Weekend Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Not Afraid - GOING ALL IN
Read: “You, lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you. So, trust the Lord always because He is our Rock forever.” Isaiah 26:3-4
Think: Oswald Chambers wrote in “My Utmost for His Highest” “Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him.” Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to my imagination for awhile, let alone to whom it is devoted.
Our imagination is always with us. It can either fuel anxiety, or it can calm it. Take for instance the amount of time we respond to problems by imagining worse case scenarios. Sometimes, maybe even most times, we set our minds on the dreaded “what ifs”. We imagine all the negative things that can happen to us. We let the potential problem keep us from real-time obedience. Sometime we even imagine what others might be thinking about us.
But I wonder what would happen if we devoted our imagination to God. I wonder if our anxiety over the “what ifs” and worst case scenarios would subside as we surrendered our thought life over to God? I wonder if we could really see our imagination as one of God’s greatest gifts if we used it toward faith instead of fear.
Here are some tips for Faithful Imagination:
1) During your prayer time, imagine God intently listening to you and guiding you. (Hebrews 4:16 Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.)
2) Imagine God preparing your steps before you, securing your way. (Psalm 23:3 He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of his name.)
3) Imagine yourself standing strong against opposition. (2 Chron. 20:20 Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will stand strong.)
Do: Look at God’s creation and let it stimulate your imagination. Use your imagination in a way that brings hope instead of fear.
Pray: Lord, help me to set my mind on You, on things that are holy and of good report. Help me to take every thought captive and bring it into obedience to You. You have given me the gift of my imagination, let me use it to know you better and to see myself and my purpose according to Your will. Amen!
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.