A large portion of the content of this sermon series came from the book by Andrew Wommack entitled, “Don’t Limit God – Imagine Yourself Successful”.
(Psalms 78:41 NKJV) Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.
(Psalms 78:41 TPT) Again and again they limited God, preventing him from blessing them. Continually they turned back from him and provoked the Holy One of Israel!
The Hebrew word for “limited” not only means “restraining someone from what they can do because of one’s own attitudes or actions.” It also means “causing someone discomfort or pain because of one’s behavior or attitude”.
The Power of Your Imagination (CONT.)
Imagination is defined as “the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality” (Merriam-Webster.com).
In other words, imagination is the ability to see something with our minds that we cannot see with our physical eyes.
- Hope is our imagination working for us instead of against us.
(Romans 8:24-25 ERV) (24) We were saved to have this hope. If we can see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People don’t hope for something they already have. (25) But we are hoping for something we don’t have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.
Just like a thermostat can be turned to hot or cold, our imaginations can be negative, which is a pessimistic outlook on everything, or positive, which is what the Bible calls hope.
Hope turns on the ability of God, while faith is the power that makes things come to pass.
If our imaginations are negative, we will see failure on the inside, leading us to experience failure on the outside.
If we are hoping and seeing a miracle in our hearts, it will turn on the power of God to see that miracle manifest in our lives.
Hope comes through the Word of God, and this is the first step of faith. (Romans 10:17)
(Romans 15:4 ERV) (4) Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us.
- Hope is seeing what can’t be seen.
- Hope keeps us centered and is like an anchor that steadies us when the winds of circumstances or the opinions of man blow.
(Hebrews 6:18-19 TPT) (18) So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change! And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakeable hope! (19) We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold,
- We need a strong sense of hope because faith only gives substance to what hope has already seen.
(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) (1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith gives substance to what we hope for; it births the things we see in our imaginations. If we don’t conceive something in hope, faith cannot birth it.
Your imagination activates your faith. If you’re believing for healing but haven’t paused to “see” yourself healed, you don’t have a faith problem; you have a thermostat problem. And unless you first begin to hope—to use your imagination in a positive way—the power unit of faith will not turn on.
- We must meditate on the Word of God until we conceive something.
Then once we conceive it in our imaginations, we will receive it.
(1 Peter 1:23 AMPC) You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.
When we take the seed of God’s Word and plant it in our spiritual wombs, conception occurs. But there is a waiting period involved before manifestation, in the same way that a pregnant woman has to nurture a child for nine months before she can give birth. The woman may not even realize she’s pregnant in the beginning of the process, but her child is no less real. She is no less pregnant.
We meditate all the time; you just don’t realize it. Meditation is simply keeping your mind focused. Worry is meditation. Worry is thinking about something and seeing something that hasn’t happened. It’s exploring negative possibilities. You worry about your finances, about your kids, about your marriage. You worry all day long and still manage to do your job.
Likewise, you can meditate on the positive all day long. It just takes practice.
(Philippians 4:6-8 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.
- Take a Scripture from God’s Word and just keep your mind focused on it.
(Colossians 3:2 NKJV) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
- Imagine what that Scripture would look like as a reality in your own life.
(Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV) Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (3) He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
- Think of times in your own life or others’ lives who’ve experienced the truth of that Word work.
(Psalms 143:5 NKJV) I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.
- Stay with it until conception takes place in your heart.
(Hebrews 6:12 MSG) Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.
- Thank and praise your way into manifestation.
(Philippians 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;