Is it my imagination?

04 Aug Is it my imagination?

Faith has never been a problem for me, as a matter of fact, from my earliest memories I can never remember a day in my life that I didn’t believe and exercise my faith.  Yes sir, not only have I always had faith, but there have been periods of time in my life when the level of my believing was at such a fevered pitch that you could call it “white hot faith.”  For example, did I ever tell you about the time I found a murder scene and the place that they buried the body? Well, I did, and it happened on one of my greatest days of believing.

It actually happened in the early days of the developing of my believing faith, when I had my paper route in Yakima.  It was also at a time when Dad was having special meetings in the church by a man who was a prophet.  A prophet, wow! You can’t imagine how exciting and wondrous it was to have a prophet in the church, seeing that we had been told that there were no prophets alive in our day.

Well anyway, this is the prophet that was the first one to prophesy over me about my future ministry and life’s work.  I always knew in my heart that I was going to follow Dad into the ministry and become a preacher. I had decided that I would be an evangelist, but this was the first time that I had a prophecy and God told me that I was a prophet to the nations.

Well, what does a 12 year-old do with that?  “You shall be as a soldier, landing on the shores of nations bringing the good news of God’s love to a lost and dying people.”  I want to tell you, I was excited.  Not that I understood much about what happened, or did I know the details of just how that would take place.  All I knew was that I was excited!

Perhaps it was the Holy Ghost stirring up my spirit to a new awakening of His presence in me, or I was responding to the introduction of that new gift and anointing of the prophet that I understand now, was released or imparted to me by the laying on of hands of the visiting prophet (I Timothy 4:14). Whatever the reason, it was a great day of faith and spiritual awareness. Well keeping all of this in mind, you have to understand that my faith and expectation was high and I was waiting any time to hear a message from God; any kind of message would do.

It just so happened that week that I began to take a new short cut on my paper route that took me behind an old warehouse.  And it was on a Monday after I had received my first prophecy that I decided to stop on my way by and peek through the dirty glass window in the warehouse to see what mystery may be there. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I began to study the inside of that ghostly, dimly lit warehouse.

Right there in plain sight, someone had been killed, and the evidence of the killing was all over the place.  Why anybody with half a brain could see it. With that red, splashed around and on the overturned row boat, and the freshly dug dirt next to it on the ground, I BELIEVED that I had discovered and solved a murder! Now came the challenge that I didn’t expect, resistance to the discovery to my new truth, and unbelief all around me–even in my own household.

“But Dad,” I pleaded, as he and the prophet sat at the dinner table that evening, “I saw the proof. It’s all over the place, you can’t miss it,” and all I got from them was more laughter. Not to be discouraged in my newly found discovery and exercising my best faith, I went back the next day to make sure that what I saw was really there.  Well it was, and I came back with vengeance the next day.

“Dad,” I declared, with the boldness of a modern day prophet, or a new convert with no spiritual sense, “I know what I saw and you’ve got to come and see this for yourself.”

Only this time I wouldn’t go away. My faith was peaked and I was determined to get me a convert; about two hours later I had him looking through the same dirty window that I had been looking through.  I’m sure now, looking back on it, that he decided that was the only way he would get any peace that day.

“Dad, can’t you see it?” I reasoned. “Look at all the evidence.”

As it turned out, Dad was unconvinced. His faith was on a different level than mine, and with some good natured patient instruction, he was able to get me to see the light also. It seemed that I needed some adjustment in the direction that my believing was headed.  You see what I saw was not really true, but I believed that it was. As long as I believed that it was true, then it was true to me, and controlled not only my thought life, but also my actions.  As long as I believed it, I was motivated to act accordingly.

So like I said before, I have always had faith and been a believer.  However, I must admit that there have been times that my faith and point of believing has had to have some major adjustments over the years, and perhaps later when we have more time I could share with you some more of my exploits of faith.

Do you suppose this was the reason that Paul commanded the Philippian Church to think on certain things that were, first of all, true.  Then noble and just, pure, lovely and of a good report (Philippians 4:8).  In other words, my fellow travelers, on the road of life you will believe something every day of your life and based on that  belief you will act it out and live your life.

The gospel message was given to change the direction that my faith and believing would be aimed.  Instead of having faith in death and bondage, because of the light of the gospel and the power of Jesus, I can now aim my believing faith on the “sure word of prophecy” and find hope in my final outcome (Jeremiah. 15:19-21 AMP).

Let your faith and believing be aimed toward heaven and heavenwards.

– George Watkins (Advisor)