, soul-tiring ways.

When you break down the word yippara it literally means:

• We speak without clarity (Pe - mouth)

• We act without purpose (Yod - hand)

• We lead without wisdom (Resh - head)

• We look without truth (Ayin - eye)

No wonder we feel scattered.

So what’s the answer?

It’s not to try harder. It’s to realign by spending time in his presence seeking HIS vision for us.

The verse ends with:

Torah (תּוֹרָה) doesn’t just mean "law" or “rules” the way we often think. It means instruction. Divine guidance.

It comes from the root word yarah — to aim or hit the mark.

So this whole verse is really saying:

If you’re not seeking God's direction, you will slowly fall apart. But if you stay anchored to His voice, you’ll walk in joy, purpose, and peace.

Here’s the hard part I’m learning: Discipline without vision is just dressed-up striving.

You can have a perfect routine and still miss the point.

And here’s the grace: Every day is a new invitation to get realigned.

The most important thing we can do in our business and our life is seek God for vision — daily. We do that by spending time in his presence.

A wise friend once told us that whenever a business opportunity comes along, they do their best to pause for 24 hours and seek God.

That kind of intentional pause? It’s hard. Especially when momentum is building and decisions need to be made.

But I think the heart behind it is everything.

It’s a posture of seeking God not just once, but daily.

Not just when we’re unsure, but even when things are flowing.

It’s easy to forget that. To stop asking. To move forward without checking in.

But alignment isn’t a one-time thing. It’s an everyday thing and it’s the ONLY thing that matters.

Here is the challenge, ask God:

• Where are You leading me this season?

• What have I picked up that You didn’t assign?

• Where am I operating in reaction instead of revelation?

His chazon is available. His Torah is trustworthy. And His way leads to life.

Reflection Questions:

• Am I doing things in my business God never asked me to do, or has asked me to stop doing?

• When was the last time I stopped to ask for fresh vision?

• What might God be inviting me to release, so I can realign?

Here is what I have learned: if I have stopped listening for vision, God will get my attention even if it means leading me into the wilderness. 

If that is the season you are in, be encouraged. You’re not failing. You’re being invited back into alignment.

Let Him lead. Let Him speak. Let your hands, mouth, head, and eyes move in sync with His heart.

Seeking His presence and His vision daily is the one discipline that matters.