Sanctified Imaginations
One of the themes God has been teaching me is that there are two approaches to life: memory and imagination. I think memory is an amazing gift from God. We can live and learn. The lessons of the past help us navigate the future so thank God for memory! But here is the catch. I think too many people live "out of memory." In other words, their future is dictated by their past. There lives could be described as "been there and done that." And I don't think that is the way God designed us to live our lives. I think He wants us to live "out of imagination." I'm absolutely convinced that our potential lies in a sanctified imagination.
So what does that have to do with the book of Acts?
Acts 2:17 says, "I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams." I think dreams and visions are the primary byproduct of being filled with the Spirit. You can't be Spirit-filled and not dream God-sized dreams. The size of your dreams tells me full you are of the Spirit. The more we allow the Spirit to fill us the bigger our imaginations become until we dream impossible dreams!
I love the way D.L. Moody put it a century ago. "Attempt something so great for God that it's doomed to failure unless God be in it."
One of my prayers during these ten days is that God would remove the veil and reveal Himself in new ways. And I feel a confirmation in my Spirit that the way God reveals himself is via dreams and visions and ideas and thoughts and passions and desires. I think dreams are God's primary dialect.
I had a thought recently: do guardian angels yawn? I wonder if our level of faith bores the heavenly hosts. I want us to live lives that cause angelic jaws to drop! And that means living our lives in the midst of impossible situations!
Everybody lives "under the influence" of someone or something. Most people live under the influence of past failures. I want to live under the influence the Spirit of God. And that means a sanctified imagination. And that usually means lots of "crazy ideas."
There is a passage that has totally gotten into my Spirit in the last week. It is turning into one of my favorite miracles. Jesus tells Peter to go fishing in 17:27. "Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." I think most of us would laugh one of the "awkward laughs" if Jesus told us to do that. Is he serious? Or is he kidding? This is the wildest and wackiest thing I've ever heard. But here is what passage reveals: you never know how God is going to make provision in your life. God may provide money in the mouth of a fish. This sure seems like a "crazy idea." Fishing for money. But when we obey those "crazy promptings" miracles happen. I think most of us are minus four-drachma coins because we aren't willing to go fishing for miracles!
I think one of the greatest mistakes the church has made is to instill a fear of dreams and desires. I'm learning to value God ideas more and more. I'd rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas!
A couple months ago I was asking God for a $2 million miracle. I won't go into details, but it is one of the miracles I'm praying for. I was thinking that God would provide that need externally. It's embarrassing even admitting this, but I was hoping God would send us some billionaire who would come knocking on our door and just write a check. And the Lord impressed on me that the $2 million miracle might be a $2 million idea. So now I'm praying for $2 million ideas!
But it all goes back to the Spirit of God. Everything comes from Spirit. I'm praying for Spirit-conceived ideas! Call me crazy, but I think there is a way to do church that no one has thought of yet and the Spirit of God is going to reveal it. I want to be part of that changing of the guard. I don't want to live out of memory and do church the way it's always been done. I want to live out of imagination and do church the way it's never been done.
Lord, fill me with your Spirit and sanctify my imagination so I think God thoughts and dream God dreams!
So what does that have to do with the book of Acts?
Acts 2:17 says, "I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams." I think dreams and visions are the primary byproduct of being filled with the Spirit. You can't be Spirit-filled and not dream God-sized dreams. The size of your dreams tells me full you are of the Spirit. The more we allow the Spirit to fill us the bigger our imaginations become until we dream impossible dreams!
I love the way D.L. Moody put it a century ago. "Attempt something so great for God that it's doomed to failure unless God be in it."
One of my prayers during these ten days is that God would remove the veil and reveal Himself in new ways. And I feel a confirmation in my Spirit that the way God reveals himself is via dreams and visions and ideas and thoughts and passions and desires. I think dreams are God's primary dialect.
I had a thought recently: do guardian angels yawn? I wonder if our level of faith bores the heavenly hosts. I want us to live lives that cause angelic jaws to drop! And that means living our lives in the midst of impossible situations!
Everybody lives "under the influence" of someone or something. Most people live under the influence of past failures. I want to live under the influence the Spirit of God. And that means a sanctified imagination. And that usually means lots of "crazy ideas."
There is a passage that has totally gotten into my Spirit in the last week. It is turning into one of my favorite miracles. Jesus tells Peter to go fishing in 17:27. "Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." I think most of us would laugh one of the "awkward laughs" if Jesus told us to do that. Is he serious? Or is he kidding? This is the wildest and wackiest thing I've ever heard. But here is what passage reveals: you never know how God is going to make provision in your life. God may provide money in the mouth of a fish. This sure seems like a "crazy idea." Fishing for money. But when we obey those "crazy promptings" miracles happen. I think most of us are minus four-drachma coins because we aren't willing to go fishing for miracles!
I think one of the greatest mistakes the church has made is to instill a fear of dreams and desires. I'm learning to value God ideas more and more. I'd rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas!
A couple months ago I was asking God for a $2 million miracle. I won't go into details, but it is one of the miracles I'm praying for. I was thinking that God would provide that need externally. It's embarrassing even admitting this, but I was hoping God would send us some billionaire who would come knocking on our door and just write a check. And the Lord impressed on me that the $2 million miracle might be a $2 million idea. So now I'm praying for $2 million ideas!
But it all goes back to the Spirit of God. Everything comes from Spirit. I'm praying for Spirit-conceived ideas! Call me crazy, but I think there is a way to do church that no one has thought of yet and the Spirit of God is going to reveal it. I want to be part of that changing of the guard. I don't want to live out of memory and do church the way it's always been done. I want to live out of imagination and do church the way it's never been done.
Lord, fill me with your Spirit and sanctify my imagination so I think God thoughts and dream God dreams!
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