Imaginations of the heart
Imaginations of the heart
When Jesus first appeared to me, He looked like this picture. Right throughout my life, I have been exposed to a similar front facing picture of Jesus in many homes I visited in India and abroad. This image had glued itself so much into my mind and heart that I believe when Jesus did appear to me in 1987, He made Himself known in the way I had imagined Him.
This revealed to me a powerful way of God to communicate His revelation and truths to us concerning things He wants us to know. Imaginations are not all bad and one has to understand the power of imagination to appreciate the concept. In other words, "imaging" is like taking a photo of what your expectation is. It is bringing into perspective by spiritual sight the desires of your heart. When I sought a wife for myself, I not only specified the person in detail to God that I had desired but imagined how we would meet. In my youth, I was like others who were inspired to have a romantic encounter at some stage in their lives. I imagined such an encounter. Well, it happened to me when I met Anoja. The encounter was as I had imagined it to be.
I encourage you to see yourself in this way, doing things for God. Imagine yourself healing, casting out demons, preaching and doing things for God. God already has placed these imaginations in you. They are not the random workings of an over imaginative mind but are specific to you. This is one way to find your calling and gifting in God. When you begin to imagine, you become a dreamer. A dreamer is not a lazy person but a person who dreams of things that he wishes to bring into a reality. The more you imagine or dream the more likely you will start the journey toward realising that dream. Many think that such imaginations will never come to pass or that they are impossible. The Bible says; a man is as he thinks. If you think negatively, then you will never see the positive side to your life.
Be encouraged in the Lord to know that He will give you the desires of your heart. Yet, He is waiting for you to ask Him for them. When you delight in Him and walk in the knowledge of His love for you, He will give them to you because He loves you and wants you to have what you desire. Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
The journey is always realising the things that have been placed inside of you. Once you realise what is in you, they become irrevocable. Yet, they remain dormant if they are not released by faith. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, it would be like a well within her. Meaning to say, the life giving water that she desired even though given, will only give life as it flows. The only way for it to flow is for her to draw from the well within her. Many Christians have all that God has for them but never use it. The word of God is the vessel that allows you to draw from within yourself.
A Christian died and went to heaven. He was being shown various parts of heaven by Peter when he spied a rather beautiful building. When he inquired of Peter as to what that building might be, Peter tried to change the subject and dissuade him from visiting that building. However, this Christian insisted and went into the building. He found neatly stacked boxes on shelves with names on them. He inquired of Peter if his name was on one of the boxes. Peter tried to dissuade him again but he insisted on seeing his box. When he opened the box, his jaw dropped at what he saw inside. The box contained all the things that were given to him by God that he had never received while he was on earth because he never sought them or asked for them. The Bible says; "ask and you will receive". As a result this Christian had led a lesser life on earth without the blessings that were designated for him.
There is a field of possibility. What seems impossible for man becomes possible for God in this field. Only imaginations bring this field into perspective. God told Mary what was impossible in having a virgin birth for her was possible for him. Jesus told Peter, what was impossible for man to do to enter heaven was possible for God to do. Raising the dead, stilling a storm, or healing someone is not impossible but very possible. Therefore, the field of possibilities is actually quite wide. God says this in Isaiah. Isa 48:6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. Isa 48:7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
I have always found Isa 48.7 fascinating. It means, God will create now for us, anything that we can think of and even do more than we can think according to the power in us Eph 3.20. This is incredible news. We can ask God to create on our behalf. Many have thought that once God created the heavens and the earth and all that there is in it, He stopped creating. This is further from the truth than the sun is from the earth. God is a Creator and will always create because His imagination is unlimited. He loves creating. In the last days God is releasing witty inventions to those who are listening. The Spirit of God is hovering over those who have great imaginations.
While the Bible teaches us not to allow imaginations to exalt themselves above God, it does not limit us from imagining. Only pride will exalt itself above God and try to say that it is a creator. So, God avoids the proud and gives grace to the humble. When God gave Joseph two dreams, Joseph became proud and boasted to his father and brothers about it. This caused animosity
among the brothers resulting in Joseph's slaver and misery for seventeen years. However, God had a plan. The dreams did come true but at a price. That is why we must walk humbly when God uses us and tells us things that He does not tell others. Revelations of God are to be contained or a thorn in the flesh may result.
In the last days, we will see many signs, wonders, and some of them will be true and others will be lies. We know that the evil one will come with many lying signs and wonders. They will play with people's imaginations and thoughts. So, how do we know what is of God and what is not of God? This is where discernment is required. When man is influenced by the devil to raise himself above God, there is a price to pay. Unfortunately, many will be deceived. God Himself will send delusion to many and they will speak of things that are not from God but are of this devil. 2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
When we walk with a sound mind, imaginations will not be a problem. When imaginations become fantasies then we have a problem. To keep them apart, we need to focus on reality that is in the natural and in the spiritual. In the natural, we know the limitations of man are being constantly stretched to go further and faster. Many witty inventions have been discovered and man has progressed more in 60 years than he has in 6000 years of his existence. This has all come by imagination. God said that knowledge will increase on earth in the last days. This is a sign to us that the last days are upon us. We are seeing it outworked right before our eyes and now, nothing seems impossible for man. This is when God will intervene because man is on course for self-destruction. Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
We can glean from the verses above that men have vivid imaginations but not all are good or acceptable to God. Today we can go to the moon by rocket ships, we can speak on mobile phones to any part of the world and do so many other things that defy and boggle the mind. Inventions are nothing more than imaginations that have become a reality. A man imagines, then he begins to draw his imaginations and then he makes his drawing come to life. This is the power of imagination.When you put down what you think on paper, it takes shape and comes to life. This is the power of planning. Try it. Vision something in your mind and put it down on paper and before long it will become a reality as you work on it.
There is a prayer that we can all pray according to Eph 1.17:23. When you personalise this prayer, it will become a reality in your thinking. Soon, you will be in such revelation about Jesus, you will wonder why you never saw it before. It is time to imagine with Godly imagination and soon you will discover a world of difference in your Christian walk. You will find a sense of purpose and direction that you never had before and the impossible will become possible. God is waiting for you to imagine. Some people have strange imaginations and this leads them to fear and all other sorts of thoughts that have no bearing on reality. This is the domain of the devil who plays on people's imaginations. Then there are others who imagine vain things with an intention of using their imaginations against God. Psa 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
As a result of man's stupidity, Apostle Paul advices us to be wise about our imaginations and wants us to take hold of them so as to control them and bring them into obedience before Jesus. 2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Strongholds are imaginations gone wild. They are thoughts fixed on things that have grown over a period either through the infiltrations of the mind by the devil or false teaching and misunderstanding of God's word. For example; a person who suffers anorexia has a fixed mind based on imaginations about oneself. Once these strongholds take hold, they must be cast down. They cannot remain; otherwise, they will destroy the person concerned. The mind must be renewed with new thoughts as stated in the following verse Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
God does not want us to operate out of fear. Therefore, He has given us the Spirit of power, love, and sound mind. Once we employ the spirits of power, love, and sound mind, we will walk on a different plain to normal secular thinking. The sound mind is activated by faith, which tells the thinker what is of God and what is of the world and the devil. Then the thinker knows he is on the right path because it aligns with God's word.What can you imagine?
Love
Pastor Noble
25/01/2015
Jesus said; "I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven...............