Monday, June 8, 2009

Like a Child

Jesus said "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." [Luke 18:16] In Matthew 19:14 He says "...for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these."

Like a child. Remember how intensely you played as a child? If you have kids, think about how completely they give themselves to play—when they play, they become whatever they are playing. Their imagination is so focused...they are not watching an image of themselves as a Ninja Turtle—they are Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael or Leanardo [I can't believe I remember their names...].

Their ability to see and be totally immersed in something other than just their natural circumstance is amazing. As is their ability to trust. Think of how purely they trust...how completely they believe. No one is more real that Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy to children—they believe, they trust.

Grow Up!
Of course, over time, this ability to see, to be, is educated and socialized out of us. We become wary, 'street smart,' rational. We believe in facts, in the news, in what we experience by our physical senses. We're told to be serious, to grow up, to get real.

Yet Jesus is clearly telling us that if we want to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be like children. I believe He means the clear and pure way they trust, the way that they so easily see the unseen.

In previous posts [Quantum Possibilities, Believe You Receive, Fabulous Finds] we talked about the power of imagination and the role it plays in faith—faith is always in two places, in the heart [imagination] and in the mouth.

And here is Jesus, telling us that the key to entering the kingdom of God is to be like a child. Not childish, for in the Epistles we are told to be mature sons of God. But with the faith of a child—with the practiced ability to dream and see into other planes of existence.

Let's face it. You're doing it already. I bet you've done it since you got up this morning. Another name for it is worry. I bet you've seen yourself losing your job, or you kids making mistakes, or not having enough money to retire, or [whatever] getting worse, not working out, or...or...or...

We all do it, because that's how we're created. We're like God! He didn't just say random things when creating the earth, He knew what He wanted and then He said it! He saw it first, then spoke it into existence.

That's what He was doing with Abram, when He took him out and showed him the sky, and told him his descendants would be as numerous as the stars! He was giving him an image to help Abram believe Him. Then He changed his name to Abraham, the Father of Nations, so that Abraham would have to say it, over and over again.

And since Quantum Physics tell us that whatever is observed stays put, yikes!!

The New Birth
Think about the time when you saw the truth about Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior. You saw it, believed it, knew that it was true! And you were reborn—you entered the Kingdom of God!

But so many of us stop there. We fail to go onto truly possessing our birthright—health, wealth, angelic protection, blessings for our children, favor, etc.

Why? We have trouble believing what we can't see...we're all grown up, and we're realistic. We are called to do greater works than Jesus did! But unless we can see—really see—ourselves laying hands on the sick and the sick recovering—we're crippled in our mission. What we do see is what the enemy—the deceiver—wants us to see. Laying hands on the sick and it not working. Our kids in accidents. Our businesses failing.

Quantum Physics...Again!
In How Did He Do That we looked at how Jesus operated with a perfect understanding of Quantum Physics realities. He knew that all of His needs were met because God said so...and He could see it. He walked in the earth but could see the spiritual realm as well. Just like Adam, before he fell. He lived in the earth and walked and talked with God in the cool of the evening.

Somehow we have been cheated out of our God-given ability to see the unseen...to really believe, with our heart—our imagination. One of the reasons confessions seem not to work at times is because they're empty...they are not uttered with real faith. First you must believe in your heart—see the unseen—and then speak it into existence.

Practice, Practice, Practice...
Fortunately, we are all capable of doing this. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, told us to '...look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' [2 Corinthians 4:18]

First, if we're told to do it, we must be capable of doing it.

Second, we know from many scriptures that even natural, unregenerate man had the capability to see the unseen. [See Fabulous Finds, The Tower of Babel]

Third, we are born again—our natural man was crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, raised up together with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places. [Ephesians 2, Colossians 2] The Holy Spirit is our Helper forever [John 14:16], and we know from scripture that He speaks in both words and visions.

So, it's time to practice! Take time out, several times a day, to 'see the unseen.' Start with who you are in Christ...close your eyes and meditate on being filled with God, on being seated with Him right now in heavenly places! See yourself walking in the same power and authority that Jesus did on the earth...this is your calling, your heritage, your birthright!

As you become more adept at imagining these truths, move out into other truths. The Word says you are healed...see yourself as healed, be healed...just like a child would be Indiana Jones! Don't just watch a picture, be in the picture, feel how wonderful it is to be free!

And when the bad images creep in, stand your ground. Say 'NO!' and remember Philippians 4:8...'Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on [or ponder] theses things.'

Certainly the promises of God are worthy of praise.

Will it be hard to do at first? Depending on how negative or cynical you've become, probably. But look at it this way...if you're great as seeing the negative, it just means you're a strong 'seer' and just have to switch directions. 2 Timothy 1:7 says we've been given a spirit of discipline, or self-control. It'll just take some practice, just like when you learned to do anything new.

Imagine
Imagine, like a child, yourself as blessed. Imagine what it would be like, how it would feel, if the promises of God were true [which they are, forever settled—His Word is truth]. When you come to the place where you feel it and know it in your imagination, speak the word. Joel 3:10 says '...let the weak say, "I am a might man."'

Enter into His promises like a child. Imagine.