IMAGINE THAT

For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to
the pulling down of strong holds:

Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.
II Corinthians 10:4,5

Imagination can be a wonderful thing. It's that part of us that dreams, creates and plans. There is nothing wrong with imagination when used in it's correct context. Paul speaks of imagination in terms that are negative. The people in Corinth were facing a lot of negativity in their lives in their cultural circumstances, similar to what America is facing today. Satan loves playing with our minds and works heavily in our imaginations. Think of the times our thinking about our own circumstance begins with two words...”What if.” Those two words can take us down a very negative path imagining things that haven't happened and probably never will. This was happening with the Corinthians...negative imaginations. It would appear they were feeding on those imaginations rather than on the knowledge of God.

We are faced on every side with circumstances that contribute to our negative imaginations and thinking. In fact, they are so negative they strike fear of the present and future days. Protests, killings, people burning buildings...”What if.” Political manipulations, politicians who don't seem to care about regular citizens, statues of our historical heroes trashed...”What if.” Flu symptoms, being alone and vulnerable, finances drained...”What if.” With just the mention of some of those things, our “What if” thinking kicks into high gear.

This week, while reading in II Corinthians, I came across the verses above, verses that struck me in my spiritual heart in such a different way, mostly because of the events of our present time. Paul gives a simple command to cast down anything that tries to exalt itself above God, get rid of them, and refuse to entertain them. Sounds impossible, doesn't it. However, we also know that with God, nothing is impossible.

There are times I feel sorry for God. I don't know how He tolerates any of us on any given day. We don't have to murder anyone, rob a bank, crush another's spirit, etc. What we forget is that to God sin is sin. I realize some sins are more far reaching and crushing, often affecting dozens of people for a lifetime. Scripture brings me back to the fact that God is sovereign and is very capable of taking care of Himself and of all of us for sure.

I feel bad for people who weren't born in the times I was. This is one of my problems in that I have some other times to compare with today's events. I remember a country that was loyal, never questioned the treatment of the American flag and for the most part, where people were happy. Sure there were problems. We lived in a fallen world like we do now. All lives mattered. I didn't know a thing about abortion until I was out of college. We weathered wars that were heart breaking. Yep, we had our messes, but we're in a mess right now so what do we do.

One of our biggest mistakes we make as Christians is that we feel there is nothing we can do because we are individuals and what can one person do. I was feeling a little of that as I was praying the other day, but it came to me...what if every concerned Christian dedicated themselves to be people of prayer like never before? Praying in church is fine, but I'm talking about all of us dedicating ourselves to be people of prayer on a daily basis.

So in this time, WHAT IF we:

Commit to prayer and Bible study
Are faithful to our church in every way possible
Cast out our own evil thinking that isn't of God
Allow God to rule our minds and imaginations
Bring our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ
Take advantage of the weapons of warfare God has made available to us.
Speak in love for God to another He may put in our paths.

Change will never come except on an individual level. We can't wait for other person to get right with God. It must begin in us individually and then What If can be changed into What Is because of personal obedience to Jesus. I can't change anyone else...just me...just imagine!! Then I must partner with God to be a personal witness to others of His love.

Dear Father we are seeing confusion and evil in abundance these days. We may fret and worry, but in that process, forget that nothing escapes Your sight. You remain in charge of every circumstance and You will handle such circumstances for purposes we may never know. Help us to lean on You and trust You in these complex times. In it all, we are gratteful that Jesus died for every person no matter their background. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and my friends...giving us a life that can be lived for You. In Your precious name...Amen