Genesis 1:20-23

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5^th Day

God said – water creatures & birds

I believe that God gave us an imagination to help us learn about Him.  As Messiah’s disciples, we must train our minds to use our imaginations in positive vs. negative ways.  That’s part of the transformation and the renewing of our minds that must happen in our lives. (Romans 12:1-2)

How have you seen your imagination create negative and positive results in your own life?

Imagination is tied to what we think in our hearts; and that is tied to what our life experience becomes.

Proverbs 4:23 teaches us that our life flows out of what’s in our hearts.

God wants us to use our imaginations to think about Him and His Word.  Proverbs 3:1-2

I wonder if God imagined all the variety of water creatures and birds before He spoke them into existence? Because He’s all-knowing, He probably was able to do that in an instant. Then what He “saw” in His mind’s eye, He spoke out and it became reality.

We’re created in God’s image and that’s probably why what we imagine becomes reality in our own lives.

What do we really understand about the power of our thoughts?

How does our entertainment driven society effect our imaginations?

How can we train ourselves to only use our imagination for good things?

Back to Genesis 1.

Take a moment to imagine all the variety of creatures that God spoke into existence. It’s amazing to think of the power of God’s Words being able to create every unique detail of every unique sea creature and bird!  What an amazing thought! Truly God is awesome and awe inspiring.

God saw – it was good – He imagined it – created it – and it was good.

God’s redemptive plan on this earth is to re-create us to be imitators of Him.  Eph. 5:1. He wants what we imagine to create good things.

2 Cor. 5:17 teaches us that when we’re “born-again” we become new creatures.  What does this mean to you?

How should that effect our imaginations?

I can imagine God looking at the sea turtles, the squid, sea horses, parrot fish, and other brightly colored fish, the sea anemones, and all the other fascinating creatures in the ocean; then His attention turned to the colorful and not so colorful and interesting birds; with their unique habits, abilities, looks and instincts. God’s creativity delighted even Him.  That’s an amusing thought. Creation brought Him joy. I guess thinking about the vast variety – how could it not?!

God blessed them – be fruitful and multiply

It was through a blessing bestowed upon creation that gave them the ability to reproduce and fill the realm that God had put them in.  We too, need to look for God’s blessing upon our lives to multiply.  We must be careful what we’re reproducing though.  Each of us has the ability to reproduce good, or evil; faith or fear; blessings or cursings, etc…

By looking for God to build our house (Psalm 127) and providing us the blessing to reproduce we’ll be assured of His provision of the gift of children who are blessings in our lives.

What does that mean to you in your life (even if you’re single and have no physical children)?

God of Wonders Video

How To Prepare Your Heart: The Role of Imagination

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Renewing Your Mind 1 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIQYfL2JVDk

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Renewing Your Mind 2 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C5dZ8Nk2ck

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Renewing Your Mind 3 of 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxpo2Nngq8