The Power Of Imagination

“And the Lord said, behold, the people is one, and they have all one language, and this they begin to do: AND NOTHING WILL BE RESTRAINED FROM THEM, WHICH THEY IMAGINE TO DO” (Genesis 11:6).

The Merriam Webster dictionary meaning of the word imagination is to form a mental image of something not actually present to the senses. In the above scripture, a united humanity was making progress in the building of a tower they envisioned. God had to come down to disrupt the building project else they would have achieved their goal because of their unity and the imagination of their hearts. God Himself said nothing will be restrained from them which they imagine to do.

One of the Hebrew words for imagination is ‘yetser’ which means a form or conception. The human mind is basically divided into two: the memory and imagination compartments. With the memory, we replay events of the past; and with the imagination, we pre-play and visualize the outcomes we desire in the future. The imagination compartment is our spiritual womb. Below are three types of imagination, viz:

Vain imagination: The word vain means useless; something that produces no result. The Bible says because some people refuse to glorify God they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts became darkened (Romans 1:21). An unregenerate person who refuses to give ample room to God in his or her mind falls into this category. An evil mind that is being controlled by evil forces also fall into this category. This kind of imagination produces evil outcomes that is dangerous and detrimental to humanity.

Fertile imagination: This is productive imagination. This is the mind which has been cultivated and is harnessing the power of imagination resident within. Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich said “whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This maxim is in line with Ephesians 3, verse 20 which says God can grant to us whatever we ask or think according to the power resident within us. Many don’t receive from God because their words and the imagination of their hearts do not agree. You can’t be healed after praying for healing when at the same time you are thinking death. We produce good outcomes when there is alignment between the images we carry within and the words we speak.

Godly imagination: These are godly dreams and visions. They are images God Himself paints in the canvasses of the mind. He showed Abraham many stars in the night and told him his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the firmament (Genesis 15:5-6). As a new believer, I was greatly engrossed in playing chess with my unbelieving friends to the expense of my time with God, and God in convicting me to change my company began to show me images of chess board every time I kneel to pray. He communicated with me that the company I was keeping and the amount of time spent playing chess were a hindrance to my walk with Him.

Conclusion: What images are you forming in your mind? Are they positive or negative images? How do you see yourself? Our imagination is our spiritual womb. Like the mother hen that sits on his chicks before they hatch, we also conceive and incubate things within us before they manifest. God gave us imagination to help in our walk with Him. As we daily imagine His greatness, His Holiness, His acts, He shall become magnified in our lives. Remember that whatever you focus on magnifies in your life. Have a blessed month!

 

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

www.rccgpittsburgh.com

www.gboyegae.blogspot.com

From Setback To Comeback

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked fall by calamity” – (Proverbs 24:16).

The Bible is full of comeback stories. Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times, swore and cursed that he didn’t know Jesus when he was accosted and told that he was one of His followers! Peter recovered from that fall and became one of the greatest apostles of all times. Ruth came back from a serious setback of losing her husband at a young age and her cursed Moabite ancestry to become the great grandmother of King David and part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Her mother-in-law (i.e. Rahab) also overcame her sordid past of prostitution to become the great great grandmother of King David and a part of Jesus lineage. The Bible is full of stories of people who failed big but recovered to win big! Below are some things to consider in order to move from setback to comeback:

Divine Realization: This is simply to become aware of oneself from Heaven’s perspective. The prodigal son in Luke 15 was said to have “come to his senses” before embarking on the journey back home to his loving father. Not until he was feeding pigs and longed to be fed from the pods the pigs ate did he actually realize himself. An heir to unlimited fortune now feeding pigs because he was estranged from his father! The first step to comeback is to realize how much one has fallen and to make amends decisively.

Divine Encounter: Everyone who has come to Christ had a divine encounter. We need many of such encounters to stage a comeback from a fall. A divine encounter usually awakens our passion towards God, leading to a desire of making a positive difference in the world. A case in point is Moses who encountered God in the burning bush which didn’t consume the grass. Another is Smith Wigglesworth, a 20th century apostle. He was a great stammerer and illiterate plumber who after getting baptized in the Holy Spirit, with evidence of praying in tongues, became very eloquent in speech and became the great apostle of faith.

Divine Illumination: This leads to self-discovery, a necessary occurrence for a comeback. Gideon overcame a setback of low self-esteem, fear and timidity when he was opportune by God to know how the enemies perceived him (Judges 7:9-15). No one can recover from a fall without first realizing his or her potentials, capabilities, strengths, opportunities, etc. In the light of God, we see light (Psalm 36:9). Moses got to know by illumination that the rod in his hand was the rod of deliverance for Israel.

Destiny Decisions: Crucial decisions ofttimes have to be made when we are at the crossroads of life. Ruth had to make a decision whether to follow her mother-in-law (i.e. Naomi) back to Bethlehem-Judah or to remain in Moab. While her sister-in-law Orphah opted to remain in Moab, she clung to Naomi and followed her to Bethlehem. This crucial decision was a destiny decision that made her story change and brought greatness to her. Right decisions will always lead to a comeback.

Divine Exaltation: The Bible says in Psalm 75:6 that God is the Judge who puts down one and exalts another. When God lifts up, it inevitably results in a comeback.  Humility and total surrender to Him are preconditions to be exalted by Him (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter recovered from a fruitless fishing expedition when he surrendered his fishing boat to Jesus for preaching. As a result, he caught so many fishes that his net got broken and his boat almost sank.

CONCLUSION: The greatest comeback of all times is Jesus coming out from the grave. Satan and his cohorts had a field day on Good Friday thinking that was the end, but they experienced the shock of their lives when He rose again. Jesus’ comeback is a testament that we can rise from every setbacks and fall.

 

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

www.rccgpittsburgh.net

http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

The Power Of Light

“Then God said let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:3-4).

The first statement God uttered in the Bible was let there be light. The first thing He created was light. The Hebrew word translated in this context shows light as illumination, something that clarifies, brightens and brings happiness. The Bible says God saw that the light was good. Darkness is the opposite of light. Darkness depicts evil, something not good, chaos, confusion, ignorance, etc. Below are some of the qualities of light:

Light shines: The believer in Christ is commanded to arise and shine because he has light (Isaiah 60:1). The Bible says the gospel of Jesus Christ is the light of the glory of God. It is this light that believers in Christ receive when they give their hearts to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The gospel makes its recipients to shine in this dark world, because it is the light of God’s glory. Light reigns because it shines and overcomes darkness. However, the extent of the shining and reigning of the believer is determined by the amount of light (revelation knowledge) he or she possesses and walks in. True believers radiate the glory and brilliance of God in this dark world.

Light heals: It is reportedly known that a good number of babies are born jaundiced. Jaundice is a liver disorder that causes the white part of the eyes and skin to turn yellow. Though potentially dangerous, it has an easy cure. The baby is put under a special light. The skin absorbs this light and stimulates the liver to start functioning well. Human beings are morally and spiritually sick because of sin. The truth of the scriptures is the light that heals us of spiritual sickness.

Light dispels darkness: Satan is called the prince of darkness. His agents and demonic spirits are called the rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12). His kingdom is called the Kingdom of Darkness. He majorly rules his dark kingdom with fear, ignorance, hatred and deception. The Bible says light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot understand nor overpower nor extinguish it. Light wins over darkness without a fight.  Faith in God, the love of God and the truth of the scriptures are embodiment of the light of God. These qualities when possessed by the believer make him or her to overcome the darkness of this world.

Light rules: The Bible says God created two great lights on the fourth day of creation. The greater light He created was to rule over the day, and the lesser light to rule over the night (Genesis 1:16-19). To rule is to exercise authority or dominion over something. The believer in Christ rules over sin, sickness and death because of the understanding which the light of God’s word provides him or her. What one understands he gains mastery over. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Our understanding of redemption, forgiveness, sanctification and justification gives us mastery over the deception of darkness.

Light quickens: It enlivens and produces life. For most living organisms, life ebbs or ceases to be when light is no more. Plants live by photosynthesis. They convert sunlight energy into food and produce oxygen for mankind. Life and light are mysteriously inseparably linked. Jesus said those who follow Him will have the light that produces and leads to life. Life means being present with God both in this world and in eternity. Darkness is the absence of God.

CONCLUSION: Light organizes and creates order (Genesis 1:2-5), light exposes (Ephesians 5:13) and shields (Romans 13:12). We are enjoined, as children of light, to walk in the light and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:8-11). Receive grace to become an embodiment of light of God in Jesus’ name.

 

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

www.rccgpittsburgh.net

http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

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