Creative Ideas

A few days ago now, Vanessa and I were praying and I felt driven to say to God, "Thank you for creative ideas".  I felt inspired to say this but didn't really know why.  Afterwards, Vanessa asked what that was all about, and I said I don't know!

I remember, that late last year the Holy Spirit was teaching me to speak things with His authority. Basically, God has to speak something first!  The best we can do is repeat after Him.  If we speak after Him, that's when our words have power.  That's when they have heavenly significance.

"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways."

Job 22:28

This is what Job's friends told him, and it was true--for the most part.  There comes a time when God gives the righteous--that was Job!--freedom.  There is a time when we can enjoy such freedom in the ways that we serve God.  God wants to bring us into freedom where we can serve alongside Him, dream with Him, and create with Him.

There comes a time when "all these things will be given" to us, as well (Matthew 6:33).  There comes a time when we will decree a thing, God will back it, and it will be birthed into reality.  There comes a breakthrough when God takes over our minds, hearts, and imaginations, and makes them pure.

We need to understand that the Holy Spirit makes the word flesh.  He makes the word of God, and the inspirations of God, manifest into something that can dwell among us.  (John 1:14)  In our lives, we should see the Word come alive and make a tangible impact on whatever is around us.  God had a wonderful idea named Jesus, and He has made us in His own image.  Thanks to His idea, we can enjoy the the many ideas that were originally only His.

And His purity can make us pure.  God has purified our desires, and He has created us with the intention that we break free from our sinful nature.  He made us with imaginations; He made us with creativity; He made us with ideas!  He wants to purify us and give us His righteousness, because He wants to see our dreams become reality.

God wants us to declare and decree His promises.  Start with the Word.  Speak the truth into existence--there is the power of life in our speech (Proverbs 18:21)!

The spiritual comes before the physical, so stay grounded in the Word.  But aren't there also personal promises God give us?  Don't you think He wants to bless the work of your hands?  Don't you think that He wants to give you success in whatever you do (Genesis 39:23)?  This is the truth, but not many people seem to make it to that point.

Anyways, if there is a promise God has given you--an acting career, a certain type of ministry, a successful published book, etc.--pray into it.  Pray into it, speak into it, act into it.  Speak His Kingdom come.  There is power when our words agree with God in Heaven.  There is power when God gives us an idea from Him.  Don't you know that God cannot fail?  There is such security in doing the things that He tells you.  These things won't fail!  If He tells you something, decree it?  Decree it, and the Holy Spirit will breath it into existence.

God is the most creative One out there.  And we can be included into Him!  We can have His righteousness, and after we have it, we can have His creative ides.  Let's be bold in our declarations and in the things we say--let's be bold and forcefully advance the Kingdom (Matthew 11:12).  Let's access God's version of reality by speaking supernatural life and not death.

Since praying that prayer a few days ago, so many 'creative ideas' have been coming at Vanessa and I.  It wasn't that my words had much power, but I spoke into what God was saying, and in doing so, aligned with the power that is only His.  Glory to God!  He gives us freedom, even to have what we say come to pass.  Be heavily led, be in tune and in step with the Spirit, and watch as you receive whatever you ask for in prayer (John 14:13)

Snapshot: Heavenly Downloads

"Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning."  James 1:17

When I became saved in the Spring of 2013 the Lord gave me many dreams that helped me understand who He is.  He was my main teacher during those amazing first few months.  Spring was a time of rebirth and growing in trust and childlike faith.  And as I've said in a recent post, now I am thankful to receive beautiful songs in my dreams from the Lord.

"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."  But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets"  
1 Corinthians 2:9-10

God has so many things in His storehouse.  He has so many things awaiting us way up in Heaven.  And we are instructed to test Him, and see if He doesn't give to us!

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."  Malachi 3:10

Bill Johnson said that the Kingdom of Heaven is bigger  on the inside than it is on the outside.  How true!  To outsiders Jesus says, "narrow is the path" (Matthew 7:14).  But David, a friend of God, praised the Lord for broadening the path for his sake (Psalms 18:36).  Once inside the Kingdom, once you have sought God, that's when He gives you the desires of your heart.  That's when He can redeem your creativity!  That's when you can embrace a download from Heaven.

This download may be a dream.  It may be a vision.  It may mean making artwork, or a song, or a writing.  It will come surrounded by a gift of wisdom--more on this in a future post.  God wants to give each of us a portion of His imagination to apply to our respective fields.  Seek first His Kingdom, and see if He doesn't transform your life.

Snapshot: Entering the Promised Land

A few days ago God spoke to me about my pathway through life.  This was the same day He was telling me to ask for details.  But in addition to this, we need to allow the Spirit to control our will and our dreams.  We need to imagine God's Will, and walk into it.  We need to see what He sees, feel what He feels, and follow His leadings step by step into the Promised Land.

I remember that a Christian figure from past times coined the term "Holy Imagination".  And that's what we need to have.  We need to have Holy thoughts and pure minds.  Only then can we dream big.
And only then can God implant Himself into our visions and our dreams .  Infact, this was the way that He called many old testament prophets.  So many were called and received their calling from a Spirit filled,  almost otherworldly dream.

This past Spring, I had a dream that I was crossing the Jordan river.  The dream wasn't set in ancient times, though; instead, I was on a steamboat that was slowly being evacuated.  Many passengers were on this boat, and many were scared about whatever might happen while they were stuck on this stalled boat.  Other passengers, however, didn't seem to see any problem in their situation.  I was left wondering what to do myself.

After some time, a militia-type group had also been sent onto the scene.  These military leaders searched for passengers willing to be recruited into their evacuation team.  Brave passengers became compelled to join this team, which was preparing to leave the ship and search for help on the mainland nearby.  I remember that the ship was fairly close to the riverbank, although the evacuation team was facing a jungle once across the river.  I listened as the military personnel spoke about the dangers of the mission ahead, and I felt more than slightly intimidated by my own prospects of joining this voluntary team.  But the situation on the boat was boring and lifeless, and people were left to waste away through their own devices.  So I decided I would go.  I was going to join this team and cross the Jordan!  I was told that the mission would be long and hard.  I was told it would be dangerous.  But I wanted to get off of that boat--it wasn't going anywhere and the people on board were not motivated to do much.  This is where the dream ended.

When I woke up I felt it was a dream from the Lord.  I felt His leading to be bold for Him and venture into uncharted territory.  I felt His desire to take me into new places, and report back to those 'stuck' what I tasted and saw.  Shortly after waking up that morning, God led me to the Joshua 1, 2 and 3, which strongly matched my dream.  God was beginning a new season in my life, and I was being exhorted to enter into the promised land.  Around the same time I had this dream, I started doing healing ministry on the street.  I was just starting to be used by our Lord to pray for the afflicted.  I was out of my comfort zone oftentimes.  But I had made the choice; I had crossed the Jordan!

God's recently began speaking about this to me again.  I believe that I'm in a new season now, and I've just crossed another river of roadblocks.  In the life of a strong believer, there may well be many "Jordans" to cross.  God wants His children to personally walk through the exploits in the Bible, and in that dream He gave me, I was shown that He wanted me to live out Jordan crossing of Joshua.

Confirmed 12/13:  God showed me that I've crossed the Jordan, because His commandments were more important.

Confirmed 12/14:  I was reading the book of Judges, and through 'quickened eye-glances' (see the Quickened Word for more on this), God revealed to me that I had been called out with Him.  This is exactly what the military leaders were doing in my dream all those months ago.  And He went on and showed me that I was to follow His lead.  How critical!  Just as the Israelites could not cross the Jordan without the Presence of God, in the Ark, guiding them, we cannot enter the Promised Land that He's called us to unless we follow Him into it.

Confirmed 12/15: Recent Themes have been:  Lush, green gardens.  Green trees. The Tree of Life. Milk and Honey.  The finest of foods.  Open Door to His Promises!

Confirmed 12/15:  I was reading the Bible Commentary book again, and God really spoke through it.  Random reading (search the 'labels' feature for this, if you're interested).  I was led to the subtitles "Canaan" and "Canaan as a type of Heaven".  God wants to lead us all into a land where the Promises He's given us become manifest.  He wants to lead all those who will listen into a land of heaven on earth.  The Promised Land symbolizes that our Lord has given us another chance to return to the Garden.  The Promised Land symbolizes that our God has great things planned for us, even before we enter Heaven itself.  Praise God!