Getting the Desires of Your Heart
Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Naturally, we want to know the key to obtaining our heart's desires. This scripture instructs us to “delight ourselves in the Lord.” It invites us to enjoy a spiritual being we have never seen except through our imagination. Using our imagination is a profoundly spiritual activity and should be practiced daily until we see ourselves being with Jesus and simply enjoying His presence.
Imagine walking through a beautiful garden full of luxurious plants and free-roaming animals. We discuss our hopes and dreams with Jesus, and He shares the great plans He has for us. Picture swimming with Jesus in a serene lake, surrounded by families playing, having fun, laughing, and being carefree. He splashes a handful of water at us, and we laugh together. We learn to cherish those moments with Him as we block out all earthly toils and concerns. For those moments, we are free to just imagine being with our Lord and Savior, who showers us with His overwhelming love.
Some may say that our experiences with the Lord are merely our imagination. Indeed, it is our imagination, which serves as the gateway to prayers and conversations with our Heavenly Father. Through our imagination, we experience what the Lord wants to share with us. Therefore, we should not underestimate our heavenly imaginations. We see the Lord sending angels to grant us victories and fulfill the desires of our hearts.
The Bible also warns us about vain imaginations in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 KJV “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; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Everything we do begins as a thought in our minds. For example, if we aspire to become a teacher, we envision the steps needed to achieve this goal, such as obtaining the necessary education. We see ourselves in a classroom, planning lessons and engaging with students. On the other hand, negative actions also start as thoughts. Some people may plan to do harm, seek revenge, or say hurtful things in response to being wronged. Every harmful action starts with an initial idea before it is carried out.
How do we “Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ?” We learn that we have the power to control what we think or imagine, and we are definitely instructed to dwell on the positives.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” The mindset and the tongue are two of the most powerful tools we have. We need to diligently cast down every negative thought and focus on the positives, which are God's promises. Our thinking and reactions become habits, and it takes time to break those habits and retrain our brains. Ultimately, the choice is yours: choose life. The only one who can truly get in your way is you, and it all starts with your imagination.