I Can Only Imagine

There were a lot of things stopping me from writing this blog - and everything in my way was connected to what I was imagining. I was thinking about how I would feel if I wrote it and it reached  no one. If people even cared about what I was talking about. If people thought I was credible enough to talk about what I was talking about. If I was even fulfilling the correct purpose God has asked me to walk into. These were all natural arguments devised out of pictures that seemed like more of a reality than a dream fulfilled. As I write these words, these arguments are still present, but I am actively taking hold of every thought and reframing them through the promise that was given to me. And that promise can only be given after you’ve understood your identity and intention. I understood my identity, spent time in isolation, and received an intention. But in my journey, I am at the point where I understand, your imagination can either work for you or against you. More importantly, it can either work for God or against God. It can either be aligned with who God says you are, or it can be in agreement with an idea that comes up against what God is saying to you. That’s why we have to take captive every thought, put it at the feet of Jesus, and demolish the argument before it influences our actions. Because that’s when it turns into disobedience. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

As Wallace Stevens brilliantly put it, “your imagination is your power over nature”. I take that quote and understand it as, your personal pictures have more power over the natural rhythms of life. Over the systemic, routine thoughts that most people think. Over the “reality” that has been imprinted in your mind due to your environment, lack of belief, pre-disposed trauma, or genetic code. What if what you’re in was never supposed to be your reality? What if someone else’s imagination disrupted the filter that God was trying to speak to you through? I’m not saying your imagination has been compromised, but what if it was?
Now, it’s not just about imagining anything. It’s about imagining the truth. Where can you find this truth you ask? You find it in the posture of submission and alignment.

Genesis 6:9 says, “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” 

We are told that Noah walked with God. God was pleased with him and looked upon Noah with grace. That’s when God provided instructions to Noah to build the ark, that would save his family from the flood and he would become the second father to humanity. He trusted Noah with His instructions because Noah was submitted and in alignment with Him, so He gave him the picture that was in God’s will. I believe this is how God still speaks to us about the truth in our lives and the vision he has for us - He tells us we need to walk with Him first. I do believe there are steps to holding and keeping the vision God has communicated to us and it starts with “little”.

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

If you’ve never asked God for what you were called to do, and how you are to walk fully into your purpose, it could be difficult to understand his answer due to unfamiliarity of voice and uncertainty. I recommend starting with a smaller question like “God, show me how I can love your people today.” or “God, how can I be more obedient to my parents?” or “God, what would you like me to share with my colleague?”. After you ask, you might feel convicted to make a phone call, a nudge to give someone a hug, or even convicted to stop a habit. What this process is doing is inviting you to get familiar with how God speaks to you and respond with immediate obedience, so that when you ask the “bigger” questions of destiny, purpose, and impact, you’re familiar with how He speaks and will understand His voice, thus, following his instruction.

But after He speaks, we must protect His vision with what we are imagining. Below are a few biblical truths to speak over yourself everyday. Speak them out loud. Imprint them in your mind. Do this consistently, adopt the mind of Christ as you follow him, and watch how your imagination begins to unfold all that you were predestined to walk through. These truths will demolish the arguments, pictures, ideas, and thoughts that attempt to exalt itself against the knowledge of God. 

I am a child of God and co-heir with Christ. (Romans 8:14-17)

I am God's workmanship, created for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

I am loved, accepted, and cherished by God. (Romans 15:7, Ephesians 1:3-6)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

I am strong in the LORD and in His mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10)

God's plans for me are good, and He will never leave me. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I am chosen and appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)

I cast all my anxiety on Him because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

With Love,

Elle Bee