Imagine God’s Power: Exercise Your Faith and Mind

I woke up early still asking the Lord for direction, and what kept rising in my heart was this one word: Imagine. Ephesians 3:20 says God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. That word think carries the sense of exercising the mind. Faith isn’t passive; it trains the imagination to see what God can do before we see it with our eyes. I told some stories—from my dad fixing a car with a bobby pin to his wartime courage—not to glorify cleverness, but to show how imagination, yoked to experience and trust, can break through what looks impossible.

I warned us about the world’s sentimental imagination. John Lennon’s “Imagine” sounds beautiful, but it imagines a world without heaven or hell. Remove ultimate hope and ultimate accountability, and you’ve removed the truth about evil and the truth about grace. Scripture anchors our imagination in reality: there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, and that truth steadies our hope.

Then we looked at holy imagination in Scripture. Abraham saw a nation before he ever held a child. David pictured a fallen giant before he picked up a stone. Moses imagined a free people while Pharaoh kept saying “no.” That same holy imagination is needed when the answer is delayed or different than we want. I shared our family’s journey through our daughter’s burns and how trauma can implant false memories; our minds can be hijacked by addictive patterns or distorted narratives. So we must exercise our minds daily, separating wounds from God’s character, and bringing our thoughts under the promise that He is able.

I also distinguished wants from desires. Wants are surface-level; desires are born deep in the heart and move us to sacrifice. God promises to give the desires of the heart, not the whims of the moment. So I’m asking us to imagine with holy desire: baptisms, Spirit-filled renewals, visible impact in our county, a rested pastor, a bold youth movement, Bible studies blooming across our community. Let’s carry that imagination into our work, our homes, and our city. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has prepared for those who love Him; so let’s love Him, and let’s imagine with Him.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God is able; imagine accordingly Ephesians 3:20 centers our confidence: God exceeds what we can ask or picture. Imagination aligned to His ability becomes a channel for bold prayer and courageous action. It’s not fantasy; it’s agreeing with His capacity. See it in Him before you seek it from Him. [06:05]
• 2. Exercise your mind toward faith “Think” means to exercise the mind—faith involves mental training. We rehearse His promises and picture His outcomes until our inner life cooperates with His word. Don’t let spiritual laziness narrate your days; imagine the work finished and then walk toward it. [10:03]
• 3. Reject fantasies without heaven or hell A world without heaven or hell is sentimental but hollow; it erases accountability and empties hope. The gospel names evil, offers grace, and secures a future. Our hope is not utopia but resurrection; truth gives bones to love. [22:22]
• 4. See victory before you fight Abraham and David acted on what they first saw by faith—a nation, a fallen giant. Holy imagination forms courage, clarifies steps, and silences taunts. In spiritual battles, envision obedience and victory, then move your feet in that direction. [25:22]
• 5. Desire births action for Kingdom growth God grants desires, not mere wants. Deep desires move us to fast, give, serve, and persevere—costly love that shapes communities. Let your inner longings target baptisms, Spirit outpouring, and citywide witness, then act like you believe it. [33:42]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:22] - Reading Ephesians 3:20
• [02:11] - Imagine: theme and prayer
• [03:28] - Childlike imagination as a picture
• [06:05] - God is able beyond thinking
• [07:40] - Bobby pin roadside fix
• [10:03] - Exercise your mind toward faith
• [12:18] - Dad’s wartime courage
• [20:15] - Confronting Lennon’s “Imagine”
• [22:22] - Heaven and hell are real
• [24:11] - Abraham and David envision victory
• [28:21] - Our daughter’s burns and memory
• [33:42] - Desires versus wants before God
• [41:45] - Imagining a new year of harvest
• [44:11] - What eye has not seen; altar

1. In Ephesians 3:20, what two human actions are named, and how does God’s ability relate to both of them?
2. How was the word “think” explained, and what does that suggest about how the mind is used in faith? [10:03]
3. What everyday story was shared to show imagination linked with experience and trust, and what was the outcome? [07:40]
4. What specific lines from a popular song were contrasted with biblical reality, and why did that matter? [21:34]

1. If “think” means “to exercise the mind,” what responsibility does that put on a believer’s daily thought life? [10:03]
2. How would removing heaven and hell from one’s imagination change the way a person views evil, grace, accountability, and hope? [22:22]
3. In the examples of Abraham, David, and Moses, what came first—vision or action—and how did that shape courage and obedience? [25:22]
4. What marks off a deep “desire of the heart” from a surface “want,” and why is God’s promise attached to desires rather than wants? [33:42]

1. This week, how will you “exercise your mind” toward faith instead of letting it drift? Name two concrete practices (for example: rehearse a promise at breakfast; picture a godly outcome before a hard meeting) and when you’ll do them. [10:03]
2. Where might a “sentimental imagination” be shaping your worldview—songs, shows, social media—that ignores heaven and hell? What guardrails will you set (filters, fasting from sources, adding Scripture) so your hope is anchored in truth? [21:34]
3. Pick one battle you’re in right now. What would it look like to “see victory before you fight”? Write one first step you’ll take this week, and one taunt you will silence with truth. [25:58]
4. Can you identify a distorted memory or stuck narrative that still shapes how you react? What step will you take to separate that wound from God’s character and retrain your thoughts (journaling truth, counseling, accountability)? [31:42]
5. Write down two current “wants” and two deep “desires.” What sacrificial step will you take toward one God-shaped desire this week—fasting, giving, serving, or persevering in prayer? [35:11]
6. As a group, imagine specific outcomes for the next six months (baptisms, Spirit-filled renewal, youth on mission, Bible studies across our county, visible impact, a rested pastor). What one action will each person take this week toward one of these? [42:45]
7. Where will you carry holy imagination into your work or home in the next seven days? Name one conversation to have or one courageous act to do, and set a day and time for it. [09:17]