2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
The new creation citizen of God's Kingdom is a people who has never existed before, in all of creation. We've been here from the time of Jesus' resurrection and will continue throughout eternity. We cannot identify with any other species of being that has ever graced this planet before, because we are a new creation. And, because we've never seen ourselves the way the Father sees us, we still try identifying with previous generations.
It wasn't too long ago, that horses were the main mode of travel. We've gone from horseback to rockets in a relatively short period of time. We've gone from being a primitive people to this technological age we've living in now. Things that most people recognize as "everyday things" didn't exist only a short number of years ago. Even electricity is relatively a new discovery, as far as the universe is concerned, but it's hard for us to imagine living without the convenience it provides.
This isn't only true for most Americans, but for much of the planet. Air travel has now become our main source of traveling and we can cross the planet in just a few short hours. Those born into new generations have never lived without the things many of us lived without once. I remember my family waiting for the ice trucks that brought ice for our ice boxes, because we didn't have refrigerators. We got our first colored television in the 1970's and it was a huge piece of furniture. We called these "the good old days," but I don't know why. It's much better today, with all the modern conveniences we have.
The world system is advancing into a new invention with each passing day, while the Church seems to still be riding horses. The world isn't afraid to create and advance into a new place of learning, but the Church refuses to enter into those things that God has prepared for those who love Him. I'm not talking about the power and grace of salvation. This is a Truth that will endure forever. I am talking about entering into the wisdom of God and His Kingdom.
The people in Genesis 11:6 (Amplified) were building a tower that would reach Heaven. These weren't covenant people and their hearts weren't right in trying to build this tower. However, God said something about this people, that we should begin to understand. In Verse 6 God said this about their endeavor, "Behold! They are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them."
In Numbers 13:33 (Amplified) God tells the Israelites to go into Cannan and take the Land that He had given them. Joshua and Caleb came back and told the people that the Land was just like God said and that they were "able to take the Land." Consider that only twelve men had even seen the Land God promised. The leaders of the tribes came back with the report those twelve spies had given and conveyed their image of the Land to nearly two-thousand people in the wilderness. We see the image that they unveiled to the people in Verse 33 which says, "There we saw the Nephilim (or giants), the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Keep in mind that only twelve men had ever seen the Land and these two-million people only had their word to go on. Two men, Joshua and Caleb, saw things from God's viewpoint, while the others made their own machinations from their testimony. They cried and murmured against God, even though Joshua and Caleb brought back proof of the good Land, because their own imaginations held them back in fear. This was the same imaginations that God said about the people building the tower in Genesis 11:6. He said that, "What they have imagined now nothings will be impossible to them." The same imaginations that were building the Tower to Heaven was being used in the same way. Now, what they had imagined though, held the Israelites from going into the Promised Land.
Imagination isn't an evil things, only when it is used wrongly. Without having imagination, man wouldn't have pressed on to invent the things we take for granted today. Someone imagined a better means of providing light other than lanterns, and invented electricity. This changed the world forever. Someone imagined traveling by air and invented the airplane. Now, that's the accepted means of transportation across the world. Someone imagined a horseless carriage and today, millions of people ride in automobiles daily. These inventors began with an image or picture they could see in their minds and hearts.
Some in the Wilderness only saw or imagined "grasshoppers and giants." Caleb and Joshua saw the Promise and goodness of God. Proverbs 29:18 (Amplified) tells us, "Where there is no vision (no redemptive revelation of God) the people perish; but he who keeps the Law (of God) or the Word of God which included that of man) blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he." We've been reluctant to imagine or see the vision God has for His family. We've imagined grasshoppers and giants, instead of pursuing the vision we should have imagined. The enemy has been successfully putting forth people (like the 10 out of 12 spies) who will keep God's people imagining they are like grasshoppers in the eyes of giants, instead of new creation people.
We can imagine ourselves "when we get to the Promised Land," when God has already given us the Land. Hebrews 4:6 (Amplified) says, "Seeing then that the promise remains over (from past times) for some to enter that rest, and that those who formerly were given the good news about it and the opportunity, failed to appropriate it and did not enter because of disobedience."
We've been trained to see ourselves in the image of "victims" instead of victors. Our grasshopper image has kept the Church in the horse and buggy era, while the world's image has taken on new heights. The Church is the new creation and has the Mind of Christ to create and change things, so why are we still in the infant stages of Christianity after nearly two-thousand years since it's beginning? Are we allowing the grasshopper image that others put onto us, to prevent our seeing ourselves as overcomers? Do we see ourselves in "the Image of God" or do we see ourselves as grasshoppers and food for the giants?
It's time for the Church to retake the vision of the redemptive work of Jesus and do like Joshua and Caleb did. It's time we take the Promised Land and enter into it. The image we have of ourselves, isn't what God has said about us. The word of ten spies, gave two million people an image of themselves as being grasshoppers in the eyes of giants. Two million people cried in fear and never entered into the Promised Land, because of their imaginations. They had never even seen the Land for themselves. Do you see yourself like God's Word says you are? Don't pattern yourself after another people, who refused to step into the creative work of God like they did. You will never rise above your confession as to who you are. We must say what God says about us and take the land and inherit God's Promise and His rest.
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