LOVE it the first and foremost of the fruits of God's Spirit. It is much, much more than merely "one of the fruits." In reality it is the very basic, essential life of the living Christ which expresses itself in all the nine fruits enumerated both in Galatians 5:22,23 (Fruit of the Spirit) and I Corinthians 13:1-7 (Charity/Love). Look at the contrast here! Pretty amazing! Just wanted to share.
Read I Corinthians 13:1-7
LOVE.....
-- Does not seek her own, is NOT SELFISH or self-centered. (Love)
-- Does not rejoice in iniquity but rather REJOICES in the truth (Joy)
-- Is not easily provoked, but is SERENE and stable (Peace)
-- Suffers long, perseveres, is PATIENT(Longsuffering)
-- Is merciful, THOUGHTFUL, and concerned; it envies not (Kindness/Gentleness)
-- Is great, gracious, and generous; it is kind and GOOD(Goodness)
-- Thinks no evil but has FAITH in God and others (Faith)
-- Is HUMBLE and gentle, goes not vaunt itself (Meekness)
-- Is disciplined and CONTROLLED, does not behave unbecomingly (Temperance)
Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
All of the nine Fruits of the Spirit come from the same source and that source is GOD.
LOVE is not something God does, it's who He is!! And He lives in Us! Wow!
I John 4:16 Andwe have knownandbelieved the lovethatGodhathtous.Godislove;and he that dwellethinlovedwellethinGod,andGodinhim.
Having just a mere glimpse at the content of God's love discloses that here we are face to face with a powerful, potent life principle. We are dealing with a divine dimension of living; a radical life style.
God grant that within us there might be generated an enormous, overwhelming, irresistible desire to become like Him who is LOVE....to have reproduced in us the fruit of His life. Our life is no longer to be lived for ourself but for Him and His! As we make that choice, His life and His love floods in to produce eternal, enduring fruit! It is only through the working of His Spirit that we are capable of living a life portraying His fruit and to show forth the Love of God to others, loving them as He loves with an unconditional love. Praise God! Remember me in your prayers as I begin to seek God on the writings of a book titled, "If It Wasn't For THE LOVE OF GOD." Be blessed, Connie
I want to share the five main points from each lesson
as a reminder of what can help us Walk in the Spirit.
Remember...
To "Walk in the Spirit" is something we do by the enablement of the Spirit!
1. RENEWING OF THE MIND only comes through the Word of God and our lives are transformed through the work of the Spirit. We can't live a positive life with a negative mind.
2. WE SPEAK WORDS OF LIFE by giving God the reign of our heart. Each time you speak, you are prophesying your future. Speak no longer negative, but positive.
3. CASTING OUR CARES ON THE LORD is a spiritual transaction of trusting Him and acknowledging that He is in charge and that outcomes are ultimately His domain. This lightens your load. When we cast our cares into God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts!
4. PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD equips us with all we need for spiritual battle everyday. Never leave home without it! Prayer is essential in the ongoing battle. Stay in close communication with the Commanding Officer!
5. FASTING is denying the flesh and allowing the Spirit in you, full reign. Let it be done (1) in secret, (2) with the right motive - to seek God, (3) led by the Spirit and (4) accompanied by prayer
May we all "Walk in the Spirit" so we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh,
God's chosen fast is found in Isaiah 58:6 ~ Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
In Matthew 17, Jesus tells of a time when his disciples tried casting a demon out of a boy and nothing happened and Jesus said it was because of their unbelief and that these times may require prayer and fasting.
Fasting is important to a person's walk with God. No, it does not move God, it moves you because you are denying the flesh and allowing the Spirit, full reign. Fasting breaks the power of the flesh and its fleshly desires.
Fasting needs to be accompanied by prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are called to fast in secret with a desire to hunger for God and His Presence in our lives. God sees the sincerity of our heart and is pleased when our motive is simply to do our best to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Motive for fasting is very important. We fast with one motive and that is to seek God. If we fast just to impress people or as a ritual or a test of will power, this has been and always will be unacceptable to God. He just won't listen to your pleas and requests.
"Sometimes we are so hungry that the only way to get fed is to fast" -- Susan Gregory, Author of The Daniel Fast. There are different types of fasting and depends on the one God has chosen you to do. Some do liquid fasts, fast just a meal, and some can even be called to fast from TV, Computer or anything taking up more of your time that should be spent for God.
When fasting is mentioned in Scripture, it is not addressed as...IF you fast. It is addressed as...WHEN you fast. (Matthew 6:16-18) So it is expected of us because it IS very beneficial to our walk with God. Let it be done (1) In Secret, (2) With the right motive - to seek God, (3) Led by the Spirit and (4) Accompanied by Prayer.
Fasting can give us boldness and confidence to win spiritual battles and to fight the enemy. Fasting reveals things. Sometimes we are not even aware how cluttered our life is until we fast. A fast uncovers clutter, sins, extra baggage, weights and disorder.
Maybe you are one that has never fasted nor been told much about it, therefore have never had a desire to since you never knew of it's purpose or benefits. If you are a Believer, I encourage you to experience His power through prayer and fasting. Ask the Lord to prepare you as a chosen vessel to fast and intercede and to impart the spirit of intercession to you so that His mighty power is shown.
Enter into it wisely with baby steps before running. Be responsible. Don't decide to fast a week if you've never even fasted for three days. If you're being led by the Spirit to fast, then the Spirit will carry you through it.
May you know no other hunger but a hunger and thirst for the living God, for you shall be filled! (Matthew 5:6) Ask the Lord to birth in you the desire to pray and fast to achieve mighty things for Him and to let your motive to fast and pray always be sincere in His sight.
Allow Him to remove all the works of the flesh, carnal desires, selfish thoughts from you so that you may be empty before Him to molt and melt you and break any hardness of the heart that may be present, so that you can then approach Him with tears of humility. Fasting should change you for the better. It should make you more pliable in the Spirit and more compassionate, not proud and haughty.
Begin to fast regularly especially if you begin feeling a heaviness in the body, a sluggishness or depression. This can indicate a time to fast, have special prayer and to withdraw from certain pleasures. It's time to become alive in the spirit once again!!
May you begin to see the hand of God move mightily in your own life and your family's life!
Asking the Lord to birth in me the desire to pray and fast,
Connie Schmoll
I highly recommend the book, "When Ye Fast" written by Joy Haney.
Ephesians 6:10 ~ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
We, as Christians are fighting a spiritual battle everyday and that battle is between the Spirit and the flesh. It is important that we begin each day making sure that we have on the armor of God and be prepared for any battle that awaits us. It is true what the Lord spoke to me through a devotional, that He has equipped us with all we need. Read Ephesians 6 to learn of the Armor of God.
-- Helmet of Salvation - protects our thinking. God promises us if we remain true and faithful to Him, no matter what, we have a home in heaven. Even if we lose some of our battles in life situations here on earth, we still have eternal life promised in heaven.
-- Breastplate of Righteousness - helps protect from the slings and arrows (temptations) from the evil one. Our righteousness is through Christ Jesus who gives us the desire to do right, which protects us from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
-- Shield of Faith - helps extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. When we put our faith in God as we read and learn about Him, we build faith. (Proverbs 3:5,6) It is faith that helps us win the battle. The Bible tells us that we obtain this faith by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Faith comes via Scripture as we continue to read and learn of Him.
-- Loins Girded with Truth - holds everything else together. If we do not have truth, there is no way for us to win the battle. The Word of God is our absolute source of truth today. If we do not have ourselves girded with truth, then there is no way for us to win. The truth sets us free. (John 8:32) The entrance of God's Word gives us light. (Psalm 119:130)
-- Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace - If our lives are not built around the Gospel, then there is no way we are going to make it. Take the Gospel with you wherever you go. It's important that we know and understand the Gospel. Hide it in your heart so we won't sin against Him. (Psalm 119:11)
-- Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God - our spiritual tool needed to defeat the devil just as Jesus used when He was tempted in the wilderness. The Word is God's power of salvation. (Romans 1:16) and is living, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Along with putting on the Armor we must be Praying always in the Spirit which is essential in the ongoing battle. Prayer is our direct communication to God. Prayer is not to change God's will or His mind; it is for us to be conformed to His will. Prayer is all throughout the Bible.
Prayer is not only for asking...but it's also declaring - praying the Word. Also prayer is listening, letting God talk to us. God has so much that He wants to tell us. We just have to take the time to listen. Prayer is the most important conversation of the day.
Sometimes we don't know what or how to pray. That is why the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us intercedes for us in prayer.
Romans 8:26,27 ~ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Intercessory prayer is also much needed during battle. God has made a way for us to be able to intercede for others. At times He may lay someone on our heart to pray for them. Or other times, we may feel a weight of something on us...or just feel an urgency to pray - God calling us to prayer...to intercede. We may never know why or who it was for, but know that God does! I thank God for those who have interceded for me!
I Timothy 2:1 ~ I urge then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone...
Quote by Francis Frangipane:
"If you want to be like Christ, you must be willing to lay your life down for others. As an Intercessor, you will "stand in the gap." What is the gap? It is the distance between the way things are and the way things could be if God intervened. You stand in the space between the failures of man and the mercies of God and intercede. Anyone can find fault in others, but can we stand in the gap and pray for mercy to triumph over judgment?"
Psalm 55:22 ~ Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
No matter what your circumstances may be, God can - and will - carry you through them. Sometimes you may be weighed down by a situation that seems too heavy for you. Do not try to cope with this burden alone. Instead, bring it into His care and keeping. Although your circumstances may not change right away, you can find real relief through this process.
Casting your burden on Him is a spiritual transaction. You trust Him and acknowledge that He is in charge of your life and that the outcomes are ultimately His domain. This lightens your load immensely, relieving you from feeling responsible for things beyond your control.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not unto your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
He tells us to come to Him when we are burdened. Matthew 11:28-30 ~ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When you come to Him weary and burdened, He has promised that He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you - trusting in His unfailing Love - and let Him carry your heavy load. For He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
All that weighs heavy on you is not for you to carry. Give it all to Him! Cast your cares on Him and leave it at His feet to take care of, because He cares for you! 1 Peter 5:7
When we put our cares in His hands, He puts His peace in our hearts!
Romans 12:1,2 ~ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We must renew the mind with the Word of God. When thoughts come that are not of God and His ways, bring them into captivity and cast them out. This is what the Bible says to do in 2 Corinthians 10:4,5. Don't receive them! Don't dwell on them! Replace them with the positive, the good, the Word! His Promises! His Truth! Our minds are renewed by God's Word and our lives are transformed through the work of the Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make God your default focus. Try and become conscious of your thoughts when your mind is at rest. Don't let them gravitate towards worries or even some pleasure seeking. Some of these thoughts are useful but others are not.
Spending some time in quietness is a big need - away from TV, radio and other distracting noises. Communicate with God frequently throughout your day. Also it is vital that you saturate your mind with Scripture, which is all about Him. (Psalm 119:11) As you practice these disciplines, you will gradually be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Lesson #2
Speak Words That Produce Life
Proverbs 18:21 ~ Death and life is in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit there of.
Just as with our thoughts, we must also be careful what we speak. We must begin to speak words that bring life, not death. Positive not negative. First, renewing our minds with God's Word will help change what we speak because what comes out of our mouth usually begins with a thought.
I saw this quote the other day, "To bridle your tongue, give God the reins of your heart." Again...we are giving it to God and not trying to control it (the flesh) ourselves. Focus on Him (the Spirit) and let Him do it!
If you have the Spirit of God living in you, acknowledge that power within. Knowing that you have the conscious choice to pull lessons from both your positive and negative experiences today, what can YOU DO to make a better life for yourself?
The first thing is to change what you speak. As Scripture says, "Death and life is in the power of the tongue". Do you know that each time you speak, you are prophesying your future? Speak no longer negative, but positive. Let your words now produce life instead of death. THEN you'll start seeing good and bright things growing in your life instead of bringing death to those great things God wants for you!!!
Reflection:
Take some time to read and meditate on God's Word and pick out some of His Promises and the Scriptures that are your favorites that have made a difference in your life. Memorize them and hide them in your heart. Renew your mind with God's Word and begin speaking His words over your circumstances. Allow the Spirit to transform your life and you'll begin to see it getting easier to handle situations that come your way that were hard to handle before. His Word is alive and living in you!!
We can't live a positive life with a negative mind!
Renewing my mind and speaking words that bring life,
I was becoming a bit weary and frustrated lately on the constant talk about the flesh and how we were to keep trying to control it, and found that this caused me to focus more on the flesh. My first thought was, "What's the deal?!" Then God laid a Scripture on my heart that made me aware of the cause of the weariness and frustration and it all began to make sense to me.
Paul said in Galatians 5:16 to "Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh". This made me realize that we had it all backwards. We were trying to bring the flesh under control so we could walk in the Spirit but all this was doing was causing us to be more focused on the flesh than on the Spirit.
Romans 8:6 says "For us to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Your mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, but when your mind is focused on the flesh, trying to control it all the time, it brings death, negativity, you become frustrated and you grow weary of trying. I decided then to begin focusing on the Spirit and it's been so much better for me. Wow!!
The Lord let me know that He has equipped us with all we need to learn to "walk in the Spirit" and that His Word and His Spirit are freely here to help.
He spoke to me through a devotional written by Sarah Young, "Remember that I have fully equipped you to handle whatever comes your way. What you need is help in using the equipment."
I began to read, study and pray to learn more about 'walking in the Spirit' and what it actually meant and I wanted to share with you all I have been learning.
What does it mean to "walk in the spirit"?
To "walk in the spirit" is something we do by the enablement of the Spirit. The Spirit enables us by producing in us strong desires that accord with God's will. This is pretty much what God said he would do in Ezekiel 36:26-27 - "A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you...I will put my Spirit within you and CAUSE (emphasis mine) you to walk in My statutes". So...when we walk in the Spirit, we experience the fulfillment of this prophecy.
We, as Believers have the Spirit of Christ, the hope of glory within us. Those who walk in the Spirit will show forth daily, moment-by-moment holiness. This is brought about by consciously choosing by faith to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide in thought, word and deed.
We can know that we are walking in the Spirit if our lives are showing forth the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Beware of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-20) that keep you from inheriting the kingdom of God and just allow the Spirit to produce the godly fruit in your life instead.
Being filled (walking) with the Spirit is the same as allowing the Word of Christ to dwell in us. The result is thankfulness, singing and joy. To "walk in the spirit" is to follow the Spirit's leading. It is essential to "walk with" the Spirit, allowing Him to guide your steps and conform your mind.
I want to share a few things that will help us in "Walking in the Spirit". Here is the list but I will be sharing them in separate postings, so...be watching for them.
Renewing of the Mind
Speaking Words That Produce Life
Cast Your Cares on the Lord
Put on the Armor of God
Fasting
Watch for the first lesson or lessons in next posting.
Hi Friends & Family, God laid a Scripture on my heart today that I wanted to share with you --
Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh".
Where many Christians get it wrong is, they turn this scripture around and are trying to demand the
flesh in subjection so they can walk in the Spirit. I have found that
the only results you're going to get by doing this is...you're going to find yourself always
focused on the flesh.
Start focusing on the SPIRIT.....and begin to use what God has equipped you with to help you Walk in the Spirit, THEN you shall
NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh! His WORD and His SPIRIT are freely available to help us.
That's what I've decided
to do. I'm no longer going to focus on the flesh, trying to get it under
control, but I choose to focus on the Spirit and then automatically the
flesh WILL be under control.
Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus for your WORD!!! Your Word excites me!!
This will be a topic for my next writing/lesson. :)
The morning started out pretty good for me but as time went on, a heaviness began to hover over me and I kept reliving Sunday over and over again. I was very troubled and right away knew that this was mine (burden) and not someone elses. I knew it was a continuation of what came on me Sunday after I shared at church. God has been teaching me about the gift of discernment.
So I thought okay, let's get rid of this and I told my flesh to shut up then started busying myself around the house. This is what we had been learning at church: to just tell our flesh to shut up when something comes on us. And the leader of the church had been teaching on Spirit, soul and body.
Anyway, this went on for some time (shouting at my flesh) but I'm sorry, it just was not working for me. Everyone is different and things work differently for each person and God knows exactly what we need. So it finally got to the point where it was all I could take and I plopped myself down in the chair at my kitchen table and began to cry. I said, "God, here I am bawling and squalling and MY flesh is NOT wanting attention because there ain't nobody else here!"
I began to pour my heart out to God which is what the Bible refers to as "casting our cares upon him". Then a Scripture in John came to me, "Let not your heart be troubled..." I had dropped my face down into my open Bible and as I lifted my head, I saw it was open to the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 because the previous night I had looked up some scripture references in my lessons I had previously written.
As I began to read and still crying, God began speaking to me. I LOVE His Word because He often speaks to me through His Word in times like this. This moment was one of those "special times" when He is really speaking through the pages as I read. Moments like these used to happen a lot for me years ago, mainly at Bible College but it had been awhile since it happened this way again.
As I read in Luke 10, it was NOT Martha He spoke to, it was ME He was speaking to. It was also as if He reached out as He spoke, wiping a tear from my cheek, saying, "Connie, Connie, you're troubled about many things. Come sit at my feet which is the better thing needed." (This is what Mary had chosen to do) And during this moment, He didn't say a whole lot more, but just began to pour out His love on me.
He did not condemn me because I hadn't stayed strong but had become "fleshy". He was not mad because I was emotional and crying. He did not make me feel bad because I was crying and was a mess. And I was not ashamed for my tears either because I KNOW what He does with my tears. He collects them in a bottle and He records it in His book. He is aware of all the situations that bring me to tears and He turns all those things around for the good and uses those tears as 'rivers of healing' that He pours over me during those difficult times.
Next to me on the table was my IPad and little did I know at this time, there was a message sent to me from my husband, Don, telling me to just 'let it all go' like it never happened. He knew I was troubled about many things and I was reminded of my lesson, "Guard Your Heart".
At this time, the phone rang and it was my friend, Julia. I said hello. She said she called to see how I was doing. I told her I was doing okay and asked how she was doing and she answered okay. So then I thought, okay, now that we've both lied to each other all because we didn't want to tell how we really were doing because we aren't suppose to FEEL, it was time to get to the REAL purpose of this phone call.
I began to share with her truthfully how my day had been going and she shared a bit with me. At the end of the call we both were encouraged and uplifted and it was wonderful! Praise God! Our call ended with....the most important thing is what GOD thinks, not man and we need to prepare our self for these times, by "guarding our heart". Julia had read all my lessons so we both knew what we needed to do.
When I hung up the phone, I no more than got turned around in my seat and saw that I had left my Facebook open on my computer screen and there coming down the newsfeed was a post by Sarah Young's page. She wrote the Jesus Calling Devotional. Wow! I didn't remember reading THAT one for that day but then realized it was a post from "Jesus Calling for Kids" book. So I had to call Julia back to read it to her. It read:
"I know that sometimes you doubt yourself. You worry about what people think of you. You're afraid that you're not good enough. You think no one cares. I want you to bring those fears and doubts to Me and let me give you peace".
You see, God was bringing us back into His peace....that Resting place in Him. Thank you, Lord!
After hanging up the phone again, I also realized that Julia was one that understood what I had tried sharing in church Sunday morning and God had actually used her in that very same way that I shared. She had something come on her and knew right away it was not hers (burden) because God laid Don and I on her heart, then she discerned what the Spirit wanted to do...pray for us or call or what? God led her to call and I'm SO thankful she did!
You see, Saturday night when I went to bed, God began to download in my Spirit all I was to share on Sunday. He also let me know that not everyone was going to receive what I had to share and to be prepared. So I knew already how the service was going to be FOR ME before it even began. God prepared me but....
I still failed.
You ever have that happen to you? God prepares you for something but you still end up failing? I hate when that happens to me (sigh). I hate MYSELF when I ALLOW it to happen!
I failed to 'guard my heart' and because I did, I needed my God-time to get me back in His peace - that place of resting in Him.
But anyway, it didn't end there. God was not done yet. Thank you Jesus! That evening I received an email from another friend, Roberta. It read....
Hi Connie, I could see that you were guarded last night. The Lord put you on my heart and all I could do was pray for you that you could be set free.
HALLELUJAH! She was praying for me! She was interceding for me! That's what I needed! Thank you Jesus. And thank you, Roberta!
Then her letter continued and this was the beautiful part and the words that God knew that I needed and I knew also that Julia would understand them as well. It read....
Connie, I want you to know that you are a very special friend and I really do appreciate you. God brought you back here for a reason. We are all growing and sometimes like a child we are trying to find our way and learning what is right and wrong. What God has really helped me with is, it's okay to fail. Then as we give it to God, He can turn it around for a mighty miracle.
Then I wept before God once again.
I praise and thank God today for those who ARE sensitive to His Spirit and know His voice and was obedient to Him that day and stood in the gap for me! Praise God, thank you Jesus!
Let me end with this: PLEASE just be aware that when something does come upon you, don't be so quick to just shout, "SHUT UP" to your flesh but take just a moment to discern what it is. It could very well be an "indicator" that someone needs prayer....needing YOU to stand in that gap for them....to intercede for them. It's called Intercessory Prayer and God calls many to be Prayer Warriors as their ministry....a powerful ministry!
I saw this quote and thought it to be appropriate to share here:
Feelings are indicators, not dictators. -- Lysa TerKeurst
Does not pain felt in the body indicate something is wrong? Something to think about!
I'm so thankful that God never leaves me and He's always there to catch me whenever I fall!
Amen! To God Be All The Glory!
Love you all,
Connie
If viewing this from email, visit my site to listen to the song, "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss
Every once in a while, I like sharing messages that others write that really ministers to me, especially those written by Andrew Wommack. I have shared a few of his before on my site. Today I'm wanting to share his message on "The Power of Hope"! This is SO GOOD! I hope you glean a lot from it as I did! Be blessed! -- Connie Schmoll
Most people give more importance to love and faith than they do to hope, but that’s not what Scripture says.
Look at 1 Corinthians 13:13:
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Since love is the greatest of the three and hope is just before love, that means hope is the second greatest, even above faith. Hope is more powerful than they realize. Something the Lord shared with me that really made this truth come alive is that hope is a positive imagination.
Romans 8:24-25 says,
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is
not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? [25] But if we
hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Here, Paul was saying that hope is for something that
isn’t seen, something that isn’t present. Once it becomes present,
there’s no longer any reason to hope for it. So, hope means you’re
looking at something that you can’t see. You might be thinking, Well, if you can’t see it, how are you looking at it?You can see things with your heart, and this is what I believe the imagination is.
In Isaiah 26:3, it says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” The word “mind” here is translated “imagination”
four other times in the Old Testament. So, you could quote this verse
this way: “The Lord will keep you in perfect peace when your imagination
is stayed upon Him.”
A lot of Christians would reject the idea of imagination
because they nearly always relegate it to something that’s childish.
But your imagination is your ability to see with your heart what you
can’t see with your eyes, and you use this every single day.
You may not have thought about this, but did you know
that you couldn’t get home if you didn’t have an imagination? It’s
because in your mind, you picture your house and how to get there.
You think in pictures. An example of this would
be if I said “apple,” you wouldn’t see the letters a-p-p-l-e—you’d see
an apple. You might picture a red apple or a green apple, but I could
refine what I wanted you to see by saying “a big red apple.” The more
words I used to describe the apple, the clearer the picture would become
in your mind. Whether you know this or not, you can’t think of
something you can’t picture. You need to be able to picture something to
truly comprehend it.
Your imagination is how you think, how you meditate,
how you understand, and how you remember things. You really can’t do
anything without an imagination. You have to take the Word of God and let it excite your imagination.
It says in Genesis 6:5,
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.
This is talking about deep thoughts, not just surface
thoughts. God deals with us on a heart level (1 Sam. 16:7), and He sees
the imaginations of our hearts. The reason I’m spending so much time on
this is because a lot of people just don’t think that imagination is that big of a deal. But the Lord dealt with people according to the imaginations of their hearts.
Hope is more than “I want this to happen” or “I wish this would happen.” Hope is your imagination. Every time the Scripture talks about imagination in a positive way, it uses the word hope.
When Paul talked about hope, he was seeing things with his heart. He
was taking the promises of God, and through those promises, he was
seeing God cause him to succeed. And sad to say, most people, because
they don’t understand this process or how important this is, they allow
their imaginations to be controlled by other things—and they see
themselves failing. They see themselves poor or sick.
But when what God has told you becomes a vision on the inside of you, you will wait for it with patience (Rom. 8:25). People
who can quit and give up are people whose imagination is
negative—they’re seeing the negative side of something instead of the
positive side of it. They don’t have hope.
Whether you know it or not, your imagination is dictating how your life goes.
And if you aren’t aware of what I’m talking about and don’t think this
is important, all it means is you aren’t controlling your imagination.
It’s being manipulated and controlled for you, and you see the negative.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Prov. 23:7a)
The way you think is the way your life is going. And this may not bless some of you, but it’s intended to help you: If your life isn’t going well, if things are a mess, it’s because you’ve conceived it in your imagination.
Your imagination is like soil. Soil doesn’t care what kind of seed you
plant in it; the moment it’s planted, the soil starts producing. It’s
the same thing with your heart and your imagination. Your imagination
will conceive something and automatically start making it come to pass,
whether it’s positive or negative. It’s like your spiritual womb. That’s
a big statement.
The imagination isn’t moral or immoral; it’s what you focus your attention on that affects it. You get to choose whether your imagination is positive—which is hope—or negative, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I could spend a lot of time talking about this, but the bottom line is you need to shut off all the negative things that are grabbing at you. Luke 21:26 says that people’s hearts would fail them for fear, looking at all the things that are happening on the earth. You
have to stay in God’s Word and let it dominate you, or I guarantee you,
the unbelief of this world will extinguish your positive imagination. It’ll make it become vain.
So,
I’ve laid a foundation for this, but there is much more to share that I
think would really help you. God will put a positive imagination, a
hope, in you that’ll make a difference, and you’ll be believing and
looking for better results than you ever have. Hope is powerful.
Again, it’s the second greatest thing in the Christian life, greater
even than faith. You’ve got to understand the power of your imagination
if you’re going to harness the power of hope. As I share about hope in
my newest teaching, The Power of Hope, I believe that this could
establish some things in your life that would move you in a positive
direction and make a huge difference for you.
If
you’ve been hopeless and you know you’ve been looking only at the
natural circumstances and negative things in your life, I pray that God
would help you to change your focus and start seeing the positive things
He has for you. I believe that as you listen to this teaching, a positive imagination will come alive in you. Hope will start motivating you and driving you toward God the Father. Thank You, Jesus.
To order The Power of Hope, go to their website: www.awmi.net, or call their Helpline: 719-635-1111.
