1133 The Wonderful Power of Imagination#
1133 - The Wonderful Power of Imagination
(JP Text Group - 整理 by Jiamei)
Today, the topic we are sharing is called The Wonderful Power of Imagination.
Today we want to share some special information. Since it is the first week of the New Year, I want to talk to my brothers and sisters about some scriptures regarding imagination. In Genesis chapter 15, it tells us that God made a promise to Abraham: I will give you descendants, and these descendants will come from you. Then God gave him a vision.
Genesis 15:5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
The vision God gave him was: your descendants will be like this. Brothers and sisters, this is a vision of imagination. In fact, after Abraham heard God's promise to him, he believed that God would surely fulfill it, just as you see in the words of the Bible today; you must believe that God can surely accomplish this.
When Abraham returned to look at his family and see his wife, was there a son at that time? No. So when people look at their circumstances, they often become weak. If a person's focus is always on the problems, they will become weaker. However, God gave Abraham a space for imagination. This space is: look up at the starry sky; your descendants will be like this.
So whenever Abraham's faith was weak, he would look up at the starry sky and remember God's promise to him. So he began to count: one star, two stars, three stars; that was God's promise to him. And this is Abraham's space for imagination. While he was thinking about these things, his heart was filled with joy. Because he was not imagining aimlessly; he was building on God's words. He believed that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.
At the beginning of the New Year, when you spread your wings of imagination upon God's promises, like Abraham, reapply your imagination. As you look forward to this new year, God will also let you see things like Abraham did. So brothers and sisters, in this first week, you should start from now, expect good things to happen to you.
Let’s share the first point: Unfolding Imagination on God's Word
In fact, the word "imagination" is used a total of 38 times in the Bible, but our Chinese Bible does not translate it even once. Because imagination is a special ability given to us by God, so we should have a correct imagination of ourselves. Because self-image is a driving force for moving forward. If you haven't even thought about something today, you cannot do it. Amen? So through imagination, envision what you will be like in the future.
First, have a correct imagination.
There are many things in the Bible worth imagining, for example, in Revelation, it says, in the future we will reign with Jesus. If you read such a passage and imagine it, your heart will be filled with joy. This is God's promise. So in your heart, you need to conceive a picture, in which God will help you achieve a goal. Therefore, human imagination has great potential.
How do we see ourselves in that picture? Often use this to meditate and imagine that picture, and it will enter into your spirit and soul. This way, you will have the motivation to move forward. If we keep meditating on it, it will eventually take effect and become what you have imagined.
You want to imagine beautiful things, just like everyone hopes their dreams come true, especially at the beginning of the New Year, wishing for wealth and prosperity, etc. In fact, it is a dream, right? So brothers and sisters, we are not dreaming, we are using the words given to us by God to unfold our imagination.
You are children of God. You are the sons of the King of Kings, so each of you is a prince. What does it mean to imagine a prince? So imagine in your mind a prince riding a white horse; that is your imagination. The son of the King of Kings is full of glory, full of honor, and full of power. So you should always imagine your true identity, imagine what you look like in God's eyes. This is what we should hope for and meditate on every day in the New Year.
For example, if you have a difficult-to-heal illness in your body, what should you do? First, you should find the scriptures in the Bible that show God is willing to heal you and keep meditating on them. And God has the power to heal us, so at this time, what should you meditate on? By the stripes of Jesus, I have been healed. You are not meditating on what changes are happening to your body. Instead, you are meditating on being a healthy body. Hallelujah! So this imagination should form a picture in your thoughts. Thank the Lord!
When you keep meditating on the health you have in Christ, that symptom will no longer occur; this is an imaginative picture. So this imagination will enter into your subconscious. What is the subconscious? It is actually the part of the soul mentioned in the Bible. Our spirit is the part of the Holy Spirit. The part of the soul is the part of the body, let this subconscious play a huge role in your body.
If you often meditate that in Jesus Christ I am healthy, and place the picture of health in your soul, your body will obey its commands. So this picture of health will enter your subconscious, and later when you pray, you will meditate, and you will see health always accompanying you.
Recently, I heard a sister from Sichuan give a testimony about a Christian surgeon who graduated from medical school. Before she went to the operating table, do you know what she thought about every day at home? Do you know? She imagined the surgical knowledge she had learned, and every day she meditated on performing surgery on patients until one day when she stood at the operating table, she completed a very beautiful surgery. The people around her said, "Impossible. You are definitely not on the operating table for the first time." She said, "I am, but I have imagined this picture tens of thousands of times in my mind." Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, today do not let your imagination play the smallest role; make full use of your imagination. Of course, do not think of bad things.
In most cases today, people have long been instilling negative thoughts into our souls, which is actually a wrong picture. For example, when we get sick and have not recovered in a week, we might think, "Oh, this illness will probably take some time to heal," or "If the child was obedient when they were small, they become less obedient as they grow up," you might think, "This kid will become more disobedient as they grow." What to do? This is a wrong picture. So do not let negative thoughts exist in your mind; this is not from God. God expects us to be guided positively by the Holy Spirit.
At the beginning of the New Year, you should plant the correct picture in your heart, just as God planted the correct picture in Abraham. Every time you look up at the starry sky, you should know that your future descendants will be like this.
When he was weak, Abraham looked up and saw God's words, which would surely come to pass. Thank the Lord, so let such a picture always exist in your heart. So today, at the beginning of the New Year, do not imagine that next year my studies will become more difficult, or my business will become harder! This account will become more difficult, etc.; do not think about all this. You must believe that I can do all things through God.
Even if the world’s economy is not good, today I do not rely on the world’s economy to live, but live by the promises of our God. Hallelujah! What you think, you will execute. Let me give you a simple example, and you will understand. No matter how bold a person is, after watching a horror movie, they will feel scared when they go home at night. Why? In fact, the world is still as calm as before, but because you have planted a terrifying picture in your mind, when you go out, you will feel scared, thinking something might jump out, right? This means you have planted a wrong picture in your mind, so the fruit that comes out is fear.
Today, in the New Year, I wish for you to plant the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your heart. Then when it bears fruit, it will be gentleness, self-control, goodness, peace, and joy. Let such a picture be planted in your hearts.
Do not always say, "The heavens are against me; nothing goes well this year," or "I just got sick at the beginning of the New Year."
Do not let wrong pictures linger in your heart for a long time. In the New Year, clear them away in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because these pictures will prevent you from moving forward. We should plant the correct pictures in our hearts so that your strength becomes your support.
Genesis 11:1-4
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
In the Bible, there is a group of people whose thoughts and intentions were the same; they wanted to build a tower that reaches the heavens. What does the Bible say? Look, their thoughts, intentions, and actions were consistent; whatever they wanted to do, nothing would be impossible for them. Although they had such abilities, they used them in the wrong way; they wanted to use this to make a name for themselves. So God went down and did something, causing everyone to speak different languages, and as a result, they could not continue with this project.
When people's thoughts and intentions plant different pictures in their hearts, they cannot break through. God is within us; do not plant negative thoughts from the world; plant God's words within you, so that what you often meditate on is the picture of God's promises. Therefore, we should use our imagination in the right place.
Let God draw the correct picture in your heart at the beginning of this year. That is, look at yourself through God's eyes. In God's eyes, what are you like? You are unique, you are beloved by God, you are healthy. Hallelujah! So you should look at yourself through God's eyes and plant such a picture in your heart. Then tell yourself every day, I am beloved by God, I am blessed by God. I am blessed by God today. The Bible says, Everything I do will be successful. This is God's promise to us. You should let such a picture be planted in your heart, and then you will find that things will come to pass.
At the beginning of the New Year, you should look at yourself through God's eyes; do not say you are weak; in God, you are strong because God's power is upon you. Say you are healthy because God will make you healthy. Say you are victorious because Christ's victory is your victory. The situation may seem impossible; do not look at yourself through your eyes; look at yourself through God's eyes. Everything is possible.
The Bible tells us that everything is possible for those who believe. God tells us to look at today’s matters with faith. Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith. So in the New Year, if you want to overcome your addiction to alcohol, overcome your addiction to smoking, what you need to do is, first, you must often imagine that you have already accomplished this. In your thoughts, you need to plant a picture of having achieved this result.
So through this imaginative picture, you can break the curses that you could not escape from in the past, including your husband, children, or relatives who have not believed yet. You must first see them as already believing. Do not say they are stubborn and will not believe. If you imagine them that way, how can they believe? You need to see them as already believing inside you. First, see the result of this matter, and then declare it.
Let’s imagine this: In the time of Genesis, the heavens were dark, and what did God say? Let there be light. Before God spoke this, He already had the image of light within Him. Then various trees with grass grew and bore fruit with seeds. This means that before this matter was accomplished, these things had already been accomplished in God's thoughts. God spoke it out with His mouth, and it came to pass. Hallelujah!
At the beginning of the New Year, I wish for you to boldly unfold your imagination on God's words because God will accomplish this for you. So today, you must unfold your imagination. The important thing is that you must believe in God's promises to you. Of course, imagination must align with God's plan.
As for me, I do not imagine that I will become a very famous surgeon this year. I imagine that this year more people will believe in Jesus here. More brothers and sisters will come to know Jesus Christ, and their problems will be solved.
So each of you, based on your situation, unfold your imagination regarding your work and your family. Such words are built on God's promises. God can help me achieve my goals. In your company, do not say that this year's performance is not as good as before, etc. You need to unfold your imagination; you must know that God will surely bless you and bless your business. First, have this imagination, and then you can move forward. If you start by thinking it is a failure, how can you take a step forward? Thank God, God has given each of us a unique imagination.
We can do a live test, brothers and sisters. Let me ask you to think and see how fast you can do it. When I say there is a river, what comes to your mind? Is it water? No one thinks, "Oh, when the teacher just said a river, the three words 'a river' appeared in my mind," right? You will think there is indeed a river.
Brothers and sisters, this is completed in an instant. Just like God said to Abraham, your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky; Abraham immediately thought of his children. So we must first see the imagined result with the eyes of faith; do not imagine your failure; you should expect God to help you and surely answer your prayers.
Here, let me tell you a story. In the 15th century, a religious reformer wrote a book, and in this book, he recorded a small story from his youth, and this story changed his life entirely. Let me tell you, perhaps some have heard this story:
One day, he passed by a huge construction site under the scorching sun, where everyone was working hard and sweating, moving bricks.
At that time, he asked the first person, "What are you doing?"
That person replied grumpily, "Can't you see? I am doing hard labor—moving bricks! I have to support my family!"
Then he asked the second person, "What are you doing?"
The second person was a bit calmer than the first; he neatly stacked the bricks aside and said, "I am building a structure!"
Then this person asked the third person, "What are you doing?"
That person had a peaceful glow on his face; he put down the bricks, wiped his sweat, stood up like a gentleman, and said, "I am building a beautiful big house."
Years later, when this reformer visited these three people again, he found the first person still moving bricks, and his life was still the same, but the years had left many marks on his forehead! And the second person had become a contractor, he was running projects and had many people coming to him for business; he was a successful businessman. The third person had become an architectural designer, and under his guidance, he designed many beautiful and grand buildings. The three of them started at the same starting point, but the different imaginations led to completely different lives.
Unfold your imagination on God's words. Do not be afraid; at worst, it cannot be accomplished. God will not punish you for this. But if you do not dare to imagine, how can God help you accomplish it? So unfold your imagination based on God's promises. Five years from now, your life will be as you imagined today.
Now many marketing masters are using the words from the Bible, but we Christians do not; what a pity! So at the beginning of the New Year, spread your wings of imagination. Hallelujah! Because the beginning of everything is you planting a correct seed.
If you plant a negative seed at the beginning, saying, "I can't do it!" "My talent is not enough!" "My family background is not good!" such thoughts will inevitably lead to failure. Including if you are currently suffering from illness, if you pray all day long, "Lord, you will not hear my prayer; you will not heal me; even the doctors in the hospital cannot heal me." If you continue to declare such things, the outcome will be terrible.
If you have planted a wrong picture for yourself, and your soul itself does not have the ability to discern, whatever you give it, it will execute. As I mentioned earlier, if you give it a terrifying picture, it will be afraid. Your hair will stand on end; if you give a joyful picture, you will find that they will start dancing involuntarily, presenting joy. So whatever picture you plant, your body and spirit will cooperate with you.
Today, each of us should unfold our imagination on God's words. Mark 11:24 tells us: Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. One condition here is: You must first believe that you have received it. This means that even if you do not see it now, with the eyes of faith, you have already seen it. First, you must imagine that you have received it. Then the Bible says, only then can you see what you want to receive.
So brothers and sisters, God has given us the ability to imagine. It allows us to see the results of the future today. Hallelujah! For example, after our meeting today, we will organize brothers and sisters to visit our new venue. Now you will see that there is nothing there, just four empty rooms, but brothers and sisters, do you know what I see every time I go there?
First, I see that there will be a very large podium here, and when I stand here, I think there will be many people sitting below, believing in Jesus and loudly proclaiming the power of Jesus Christ. Although every time I go there, I see that there is still a lot of garbage on the ground that has not been cleaned up, and the venue is not tidy yet, but I have already seen all of this.
So this is the unique imaginative ability that God has given us. This is not aimless imagining; it will eventually become a reality. Just like when you buy a new house, you go into that house and find nothing; will you think, "Oh, how pitiful, there is nothing here; how can it be so simple?" You will definitely tell your wife, "Dear, in the future, there will be a beautiful desk here, and I will put this and that here," even though it has not been accomplished yet, you have already seen the result.
At the beginning of the New Year, I wish for you to unfold the correct imagination in your work, your family, your business, and all aspects based on God's promises. Let correct thoughts and correct pictures be deeply rooted in your heart. Then meditate on this picture every day, and it will eventually become a reality. Thank the Lord! So what are we doing? We are planting seeds of faith. Let that seed take root in good soil. If you are willing to meditate like this every day, you will not feel disheartened; you will not feel anxious or worried because you believe that God will accomplish all of this for you.
Brothers and sisters, we are not people without support; there are people willing to help us. It is that we have never dared to imagine such things. So brothers and sisters, perhaps in the past, I really did not dare to imagine such things, now boldly spread your wings of faith on God's words, and God will accomplish great things for you. So do not say, "I cannot evangelize; my eloquence is not good," etc. God will give you that. Do not say, "Oh, I have no ability!" God will give you the ability.
Let’s continue. What picture are you thinking in your heart? These pictures remain deep in your soul; your own path and steps will move in this direction, and your faith will be released! So whether you believe it or not, use your imagination in the right place, based on the correct foundation of faith. It is based on God's promises to you.
If you are in business, you should imagine that many customers will come into your store every day. If you are doing business yourself, next year there will be many clients, and I will find them; they will be very willing to cooperate with me. Although this matter has not started yet, first, you need to plant such a correct picture in your mind. God will guide your steps.
So you should know, God controls everything today; He can turn your circumstances around, including your illness, your debts, and your marriage problems. Hallelujah! So what you should imagine is that today you are a soldier of Christ. What does a soldier mean? He has strong military power; he is not an ordinary soldier; he has many abilities. So you are the same.
You are not a failure because God's Spirit is upon you; God will help you. You need to speak words of faith to yourself. God can accomplish what people cannot do; we must first believe this and see it that way. Just like Abraham, he believed God's words that his descendants would be like this in the future. How did God respond to him? God counted it to him as righteousness. This means: Since you believe me like this, I will accomplish this for you. This is what God wants to give us.
God could have said, "Abraham, I can give you many children in the future!" But Abraham could not imagine that. God gave him something concrete, saying, "Look at the stars in the sky; that is your descendants." So this is a very real picture. We should not imagine aimlessly; we should imagine God's blessings based on His promises.
Whenever Abraham was weak, he would move a chair, lie back, and see the stars in the sky. At that time, he began to count one star, two stars, three stars, four stars... What did he imagine with each star? He thought of his children. So what about during the day? During the day, he could not see the stars. What was God's other promise to Abraham? Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.
Israel is not lacking in sand. So wherever Abraham went, he would see sand. Abraham imagined the sand all over the seashore, with each grain representing his descendants. So when Abraham saw this, he had faith.
Brothers and sisters, whether it is day or night, God gave Abraham a correct picture to imagine. Hallelujah! So Abraham ultimately became the father of faith. For twenty-five years, every day as Abraham imagined this, his faith continued to grow. So, I also wish for brothers and sisters, in the New Year, to meditate every day on the content of your prayers written before God.
Abraham became the father of faith with the correct picture. So what kind of picture do you imagine for yourself, your family, and your future? Each person's imagination may have never been thought of before, but today we wish for you to go back and unfold your imagination for yourself; you must believe that God will accomplish this for you.
You should see yourself through God's eyes as strong, healthy, and victorious. So I wish for brothers and sisters to take some time to meditate on God's words. And repeat the imagined picture every day. Because God will accomplish this for you.
Share the second point: Forgetting what is behind, striving forward
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
What Paul looked at was not his past, not his present, but his future. Because he knew that God had prepared abundant glory for him in heaven. So today, do not pay too much attention to your past successes or failures from the previous year. They have become the past. You should look forward to the New Year, unleash your imagination, and God will guide your steps.
Let me tell a story: This person is well-known; have you heard of Bill Gates, the inventor of the personal computer? Bill Gates grew up in Sunday school in church, and by the age of 11, he had memorized Matthew chapters 5 to 7.
Some say Bill Gates is very smart, some say he is very lucky, and some say he has strong abilities. But do you know what the real reason for Bill Gates' success is? After he retired, he donated all his personal assets of 58 billion dollars, equivalent to 450 billion RMB, to charity, leaving not a penny for his children.
Brothers and sisters, if you were his son, would you feel wronged? Parents in our country would love to leave more money for their children. But Bill Gates did not do that. Someone asked him, "Why do you do this?" He used a verse from the Bible, which is in Matthew 22:21: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." He indeed did this, leaving not a single penny.
One year, around 2000, Bill Gates came to Shanghai, and I paid special attention to one of his itineraries. At that meeting, someone asked Mr. Gates a question, and this question is just right to use as a testimony today. Someone asked, "Mr. Gates, why are you so successful?" Do you know how Gates answered? "Because my vision is better than yours." The audience said, "Impossible." In the end, Mr. Gates had his assistant bring a peach tree and opened his hands, saying, "What do you say this is?" Many people below said, "A peach." Then another person said, "It’s a peach." Then another person said, "No, it’s not a peach; I see a peach tree." Then no one spoke anymore. Do you know what Bill Gates said? "I see a peach orchard."
He fully utilized his imagination. So you will find that Bill Gates is often filled with imagination and creativity. Where does it come from? It comes from imagination. His imagination is not aimless; he also reads the Bible.
Brothers and sisters, do not read the Bible as if it is dead, turning it into a religion. No, you should apply it in your life. Let it take effect. Thank the Lord! I also hope that many Christian businessmen will emerge from here. If you do not dare to imagine like this, how can you succeed? In the New Year, let yourself change to a new picture. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Brothers and sisters, what did Jesus see? The Bible says, He saw the joy set before him, so he scorned the shame. This means that when Jesus was suffering, He did not see His suffering. He saw Himself resurrecting from the dead, completely overcoming failure. He rose from the dead, completely defeating death. Hallelujah! So today, this principle is the same; when you pray, you must first see the result after this matter is accomplished. Meditate often.
Jesus was also a person who often used imagination. Once, the Pharisees and scribes captured Him and asked Him, "Are you a king?" Jesus replied, "You say so. However, I tell you, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Brothers and sisters, when Jesus said this, this matter had not yet been accomplished. In Jesus' thoughts, what kind of picture did He see? He saw that He was already sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One. He had already achieved victory. So brothers and sisters, today we must learn to see the results of your prayers with the eyes of faith.
When you imagine this way, your life and circumstances this year will become different. Thank and praise the Lord! For we live by faith, not by sight. Hallelujah!