Pearls
By iLoveGospel
The Power of Vision
We are all creatures that function primarily by images. Our whole world is swayed by how we handle, process and manifest images. As such, What you see through the eyes of your imagination is key to the releasing of your creative power. We were purposely created that way so that we can wield the power of vision. The power of vision is in essence the power of faith. It works according to your response to your inner vision. When you ‘act’ according to your inner vision, you release the power of faith. Action confirms your belief in your vision. The famed woman with the issue of blood received her healing because she acted upon what she saw in her heart.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, Who touched Me?” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:25-34)
This woman suffered from a condition that was so chronic that she constantly hemorrhaged for some twelve years. However,
- despite the stigma of an embarrassing disease,
- despite being deemed unclean and therefore
- barred from the synagogue and public places,
- despite the humiliation of having been
- exposed and subjected to the primitive
- practice of many male physicians,
- despite the disappointment of having
- undergone all sorts of medical treatments
- that only served to make her condition worse,
- despite being devastated physically,
- financially and emotionally,
- despite the pain of loneliness and rejection,
- despite the hostility of her society and environment,
She went into the crowd, pressing pass people she knew, people who despised her, people who felt she had no right to be there. With unfettered focus and relentlessness she grasped the hem of Jesus garment and her flow of blood ceased. The way this woman received her healing was totally unprecedented. Never before in the annals of the scriptures, had anyone received healing without a man of God’s knowledge or consent. Never before also, had anyone received their healing on-purpose and by their own actions. So how did she receive her healing without direct action from Jesus? First of all, she made the following declaration, “if only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” As mentioned earlier, words are in essence images. It is impossible to speak or think without materializing a corresponding image or vision. Therefore, in saying what she said, a mental picture of her touching Jesus’ clothes and being healed would have automatically appeared in her mind. She believed in what she saw, which was evidenced by the action of pushing through the crowd to touch Jesus. She was therefore healed because she:
SAW, BELIEVED, TOOK ACTION and RECEIVED.
She imagined herself being healed just by touching the clothes He was wearing. Indeed that is what happened when she acted accordingly. I can imagine that with each step she took, the vision got clearer and brighter, which in turn made her more determined and courageous. With each step her faith would have grown stronger and stronger, culminating in divine through the power of vision. Like this woman, your power emanates from acting on what you can see in the depths of your imagination. When you see it you can achieve it. This is the power of vision. When you harness the power of vision, nothing you imagine to do will be impossible for you. Your vision is the key to:
• Overcoming the insurmountable,
• Solving the insuperable,
• Defeating the invincible,
• and achieving the impossible.
All you have to do is see, believe, take action and receive.
By iLoveGospel
Image Is Everything
Faith enables us to see what cannot be seen through the physical senses. It informs the mind of things yet to be manifested in the physical world. Faith is inextricably linked to the outcome you can see on the canvas of your imagination. The clearer you are about the outcome you can (mentally) see, the stronger your faith. Words are in essence carriers of images and their prime function is to give you a clearer vision. The clearer your vision, the stronger your faith. This is why the bible is full of metaphors and is rich in imagery, symbols, and allegories. It is also the reason why God’s promises always come with an image to fuel your imagination.
Your approach to words must be the same as when you receive a parcel in the post. You know that you have to remove the outer wrapping to receive what the sender wants you to have. Likewise, it is the image that you need to receive from words, more than the words themselves. A prime example of this is illustrated in the promise given to regarding the enormity of his descendants:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:1-6)
From that day on, Abraham’s thoughts were fuelled by what he saw in the night sky. The stars he saw, made the innumerable number of descendants he would have, a mental reality; even though he and his wife were childless, and advanced in years.
Therefore, Image is truly everything! It is the blueprint for all that has been made! There is nothing that has been made that did not first begin as a mental image. Every tangible outcome has its genesis in a mental image.
Image is the substance of things hoped for. After all, what is hope without the image of what you hope for! Image is a spiritual substance. Although invisible to the naked eye, it can be seen, once captured on the screen of your imagination. This highlights the value, and significance of our imagination. Without it, we will never capture the image, and the vision, of what will be materialized in our lives.
If the concept of ‘spiritual substance’ sounds familiar to you, it maybe because you have read the only scripture that gives a direct definition of faith:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11:1)
The substance of things hoped for is the image of a desired outcome. That being the case, ‘faith’ and ‘image’ are the same. Faith does not exist without a corresponding image. If this concept of faith appears too radical, it is because we often define faith by its works, or attributes, such as trust, confident expectation, or a strong belief. Although these attributes are integral in exercising faith, they are not what faith is. Trust, confident expectation, and a strong belief in something yet to be manifested, all spawn from the image you see on the inside.
The image within is what gives life to great acts of faith. It was the image inside Martin Luther King Jr, as expressed in his famed ‘I had a dream’ speech, that galvanized millions of Americans, and broke the back of racial inequality.
Faith therefore is the image, and substance, for creating a ‘reality’ hoped for. When God speaks of what He wants to achieve through you, it is the image, or vision, that He wants you to receive, not just words. For Abraham to truly receive the image God wanted him to manifest, God had to take Abraham out of his tent, and show him the stars. The stars acted as a metaphor, enabling Abraham to imagine himself as the Father of nations. It is only when Abraham saw what God wanted him to see, and then believed that what he saw on the screen of his imagination will become a physical reality, that God credited it to him as righteousness!
Faith v Fantasy
As explained earlier, words are carriers of images. Image is the essence of thoughts. If faith comes by hearing the thoughts of God, then faith is the image of God’s desire. When you hear (and understand) God’s thoughts, you also see the image of the outcome, He wants you to manifest in your life, and the physical world. Although we have the ability to manifest our desires, if they are not harmonious to the desires God has embedded in our hearts, they manifest as fantasies. God’s desires will always be for your benefit. Fantasies on the other hand, are by nature, vain, with no substantial, or lasting benefit. Fantasies are manifestations of ego, and selfishness. Some may seem good at first, but ultimately serve to be detrimental to one’s self, or others.
Faith, on the other hand, requires you to align your desires with God’s desires, and position yourself (spiritually) to see what God wants you to see. God is Love, and what He puts in your heart will not only serve to benefit you, but also many others. This will only be realized through the manifestation of faith.
Regardless of these differences, faith, and fantasy work by the same principle. Both can be activated by your own belief. The question is: do you want to be a manifester of faith, or fantasies?
By iLoveGospel
A Winning Perspective
A dear friend of mine sought my advice regarding an issue her 17 year old son was facing. He attended a prominent youth academy which placed him at a company to gain work experience (on a non-salaried basis). He worked as a graphic designer, creating some of the publicity needed for the firm’s marketing campaigns and events. A year after his tenure at the academy he was approached by the director of that company and asked if he would design a logo and a brochure. Apart from a promissory gesture by the director to introduce him to his contacts, no payment was offered. The teenager gladly did the work; but things soon became sour when the director became evasive every time the subject of introducing him to his contacts was raised. At the same time he put the boy under scathing pressure to complete the work to a tight deadline.
His mother was understandably concerned that her son was being taken advantage of and prepared a ‘well crafted’ letter to send to the director. However, mindful not to jeopardise potential opportunities for her son, she decided to seek my advice before sending it, due to my years of experience in the creative industry. As she described the case to me I was able to confirm that her son was indeed being taken advantage of. This company usually pays for designers to do their work and the director was using her son to avoid the expense of design fees. She had every right to be upset at how her son was being treated and the company director was deserving of a good ‘ticking’ off. However, I was still apprehensive about her sending the letter (yet) as I too shared her initial concerns about jeopardizing his future. No matter how diplomatic or well crafted her letter was, the fact that it was coming from his mother (seen to be the lioness) could’ve resulted in the director distancing himself and his company from her son and any possible trouble associated with him. Instead I decided to look at the situation from a different perspective and sought to give another meaning to this situation.
Her son was just starting out in his career and oftentimes designers work on a freelance basis where the ability to sell oneself is key. I saw this situation as a golden opportunity for her son to gain some business acumen and negotiate with the director. From the caliber of work her son was commissioned to do, it became obvious that the director had confidence in his abilities and talent. This would serve as leverage for her son to demand design credits (if payment was not forthcoming) for the ongoing tasks and to negotiate suitable payment for future jobs. If the director disagreed, then a letter of complaint was due. She passed on my advice to her son who acted accordingly. Two weeks later I was delighted to hear that he was successful in obtaining what he asked for, birthing the beginning of business relationship with the company.
Opportunities do not always come in attractive packages. The picture that adversity paints is not necessarily as gloomy as it seems. You posses the ability to look at the imagery of dire circumstances and frame it with a meaning that empowers you. No circumstance is set in stone and it’s impact on you is subject only to the definition you give to it. There are situations beyond our control; but the meaning we give to them is key, as it is responsible for how we feel about it. How we feel determines our actions, and all actions have a consequence. Therefore, meaning controls outcome! The good thing is that you can choose or even create the meaning you want to give to any circumstance you face. Debt problems can serve as a lesson in financial management. Divorce can serve as a powerful medium for re-evaluation and self discovery. No matter how ugly the situation, its impact on you is subject only to the meaning you give to it.
Your mind will always seek to find a meaning to any given situation. Unfortunately, by default, the mind leans toward pessimism, hence the initial tendency of thinking the worst in any given situation. We must make a conscious effort to train our minds to think on things that will empower rather than discourage us. A well trained mind that seeks to find the good in any given situation is a mind that can steer you to a life of success.
The most powerful way of training your mind to explore and find meanings that will empower you is to see things from a ‘winning’ perspective. A winning perspective is where you see yourself in a position where you have the advantage. It is where you see yourself as the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. When you see yourself as always having the advantage, your only dilemma is deciding how you want to win.
In conclusion, never let an offense cloud your judgment. Always keep your eye on the big picture and the end goal. When faced with situations that seek to dis-empower you, look for or create an alternative meaning that puts power back in your hands. When you do this, a raft of opportunities will be revealed to you that you would not have otherwise seen.