Was thinking this morning about Desire and the Will, and Imagination and Impossibilities. How can we have Will Power? IF we see that the thing willed for is worthy, we can strengthen our will to do it. If we question the validity of the thing we desire, or we think the thing we desire is impossible to get, or not worth the effort, we will not have a strong will.
So strong will depends on strong desire.
Desire isn't something folks talk about much. They talk about the will in a kind of spiritual will-worshiping way. But when they talk about desire, they often talk about "carnal concupiscence" as if desiring is a bad thing. For instance there are bad desires and good desires. "The Leech has two daughters. Their names are "Give" and "Give." So just because our heart desires a thing strongly doesn't mean that thing is something we should desire.
But desire is also a lovely thing. Desire is a hopeful thing. We have to desire the things of God in our life. The king of heaven is taken by force. Force of the spirit, force of belief, force of desire. If we want something spiritual, physical, emotional, we have to desire it. We have to ask and keep on asking, and seek and keep on seeking. When we endure, we know we are strengthening our desire to have the thing.
So desire is the strength of the will. We have to put on the helmet of hope which protects our mind's imaginings. It has to be the helmet of the hope of salvation because mere hope is okay only with possible things. The helmet of the hope of salvation makes us remember that God is able to do the impossible. We need to cover our minds with the believe in God's ability to do impossible things. We have to renew our minds, stop limiting God, and ascribe great power to God. We have to learn to believe the good can happen in our lives. The exception on earth is heaven's rule. We have to be conceited enough to believe that good will happen to us even if it doesn't happen to anyone else. Let God be true and every man a liar. Romans 3:4
Imagination is the the power behind desire.
We have to have true and fruitful imaginings, not vain imaginings.
But we have to have a good idea of what is right and wrong in the world, we have to be fully persuaded of what should not be happening in the world. We have to look at what others consider normal and understand that there is something very very very deeply demonically wrong with the world.
On this earth, people die. People get sick. People starve. People murder each other. People don't understand each other. This is what some folks look at and see as "normal." An atheist sees this kind of thing as part of how the world has evolved. A Hindu sees this kind of thing as part of the world's spiritual battle to evolve toward nirvana. Buddhist see this as the yin and yang of the world working out.
I remember a New Age friend who laughed at me when I said there was something terribly wrong in the world. I said that whether it was the Garden of Eden story or any other folklore story, the world knows there is something very wrong in the world. The world needs to be righted. The animals of the world, and the whole creation is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God.
I mean there is something seriously wrong with the world. Therefore there is something seriously with a religion that acclimates us to it. A Christianity that doesn't fight the world, the flesh, and the devil is not the full gospel of the kingdom. A film or story or novel that tells us that death is good, that mayhem is normal, that human cruelty is normal.... is not a true story.
I write about worlds in which something is seriously wrong. I wrote about people who are aware that something is seriously wrong with their lives. There is no compromise in my novels about accepting the wrong. In my stories, the world must be righted. In Wind Follower, the demons had to be routed from the land (FULLY.) In Constant Tower, the power of the night has to be conquered. In Cry for Hire, the people from the confused world must be enlightened or at least brought out into the real world. The desired goal must be seen and the person who wills to see the desired goal must believe that the impossible is possible, that they themselves will be able to attain to the impossible with God's help.
I'm thinking of all this because I've been trying to lose weight. I have been trying to imagine what it is like to be skinnier. I am trying to believe that that is possible. I'm trying to be strong of "will" against eating the wrong thing. This means I have to believe that there is a good desired end awaiting me if I avoid gluten. This means I have to believe in a good future, and that I have to believe the impossible...that at age 51 I can still do wonderful things. I'm trying to tell my imagination that it must see that losing weight will be good for me. I try imagining myself traveling to different countries as a Christian writer. Don't I want to be skinny as I do that? Don't I believe what God told me that I had six great works to do? Can I imagining myself writing six great works?
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
So strong will depends on strong desire.
Desire isn't something folks talk about much. They talk about the will in a kind of spiritual will-worshiping way. But when they talk about desire, they often talk about "carnal concupiscence" as if desiring is a bad thing. For instance there are bad desires and good desires. "The Leech has two daughters. Their names are "Give" and "Give." So just because our heart desires a thing strongly doesn't mean that thing is something we should desire.
But desire is also a lovely thing. Desire is a hopeful thing. We have to desire the things of God in our life. The king of heaven is taken by force. Force of the spirit, force of belief, force of desire. If we want something spiritual, physical, emotional, we have to desire it. We have to ask and keep on asking, and seek and keep on seeking. When we endure, we know we are strengthening our desire to have the thing.
So desire is the strength of the will. We have to put on the helmet of hope which protects our mind's imaginings. It has to be the helmet of the hope of salvation because mere hope is okay only with possible things. The helmet of the hope of salvation makes us remember that God is able to do the impossible. We need to cover our minds with the believe in God's ability to do impossible things. We have to renew our minds, stop limiting God, and ascribe great power to God. We have to learn to believe the good can happen in our lives. The exception on earth is heaven's rule. We have to be conceited enough to believe that good will happen to us even if it doesn't happen to anyone else. Let God be true and every man a liar. Romans 3:4
Imagination is the the power behind desire.
We have to have true and fruitful imaginings, not vain imaginings.
But we have to have a good idea of what is right and wrong in the world, we have to be fully persuaded of what should not be happening in the world. We have to look at what others consider normal and understand that there is something very very very deeply demonically wrong with the world.
On this earth, people die. People get sick. People starve. People murder each other. People don't understand each other. This is what some folks look at and see as "normal." An atheist sees this kind of thing as part of how the world has evolved. A Hindu sees this kind of thing as part of the world's spiritual battle to evolve toward nirvana. Buddhist see this as the yin and yang of the world working out.
I remember a New Age friend who laughed at me when I said there was something terribly wrong in the world. I said that whether it was the Garden of Eden story or any other folklore story, the world knows there is something very wrong in the world. The world needs to be righted. The animals of the world, and the whole creation is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God.
I mean there is something seriously wrong with the world. Therefore there is something seriously with a religion that acclimates us to it. A Christianity that doesn't fight the world, the flesh, and the devil is not the full gospel of the kingdom. A film or story or novel that tells us that death is good, that mayhem is normal, that human cruelty is normal.... is not a true story.
I write about worlds in which something is seriously wrong. I wrote about people who are aware that something is seriously wrong with their lives. There is no compromise in my novels about accepting the wrong. In my stories, the world must be righted. In Wind Follower, the demons had to be routed from the land (FULLY.) In Constant Tower, the power of the night has to be conquered. In Cry for Hire, the people from the confused world must be enlightened or at least brought out into the real world. The desired goal must be seen and the person who wills to see the desired goal must believe that the impossible is possible, that they themselves will be able to attain to the impossible with God's help.
I'm thinking of all this because I've been trying to lose weight. I have been trying to imagine what it is like to be skinnier. I am trying to believe that that is possible. I'm trying to be strong of "will" against eating the wrong thing. This means I have to believe that there is a good desired end awaiting me if I avoid gluten. This means I have to believe in a good future, and that I have to believe the impossible...that at age 51 I can still do wonderful things. I'm trying to tell my imagination that it must see that losing weight will be good for me. I try imagining myself traveling to different countries as a Christian writer. Don't I want to be skinny as I do that? Don't I believe what God told me that I had six great works to do? Can I imagining myself writing six great works?
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
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