Imaginations Restored | Northlands Church

Imaginations Restored

January 15, 2019 | Jenny Lynn

Imaginations Restored

by: Jenny Lynn

Our imaginations were intended to breed faith, not fear. God wants to restore dark or dull imaginations this year, flooding the creative areas of our minds with his glorious light, unfettered hope, and limitless possibilities.

I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! Ephesians 1:18

For too many years my imagination served as a playground for the enemy. From vivid nightmares to fear-inducing daydreams, my imagination evoked negative emotions and thought patterns in the secret places of my mind. This wasn’t always the case, as a child I was described as a dreamer, constantly imagining other wonderful little worlds and pondering questions like “what would it be like if..” I loved playing with possibilities in my mind! But as I got older and my creativity was less celebrated, life happened, and some of my fears had become reality. My imagination turned from bright possibilities to dreadful dreams.

As we journey with Christ, he continues to reveal spaces of our hearts and minds that he wants to heal and restore to their original divine purposes. I believe we inadvertently allow the enemy to exercise influence in areas of our lives where he has absolutely zero authority. Author and Teacher, Wendy Backlund says “Your imagination wasn’t created so the enemy could have a playground, but so you could have a place to cultivate your faith.” Wendy’s words were a catalyst for revelation in my own life, realizing that my imagination had been hijacked for far too long by the enemy and I wanted it back.

Paul prayed this over the Ephesians writing, “I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!” (Eph. 1:18 TPT).

The Apostle Paul understood that our imaginations can be darkened by the enemy. Of all the things he could pray over this church, he prayed that their imaginations would be restored by the light of God. He understood that our imaginations can be a breeding ground for faith or fear, hope or hopelessness. Our imagination is inextricably linked to our faith. It is particularly hard to believe something we cannot imagine. We often settle for meager provision because we cannot imagine abundance. We often live with chronic pain because we actually cannot imagine being pain-free again, we have become so used to the affliction.

God wants to restore imaginations this year. Let’s consider whose influence we are offering our imaginations over to. In the Lord’s gentle care, he will fan the flames of our imaginations to conceive of impossible possibilities. He wants to cultivate faith in our imaginations so belief grows in our hearts for the impossible, the miraculous, the “too good to be true” outcomes!

If you are like me and your imagination hasn’t been illuminated by the glorious light of God for far too long here are a few practical steps I implement to walk in the redemption and restoration that Christ secured for my imagination:

1. Pray – When I am most vulnerable to my imagination getting hijacked by darkness, I pray. Most nights my final prayer is to declaring to the Father what Christ accomplished for me on the cross and asking for his protection from the enemy as I rest. Every time I declare truth in worship or prayer, belief wells up in my heart and I find safety in the strength it produces. On hard days, I ask my husband to pray this over me.

2. Soak & Journal – I intentionally carve out time to allow my mind to be restored in God’s presence. I soak (sit with closed eyes listening to worship music) and journal thoughts that drift through my mind. Often those thoughts morph into prayers and dreams. In his presence, darkness flees and the glorious light of God fills our minds and imaginations. We are able to conceive of possibilities, hope for the miraculous, and cultivate our faith.

3. Seek Beauty – Personally, my imagination comes alive in the midst of great beauty. I would wager, I’m not the only one. We were made in the image of Creator God and he unequivocally loves beauty, just look around! Gazing at a painting, listening to a song, seeing the sunset, taking in the views during a hike, watching the movements of a beautiful dancer, or a myriad of other breathtaking, awe-inspiring moments like these can set our imaginations on fire. Beauty is a powerful catalyst for our minds to shift from realism to imagination. Suddenly, what was pales in comparison to what could be. Our minds were made to partner with the Holy Spirit and believe our glorious God is here, able and willing to move among us in miraculous ways. The more we engage our restored imaginations, our faith for the miraculous catapults forward.

I pray that this year you receive the invitation for the restoration of your imagination. Whether you have struggled with darkness or just dullness in the secret place of your own imagination, I pray the glorious light of God floods your imagination and allows you to conceive in fresh ways the fullness of your calling, of God’s nature, his miraculous ways, and the glorious inheritance available to you.

Dig deeper into the Word by reading Ephesians 1:15-22 TPT and Ephesians 3:20 TPT, allow God to continue to unveil the power of your restored imagination to cultivate faith and unleash possibilities in your own life.

Prayer

God thank you for showing me the true purpose of my imagination. Lord protect me from the darkness that tries to hijack that was always meant to be yours. Fill my dreams - both day and night - with your glorious light. Let ideas, possibilities, and supernatural creativity run rampant in my imagination this year. I believe my imagination will be a conduit through which you show me what it looks like for heaven to invade earth this year. I want to imagine, to believe and to be a part of what you are doing in and around me, Lord.

© 2024 Northlands Church and Jenny Lynn. Permission to share so long as credit is given.