Morning Star Rising

I have been captured with II Pet 1:19, regarding the Morning Star rising in our hearts.  I feel that there is something VERY profound in this verse that has imminent relevance to us.  

“And so, we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” – II Pet 1:19

First, let’s ask some questions

1. Who is the Morning Star?

“I Jesus... am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” – Rev 22:16

2. If we already have Jesus (Christ the hope of glory) living in us, and if there is a greater experience where Jesus the Morning Star arises in us, then how will this extra dynamic of Jesus arising affect or change us internally?

3. What are the external differentiating characteristics of this new day dawning and the Morning Star arising?

Have you ever thought about these questions?  They’ve been very thought provoking to me.  Well, this is not the place to present exhaustive Scriptural research, but here are several ways in which the ‘Morning Star rising’, might manifest in us.

Transfiguration (glorification), governing authority, light, wholeness… and ‘becoming love’

So, this talk may sound hyperbolic or fairy-tale-ish.  But it’s in our Bibles and we’re ‘Bible believing believers’!  So, let’s see if I can make it more practical by ‘painting’ a hypothetical scenario which will hopefully awaken a potential revelation in us.

Radical transformation of normal
A society of miners had lived so deep in the mines that it took hours to descend to work and then return to the surface each day.  Those hours of transit were wasting their lives.  Generations ago, they decided to relocate their whole families down into the mine with them.  A complete ecosystem and subculture took shape and became normal.  By now, the miners and their families had completely forgotten what it means to live in the brilliant light of the beautiful world above.  The darkness had become normal to them.  Lamps and artificial lights were the best light they knew.  They have come to venerate these lesser lights with great reverence because these lesser lights were the ‘authority’ that distinguished the difference between night and day.  They worked when the lights were shining.  They slept when the lights were turned out.  There remained no memory of what the light of the Sun meant to the generations long preceding them.  O okay, maybe there were some ancient writings of a far off land… in another time.  But that just seemed so detached and unreal.  A belief in the Sun of those writings, had long been forgotten and replaced with the best thing they now knew… lesser lights.

But one day, someone invited them to something completely unheard of… something that they have no paradigm for.  They were invited to ascend out of the darkness and to experience the Heavenly benefit of a brilliant sun that shines forever and is exponentially brighter than any light they’ve ever known or dreamed of.  Who could comprehend something so foreign… so science fiction… so too-good-to-be-true?  They couldn’t.  But a few dared to try!

When they ascended out of the darkness and into the full light of the Sun, they are awestruck with wonder, bliss and near blinding brilliance.  They felt the warmth of Light and beheld the spectacular beauty around them.  Without knowing it, they began receiving life giving properties from the sunlight.  And this light was so bright and compelling as to dispel shadows and eradicate whole sectors of darkness that had always dominated the periphery of any and all the lesser lights below.

This newly revealed Sun was deeply revolutionary.  So stunned were the miners that they would never be able to return to the past ‘normal’ life of living by lesser lights.  With haste and contagious compelling descriptions, they sent for their families and encouraged all fellow miners to throw off the darkness and live in the light of the Sun.  Quite literally, a new day had dawned for each miner and this changed everything!

Obviously, our story was hypothetical.  But what if this same dynamic from the story above, is applicable to our II Pet 2:19 passage?  Let me explain.

Up until now, a personal prophetic word or a fresh rhema has been an unbelievably powerful inspiration in a comparatively dark world.  We did well to hold onto those words as a ‘light in a dark place’.  We had forgotten our former estate (our life in the Heavenly environs prior to conception).  So now, our ‘distance’ away from God had become normal… and a prophetic word (or rhema) was a powerful ‘light source’ from God.  This is the normal spiritual order in our present day.  And God ordained it to be this way, in this present ‘day’.  But He also has told us to expect a new normal!

Now, in case we think we’re over sensationalizing this concept, let’s look at a radical paradigm-busting passage.  Consider this next-level normal, which will blow any previous normal out of the water.

“They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun.  For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.  Behold, I am coming soon.  Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” – Rev 22:4-6

So, the old norm, which we now venerate, will be trumped by a new norm that can’t be compared to the old norm, even though the old norm has been the gold standard of our time. 

I don’t know if there will be a global wholesale manifestation of this Morning Star rising at first, but I do believe that we can be partakers of the ‘first fruits’ of the Morning Star rising.  It’s possible that these first fruits may be ‘hidden’ for a time until a ‘critical mass’ occurs and the new norm becomes global.

I realize that this is a pretty heady discussion topic, but we are in the Isa 54 mode: “Enlarging the place of our tents… lengthening our cords… stretching out our tent pegs.”  And since we are a part of ‘architecting a new age’, it’s exciting to explore these new horizons!

I’m so happy to be numbered among a company of believing believers!

–MLH

The Morning Star is rising within us – and He wants out – 16mins
https://youtu.be/V09XKOE13ZI

Into the Realm of the Morning Star – 32mins
https://youtu.be/hBfX2SfkK-c

The Morning Star is Rising – 8mins
https://youtu.be/NSJK4FhpzVY

Transition from CIE to CHR

Transition from ‘Crisis Intervention Event’ (CIE) to ‘Continual Heavenly Reality’ (CHR)

In keeping with our larger theme of ‘untethering from earth’, here is another epic mindset transition that is occurring.  It will become common in the mindsets of believers in our near future. Let me explain.

In the past era, the works of God in human’s lives were seen as Divine interventions… they were out-of-the-ordinary Heavenly invasions to fix our areas of pain.  These fixes were requested and expected to come from another realm.  And beyond all of that, we saw ourselves as plaintiffs, with little capacity to fix the problem on our own… so it was ‘little-ol-me’ begging God for another handout from Heaven.  This ‘helpless’ mindset affected all areas of life where we experienced felt need.

In the past, we asked God for a Crisis Intervention Event (CIE) to ‘rescue us’ from our felt-needs, but in the future, we’re being invited to live in the normal life-flow of Continual Heavenly Reality (CHR).

Contrasts between CIE and CHR

CIE seeks for an ‘emergency’ breakthrough from a distant God, down into our lives
CHR is the natural outworking of a renewed mind that ‘sees’ ourselves as living in Heaven in the saturated environment of Heavenly realities

CIE puts God at a distance and us trying to ‘change His mind’ to show us favor
CHR embraces God in us and us in God, so that the Life of God is present continually

CIE needs healing breakthroughs to get from one crisis to another
CHR rests in Divine health and a normal expression of union with God

CIE requests healing for our broken world/body, etc
CHR expects wholeness and health as our continuous upgraded reality

CIE needs a fix for the influences and ravages of death and dying
CHR rests in the realities of restoration of our youth and immortality

CIE hopes for crisis intervention for provision and to pay bills
CHR knows that I have already been given everything pertaining to life and godliness

CIE hopes to receive a problem intervention FROM GOD
CHR activates the life flow FROM WITHIN US because we are a life-giving-spirit

CIE keeps us apart from God and in a mode of asking Him for special favors
CHR naturally and consistently manifests Heavenly realities from out of our spirit

The norm for those who are living in new creation realities, and new heavens and new earth environments and are living in His Holy Mountain, (Isa 65) will include

Revelation, burden free, victory, joy, prospering, peace, harmony, union with God, long life/immortality, etc

These realities will become more common in this newly emerging age.  But, even though the People of God can choose to live in these outstanding new Heavenly realities, there will still be people who will choose to live under the previous norm of death, need for healing and curses, etc. (Note Isa 65:17-25 and Rev 22:2) 

So, can the saints still minister in Crises Intervention Event type healing (or any other type of crisis management system of the past age)?  Yes!  We may have to minister to people who are still living from the last age norm with modes that they can relate to.  But just because we CAN function in that mode, does not mean that mode has mandated its identify upon us.  We are of an upgraded and updated reality which enjoys the God-life flowing out from us (John 7:38).  Like Jesus, when He used the Crisis Intervention Event healing mode to meet people where they were, that DID NOT define Him, because He lived from the eternal realm… from the Heavenly realm.

For a specific example, let’s address the contrasts between healing and Divine health.  When we move into immortality and into union with the consistent life-flow of God in and through us, healing is not needed as a Crisis Intervention Event.  Rather, in the Continual Heavenly Reality mode, sickness just doesn’t happen, because we are living in a reality that is higher than needing frequent fixes.  Our reality now is living in and from Heaven so that His Kingdom manifests down on earth and His will is done on earth as an expression of the Heavenly norm – which flows through us – from Heaven, where we now live.  It’s important to remember that we are ‘life giving spirits’!

The Heavenly norms include

Continual health, wholeness, light, joy, peace, eternal life, supernatural life, etc…

Who are the purveyors of this reality?  The saints!

I don’t believe that this is just another trendy focus on ‘better believing’.  I believe that this is a dynamic spiritual reality that is being awakened in God’s people.  And if I was to be so bold, I feel that this may be a part of the “New day dawning and the Morning Star arising in our hearts” found in II Pet 1:19.  This dynamic awakening may be something that has lain dormant in our being since the Fall and has been waiting for this epic timing in history.  Without a doubt, this restoration will affect major core tenets of our believing and living.

For more comparisons, it may be as radical as the shift from Old Covenant to New Covenant… or from pre-Pentecost to post-Pentecost.  Think of it, no one could have predicted that a radical new experience would invade the lives of those who lived through each of those epic transitionary times!

So, gird up your loins!!!  Let’s ride! ☺

Companion Scriptures

Rom 8:19-23, John 14:12, Isa 65:17-25, Rev 22:2, John 7:38, II Pet 3:13

— MLH

For more on this subject:

Transition from CIE to CHR – 22mins
https://youtu.be/A8VmRvcSuVQ 

Angelic boundaries

Question: If deliverance is casting demons out of people, then can angels dwell in people?

That’s a good question.  Let’s address demonization first, then we’ll focus on angels.

I remember John Wimber talking about the actual Greek word (δαιμονισθεις – daimonizomai), which is translated ‘demonized’… as in harassed, tormented, oppressed, beset, bedeviled, bewitched, captivated, controlled, dogged, dominated, overpowered, plagued, seized, taken over, troubled, etc.  None of those words specifically implies that a demon is inside of a person.  This seems to be the greater understanding we derive from Scripture.

But we do have a few Biblical accounts of demons coming out of people. Here are a couple…

“And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.” – Matt 17:18
“Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute.  When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke… “ – Lk 11:14

So, although there are accounts of unbelievers getting demons exorcized from inside them, I don’t know that we have accounts of believers with demons dwelling inside of them.  We’ll leave this point open for further research at another time.

Being demonized starts with temptation, and when temptation is yielded to, it becomes sin.  When sin is habitual, we set up alliances with dark forces which either grow in strength or are dismantled with repentance.  But those erroneous alliances can create strongholds in our mind. Eventually, that stronghold can begin to ‘rule’ us.  So, I think that it is possible that a demon may not even be around at times when a person manifests something that looks like ‘demonized’ actions.  It may just be that the demon has sufficiently fortified a strong mindset… so that a historical track record of habitual volition has established a dark internal mental stronghold until we end up doing what we don’t want to do because we’ve been programmed by our own repetitive actions.

“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires, he is lured away and enticed.  Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers…” – Jms 1:14-16
“for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate.” – (Paul) – Rms 7:15

People can knowingly or unknowingly give ‘legal’ right to demons to demonize or harass them.  A person’s ‘permission’ at one point in their life, may now be forgotten… but can be ‘remembered’ with Holy Spirit’s help… and then rescinded and/or renounced.

Now check out Jesus.  There was no legal ‘ground’ in him to allow the devil to ‘connect’ inside of Him.

“for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” (Jesus) – Jn 14:30

Back to Wimber, on severe demonization:

“… severe demonization was actually a rare occurrence.  Mild demonic influence was much more common.” – John Wimber – Power Healing – pg 110

His larger point was – let’s say it like Scripture says it – someone is demonized or harassed by a demon.  That terminology does not specifically say that a demon is inside of a Christian, nor possessed or indwelt by a demon.

According to Wimber, ‘possession’ was an uncommon concept in the Bible.  It was more like degrees of demonization.

“The term ‘demonized’ refers to people who are in varying degrees of levels of demonic bondage.  In all instances of bondage people are subject to periodic attacks by one or more demons that may affect them physically, mentally, and spiritually. In literature on demonization, terms used to describe more mild forms of demonization include influence, oppression, obsession, and subjection. More severe forms of demonization are described as demonic attack, assault, and possession.” – John Wimber – Power Healing – pgs 109-110

More study here:

“Perhaps more accurate than ‘demon possession’ in terms of communicating the overall portrayal of this phenomenon in the Synoptic Gospels is something like “subject to demonic influence” or “subject to demonic oppression.”  A Bible Hermeneutics quote. More here

Now back to the original question… Can angels possess a believer?

First let’s strike a contrast between demons and angels.  Even if demons can enter… or be IN… a person, that would not necessarily have to be the commentary on angelic behavior.  Angels do not have to copy the modus operandi of demons.  For example: demons’ boundaries are only governed and limited by their hate-filled leader.  Remember, demons were judged because they “left their abode” (Jude :6).  Angels, on the other hand, are motivated by Love and they “perform His word, obeying the voice of His word” (Ps 103:20) … and because of that, they stay within their God-ordained boundaries.

Friendship or partnership with angels can be fostered and with permission, angels’ attendance becomes more automatic, predictable and expected.  But as described above, angels will stay within Father God’s limitations of involvement in a believer’s life.  And that is a HUGE ‘polar’ difference of M.O. between angels and demons.

So just as I don’t think that demons live inside of a Christian, neither do I think that angels live inside of Christians.  I think that the external good or evil influences of demons or angels can be just as strong as we give them permission and/or partnership.

One major difference with angels is their motivation.  Demons are motivated by hate, greed and disobedience… angels are motivated by love and obedience to Father God.  A stark contrast!

Outside of the Trinity, I believe that angels are our greatest Heavenly resource.  Nearly 300 mentions of angels in Scripture establishes that angels should be a significant part of the believer’s experience.  In fact, to turn them away would be to nullify the blessing of their ministry.

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” – Heb 1:14

So, without fear, let’s be more intentional in fostering angelic partnership.  Our Father is the One who established partnership with angels… and their M.O. is to only obey the voice of our Father.  And that sounds like it’s gonna be a win, win outcome for us!

–MLH

More on this subject

Meet your angel activation
We’re in Mt Zion now
Influence with angels

Heavenly POV changes everything

Point of View

We’re transitioning from earth-based POV to Heaven-based POV… from earth-based Christians to Heaven-based sons.  In other words, instead of being earth bound plaintiffs… we’re learning to speak from Heaven as “oracles of God” (I Pet 4:11).

In the past, our paradigm was to remind God of how bad the devilish earthly situations were… and we would take great pains to expound upon them…. and then we addressed the devil every which way from Sunday.  I wonder if the devil might have been singing the old B.J. Thomas song right about at that point.  One of catch phrases in that song is:

“Even a bad love is better than no love at all”

Doesn’t that sound like the devil’s song… because even though the attention he was getting was bad… at least he knew he had our attention, versus God… and that would likely make him a happy camper.  

Plus, the more we focus on darkness and evil, the more it imprints itself on us.  Considering how much we focused on him, here’s a disturbing truth 

We become what we behold

It’s quite possible that believers were ‘baited’ by the kingdom of darkness hoping that we would be more focused on the works of darkness than the Kingdom of Light.  Our Pentecostal/Charismatic heritage has taught us to swing swords and ‘lop off the heads’ of the powers of darkness.  And we have had some success in this mode… but we’ve also had some casualties by those who did the wielding of swords (you probably understand without having to go in any more detail). 

Many years ago, I took on some spiritual principalities and found myself in a tailspin for several years.  I was too naïve to know what had happened until a much older and wiser friend came alongside me.  The take-away from that painful time has served me to this day.

I’d rather be a light releaser, than a dark fighter
Both intend to dispel darkness
One does it by combat
The other does it by releasing Light

So, with the liabilities inherent in our old POV, I knew it was time for an upgrade?

So what are our options

We have a MUCH better (POV) point of view now… Heaven.  Instead of being on earth and creating a kerfuffle of activity, we now can remain solidly in Heaven and make declarations as we hear our Father’s mind over a situation.  We don’t engage darkness in direct hand-to-hand combat.  We believe that we are invited to stay in the Light of Heaven and release Heavenly realities down into earthly situations.  Remember how we’ve been taught to pray: “Thy will be done (down) on earth as it is (up here) in Heaven”.  So, we release the righteous and Light-filled realities of Heaven down into faulty and dysfunctional earth situations. 

What do our declarations sound like now?  Well, instead of engaging any specific manifestations of darkness, we release the opposite Heavenly reality?  

Examples of contrasts

Where there is separation        we release reunion
Where there is fear                   we release safety
Where there is hate                  we release love
Where there is sickness            we release health
Where there is brokenness       we release wholeness
Where there is disorder            we release order
Where there is darkness           we release light
Where there is violence            we release peace
Where there is aloneness         we release comfort
Where there is rejection           we release acceptance

In each of these contrasts, one is the product of the kingdom of darkness and the other is the product of the Kingdom of Light.  We can either engage with darkness or Light.  One makes us focus on darkness and the other anchors us in Light and gives us the weapon of Light.  Think about how amazing this dynamic is… for “what fellowship has light with darkness”.  Light NEVER has to fight for supremacy over darkness. Without a fight, Light obliterates darkness because of the nature of Light is so superior to darkness.  Light is filled with power.  Darkness has no power of its own – it is only the absence of Light.  Check out this powerful verse in Proverbs in the Passion Translation.

“A warrior filled with wisdom ascends into the high place and releases breakthrough, bringing down the strongholds of the mighty.  Watch your words and be careful what you say, and you’ll be surprised by how few troubles you’ll have.” – Prov 21:22-23  TPT

Not only does this passage strengthen our Scriptural foundations, but my own personal history strongly proves this to be true.  We paid a price too dear, when we got suckered into combat and onto darkness’ turf.  So we’ve changed our mindset and vocabulary to accommodate a powerful upgrade. 

Sometimes when we just don’t have the specific wisdom of God for a situation, we release these seven into a situation.  (I will likely elaborate on this mode in a future post.) 

Light, Life, Love, Power, Presence, Joy and Shalom of God  

This upgraded prayer posture may sound appealing to you right now, but a word to the wise: Give yourself some time to adjust your mind, thoughts, words and deeds to this POV.  It will take longer than you expected, because we have no idea how deeply the kingdom of darkness has imprinted and engrained itself in us.

But, thank God, we’ve begun the process and it feels so much better than the old ways.

— MLH

Three short videos related to this subject

I’d rather be a light releaser than a dark fighter
         https://youtu.be/CQhkYSWA8BQ
We release Light, Life, Love, Power, Presence, Joy and Shalom of God
         https://youtu.be/ZkMDX0W62iE
Light, Life, Love, Power, Presence, Joy, and Shalom of God
         https://youtu.be/p83J2gNxJPM

 

Tithing is training wheels

My views on tithing have changed.  I currently believe that tithing is one of the many laws that Jesus came to lift off of us.  Now, he has written His law upon our hearts.

“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” – Heb 10:16.

After we’re set free from the law of sin and death, Scripture only mentions two laws… and those are:

1. The Law of the Spirit of Life – Rms 8:2
2. The Law of Love – Gal 5:14

Tithing is training wheels
Church leaders use the familiar Mal 3:9-11 passage to ‘train’ people into tithing.  This training can be useful as ‘training wheels’ until the faith, mindset and joy of giving has been formed and fashioned in us.  Like most disciplines, we usually start out needing outside motivation until the core reason for that discipline gets worked in us sufficiently to become an internal virtue.  But sadly, if we’re honest, oft-times this Malachi passage is used as a pressure tactic to get the people to give so that churches can meet their financial budget.  The net result is that people often give reluctantly and under compulsion.  And the Bible has something to say about that;

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – II Cor 9:7.  

Jesus was always addressing internal heart matters… so much more than externals.  “What’s happening in your heart?”  That was… and still is, the essence of His message.

I now believe that our salvation requires Jesus, plus nothing… to be in right standing with God.

BUT, while I believe that NOTHING is required to stand righteous before God, I also believe that growth in God is accomplished by how we ‘exercise’ in all areas of our lives.  “He who is faithful in little will be given authority over much” – (Matt 25:23).  This is a principle which entices us in many areas of life.  A wise man has said, 

“Everything we NEED in God for salvation is a free gift and cannot be earned.  But everything we WANT in God must be apprehended.”

It would be foolish to not give
If you don’t give, it will not effect your right standing with God, but as you give, your heart will grow, your faith will grow, your influence will grow, and your reaping and reward will grow, etc.  So, if anyone is interested in temporal growth and spiritual growth, it would be foolish to expect growth without giving. 

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” – Lk 6:38

In the New Covenant, the Bible highlights two dynamics regarding giving: 1) give joyfully (II Cor 9:7) and 2) give generously (Rms 12:8).  Whenever you give, do it joyfully and generously.

Just a thought
How fun would it be to stay on training wheels all of our life.  Not only would they be very limiting, but the very end-objective for the training wheels would never be realized.   Hmmm.

So, YES, I have changed my view on tithing.  I believe it is one of the many laws that Jesus came to lift off of us, but I still believe that joyful and generous giving is a powerful wisdom principle that serves well all those who employ it.

BTW – Debbie and I don’t even think about giving a tenth.  For decades, as a consistent lifestyle, it has been our joy and our practice to give much more than a tenth!!!

— MLH

What is golden imagination?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” – Eph 1:18

So, what are the eyes of your heart?  Well, at least one definition is the ability for you to ‘see’ things internally without the use of your physical eyes.  And how does that happen?  We’ll get into that in the activations below.

Do we all have a natural ability to imagine?

Imagination is a gift or ‘sense’ that we all must able to have or Paul wouldn’t have prayed for it to be enhanced.  All children have it.  And remember Jesus said we must become like little children or we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt 18:3)

What about vain imaginations?

Great question.  Consider this: Here are a few areas which can have a righteous or carnal source.

Imaginations – Thoughts – Feelings – Prophecy

Yes, imagination can be very similar to thoughts, feelings and moving in the prophetic giftings.  Each of those areas can be of a carnal origin or a Heavenly origin.  Most of us have developed an ability to judge the content or nature of thoughts that pop into our head.  And with maturity, we exercise governance over those thoughts.  Heavenly inspired thoughts are to be fostered and nurtured.  Vain or evil thoughts are to be ‘cast down’ and put under the blood.  It’s the same with imagination.  And we could make the same application when it comes to our feelings or to prophesying.  With maturity we grow into discerning whether an impression, thought or feeling is from our own mind or from Holy Spirit.  All maturing saints employ these principles and grow in skill and giftedness accordingly. 

So with Heavenly inspired imagination, we could call it golden imagination or we could also call it sanctified imagination.  The skill of discerning between the righteous or carnal origins of our imagination will become more and more crucial as we move into the Heavenlies.  It will be imperative that we discern the spiritual origin of things that we encounter in the Heavenlies.  So how do we develop our ability to discern?  See if you catch how, in this next verse.

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” – Heb 5:14

Right, you got it.  Exercise or practice!   Now let’s break down the larger context.  As we see in verses 12-14, it is possible to stay infantile in our ability to discern.  We still need milk… which means that we need someone else to discern and tell us if something is right or wrong.  We need someone else to ‘feed’ us.  The writer of Hebrews was lamenting this sad fact. 

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” – Heb 5:12-14

So, how is imagination helpful?

Have you heard the phrase, “It’s easier to steer a moving car than a parked car”?  Well, that dynamic is relevant when it comes to seeing in the spirit.  Here’s a simplified process of employing imagination to get the ‘seeing’ started.  We 1) focus on what we know to be Scripturally true (or some aspect of a recent rhema) and we 2) activate our imagination to create a picture of it.  Then we 3) wait and let this picture ‘sit’ in our soul and spirit.  We 4) ask God to enhance or expand this picture in a way that reveals His fingerprints on it.  From that point we 5) move with Father’s leading as the scene unfolds.  And if He doesn’t ‘breathe’ upon that time, we just tell Him how much we love Him and we express how much we want to exercise our senses to ‘see’.  If nothing happens, we don’t force anything… we’re just eager to try again, next time. 

That initial use of imagination is neither good nor bad.  It is a tool!  Nor do we want to misconstrue that initial imagination as a God-encounter.  It’s only a tool to start the ‘car’ moving in the direction of our initial impression with the anticipation that it will lead to a God-encounter.  OK, are we ready for an activation?

Activation – using your imagination, ‘see’ an elephant – construct pictures from word descriptions – (see a long trunk, flapping ears, short stubby tail with wiry hairy end, tree trunk legs, corrugated skin)

Now this is a purely earthly employment of imagination.  Everybody can do this.  It is neither good nor bad.  It is a gift from God to help color our world.  Now let’s engage imagination in a spiritual and Heavenly arena. 

Activation – using your imagination, construct pictures based on the Scriptural description of our Beloved found in SoS 2:9-10, 5:10-16 (comes leaping across the mountains, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice, He is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand. His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels. His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh. His arms are rods of gold set with topaz. His body is like polished ivory decorated with lapis lazuli. His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars. His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend)

When you are fully in this imagery, still your mind and ask God if He would like to highlight something in that scene.  He may cause something to be animated or heightened in the eyes of your heart.  Or He may use that scene as a catalyst to launch you into something tangential.

Sum it up

Imagination is a powerful tool for the maturing believer.  But as our skill to discern and see matures, I believe that we’ll not need imagination as much.  I think we’ll find that imagination was like training wheels to help us toward mature seeing.  We love training wheels when we need them, but they would be very limiting if we never graduated.

A blessing!

Now, may your mind grant you the permission to employ your imagination in the process toward mature spiritual sight.  May the eyes of your heart be illuminated until you see in living color sufficient to grip and propel you into full blown Heavenly realities.  Amen

To infinity… and beyond!

— MLH

Short videos on this subject: 

     What is golden imagination
           https://youtu.be/rSNHUSLUNuo 
     Imagination activation
           https://youtu.be/iyXJWR_o1Sk 
     What role does golden imagination play
           https://youtu.be/rMIRDrkYnUY 

Untethering from this world

Romans 12:2 states the importance of untethering from this world, very succinctly.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – Rms 12:2

Evidently, there are problems with the paradigms of this world that will prevent us from being transformed (transfigured)… and from being able to prove the will of God.

We may wonder if we already have a renewed mind?  Well, Bill Johnson says,

“Transfiguration is the evidence of a fully renewed mind.”

And that is the Biblical litmus test, because of course, Bill is just stating Romans 12:2 in a slightly different way.  And when is the last time that you transfigured??  Well, with that, it becomes obvious that most of us believers still have quite a ways to go.

Can you imagine the liberties that we would experience if we untethered from the laws of physics of this world? Think of it: gravity, aerodynamics, speed of light, time, aging, singular locality, etc….

Untethering examples
If we’re untethered FROM time, then we’re not dictated BY time and we become free to live BEYOND time.  Remember, God lives outside of time and created time… He’s bigger than time.  And since we are “one spirit with Him” (I Cor 6:17) then we have access to all that God is!

In Earth paradigms, visual size and volume and numbers, all determine influence… or if we see the tangible size of a thing it leads us to believe in the power or veracity of a thing.  But in the Heavenly realm, Presence, love and character determine authority and influence.

The world says, “Seeing is believing,” but true Biblical faith does not come by natural sight.  In the Heavenly realm, true faith ONLY comes by hearing His voice.  So, disentangling from this world will release us from having to see by natural sight, and free us into hearing the rhema or Spirit voice of God.  And this hearing and the resulting faith, is what empowers us to ‘walk on water’.

My ‘Avenue of Angels’
To most people who use my prayer trail for exercise, it gets its importance and worth from its 10’ wide flat concrete with grass on both sides and greenery all around and it’s tranquility.  But to me, my Avenue of Angels get its importance and reality from the unseen realm.  And that reality came by familiarity and the frequency with which I have traversed this Avenue.  Each exchange of Heavenly commodity hallowed this pathway… so much so that I began calling it my Avenue of Angels.  This reality of Heavenly exchange has superseded and eclipsed any earthly value that concrete pathway may have to others.  This is just one place that my mind has been able to untether from this world.  Thank You, Lord.  How many more places in my life await this powerful dynamic?

Open wide you everlasting doors
So, it seems that we must find our personal doors that will facilitate untethering from this world.  Each of us will have to find our own rhemas, which are like ‘handles’ to our own personal ‘doors’.  Regarding doors: Maybe we should prophesy to our doors as in Psalm 24:

“Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors…” – Ps 24:9

Where to start 
A primary and crucial place to start is where you see yourself located… on earth… or in Heaven.  We’ve covered plenty of Scriptures to validate our Heavenly position – THEOLOGICALLY.  No need to reinforce our theology.  But we have not done well at EXPERIENCING being located in Heaven, NOW!  We must do whatever it takes… declare war on any opposing thought… take every thought captive… declare the Word of God… post post-its… pray out loud, etc.  And why is this important?  Because…

Thoughts create words… and words create (our) worlds

It is time to stop begging for something from Heaven when you’ve already “been given everything pertaining to life and godliness” (II Pet 1:3).  As long as we see ourselves as earthlings, we will be tied to this earth.  No need to pull down things out of Heaven anymore.  YOU ARE IN HEAVEN NOW!  It is time to see ourselves as being in union with God and function as the outflowing expression of God.  It’s time to begin to function like kings and emissaries of Almighty God.  It’s time to function as a life-giving spirit, in keeping with our Elder Brother Jesus.  We are Bible believing believers, so if the Bible says it, then we will embrace it… and our words will begin to reflect it… no apologies.  

And thus, the untethering process has begun!!! 

–MLH