Faith Requires Imagination

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CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Daring Faith

Faith Requires Imagination By Rick Warren — Jan 7, 2016 “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT, second edition) When you can’t see something physically, you have to imagine it in your mind. Imagination is essential to living by faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (NLT, second edition). Faith is when we hope for something, and we know it’s going to happen. In order to hope for something, you have to picture it in your mind. Hebrews 11 is God’s Hall of Fame. When you read through the heroes of faith, you realize that every one of them became heroes of faith because they used their imagination. For instance, God said to Abraham, “You’re 90 years old, and you have no kids. But I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham, which means ‘father of a great nation.’” He told Abraham to go outside at night and count the stars — that’s how many grandchildren and great grandchildren he would have in his family tree — the nation of Israel! What is God doing when he tells Abraham to go count stars? He is activating his imagination. He’s saying, “I want you to visualize what I’m going to do in your life.” The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” You can’t see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but they’re going to last for eternity. You can’t see your own soul, but it’s going to last for eternity. The Bible says you need to focus on the things that will last — the things you can’t actually see with your eyes. So how do you focus on things you can’t see? You use your imagination. Imagination shapes your life because it is essential to living by faith. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over How does your imagination help you understand and remember Scripture? Is it difficult for you to use your imagination when it comes to faith? Why do you think this is so? Describe some of the pictures in your mind of elements of your faith, like the Holy Spirit, Heaven, or God’s will. What shapes the pictures we create?   CURRENT RADIO SERIES Living the Cross   CURRENT TV SERIES Is There Hope For America   Drink water from your own cistern,             flowing water from your own well… Let your fountain be blessed,             and rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:15-18 I once heard a grandfather who was talking about his grandson. He said, “You know, my grandson has more temptations before school starts at 8:30 in the morning than I had out Friday night looking for trouble!” And you know, he’s exactly right. In fact, one young lady told her father recently, “When I see how casual sex is treated by my classmates, there are times when I wonder, ‘What am I waiting for?’” So why should you maintain the purity and the standards of righteousness that the Bible gives? The world today is full of so many opportunities for men and women to go astray when it comes to sexual purity. So why not just give in? Well, here’s your answer: because God wants what’s best for you. I can’t tell you the heartbreak I’ve seen and the emotional damage I’ve witnessed as a result of illicit sexual relationships. God doesn’t want you to experience that, so He’s protected you by giving you guidelines to obey. God created His rules for sex with your joy in mind. Never forget that. So whether your young and single or have been married for years, follow God’s perfect plan for sex and you’ll experience His very best for you and your spouse! God’s plan for sex was created with your joy in mind. So follow His plan and you’ll experience His very best for you!