The twelve spies that were sent out to view Canaan, The Promised Land, brought back two vastly different reports. Ten of them saw the giants of Anak, and two saw what God described as rich land filled with grapes, honey, and milk. The ten recognized that there were rich fields filled with plenty, but they considered the great enemy they saw to be more significant. They all beheld the same things, yet arrived at two different points of view. The least of them saw what God promised; the majority saw the impossibility caused by these tall men. How could the conclusion of representatives from the twelve tribes of Israel show such contrasting opinions? Was it something within, or something without? It must have been something within because they saw the same thing without. So, what is within a person that can cause his surroundings to appear dramatically different? Faith in what God said was the whole difference.
I meet with so many situations in the lives of people that seem to be clueless as to why they have become what they are. Some have a natural tendency to be controlled by a negative view of life; they seem to possess a pessimistic point of view of almost everything. These people feel a sense of guilt in embracing something positive. This problem is one that brings an adverse effect to one’s surroundings. It’s like the dead flies in the ointment of the apothecary in Ecclesiasties 10. This character does not understand why no one enjoys being in their company. They seem to have a fear of the night in the middle of the day. They like to weep with those who weep, but find it uncomfortable to rejoice with those who rejoice; they cannot be filled with joyfulness for they find the cross of joy to be too great because of the suspicion they foster. They find a fictional and repulsive security to hold onto. This is a disruptive, unhealthy characteristic of the soul-power of man. These people fear the clouds of tomorrow and allow it to mess up the sunshine of today. These effects are not characteristic of the beautiful life to be lived by the children of God.
As we dig a bit deeper into their lives, we find patterns that are not healthy. One of the chief issues they unknowingly possess is that they have the answer to most any problem, but their own they cannot fix. One obvious trait of this personality is that they counter things with a question. By constantly being in a condition of questioning, they produce an environment of suspicion. They use repugnant questions to construct a defense of gloom around themselves, loving the security of worry and embracing negativity. It empowers them in the strongholds in which they barricade themselves.
Another problem that this tendency creates is the inability to see clearly or factually because of fear-based perception and imaginations. Eve knew clearly that she was not to touch the Tree of Knowledge nor eat the fruit of it. She knew without any doubt what God had said. When Satan asks her one question, the question became hers – “Has God said?”. At that moment, the terrible tree completely changed into a pleasant fancy. Now the tree was pleasing to the eyes and good for food and desirable to make one wise. When Eve was brought into question, she discovered something that changed her: an inflamed and distorted imagination! Her imagination took an evil tree and instead made it appear pleasing, good, and wise. Now she was convinced because it made total sense. The tree never changed! Her imagination changed her perception of the evil and turned its discernment into a compelling good. The imagination will also take good and make it into evil.
What is the answer to this problem labeled in our society as anxiety? I have learned that, unmistakably, the biggest problems that create anxiety are – out of control imaginations, and the people who possess them cannot be trusted in the relaying of a story. In counseling people with this framework of distortion, nothing is accurate. This imaginary problem is so intense, that it is like an evil compulsion that poisons the whole body. It is actually devilish in every sense. This is often where evil spirits attach themselves like a monkey on someone’s back. These complex mannerisms are hard to bring to a stop. It is like the two sisters that birthed their own problem. Ezekiel 23:4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister; and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah. These were sisters that fought like Samaria and Jerusalem and produced children that became their own enemies.
The overcoming power is repentance towards truth. We cannot continue to fester in captivity to something we’ve only imagined. Imaginings are not truth. God never imagines, He knows. We imagine only when we do not know. It is a stronghold-tool designed by Satan to destroy. We cast it down in a moment! These are high exalted things that are anti-Christ in nature. We refuse the right to trust in it. We cannot be under Christ’s obedience when we allow our imagination to control us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 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. Imaginations are designed to stand tall, and control. We cast all of them down to inexistence, now is the time to do so!
