if you can't conceive it... if you can't get it in your imagination... it won't come. babies don't come by the stork. you got to sow a seed in a womb and likewise, in the spiritual realm, miracles don't come by you being desperate... by you having a need... and i am sincere. what does god take? it takes a conception and that conception takes place in your imagination, and most of us don't have enough time to spend with god to allow the word of god to take root, which another teaching you could bring right into this is meditation. this is what meditation is. you got to study the word and get the information, but then you need to close the book and meditate, until you see those truths in your life... until you see yourself set free by what god says... until you see yourself like the apostle paul able to do this... until you see yourself doing what jesus did.

all of that's your imagination and very few people use that. turn over to romans, chapter 8 and man, i'm talking fast. i'm wearing myself out. i'm saying a lot, but let me just say this. if all of these things i'm saying is true, and there's many, many other scriptures that i haven't been able to turn to. if all of this is true... if your imagination is all of this powerful and if that's where you conceive then how come all but one reference in the bible to imagination is negative? the only positive reference is the one i quoted in 1 chronicles 29:18 where david prayed lord, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of their heart, and that was a positive thing. everything else... it says god saw the imagination of men's hearts that it was evil continually. 2 corinthians, chapter 10, verses 3 through 5, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,

but they are mighty through god to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of god. and every reference to imagination is bad except one, and i got to thinking god, if this is true, well then how come it doesn't talk about all of these positive parts of imagination. look at this verse in romans, chapter 8, and in verse 23 it says "and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit or that is the redemption of our body. for we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? what is the definition of an imagination? the ability to see something not real or present! hope is seeing things that can't be seen and all of a sudden

the lord just showed me that hope is what the bible calls a positive imagination, and this opens up a brand new area that we could spend days and days talking about hope, but hebrews, chapter 11, verse 1, faith is the substance of things hoped for. faith gives substance to hope, but hope has to exist. if there is no hope, faith can't bring it to pass. many people are saying i am believing god for a healing, but have you ever seen yourself healed? your faith can't make it come to pass until you got it in your imagination and you see it. hope is like a thermostat. i heard a story. charles capps told a story about an old country guy that came out of the woods to a meeting and he was sitting in a church service, and it started to get hot and he was fanning himself, and the usher walks up and touches this little thing on the wall and all of a sudden

he starts feeling cool air and he thinks this is awesome. so he goes up to that usher and he says, that's the greatest thing i've ever seen. what was that thing that you touched on the wall? and he says well, it's a thermostat and he says, can anybody have a thermostat? he says you can get a thermostat at any hardware store. so this guy goes into a hardware store, buys a thermostat, goes back to his shack in the woods, starts getting hot. he puts in on the wall and he turns that thing and doesn't feel a thing and he is all discouraged because it didn't work. the thermostat doesn't make things cold, but the thermostat activates the power unit, which is faith that makes it work. faith is the substance of things hoped for and there's many people just trying to use their power unit to do something, but they don't have any hope. hope is what controls faith. if you ever get a strong hope...

if you ever take the word and meditate on it until you see yourself well... every cell in your body will work to make you well. every word that you have will be corresponding to that. once you see yourself well, you will see yourself well. you know mike hoesch down here? i mentioned he's the one that's on our testimony and he had this cancer... a huge cancer... about size of both fists for eight years, and tentacles going out through his chest, and was down to where... i mean it was just a terrible situation, but he got hold of the word and he saw himself healed and i remember caroline on the dvd saying that with mike it just became a non issue. she was still having to change the dressings and look at this thing every day, but with mike...it's just like he didn't care what it looked like. he saw himself healed and he didn't worry about it anymore.

it became a non issue and within six months or so the thing was totally gone, and here he is healthy and healed and alive today and it wasn't the doctors that cut it out. it wasn't some natural thing. i'm not against any of that stuff, but i am just saying, it wasn't something else. it was him seeing himself healed, and when he really saw it to where it became more real to him than what he could see with his eyes, he was healed. you can see with your heart. god made adam and eve so that they walked by faith and not by sight and then all of their descendants born in sin have walked by sight and not by faith, but then in 2 corinthians 5:7, paul said, we walk by faith, and not by sight. christians are again supposed to be able to walk with

our imagination painting such a real picture that we...we go by what the word says and the realities of word more than what we see with our physical eyes. you can do that. i know some of you think you're weird. well, i think you're weird. [laughing] i think i am getting more normal all of the time. you're the one that's weird. if you just go by what you see with your physical eyes and what you hear the doctor say and the banker say, you're the one that's weird. you got god almighty living on the inside of you and this supernatural power and you aren't drawing on that. instead you are limiting what god can do to just what you see, taste, hear, smell and feel. that's substandard and again, just based on the people i've talked to here at this meeting... i'm not against you. i'm saying these things to help you, but i've had so many people come up and asked me to pray, but you have never seen

yourself well. you could quote the scripture that by his stripes i am healed. you know what the word says, but you see yourself sick. you plan sick. you think sick. you dream sick and yet you want healing. most people do not understand what i am saying, and i am telling you if you're going to take the limits off of god, you're going to have to get to where you understand that you, through the word of god, can see things that god tells you to do. you can see it working in your life, and if you ever see it in your imagination, i guarantee you, it will come to pass. you will conceive it and you will give birth to a miracle. but most christians are waiting for the stork to bring their miracle. you are wanting to come up here and get your baby through me. you want me to lay hands on you and you get healed because i've done all of these things.

you know it can come that way. you can have a surrogate birth, and it does happen, but that's not the normal way. it's abnormal. it is true that certain people can lay hands on you and you can get healed, but it is not normal, and that is not the way god meant it to be. every one of you have an imagination that is so powerful that if you could understand these things, and begin to cooperate, and spend time, and let the word of god paint things, you could get to where you see things on the inside. you become spiritually pregnant and it's just the matter of time until you give birth. >> amen. it will happen! you need to meditate on these things. you know one last example. this is a little bit off topic, but it is an illustration of what i am talking about, but we held a meeting for our bible college, and this has been, i don't know, five...six... seven years ago, and there were two or three

hundred people there for a weekend coming to check out the bible college, and jamie was up here worshipping the lord and singing halleluiah, and i mean it was just powerful. the presence of the lord was awesome and i... there was a center aisle here and i was sitting in a position right there... like on this side of the aisle and over here... it was in a hotel... there were double doors over here, and while we were worshipping the lord i had my eyes closed. in my imagination is what it was... i just saw jesus open those doors... just fling those doors open like that! they just flew open and then he stepped inside and stood in front of them and the doors closed real slowly behind him, and then there were these two ladies from our chicago school over here on this side close to those doors and i had my eyes closed, but in my heart... in my imagination... i just saw jesus walk over and touch one on the head and i mean... boom... she just fell flat

off her face... spread eagle like this worshipping the lord and then he skipped two people, and he walked over and touched that second woman, and that woman hit her knees like this and put her hands up and just began to worship the lord, and what i was seeing in my imagination was so real to me that i opened up my physical eyes to see if i can see what i was seeing and when i opened my eyes those doors just wham like that... flew open and nobody was there... and then they just slowly closed and then i kept looking and that first woman just fell flat off her face... boom like that... and worshipped the lord, and then two people down the next woman hit her knees... everything i saw in my imagination... in my heart... i was seeing with my physical eyes, except i was only seeing the physical results. i couldn't see jesus. it...i could actually see better

with my imagination than i could see with my eyes. so you know what i did? i closed my eyes and i saw jesus come over and talk to me and say some things to me and then he walked down that center aisle and started speaking to people and i knew every one of them, and after the service was over, i went up and just said, what happened during that service? and they would start telling me what jesus said to them and it was exactly what i heard him say to them, and yet i didn't hear it with my ears. i didn't see it with my eyes, but i saw it with my heart. did you know that that is not weird? that's normal christian life... that we could hear god speak things to us... that you could take a truth and meditate on it until you see it. i meditated on john 14:12 until i saw myself raising people from the dead. i dreamed about it and then i saw it.

i have seen myself operating in words of knowledge and calling out people's names that i've never seen before and tell them what their name is. i saw it on the inside, and then i saw it on the outside and i've done that and everything i've ever seen in the physical, i first of all had to see it in the spiritual. i had to see it in my imagination and brothers and sisters, i'm telling you this is why so many of you in here have unfulfilled desires and prayers. you may know that god wants to prosper you... heal you... use you... bless you or whatever. you have the information, but you had never let yourself just sit down and daydream. you could call it whatever you want, but you've never taken the word and meditated until you see it. it's not a reality to you and i am telling you, that's your spiritual womb. until you conceive it, you aren't going to give birth to a miracle. you are going to have to come and get your miracle...

let somebody else bring it to term and produce it and that's not the way that god wants you to live. this imagination is a powerful, powerful force, but it has to be worked. it has to be done intentionally. if you just let it work naturally, you'll wind up being vain in your imaginations. again, romans 1:21 if you don't give honor and glory to god, and if you aren't thankful, then your... your imagination will become vain and your foolish heart will be darkened. if you are still in ephesians 4:18... the last part of that says that their understanding is darkened. they are alienated from the life of god, because of the darkness of their heart. your understanding... your imagination turns the light on or off in your life and if you don't intentionally go in this direction, it will just automatically become dark. you'll see yourself failing. you'll come up with statements

like if i wash my car i know it's going to rain. that's an expression of that you are cursed. nothing ever works for you. you'll get to where well i never win anything. you know if i touch it, it'll turn to dirt. all of those are an expression of a negative imagination... a vain imagination... and this is what it goes to unless you take the word of god and intentionally start training your imagination. it's like a muscle. a muscle doesn't just... if you just sit there and never use it, it's not going to get stronger and bigger. it will atrophy. it will go away. everything good... you don't catch health. you catch sickness. you don't just sit there and become buff. you sit there and become a couch potato. everything in this natural world goes from good to bad unless you make an effort to change it. you have to take these things, and intentionally start seeing and recognizing the power

of conception, and imagination, and hope, and you need to start hoping. if you go to a doctor, one of the first things they are going to do is tell you every negative thing that they possibly can, because they don't want to get your hopes up. that's a worst thing that can happen. you ought to get your hopes up. you ought to have your hope go through the roof, because it's only what you hope for that your faith can produce, but because of liability issues they'll tell you the worst case scenario, and if it comes out better they're clean. it's all selfish, but it is not helping you. i guarantee you, you need to get your hopes up. somebody is afraid... but my hopes might be dashed. well, let them be dashed. but hope... hope is a powerful force. it's a positive imagination and i guarantee you, if you can imagine it... if you can see it on the inside, you can see it on the outside. i tell you, i've given you something tonight, if you understand and receive it, this is priceless. this could transform your life.

very, very, very few christians understand this and even less apply it and use it. but i promise you this would change your life. have you got a need? go to the word. find the answer to your need. take those scriptures and meditate on it, and the bible says in 1 peter, chapter 1, verse 23 that we are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed, the word of god that lives and abides for ever. the word is a seed. take that seed. plant in your spiritual womb... your imagination... until you can see it... that's when it's germinates. the moment you see it, that seed has germinated, and it's just a matter of time until you see the birth. that is a recipe for victory for every one of you

and yet the average person doesn't do that. they'll listen to all of the doubt and the unbelief. they'll go get ten doctors to tell them they are going to die, and then they'll come back and says oh jesus, please, heal me and they know more about what the doctors have to say than what the word has to say. i'll say what scripture are you standing on? well, some pla...i fo... is that the new testament or the old testament... it says by his stripes it's like if you want to get pregnant in the natural realm... if you are a woman... you can't just stand next to a man and say i...i think he is in the room some place. amen. you are going to have to have a little bit of relationship with him in order to get pregnant. likewise, you just can't say well, i know that the word says somewhere. you have to have intercourse... interaction with the word of god to where it becomes alive and real to you, and when you conceive then you will get it

and yet very few people will do this, because it would interfere with your television schedule and so you'll just pray and beg, and plead and fast one week out of the month instead of just every day live in the presence of god. that's not the way it works. i tell you this could really, really help you. this could change your life if you understand it and apply it. father, i thank you for these truths and i ask you for my brothers and sisters that the holy spirit would take all of these things that i've said and put them together. apply them directly to their situation, and that people would begin to start doing this and letting themselves see the truths of what god's word says about them become reality. >> and i noticed that i had

a pimple here and i didn't think >> anything of it. >> the doctor said you need to have surgery right away to have that >> removed. >> and she said well, i'll look it up and i'll call you back. so here i'm driving to work and she calls me back, very seriously she says, mike >> it means that you have... >> malignant neoplasm, >> cancer. >> i was made whole by jesus christ and this is the only direction my body can go. devil, you can't have me. >> i've already been bought. >> take a healing journey with mike and caroline hoesch. for more information log onto awmi.net. look to the left and click on ministry news, then click on today's tv news story. find out what's happening with world changers at andrew wommack ministries and charis bible college >> today. >> andrew's complete teaching titled, don't limit god x 10 was recorded live at a recent gospel truth seminar

it's available on either cd or dvd, or if you prefer, you can get the dvd as seen on tv. each is available for a gift of any amount. every album will also include the don't limit god sticker this reversible static decal will cling to your window or mirror reminding you not to limit god with small thinking. remember to specify cd...dvd or dvd as seen on tv when you contact us. this series is also available for audio download absolutely free on our web site. go to awmi.net and click on today's tv offer to see all the ways you can get this teaching. the fifth audio teaching in today's series is titled, godly imagination. it's available for a gift of any amount when you write or call. we encourage everyone to give but if you're simply unable to afford it andrew and his partners will provide this fifth cd free of charge. you can use your credit card

to order resources by telephone. our helpline number is 719-635-1111. helpline hours are monday through friday, from 4:30am until 9:30pm mountain time. if the lines are busy, you can visit our web site where you can order ministry materials 24-hours a day, 7 days a week at awmi.net. to write us, use the address on your screen. we appreciate your generosity and hope to hear >> from you today. if you are a full time minister, i would like to invite you to join me on september the 30th through october the 4th as we have our ministers' conference right here in colorado springs. this is always a highlight of the year. we have bob nichols pastor of calvary cathedral in fort worth, also bob yandian from tulsa, oklahoma, are always with me and we minister. i tell you, it's going to be a great time. it's just a special time

for ministers, plus our building is nearly going to be complete. you'll be able to go visit that up at the sanctuary in woodland park. remember that the dates are september the 30th through october the 4th, right here in colorado springs. >> a massive aortic aneurysm ruptures bringing dallas, texas charis bible college student guner gerthe to the very brink of death. just getting to the hospital alive was a miracle in itself let alone surviving the seven hour surgery to save his life. discover how the word of god and the faith-filled words of his wife shirley snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. take a healing journey with guner and shirley gerthe. healing journeys, volume 4 now available on dvd >> at awmi.net ♪

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>> announcer: the following

program is paid for by the friends and partners of joyce meyer ministries. [music] >> joyce: let me ask you a question. what all has happened to you in your life when jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat? anybody? anybody had any sad, bad, painful things happen to you and it just seemed to you like god wasn't there? come on, let's see your hands if that's the case. well, you know what? that kind of stuff happens to everybody. it's a test of our faith and we have to be able to get through those things and say, "i don't care what it looks like. i don't care what i feel. i don't care what i see. i don't care how long it takes. god is my answer to everything in life. i believe in god and i'm not gonna lose my peace." >> [applauding] >> joyce: and i could go through a lot of other stuff, but i'm gonna leave it go at that and just simply say, please, if

you're watching by tv, if you're listening to a recorded message, if you're here in this wonderful place today. you're sitting out in one of the overflow rooms. if you're even a teensy, teensy, tiny bit offended at god, leave it, let it go, drop it, and make complete peace with god. and just simply say, "you know, god, i don't understand it, but the truth is, i don't have to understand it. i'm not in charge, you are. i belong to you and i trust you enough to believe that whatever happens, you're gonna work it out for good. you're gonna turn it around and make it right." listen, i still don't understand why kids go through abuse. to me, it's the most despicable thing i've ever seen, but the bible promises us that god will give us double blessing for our former trouble if we go according to his plan. and i'll tell you what, god has way more than made up to me for anything that i went through. anything i was ever missing, i've got it back 100 times over

right now in my life, and god wants to do the same thing for you, amen? come on, payday's coming, amen? friday's on the way, hallelujah. yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, there's lots of other good things in there. now, we talked last night about having peace with ourselves, about how important it is to be your own best friend, other than jesus. you need to be your own best friend. now, you know, dave is my best friend as far as a person. i have children that are my best friends. but to be honest, when push comes to shove, you gotta be your own best friend, because you never know when somebody else is gonna disappoint you or not be there for you. sometimes they don't even realize that they're not being there for you, but we all know that we get hurt and disappointed by people. well, you know what? if you're against yourself, you're in for a hard ride, and so many people are not at peace with themselves. let's just step out here a little bit and just ask,

how many of you have this little private war going on with you all the time? see, come on, that's half the people at least, and probably some of the rest of you haven't decided yet if you're bold enough to put your hand up. don't like yourself. some people get into self-hatred. all you do is think about what all you do wrong all the time. you don't know how to encourage yourself in the lord. i believe that we need to be bold enough to understand that we have weaknesses, but we also have strengths. you don't have to just sit around and think about your weaknesses all the time. you can also think about your strengths. how many of you have got some things you're good at? well, why don't you think about that sometimes too, and not just what you're bad at? that's not pride to do that. you can thank god for every one of 'em, "thank you, god, that i'm a faithful person. thank you that i'm committed. thank you that i don't give up easily. thank you that i'm organized. thank you, god, that i'm a hard worker. thank you that i'm a committed parent."