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