Beyond Imagination

 

 

Beyond What We Can Ask or Imagine

  

Scripture Focus

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  ~ Ephesians 3:20–21 

A companion scripture is 1 Corinthians 2:9, which says: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him". 

Reflection

These to two scriptures describe a reality of divine power that goes higher than human thoughts, dreams, or even prayers can reach. We often approach God with prayers shaped by our human limitations. We look at our circumstances, calculate what seems possible, and ask accordingly. But the Apostle Paul reminds us that God does not operate within the boundaries of our logic. He doesn't just meet our expectations—He shatters them.

Notice the progression in Paul’s language: God is able to do what we ask. He is able to do what we imagine. He is able to do all we ask or imagine. And finally, He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.

The most incredible part of this truth is where this power operates. It isn’t locked away in a distant heaven; Paul writes that it is at work within us. Through the Holy Spirit, the very power that raised Christ from the dead is actively moving in your life today. If you feel weary, anxious, or stuck, remember that you are not relying on your own strength. You are fueled by a limitless God.

When we let go of our need to control the outcome and trust His infinite capacity, our lives become a testimony. The ultimate goal of His overflowing blessing is not our comfort, but His glory—shining through us to a world that desperately needs to see His goodness.

Daily Application

1. Expand Your Prayers: Think of a situation you are currently facing. Have you been praying small, safe prayers? Boldly hand it over to God today, asking Him to move in ways only He can.
2. Shift Your Focus: When doubts creep in, shift your eyes away from the size of your problem and focus on the size of your God.
3. Praise in Advance: Take a few moments right now to thank God for the answers He is already preparing—even the ones you haven't yet thought to ask for.

A Closing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have boxed You in with my limited thinking and small faith. Thank You that Your power is infinite and that You are already working within me. I surrender my worries and my limited vision to You today. Do what only You can do in my life, and let everything I do bring glory to Your name. Amen.(let it be so)

 

You Are Cordially Invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

 

What Did God Promise Abraham?

 

In Genesis 12:3 God is speaking directly to one man named Abram (later renamed Abraham) before he became the father of Ishmael and then Isaac. and later other sons with wife Keturah.

God was not speaking to Jews called Israel.

God was not speaking to a land called Israel.

God was not speaking to a country called Israel.

God was not speaking to a political State called Israel.

He was simply speaking to one man named Abram.

This is what God said to Abram in Gen. 12:3:

"...I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse..." 

 

God sent Abram on a journey with his family and relocated to a foreign land. God personally gave this unconditional promise so Abram would know that he, and his descendants, would be included in the blessings.

Later in Genesis 17 - God change his name from Abram meaning "father" to Abraham meaning "father of many nations." Abraham was not just the father of Isaac, the Caucasian peoples. He was also the father of Ishmael. He is the father of the Arabs, Persians, and Edomite Jews.

This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans:

"Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." (Romans 4:16)

The SEED of Abraham is not the country of Israel.

The SEED of Abraham is CHRIST!

All who are in CHRIST are Abraham's SEED.

The Body of CHRIST is Abraham's SEED according to the New Covenant.

The Apostle Paul said this to the Greek Christians in Galatia:

"And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

Zionists propaganda has twisted the Scriptures and indoctrinated many Christians using Genesis 12:3 to claim the blessings that rightfully belong to Abraham's seed. Even some famous Christian leaders will declare:

"Those who bless Israel will be blessed.

Those who curse Israel will be cursed."

This is a lie! God was not speaking to a country called Israel or to Jews. God was speaking to a man named Abraham - the father of faith! Zionism is an adversary to the Kingdom of God.

What is Zionism?

 

Surety Bond

 

A surety is a person, company, or financial promise that guarantees a debt, a performance, or an action will be fulfilled. If the main person fails to pay a debt or finish a job, the surety takes legal responsibility to cover it. Surety also means a state of total certainty or a money deposit for bail.

Jesus Christ is Surety for His people (Heb 7:22), those the Father gave Him to save (Jn 6:38-39; 10:26-29; 17:2-3). We are all guilty of every crime (sin) imaginable, but He took the full cost and paid the complete price for our pardon. He finished the legal transaction, and His Father accepted all those chosen in Him in eternity (Eph 1:3-6). There is not a chance a single one will be lost (Rom 8:32-35; 5:10). It means that once you are reconciled and stay reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, your ultimate salvation is completely guaranteed, and nothing can cause you to lose it. 

After your Surety Bond has been registered in the Kingdom of Heaven and you have been set free from the bondage of sin and death, don't be like a dog or a pig. 

As it is written: If men have escaped from the world’s contamination through knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then become entangled and defeated all over again, their last position is far worse than their first. It would be better for them not to have known the way of goodness at all, rather than after knowing it to turn their backs on the sacred commandments given to them. Alas, (sadly) for them, the old proverbs have come true about ‘a dog returns to his own vomit’, and “the sow that had been washed going back to wallow in the muck”. ~ 2 Peter 2:22 (Phillips translation)

Once you make bail (reconciled), is it too much to be grateful and walk the strait and narrow way, a lifestyle of strict honesty, good morals, and Godly behavior?  "This is the way, walk in it" comes from the Bible, specifically Isaiah 30:21. It means that God promises to guide you when you make choices. When you're confused or about to make a wrong turn, God provides clear direction on the correct path to follow.  

 

The problem is the noise of organized religion makes it almost impossible to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. Basically, Churchianity teaches the same lie that Satan told Eve: "You will not surely die, you will go to heaven and be like God." All the "bad" people will spend eternity in an ever burning hell. These two doctrines meet will overwhelming approval by many Churchgoers. Jesus said: Broad is the way that leads to destruction.  

 

Millions of Christians worldwide read the same Bible, worship the same God, and believe in the same Savior - yet do not ever hear the voice of God. The difference between a Church member and a Disciple of Christ is: a Church member hears the doctrines of their denomination, a Disciple hears Jesus Christ. ~ 1 John 2:3-6 

Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd, my Sheep hear my voice and follow me." The phrase "eyes to see and ears to hear" appears five times in the New Testament. If you truly want to hear, the first thing is to saturate your mind in the Word. Secondly, begin to see the errors organized religion teaches, and thirdly activate your spiritual ear. 

 

How You Hear God

 

You are cordially invited to join Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

The purpose of this Bible lesson is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. God always gives us a choice. We can choose to believe the Truth of the Bible, or we can choose the lies of the Adversary.

 

Hansel and Gretel

 

The 12 Tribes of Israel were scattered to the "north and isles of the sea" (Isaiah 11:11). In a generation or two they completely forgot who they were. Having no Scriptures and no prophets to guide them, the elders would tell stories to their grandchildren. One of the stories the Brothers Grimm were able to record was a tale about two lost children, Hansel and his sister Gretel. 

"Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales. Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a house made of bread, cake, and sugar.

Hansel and Gretel is a classic fairy tale about two poor siblings who outsmart an evil witch living in a house made of sweets. Facing starvation, the children are abandoned in the woods, find a candy house, defeat their captor, and return home rich. 

The Abandonment in the Woods

Poverty and the Stepmother: A poor woodcutter and his second wife face a severe famine. The cruel stepmother convinces her weak husband to lose the children in the deep forest so they will not all starve. 
The First Attempt: Hansel and Gretel overhear the plot. Hansel sneaks out to fill his pockets with shiny white pebbles. The next day, he drops them along the path, allowing the children to follow the moonlight and safely return home. 
The Second Attempt:
Locked inside the house next time, Hansel cannot gather pebbles and instead drops breadcrumbs. When they are left in the forest again, hungry birds eat the crumb trail, leaving Hansel and Gretel truly lost.
 

The Gingerbread House and the Witch

Finding the House: After wandering for days, the starving children find a cottage made entirely of bread, cake, and sugar, with windows of clear sugar. 
The Trap: An old woman invites them in with sweet food, but she is actually a wicked, cannibalistic witch with red eyes who traps children to cook and eat them. 
Imprisonment: The witch locks Hansel in a tiny cage to fatten him up and forces Gretel to do chores. Each day she asks Hansel to stick out his finger to feel if he is fat yet. Hansel tricks her poor eyesight by holding out a thin chicken bone instead. 

The Escape and Return Home

Defeating the Witch: Growing impatient, the witch decides to bake Hansel anyway. She heats her large oven and tells Gretel to check if the fire is hot. Gretel pretends she does not know how, tricking the witch into leaning close to the opening. 
Freedom and Treasure: Gretel quickly shoves the witch into the oven and slams the iron door shut, burning her to death. Gretel frees Hansel, and they fill their pockets with the witch's pearls and diamonds. 
Happy Reunion: Crossing a body of water with the help of a friendly duck or swan, they reach home to find the cruel stepmother has died. Their overjoyed father embraces them, and their newfound wealth ensures they never suffer hunger again.

The story of Hansel and Gretel parallels the biblical narrative of the Fall of Man, the temptation in the wilderness, and ultimate redemption. Here is a biblical analogy of the classic fairy tale.

The Wilderness of Sin

Hansel and Gretel are cast out into a dark, unforgiving forest because of famine and a scarcity of bread. This mirrors humanity’s exile from the Garden of Eden into a fallen world full of spiritual famine, thorns, and hardships. The children represent humanity—vulnerable, lost, and separated from the safety of their true home.

The White Pebbles and the Fallen Crumbs

To find their way back, Hansel relies on his own wisdom, dropping white stones that shine in the moonlight. These stones represent the Law or the prophets—divine markers provided to guide lost souls through the darkness. However, when the children rely on breadcrumbs during their second abandonment, the birds of the air devour them. This reflects Jesus' Parable of the Sower, where the wicked one comes and snatches away the word sown in the heart, leaving humanity entirely lost in the wilderness of sin.

The House of Temptation

Deep in the forest, the children discover a house made of bread, cake, and sugar. This is the ultimate deception of the Enemy, echoing Satan’s temptation of Eve in Eden and Jesus in the wilderness. The witch’s house appeals directly to the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." It promises immediate satisfaction for their physical hunger but masks a deadly trap.

The Witch as the Deceiver

The old witch embodies Satan, transforming herself into an angel of light by offering hospitality and comfort, only to reveal her true nature as a roaring lion seeking whom she may devour. She imprisons Hansel to fatten him up, symbolizing how sin enslaves the human spirit and prepares it for destruction. Hansel’s blindness and reliance on a dry bone to trick the witch represents humanity's spiritual blindness under the captivity of sin, saved only by a deceptive semblance of death.

The Trial by Fire and Divine Deliverance

The climax takes place at the oven, a biblical symbol of judgment, trial, and refinement. Gretel, initially the weaker sibling, undergoes a spiritual awakening. Utilizing divine wisdom rather than physical strength, she thwarts the enemy and pushes the witch into her own fiery furnace—paralleling how evil ultimately consumes itself and how the lake of fire awaits the great Deceiver.

The Return Home with Riches

Having conquered the enemy, the children find the witch's house filled with pearls and precious stones. They cross a great body of water with the help of a white duck—reminiscent of Noah’s dove or the parting of the Red Sea—signifying baptism and safe passage from death to life. They return to their father, who welcomes them with open arms, having grieved their absence. This final reunion mirrors the ultimate restoration of humanity to God the Father, returning from the wilderness of the world clothed in the riches of righteousness.

 

Learn more about how God uses even fairy tales to show His love for His children. You Are Cordially Invited to Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group... https://mlf1070.blogspot.com/2021/01/renew.html