A Godly Imagination and Renewing Your Mind

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." – Romans 12:2Developing a godly, positive imagination is a huge part of mind renewal, and it’s often the part that trips people up. Though this concept is simple, it’s not easy. There is no “quick fix” for your imagination. A godly imagination can’t be given by the laying on of hands. You have to choose to change. But changing the way you think and see is a process. It takes time and consistency. I’ve been working on it for decades, and while I’ve certainly not arrived, thank God I’ve left!Years ago, I decided I didn’t want to live my life like the ten spies who went with Joshua and Caleb to spy out the Promised Land. In Numbers, before the children of Israel entered Canaan, Moses sent representatives from each of the tribes to scout out the area. He specifically asked them to investigate the land’s terrain and fertileness, the type of people who lived there, and the size and strength of its cities (Num. 13:17-20). When the spies returned, they brought back evidence of God’s provision—a hunk of grapes so huge, it had to be carried between two men! But they also brought this report:"And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there." – Numbers 13:27-28Canaan was a bountiful land, more so than the children of Israel dreamed was possible. But instead of believing God’s Word, they let circumstances push them off course. Though Caleb tried to encourage them, the people couldn’t see beyond the giants:"But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." – Numbers 13:31-33The fact that giants lived in the land of Canaan didn’t negate the Israelites’ ability to conquer it. Their imaginations kept them from inheriting God’s promise. They allowed the words of ten men—“we were in our own sight as grasshoppers”—to change the way they saw themselves and limit how much of God’s will they could accomplish.Forty years later, when Joshua sent two spies into Jericho, they found out that the Canaanites’ hearts had melted and their might had departed the day they heard about the Israelites’ miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (Josh. 2:9-11). If the Israelites had invaded then, it would have been a cakewalk. Their enemy’s strength was gone. Instead, the Israelites were defeated in their imaginations. They saw themselves as grasshoppers (Num. 13:33). That was the problem.Years later, when David fought Goliath, he had the same opportunity to be defeated by his imagination. And just like before, this battle between Israel and the giants of the land wasn’t going to be a fair fight. But this time, the outcome was different!"And as [David] talked with [his brothers], behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid." – 1 Samuel 17:23-24, brackets added"And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" – 1 Samuel 17:26, emphasis addedInstead of seeing himself as a grasshopper, David saw himself according to his covenant with God. He knew that Goliath, a man outside that covenant, didn’t stand a chance.That’s the way we ought to be. When cancer or poverty or fear comes knocking, our faith should shout, “Who do you think you are, coming against me, a child of the Most High? I’m going to destroy you and rub your nose in the defeat. You will rue the day you ever messed with me!”Unfortunately, most of us would not dare speak like that. We don’t see ourselves as the Word depicts us or as God sees us. That’s the reason we’re stuck under the circumstances. We see ourselves as grasshoppers—small, weak, and poor. We see ourselves as victims. But we are not victims! Almighty God lives in us! We should expect different results.When I read the story of David and Goliath as a kid, long before I understood the importance of imagination, I remember going outside and marking the tree in my backyard at the height Goliath was. I made another mark at the height David was and bent down trying to imagine the battle from his perspective. Years later, when Jamie and I were visiting Israel, our tour bus stopped in the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath. It was a hot day, but our guide told us where we were and asked if anyone wanted to get out. No one did. Everyone wanted to stay in the air-conditioned bus—everyone except me. Thankfully, the rest of our group was gracious enough to let me go exploring, so I hopped off the bus and walked down into the valley. The Valley of Elah is about four miles across. I hiked down to a dry streambed that ran through the middle of the valley and picked up five smooth stones. As I stood there looking out over the hills, I imagined the Philistines positioned on one side and the Israelites on the other. I saw Goliath standing on the ridge and imagined David coming up behind his brothers as Goliath shouted, “Is there not a man who will fight me?” I watched the Israelites cower in fear, and I felt David’s righteous indignation. The whole story came alive that day, replaying itself on those hills—not because I could see it with my physical eyes, but because I experienced it in my imagination. You see, there’s no special anointing on the Holy Land. People feel like the Bible comes alive when they visit there because for the first time, they allow their imaginations to “see” what they’ve only read about. Seeing with your eyes what you’ve only read about helps your imagination to see more clearly. That’s why visiting the Holy Land is so special.Have you ever tried to assemble something using only the words in an instruction manual? You may read “Attach side A to side B using the F and G pegs,” but you probably have to look at the included diagram to figure out what the instructions are talking about. This is why people say that a picture is worth a thousand words and why builders use blueprints. When we were building the Charis campus in Woodland Park, I remember sitting down with the architects and explaining to them what I wanted to see. But when they drew it out, it wasn’t what I pictured. “No,” I’d say, “I don’t want that. I want this.” And they’d go back to the drawing board. It took some time, but we just kept working at it until we could all see the same thing.A builder would never attempt to construct a house by verbally explaining its layout to his tradespeople. If that were the only method he used to describe the design and function of a house, the homeowner might end up with an electrical outlet inside their bathtub!But in a sense, that’s what we do with the Word of God.One of the main reasons people don’t see the Word work in their lives is because they just read it. You can’t just read the Word and expect it to produce change. You have to allow that Word to quicken your imagination until you “see” what you’re reading. Even if you spend hours every week reading the Bible or quoting healing scriptures, you won’t see the fullness of those words come to pass in your life until you imagine yourself healed. You’d actually be better off reading one verse on healing and letting the truth within it paint a picture of who you are than reading five chapters in your “Read the Bible in a Year” plan and not even remember what book of the Bible you read. If you took the time to use your imagination to see yourself through the eyes of your covenant with God, as David did, you could slay giants too!