Mark 4:26-29
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Think about seed and harvest for a moment. A seed is simply a little tiny kernel / germ that goes into ground and produces. Notice in Mark chapter 6, it says that the earth brings it forth fruit of herself;
Amazing this wonderful miracle of life, a seed in fertile ground bringing forth, not from our effort, but because of the law of reproduction.
When a farmer takes a bag of seed and puts those seed in the ground he has an inward vision of the harvest which he is planting. Sometimes a seed package will help with a picture on the outside to show what the harvest would look like. But there are times when seed are in a simple brown paper bad without any picture, just the Word ~ Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Cucumbers, or whatever the seed is, written on the bad. That Farmer still captures an inward vision of what the harvest will be ... that is because Words produce imagines. God has given imagination to use productively. The Word of God creates vision and vision brings forth manifestations of desired ends.
Imagination defines as:
- Ability to visualize: Even to visualize things in the mind that perhaps one has never seen or experienced directly.
- Creative part of the mind; the part of the mind where ideas, thoughts and images are formed.
Therefore we should use our imaginations productively as we put the seed of the Word to work in our lives. Like seed in the earth, we must see ourselves having the harvest of what the Word says that we can have. Then we can go to bed and get up...go to bed and get up ~ in other words we can rest, knowing that our envisioned (imagined) harvest is on it's way to us, not of our own strength, but because the seed is at work on the inside of us producing imagine which produces harvests.
Imaginations always work with a measure of expectation of reward. Therefore, as we are going to bed and getting up with the imagine of the harvest within, there is an expectation of the desired end.
Imaginations can be very strong, and need to be used for good. They are so very strong that in Gen. 11:6 The Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
These people were going to build in order to build for themselves a name. Their motives were selfish and evil, therefore it was brought down. *Pride (selfish, self motivated ideas) always comes before a fall. But God will give more grace (undeserved, unmerited favor) to the humble (those who trust and submit to His will).
Paul knew the strength of imaginations and was concerned about evil (vain) imaginations, and revealed it to the church of Rome and Corinth.
To the church in Rome he wrote:
Romans: 1:19-25
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the {invisible} things of him from the creation of the world {are clearly seen}, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Here we see that people had gotten off course with God. According to verse 20 of Romans chapter 1, "those things of him which are invisible, are seen ~ by the eye of the mind." And actually one of the synonyms for imagination is: the eye of the mind.
Then verse 21 of Romans chapter 1 says that these people became vain in their imaginations of God. Their thoughts, speculations and ideas of God were wrong. In other words they begin to believe lying vanities. And followed off their own lustful imaginations.
Many people believe that sexual preferences are determined at birth. However, here we see how sexualities were perverted through vain imaginations, [uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts]. Imaginations are things that must be reckoned with.
Jesus said, this concerning adultery:
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. ~ Matthew 5:27-28
This could easily say: that whoever looks on a woman and envisions having her in his mind, has already committed adultery.
Homosexuality has been called everything from birth genes, to abuse from early childhood. But I am here to tell you according to God's Word ... vain imaginations have a lot to do with it, although there may be some other things that must be dealt with as well. And the same goes for adultery, pedophilia, or any other sexual perversity (unreasonable behavior).
Pornography is one of the hardest mental pictures (imaginations) for people to get out of their minds. It gets within a person and seems to grab them like a large claw hook. But I am here today to tell you that that claw hook can mastered, it can be cut out with the proper usage of God's Word, because His Word is able to cut asunder between what is Spirit and Soul (mind, will and emotions).
From these above Bible passages can see how vain imaginations can cause a person to go headlong into a vortex of sin, that will in some form always end in dead.
Speaking to the Church in Corinth Paul says this:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 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;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
~ II Cor. 10:3-6
A Christians battle is never against a flesh person, it is never carnal, but the battle is mighty. Our battle is not of ourselves or against others. It is through God, and it is to the pulling down of strong holds [castles that are built in our own minds]. The Battle is to cast down imaginations (which are vain) and all high things that are exalted against the knowledge of God [truth that will set you free, of any bondage ... even the claw of perverse sexual behaviors].
Let me end today with this: Use your imagination as God intended toward good, and go forward successfully. And when vain imaginations come, cast them down and bring all your thoughts into subjection to God's Truth. By doing this you will have wage a good warfare. Reaped a good harvest and avoided the evil which leads to hell fire and damnation.
