<i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> WELCOME TO <i>GOSPEL TRUTH</i> WITH ANDREW WOMMACK, A TEACHING MINISTRY THAT FOCUSES ON GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL >> LOVE AND GRACE. >> HE'S HELPED ME TO TRANSFORM... TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO THE IMAGE OF GOD, WHICH IS GOD'S PURPOSE >> FOR MY LIFE. >> I HAVE THE FAITH NOW TO BE ABLE TO STAND THROUGH ANYTHING THAT I GO THROUGH. I KNOW THAT I'M GOING TO COME OUT VICTORIOUS ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE OF WHAT I'VE LEARNED >> THROUGH HIS MINISTRY. >> AND NOW, HERE'S ANDREW. WELCOME TO OUR TUESDAY'S BROADCAST OF <i>THE GOSPEL TRUTH.</i> TODAY I'M CONTINUING A TEACHING THAT I STARTED A WEEK AGO MONDAY. THIS IS MY SEVENTH PROGRAM ON <i>HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART.</i> AND I TELL YOU, LAST WEEK I SHARED POWERFUL THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT. MOST PEOPLE DON'T INTENTIONALLY JUST GET UP AND DECIDE, I'M NOT GOING TO SERVE GOD ANYMORE, AND THEY WALK AWAY. NO, THEY HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS. THEY WANT TO LIVE FOR GOD, BUT THEY DON'T PREPARE FOR THE ONSLAUGHT THAT'S GOING TO COME AGAINST THEM. AND THIS IS TALKING ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE OF A PROBLEM. AND YOU CAN LITERALLY BECOME SO FOCUSED, SO SET IN A COURSE OF ACTION, THAT YOU CAN'T JUST CHANGE ON A DIME. IT'S LIKE YOU CAN... YOU CAN BUILD UP SO MUCH MOMENTUM, YOU CAN GO SO FAST THAT YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE A U-TURN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING SO FAST. A CAR THAT'S GOING A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE AN EFFECTIVE U-TURN IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MAN, YOU’RE GOING TO... IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME TO TURN THAT THING AROUND. AND YOU CAN FIX YOUR HEART, SET YOUR HEART, ESTABLISH YOUR HEART SO THAT YOU CAN'T JUST TURN ON A DIME. THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT THEY GET UP IN THE MORNING AND THEY DON'T INTEND TO TURN AWAY FROM THE LORD, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ASSURANCE THAT THEY'RE STILL GOING TO BE SERVING THE LORD BY THE TIME THE SUN GOES DOWN. I TELL YOU, THAT IS A TERRIBLE WAY TO LIVE. YOU CAN FIX YOUR HEART, PREPARE, ESTABLISH YOUR HEART SO THAT YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT, MAN, YOU HAVE BUILT UP THIS MOMENTUM AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CAVE IN WHEN PROBLEMS COME YOUR WAY. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, I HAVE TRAVELED FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. AT LEAST 40 SOMETHING YEARS I'VE BEEN TRAVELING AND MINISTERING. AND I HAVE GONE TO CHURCHES, YOU KNOW, ON A YEARLY BASIS, BEEN THERE MANY TIMES, AND I'VE SEEN PEOPLE WHO ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE LORD, BUT THEY'RE JUST SHALLOW. THEY'RE A MILE WIDE AND AN INCH DEEP AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ASSURANCE THAT WHEN YOU COME BACK THE NEXT YEAR, THAT THEY'RE STILL GOING TO BE SERVING THE LORD. BUT THEN THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT I'VE MET, THAT YOU JUST KNOW THAT THESE PEOPLE, THEY HAVE MATURED, THEY HAVE ESTABLISHED THEIR HEART. THEY HAVE PREPARED, FIXED THEIR HEART TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT YOU COULD COME BACK AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SOMEBODY CLOSE TO THEM DIES, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'VE HAD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OR, YOU KNOW, JUST ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS. YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE SERVING THE LORD. THERE'S A REASON WHY SOME PEOPLE HAVE THAT STABILITY IN THEIR LIFE AND OTHERS DON'T. AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T LOVE GOD. IT'S JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T PREPARED THEIR HEART. I'VE BEEN TEACHING ABOUT THAT NOW ALL LAST WEEK. LET ME MOVE ON TO ANOTHER PASSAGE RIGHT HERE. THIS IS OUT OF 1 CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 29, AND I'M BREAKING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS. I'M GOING TO GO BACK AND GIVE YOU THE CONTEXT OF IT LATER, BUT DAVID IS PRAYING A PRAYER, AND HE SAYS IN 1 CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 29, VERSE 18, O LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND OF ISRAEL, OUR FATHERS, KEEP THIS FOR EVER IN THE IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEART OF THY PEOPLE, AND PREPARE THEIR HEART UNTO THEE. NOW THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR GOING ON MY SECOND WEEK IS HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR HEART? 2 CHRONICLES 12:14, REHOBOAM DID EVIL, BECAUSE HE PREPARED NOT HIS HEART. SO THE ANTIDOTE TO DOING EVIL IS TO PREPARE YOUR HEART. HOW DO YOU DO IT? AND I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HUMILITY FROM PSALMS, CHAPTER 10, 1 PETER, CHAPTER 5. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS. DAVID FIXED HIS HEART. I TALKED ABOUT JUST MAKING A DETERMINATION TO PRAISE GOD. I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES: HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH. THAT I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AND AGAIN I SAY, REJOICE. I'VE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND HERE IS A PART OF IT RIGHT HERE. IT...HE SAYS, KEEP THIS IN THE IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF THEIR HEART AND PREPARE THEIR HEART UNTO THEE. DID YOU KNOW, PART OF HAVING YOUR HEART PREPARED IS TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION IN A POSITIVE WAY? NOW THIS IS PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT IF I WAS JUST TO COME TO YOU... IF I WAS TALKING TO YOU AND SAY, HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR HEART? THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THAT JUST...THOSE WORDS DON'T SEEM TO MEAN ANYTHING. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN EXPLAINING FOR THE LAST SEVEN PROGRAMS. BUT EVEN IF YOU HAD SOME DEGREE, MOST PEOPLE WOULD NOT FACTOR YOUR IMAGINATION INTO A PART OF PREPARING YOUR HEART. BUT DID YOU KNOW YOUR IMAGINATION IS A VITAL PART OF EVERYTHING YOU DO. YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE IN YOUR PHYSICAL BODY THAT YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY BEEN IN YOUR IMAGINATION. NOW SOME OF YOU MAY DOUBT THAT. AND AGAIN, I'M NOT TEACHING ONLY ON IMAGINATION. I'VE GOT AN ENTIRE SERIES ENTITLED, <i>THE POWER OF IMAGINATION.</i> AND I'M NOT GOING TO TEACH COMPLETELY ON THAT, BUT I'M FACTORING THIS INTO IT BECAUSE THIS VERSE RIGHT HERE SAYS THAT USING YOUR IMAGINATION, KEEPING THESE IN THE THOUGHTS... THE IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF YOUR HEART IS PART OF GETTING YOUR HEART PREPARED UNTO THE LORD. YOU CANNOT HAVE A FIXED, ESTABLISHED, PREPARED HEART WITHOUT USING YOUR IMAGINATION. AND AGAIN, I GO BACK TO THIS STATEMENT I MADE, THAT YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE IN YOUR PHYSICAL BODY THAT YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY BEEN IN YOUR IMAGINATION. YOU KNOW, I WAS RAISED IN A CHURCH THAT WAS VERY LEGALISTIC, VERY STRICT, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SAID WAS THAT DANCING IS OF THE DEVIL. AND ANYWAY, I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT DANCING BEFORE THE LORD AND STUFF, AND SO I...I DON'T DOUBT THAT SOME DANCING IS SENSUAL AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I'M NOT SAYING JUST ACROSS THE BOARD THAT DANCING IS OKAY, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD YOU CAN'T SAY THAT DANCING IS WRONG EITHER. IT'S IN THE BIBLE. BUT ANYWAY, I WAS RAISED THAT IF YOU DANCED, YOU WENT STRAIGHT TO HELL. SO BECAUSE OF IT, I HAVE NEVER DANCED. THERE WAS ONE TIME I CAME CLOSE. AND I HAD THIS GIRLFRIEND AND I SKIPPED CHURCH ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME I EVER SKIPPED CHURCH IN MY LIFE. I WENT OVER TO MY GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SHE SAID HER PARENTS WERE GOING TO BE THERE AND SOME OTHER KIDS. WHEN I GOT THERE, HER MOTHER WASN'T... NOBODY WAS THERE EXCEPT HER AND THESE COUPLE OF OTHER KIDS AND THEY WERE DANCING, AND THEY TRIED TO GET ME TO DANCE AND I CAME CLOSE, BUT MY HEART SMOTE ME SO BAD THAT...THIS IS BEFORE I DROVE. I WAS LIKE 14 OR SOMETHING, AND I CALLED MY BROTHER AND HE CAME AND PICKED ME UP AND I WAS AT CHURCH BEFORE THE CHURCH SERVICE WAS OVER. I NEVER DID MISS A TOTAL CHURCH SERVICE. ANYWAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONDEMNATION IN THERE. BUT MY POINT IS THAT I WAS TAUGHT THAT DANCING WAS TOTALLY OF THE DEVIL, SO BECAUSE OF IT, I NEVER DID IT. AND DID YOU KNOW NOW THAT I... YOU KNOW, AM LIBERATED FROM THAT AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, MAN, DANCING BEFORE THE LORD IS A GODLY THING, DAVID DANCED WITH ALL OF HIS MIGHT, AND IN OUR MEETINGS PEOPLE WILL DANCE AND RUN ACROSS THE FRONT, AND I ENJOY IT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO DO IT. AND I WAS TALKING TO THIS ONE GUY. HIS NAME WAS ANDY ALSO. HE WORKED FOR ME AND HE DID ALL KINDS OF STUFF. HE WOULD FALL ON THE FLOOR AND SPIN, DO THIS BREAK DANCING STUFF, AND HE WOU... HE JUST DID WILD STUFF AND I ENJOYED WATCHING HIM DO IT, AND I WAS TALKING TO HIM ONE TIME AND I SAID, I JUST CAN'T SEE MYSELF EVER DOING THAT. AND HE SPOKE TO ME, HE SAYS, THAT'S THE REASON YOU DON'T DO IT IS BECAUSE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN YOURSELF DOING IT. AND IT JUST MADE PERFECT SENSE WHAT HE SAID. I WAS RAISED IN A WAY THAT THAT WAS JUST OUTSIDE OF MY REALM OF EXPERIENCE. I NEVER SAW MYSELF DOING IT. NOW I'M IN MY 70S, I DON'T HAVE ANY DESIRE TO SEE MYSELF DOING IT. SO ANYWAY, YOU JUST CAN'T DO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T SEE YOURSELF DOING. THAT'S YOUR IMAGINATION. AND THIS IS WHAT IT’S SAYING. HE'S SAYING, LORD, KEEP THIS FOREVER IN THE THOUGHTS OF THEIR IMAGINATION. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT'S TALKING ABOUT? HELP THEM TO REMEMBER THIS. LET THEM ALWAYS HAVE THIS BURNED INTO THEIR IMAGINATION THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER WHAT YOU'VE DONE HERE THIS DAY. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO USE WHEN YOU ARE PREPARING YOUR HEART. YOU HAVE TO SEE YOURSELF. LIKE SAY FOR INSTANCE, IF A PERSON HAS BEEN A DRUG ADDICT, THEY JUST NATURALLY HAVE AN IMAGINATION. THEY SEE THEMSELF A DRUG ADDICT. THEY SEE THEMSELF INFERIOR TO THOSE DRUGS. THEY SEE THEMSELVES WEAK IN THIS AREA AND THEY HAVE THIS IMAGE OF THEMSELF. THEY DON'T SEE THEMSELF AS AN OVERCOMER, AND SO THEY WILL TRY AND OVERCOME THE DRUG ADDICTION. THEY MAY GO THROUGH A WITHDRAWAL PROGRAM AND STUFF, BUT IF THEY STILL SEE THEMSELF AS A DRUG ADDICT, IF THAT'S THE IMAGE THAT THEY HAVE ON THE INSIDE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THEY EVENTUALLY GIVE INTO IT. THEY MIGHT BE ABLE, THROUGH TAKING SOME KIND OF A DRUG, YOU KNOW, TO...THAT MAKES YOU SICK AND THINGS LIKE THIS, THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET SOME DEGREE OF FREEDOM. THEY MAY BE ABLE TO HAVE A GROUP AROUND THEM, SOME KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP, AND THEY MAY BE ABLE TO COPE AND DO THINGS, BUT IF IN THEIR HEART THEY STILL SEE THEMSELF A DRUG DEALER OR A DRUG ADDICT, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THEY DO THAT AGAIN BECAUSE THAT'S WHO THEY SEE THEMSELF TO BE. AND SATAN WILL KEEP BOMBARDING THEM AND TEMPTING THEM UNTIL THEY GIVE IN. AND THIS IS NOT JUST THEORY WITH ME. I ACTUALLY HAD A MAN THAT CAME TO ME. I WAS AT ONE OF KENNETH COPELAND'S MEETINGS, AND I...THIS GUY WALKED UP TO ME AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD BEEN A DRUG ADDICT AND A PUSHER FOR... I COULDN'T EVEN TELL YOU THE LENGTH OF TIME, BUT IT WAS DECADES. AND I MEAN, HE WAS... HE HAD BEEN STRUNG OUT. HIS WHOLE LIFE HAD BEEN MESSED UP BY DRUGS AND HE HAD BEEN THROUGH ALL KINDS OF DRUG PROGRAMS, AND HE WOULD GET CLEAN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THEN HE WOULD FALL BACK INTO IT, ET CETERA. BUT THEN HE CAME TO ME AND TOLD ME, HE SAYS, I HEARD YOUR TEACHING ON <i>SPIRIT, SOUL & BODY,</i> I SAW WHO I WAS IN CHRIST, AND WHEN I SAW WHO I WAS, I CHANGED MY IDENTITY, AND HE SAYS, NOW THE DESIRE IS COMPLETELY GONE. HE SAYS, I AM OVER IT, BECAUSE HE CHANGED HIS IMAGINATION, THE WAY HE SAW HIMSELF. IF YOU SEE YOURSELF A FAILURE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL YOU FAIL. IF YOU SEE YOURSELF SUSCEPTIBLE TO SICKNESS, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL YOU GET SICK. IF YOU SEE YOURSELF FAILING FINANCIALLY, YOU KNOW, AND YOU...IF YOU WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE, WELL THOSE RICH PEOPLE, DID YOU KNOW, THE MOMENT YOU START TALKING ABOUT, THOSE RICH PEOPLE, YOU HAVE EXCLUDED YOURSELF? YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF EVER BEING RICH. AND IT BECOMES A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY. IT PUTS A LIMIT UPON YOU, AND YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, WITHOUT REALIZING IT, WE HAVE JUST TAKEN... THE WORLD HAS GIVEN US ALL OF THESE WRONG IMAGINATIONS. WE DON'T EVER SEE OURSELF DOING THINGS. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES TO MIND IS THAT THIS FRIEND OF MINE, DOUG NEECE, HE'S NOW GONE TO BE WITH THE LORD, BUT HE WAS MY MEDIA BUYER. HE'S THE ONE THAT PUT ME ON TELEVISION. AND HE WAS VERY WELL OFF AND VERY RICH. AND YOU KNOW, I'M BLESSED, BUT I WAS RAISED WITH A POVERTY MENTALITY. MY PARENTS WENT THROUGH EXTREME POVERTY. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ALSO VERY BLESSED, THEY STILL HAD A POVERTY MENTALITY. THEY SCRIMPED AND SAVED. ANYWAY, I WAS RAISED WITH THIS POVERTY MENTALITY. AND SO ONE TIME, DOUG NEECE TOOK ME TO PLAY GOLF AT THE BROADMOOR IN COLORADO SPRINGS. THAT'S A FANCY, FIVE-STAR RESORT. THEY’VE GOT THREE GOLF COURSES. IT'S THE NICEST GOLF COURSE I'VE EVER PLAYED ON. I'VE PLAYED ON ST. ANDREWS IN SCOTLAND, AND I GUARANTEE, IT WASN'T ANYTHING COMPARED TO THE BROADMOOR. SO ANYWAY, I WAS PLAYING, BUT TO PLAY THERE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CADDIE. I MEAN IT'S A... IT'S A POSH PLACE. AND SO ANYWAY, AFTER WE GOT THROUGH PLAYING, THE CADDIE WAS CLEANING MY GOLF CLUBS, WIPING THEM ALL OFF, AND I KNEW HE WAS WANTING A TIP, AND SO I GOT MY BILLFOLD OUT AND ALL I HAD... THE SMALLEST BILL I HAD WAS A 20, AND I WAS THINKING OF GIVING HIM FIVE DOLLARS. AND SO, I LEANED OVER TO DOUG AND I SAID...I SAID, DOUG, DO YOU HAVE CHANGE FOR A 20? AND HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, BUT HE JUST LOOKED AT ME AND HE SAYS, I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT. AND HE WENT OVER AND GAVE NOT ONLY MY CADDIE, BUT HIS...ALL FOUR OF THE CADDIES, HE GAVE EVERY ONE OF THEM A 20 DOLLAR BILL, AND IT MADE ME FEEL ABOUT THAT BIG. IT MADE ME FEEL SO CHEAP, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I JUST HAD NEVER GONE THERE IN MY MIND TO THINK OF PAYING A CADDIE. I HAD NEVER HAD A CADDIE IN MY LIFE. I ALWAYS CARRIED MY OWN CLUBS AND DID EVERYTHING, AND I HAD NEVER BEEN THERE IN MY MIND. I HAD NEVER SEEN MYSELF PROSPEROUS ENOUGH TO GIVE A PERSON $20 FOR CADDYING FOR ME AND CLEANING MY CLUBS, AND SO ANYWAY THAT STRETCHED MY IMAGINATION. AND DID YOU KNOW NOT LONG AFTER THAT I WAS IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA AND I WAS PLAYING WITH THREE OF MY PREACHER FRIENDS. AND WE WERE PLAY...PLAYING AT THE BILTMORE, ANOTHER POSH PLACE. AND THEY HAD CADDIES, AND I HAD ONE OF THOSE PASTORS COME UP TO ME AND SAY, DO YOU HAVE CHANGE FOR A 20? THE EXACT SAME THING I HAD DONE JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE. AND MAN, I SAID, I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT. AND I WENT AROUND TO EVERY ONE OF THE CADDIES AND GAVE EVERY ONE OF THEM A 20. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I COULDN'T DO THAT UNTIL I HAD SEEN SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT AND THAT MADE ME REALIZE HOW CHEAP I WAS BEING, AND I STARTED SEEING MYSELF DOING THIS. AND YOU KNOW, I STILL AM IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THIS. WHEN I GO AND PICK UP CLEANING, I'LL OFTEN GIVE THE PEOPLE A TIP, WHICH AS FAR AS I KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T TYPICALLY TIP THE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, BRING YOUR CLOTHES OUT TO YOU, BUT I'LL GIVE THEM A TIP. I'VE GIVEN THEM 10, 20 DOLLAR TIP, AND...AND THANKED THEM FOR WORKING. AND I JUST TIP PEOPLE THAT IN THE PAST I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE. AND IT’S NOT THAT YOU'RE WRONG IF YOU DON'T DO THAT, BUT I'M SAYING, THAT I J... THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THEY JUST DON'T EVER SEE THEMSELF DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT I'VE COME TO SEE MYSELF AS BEING BLESSED, AND NOW I'LL JUST GIVE MONEY TO PEOPLE; I'LL BLESS PEOPLE AND STUFF. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YOURSELF DO THAT, OR ARE YOU THE ONE THAT ALWAYS SEES YOURSELF AS, I'M THE ONE THAT NEEDS SOMEBODY TO GIVE TO ME? IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN YOURSELF DOING IT ON THE INSIDE IN YOUR IMAGINATION, YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOURSELF DOING IT IN THE PHYSICAL. YOU CONCEIVE THINGS IN YOUR IMAGINATION. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IF YOU WOULD LOOK AT ISAIAH, CHAPTER 26, VERSE 3, THE SCRIPTURE THAT I'VE USED A NUMBER OF TIMES DURING THIS SERIES, IT SAYS, THE LORD WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED UPON HIM: BECAUSE HE TRUSTETH IN HIM. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE WORD, MIND, RIGHT THERE IS THE EXACT SAME WORD THAT WAS TRANSLATED, IMAGINATION, A NUMBER OF TIMES IN SCRIPTURE? SO, I BELIEVE YOU COULD ACCURATELY SAY ISAIAH 26:3, THE LORD WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE WHOSE IMAGINATION IS STAYED UPON HIM. IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE MIND, BUT SPECIFICALLY, THE FUNCTION OF THE MIND, YOUR IMAGINATION. THE DICTIONARY DEFINES IMAGINATION AS YOUR ABILITY TO SEE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT REAL OR PRESENT. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU COULD IMAGINE SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER EXISTED BEFORE, LIKE MEN GOING TO THE MOON. WE'VE SENT SPACESHIPS TO THE MOON, BUT NO MAN HAS EVER BEEN TO THE MOON. BUT WITH YOUR IMAGINATION YOU COULD IMAGINE WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE. MATTER OF FACT, THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS. THEY'VE MADE A COMMITMENT TO PUT A MAN ON... EXCUSE ME, NOT THE MOON, BUT I WAS TALKING ABOUT MARS. WE'VE GOT PEOPLE GOING TO MARS NOW, AND THEY'VE MADE A COMMITMENT TO PUT A MAN ON MARS, BUT RIGHT NOW THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PLANNING THAT, THEY'RE USING THEIR IMAGINATION. THEY ARE GAINING INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE ATMOSPHERE IS LIKE, AND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS, AND THEY'RE HAVING TO IMAGINE WHAT THEY CAN DO. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT YOUR IMAGIN...NATION. YOUR IMAGINATION IS YOUR SPIRITUAL WOMB. MATTER OF FACT, IF YOU LOOK THAT WORD, IT’S Y-E-T-S-E-R, IS THE WORD THAT WAS USED FOR MIND, IN ISAIAH, CHAPTER 26, VERSE 3. AND IF YOU LOOK UP IN STRONG'S CONCORDANCE WHAT THE WORD, YETSER, MEANS, I THINK IS THE WAY YOU PRONOUNCE THAT, IT LITERALLY MEANS, CONCEPTION, BUT IT WAS TRANSLATED, IMAGINATION A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. SO YOUR IMAGINATION IS WHERE YOU CONCEIVE THINGS. DID YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T BUILD ANYTHING WITHOUT FIRST OF ALL SEEING IT. YOU KNOW, I BUILD THINGS OUT OF WOOD. I HAVE A WOOD SHOP AND A LATHE AND I DO THINGS. AND I'LL GET IDEAS FROM PEOPLE AND I'LL SEE THINGS. LIKE I SAW SOMETHING JUST RECENTLY IN A MAGAZINE AND I THOUGHT, I COULD MAKE THAT. AND ONCE I’VE SEEN IT, THEN I CAN MAKE IT. BUT I HAVE TO SEE IT ON THE INSIDE. YOUR IMAGINATION IS WHERE YOU CONCEIVE THINGS. THIS IS WHY WHEN YOU BUILD A HOUSE, YOU MAKE DRAWINGS OF IT. YOU HAVE PLANS, BECAUSE IT'S ONE THING FOR YOU TO SIT HERE AND TELL THE PERSON WHO'S GOING TO BUILD IT, OH, I WANT IT 20 FEET BY 30 FEET OR WHATEVER AND STUFF, AND THEY MAY GET SOME IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT. BUT IF THEY CAN SEE A PICTURE OF IT, A DRAWING THAT SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE EVERYTHING GOES, THEN THEY CAN DO IT. THAT'S THE REASON THAT YOU USE PLANS. I REMEMBER I BUILT A DECK ON OUR HOUSE ONE TIME, AND THIS WAS ALL OUT OF WOOD. AND I S...I SET A FIVE GALLON BUCKET OUT THERE, AND I SAT ON TOP OF THAT BUCKET. AND I WOULD SIT THERE FOR HOURS AT A TIME AND LOOK, AND JAMIE WOULD COME OUT OF THE HOUSE AND, WHAT ARE YOU DOING SITTING ON THAT? I WAS...I WAS TRYING TO PICTURE EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED THIS DECK TO LOOK LIKE AND THEN ONCE I GOT THE BASIC IDEA OF WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE, I HAD TO PICTURE HOW MANY... YOU KNOW, JOISTS THAT I WOULD NEED IN THERE, HOW MUCH LUMBER, WHETHER I WAS GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS ON THE THING. AND I JUST SAT THERE FOR HOURS AND LOOKED AND THOUGHT. WHAT THAT WAS, THAT WAS MY IMAGINATION. I WAS CONCEIVING IT. WE'VE NOW BUILT A HUNDRED AND TWENTY MILL... WELL, I DIDN'T BUILD ALL OF THOSE, SOME OF THEM I BOUGHT, BUT I'VE...I'VE BUILT 80 MILLION DOLLARS’ WORTH OF BUILDINGS IN THE LAST NINE YEARS. AND DID YOU KNOW THAT I SAT DOWN AND I CONCEIVED IT ALL IN MY IMAGINATION. I SAW IT, AND I DREW LITTLE CRUDE PICTURES, I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT IT. AND THEN I TOOK THAT TO AN ARCHITECT AND HE STARTED MAKING THEM LOOK NICER, AND AS HE DREW THINGS I SAID, NOPE, THAT'S NOT THE LOOK I WANT, AND I WOULD EXPLAIN TO HIM AND HE WOULD CHANGE HIS DRAWING UNTIL WHAT I SAW IN MY IMAGINATION MATCHED WHAT HE SAW ON THE PAGE. AND THEN WE TOOK THAT TO BUILDERS AND THEN THEY BUILT IT, AND TODAY WE HAVE 80 MILLION DOLLARS’ WORTH OF BUILDINGS THAT IT WAS AT ONE TIME ALL IN MY IMAGINATION. YOUR IMAGINATION IS POWERFUL. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PREPARING YOUR HEART, AGAIN, I GO BACK TO THIS VERSE, O LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND OF ISRAEL, OUR FATHERS, KEEP THIS FOR EVER IN THE IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEART OF THY PEOPLE, AND PREPARE THEIR HEART UNTO THEE. YOU CANNOT HAVE A PREPARED HEART, A HEART THAT IS FIXED AND ESTABLISHED, WITHOUT USING YOUR IMAGINATION IN A POSITIVE WAY. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE REST OF THIS WEEK IS HOW TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO PREPARE YOUR HEART. HOW IT FUNCTIONS, HOW YOU USE IT. AND LET ME JUST SAY THAT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT WHEN YOU USE THE WORD, IMAGINATION, THEY EQUATE THAT TO FANTASY. THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT DISNEY WORLD, TINKERBELL AND CAPTAIN HOOK, AND YOU KNOW, WHATEVER OTHER THING. ALL OF THESE FANTASIES, THE LITTLE MERMAID. THINGS THAT CAN’T EXIST. THAT'S FANTASY. I'M TALKING ABOUT REALITY. IT'S JUST REALITY THAT ISN'T COME TO PASS YET. BUT WHEN YOU BUILD A HOUSE, YOU'RE DEALING WITH REALITY WHEN YOU MAKE THOSE DRAWINGS. WHEN YOU SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT THAT HOUSE TO LOOK LIKE, THAT'S REALITY, IT JUST HASN'T COME INTO BEING YET, BUT YOU HAVE TO CONCEIVE IT IN YOUR IMAGINATION. YOU HAVE TO THINK IT THROUGH BEFORE YOU CAN GO BUILD IT. SO WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT FANTASY. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU JUST SITTING DOWN AND IF YOU, YOU KNOW, ARE... IF YOU'RE A MIDGET, IF YOU AREN'T EVEN FIVE FEET TALL, AND YET YOU'VE GOT VISIONS OF BEING A...A SUPERSTAR IN THE NBA, I THINK THAT'S FANTASY, AMEN. THAT'S NOT REALITY. YOU NEED TO DEAL... YOU NEED TO PLAY THE HAND THAT GOD DEALT YOU AND JUST DEAL WITH STUFF. BUT I AM SAYING THAT YOU NEED TO SIT DOWN AND NOT LIMIT WHAT GOD CAN DO THROUGH YOU, THROUGH JUST THE WAY THAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES IT. YOU NEED TO DREAM BIG. YOU NEED TO TAKE THE LIMITS OFF GOD, AND TO DO THAT YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION. AND SO, I'M GOING TO BE SHARING A LOT MORE ABOUT THAT, AND I PROMISE YOU, IT'LL BE A REAL BLESSING TO YOU. LET ME JUST MENTION AGAIN THAT WE'VE GOT A PACKAGE DEAL THAT WE'RE MAKING. AND WE'VE GOT BOOKS ABOUT DAVID, <i>LESSONS FROM DAVID,</i> AND <i>LESSONS FROM ELIJAH.</i> MATTER OF FACT, THIS TEACHING ON ELIJAH, I'VE GOT A...MY VERY FIRST TEACHING IN HERE IS ABOUT <i>A PLACE CALLED THERE.</i> AND THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT GOD HAS EVER SHOWN ME, THAT GOD TOLD ELIJAH IN 1 KINGS, CHAPTER 17, VERSE 4, HE SAYS, GO TO THE BROOK CHERITH BECAUSE I HAVE COMMANDED THE RAVENS TO FEED YOU THERE. HE DIDN'T SEND THE PROVISION TO WHERE ELIJAH WAS; HE SENT THE PROVISION TO WHERE HE TOLD ELIJAH TO GO. MAN, THAT'S HUGE, AND THAT HAS BEEN USED IN MY LIFE BIG TIME. AND SO THESE THINGS, THEY'RE ALL COMPATIBLE WITH THE SAME THINGS THAT I'M SAYING. BUT SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE OFFERING THIS TEACHING ON <i>HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART</i>. AND I'VE GOT CDs AND DVDs THAT WERE TAKEN FROM OUR TELEVISION PROGRAM, AND I PROMISE YOU, THIS TEACHING WOULD REALLY HELP YOU. AND WHAT IT'LL DO, INSTEAD OF JUST BAILING YOU OUT ONCE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE, AND IT'LL HELP YOU OUT OF TROUBLE, THIS WILL KEEP YOU FROM MAKING MANY OF THE MISTAKES. IT WILL PREPARE YOU SO THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT...THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON HAS. ITS PREVENTATIVE INSTEAD OF JUST CURATIVE. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> BEFORE YOU WERE EVEN FORMED IN YOUR MOTHER'S WOMB, GOD ALREADY HAD DETERMINED A PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE, >> A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE. > GOD HAS A PURPOSE TO TRAIN YOU IN WHAT YOU'RE CALLED TO DO, AND I TELL YOU, CHARIS BIBLE COLLEGE > IS THE PLACE FOR THAT. >> MAN, IF YOU WANT A LIFE-CHANGE, >> COME TO CHARIS. > COME ON TO CHARIS! > THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS COULD BE THE MOST POWERFUL TIME > OF YOUR LIFE. >> IF YOU SIT UNDER THE WORD FOR FOUR HOURS A DAY, FOR FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS, I GUARANTEE YOU, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE GOD SPEAK TO YOU AND START REVEALING PURPOSE >> TO YOU. >> EVERY ONE OF YOU WERE CREATED FOR A PURPOSE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT >> THAT PURPOSE IS? <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE BUILT A 1,022-SPACE PARKING GARAGE TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF OUR PEOPLE THAT COME TO OUR FACILITIES IN WOODLAND PARK, AND IT WAS AT A $23 MILLION COST AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET THAT PAID OFF AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. WELL, I FELT LIKE THE LORD SPOKE TO ME ABOUT ENCOURAGING 23,000 PEOPLE TO GIVE $1,000 OFFERING, EITHER A ONE-TIME GIFT OR PLEDGED OUT OVER A PERIOD OF TEN MONTHS, $100 PER MONTH. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THAT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL OR WRITE. GO TO OUR WEB SITE AND JOIN OUR 1K CLUB. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> ANDREW'S TEACHING, <i>HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART</i> IS AVAILABLE AS A CD OR DVD ALBUM MADE FROM OUR DAILY TELEVISION BROADCAST. EACH OF THESE VALUABLE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT WHEN YOU CONTACT US. THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR AUDIO DOWNLOAD ABSOLUTELY FREE >> FROM OUR WEB SITE. LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU ONCE AGAIN TO PLEASE GET THIS PRODUCT ENTITLED: <i>HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART.</i> I'VE GOT IT IN CDs AND DVDs, THIS IS ALL NEW TEACHING. AND THEN WE HAVE A PACKAGE DEAL WHERE YOU CAN ALSO GET A BOOK ON<i> LESSONS FROM DAVID</i> AND THE BOOK ON <i>LESSONS FROM ELIJAH.</i> IT'S ALL COMPLEMENTARY TEACHING, AND I TELL YOU, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED. YOU DON'T NEED TO WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE BEFORE YOU START TRYING TO OVERCOME. YOU NEED TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE AND THIS WILL HELP YOU DO THAT. >> YOU CAN GET THIS TEACHING IN THE <i>HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART</i> PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER THE CD OR DVD ALBUM FROM THE<i> HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HEART</i> SERIES AS WELL AS TWO BOOKS: <i>LESSONS FROM ELIJAH</i> AND<i> LESSONS FROM DAVID.</i> THIS PACKAGE HAS A CATALOG VALUE OF $50, BUT TODAY, YOU CAN RECEIVE THESE VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR JUST $35. GO TO AWMI.NET TO SEE ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN GET THESE TEACHINGS. YOU CAN BECOME A GRACE PARTNER OR ORDER RESOURCES THROUGH OUR WEB SITE AT AWMI.NET. OR YOU CAN CALL OUR HELPLINE 24 HOURS A DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY >> AT 719-635-1111. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> MY NAME IS DACIAN AND ME AND MY FAMILY ARE FROM ROMANIA, IN 2005, GOD TOLD US TO APPLY FOR THE DIVERSITY VISA A US IMMIGRATION PROGRAM. EVEN THOUGH OUR CHANCES WERE LESS THAN 1% FOR BEING SELECTED, WE DECIDED TO OBEY GOD, AND ONE YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THAT, WE WERE RELOCATING TO THE UNITED STATES. LIVING IN MICHIGAN AND BEING PART OF A BIBLE STUDY GROUP, WE WERE INTRODUCED TO >> ANDREW'S MESSAGE. WHEN YOU GO TO YOUR PLACE CALLED THERE AND YOU START OBEYING GOD, THERE IS SUPERNATURAL PROVISION. >> THAT MESSAGE DEEPLY TOUCHED OUR HEARTS, AND WE KNEW ONCE AGAIN GOD WAS CALLING US TO STEP OUT. WITH NO MONEY AND NO JOBS AND A VERY LIMITED ENGLISH VOCABULARY WE RELOCATED TO COLORADO SPRINGS TO ATTEND CHARIS BIBLE COLLEGE. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, WE RECEIVED THE MONEY AND THE...AND THE JOBS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN US IN HERE. AND WE ARE CONVINCED THAT WHEN GOD TELLS YOU SOMETHING HE MIGHT ONLY SHOW YOU ONE STEP AT A TIME, BUT YOU TAKE THAT STEP IN FAITH AND HE WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE >> A WAY. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> [END]
