These are written that you may . . .

BELIEVE!
Believers Church Box 33233 Denver, CO 80233-0233 USA Issue 222
Imagination
There are only two ways for a human to see some-
thing:
physical vision through their eyes, or
imagination.
Without imagination: man would be completely
limited virtually robots. All human progress has
been born out of imagination the ability to see
things differently than they were.
The only way a human can see the past or the future
unaided, is through their imagination. Memory uses the
imagination. Much of our thinking, whether planning
or jumping to conclusions, involves our imagination.
Fear and faith operate in the realm of imagination.
Many top athletes successfully use their imagination
in training. Vividly imagining a successful action
seems to be more effective in training than doing it
physically. When we experience an event vividly in
our imagination it is imprinted as an experience, even
though we did not physically do it.
Children seem to naturally have active imaginations.
As we grow older and become more educated we
tend to use our imaginations less and less.
Everyone has used their imagination negatively by
worrying. We should use the same process in a posi-
tive way, based on Gods Word.
Faith
Seeing something by the eye of faith has to be the
same as imagining it.
The following three common statements express the
same meaning.
I cant see that happening.
I cant imagine that happening.
I cant understand how that could ever happen.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 NKJ
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal.
How can you look at things which are not seen?
Only by imagination.
Inward Eyes
EPHESIANS 1:18 NKJ
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in
the saints,
The NIV translates the above phrase as, eyes of
your heart. The NEB says, inward eyes. Jerusalem
Bible says, eyes of your mind.
Understanding uses imagination but is separate from
it. Your understanding is not your imagination, but
imagination can help you to understand something.
PROVERBS 28:11 NKJ
11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor
who has understanding searches him out.
ACTS 26:18 NKJ
18 to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness
to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they
may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance
among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
JOHN 12:40 NKJ
40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart,
lest they should see with their eyes and understand
with their heart, lest they should turn, so that I should
heal them.
Certainly, we must interpret this in a figurative sense.
God had not physically blinded their eyes. This must
speak of not being able to understand through their
imagination.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 NKJ
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do
not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Right And Wrong Thoughts
ROMANS 1:21 NKJ
21 because, although they knew God, they did not
glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were
darkened.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 NKJ
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
We must control our thoughts. Although bad thoughts
will come, we must not accept them or embrace them
as our own.
EPHESIANS 4:23 NKJ
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
1 TIMOTHY 4:15 NKJ
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to
them, that your progress may be evident to all.
Imagination is part of meditation. We should meditate
on Gods Word. Imagination affects your future ac-
tions. For a person to change, their thinking has to
change.
What Is Reality?
Reality is more than what you can perceive through
your physical senses. Every scientist believes that. They
acknowledge radio waves exist which you are not
physically aware of. Yet, anyone with an inexpensive
receiver can pick up those signals which are all around
you. Everyone in the civilized world today believes
this. But 300 years ago almost no one believed it.
The question is: Are we sure we know everything
now? Or, is it possible there may be things, which are
in fact real, of which we are presently ignorant?
Those who believe the Bible, know there is a reality
which surrounds us which unbelieving people are
largely unaware of. It is the spirit realm where God,
angels, the devil, and demons are now active.
How can anyone know about the spiritual realm
since we cannot perceive it with any of our physical
senses? Through the Bible which is Gods message
to mankind.
Whatever the Bible says or promises is not fantasy. It
is reality, even though we cannot perceive it with our
physical senses.
Imagine It The Way Gods Word Says It
Using your imagination has received a bad press
lately among Christian circles. Because some cults and
new age groups have embraced the idea of using our
imaginations, some Christians think it must therefore be
bad. This is no way to determine truth. The devil has
tried to appropriate many things from God.
Recently, the question came to me, Why did God
create man with an imagination? I do believe He is
the Creator, dont you? He did make man with an
imagination, didnt He. He surely had a reason other
than so man could use it for evil.
When I asked God if there was any scriptural support
for using our imagination, it occurred to me to look in
Hebrews 11. As I began reading the chapter I was
shocked at what I found, even though I had read it
many times before!
Right in verse 1, faith is defined as . . . evidence of
things not seen. I thought, If it is something you
cant see, then it has to deal with the realm of the
imagination. People would say we were believing
something that is just imaginary if it couldnt be seen.
In fact the dictionary says imagine means: to form a
mental image of something not present. What could
more closely describe the Bible definition of faith in
Hebrews 11:1!
By this time I was excited, but the chapter was just
beginning. Time and again, I saw that people in this
chapter had used their imagination; they had seen
what was not visible to others. I began to realize faith
is linked with imagination like wet is linked with water.
The two are inseparable.
Then I began to understand why the devil had stirred
up such a fuss over this subject. Why he had inspired
eastern religions to utilize the imagination: to muddy
the waters and get Christians afraid it might be wrong.
As I read of Abraham I thought of Genesis 15:5
where God told him to count the stars . . . So shall
your descendants be. If God wasnt telling Abraham
to use his imagination, I dont know what He was
telling Him to do!
So be Biblical; be spiritual. Take what God has said
in His Word, and imagine it that way in your life!