Prayer is part of the daily sanctification process by the Holy Spirit to prepare us to meet Jesus face-to-face when we leave this world and enter eternity (John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:16-21).
Many 'techniques' have risen to help people along the path of daily sanctification by learning how to pray and worship which has resulted in something called contemplative spirituality, also known as centering or listening prayer, using imagination and visualization.
THE DIVINE IMAGINATION
It is said that imagination involves creating mental images or concepts that are not necessarily based on real-world experiences. In contrast, visualization involves creating mental images of specific objects, people, or scenarios based on real-world experiences or memories.
In the Old Testament, the word translated as "imagination" comes from the Hebrew word 'chashab' which is a verb and means to think, devise, purpose, esteem, count, imagine, and impute. It appears 123 times in the Old Testament and implies any mental process involved in devising a plan, idea, or design, either good or bad (Exodus 35:35; Esther 8:3; Psalm 35:4; Proverbs 16:30; Jeremiah 18:11,18; Ezekiel 11:2).
The word 'chashab' is used 11 times in Exodus alone as an adjective and is translated as think, or consider a plan. It indicates how the Holy Spirit imparts wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (Exodus 36:8, 38:23, 39:3). God 'esteemed' Abraham because he believed His word:
"And he believed in the Lord; and he counted (Heb: chashab) it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6 ESV)
When the word 'chashab' is translated as "imagine," it bares an evil connotation (Job 6:26; Psalm 21:11; Naham 1:11).
Jesus, the promised Messiah, "was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3 ESV). The word "esteemed" is 'chashab' and implies that the people did not think about Jesus.
Three words are translated as "imagination(s)" in the New Testament. The Greek word 'logismos' means reasoning or thought and is used to suggest evil intent (Romans 2:15), as well as the contemplation of actions as a result of the verdict of conscience (2 Corinthians 10:5). The Greek word 'dialogismos' is translated as "thoughts" and "imaginations" and carries the idea of evil purposes (Romans 1:21). The Greek word 'dianoia" is translated as thought to think things over, understanding, and the ability for moral reflection (Luke 1:51).
"But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV)
The word "imagined" is transliterated from the Greek word 'anabainó' which means to go up, ascend. It is more accurately translated as "has not entered into the heart of man" rather than imagination.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:1-3 NIV)
Some people believe that God created the Heavens and Earth using His infinite imagination and visualized them into existence. Therefore, we must use our imagination to comprehend the glory of the infinite God because imagination is how we can understand, worship, and interact with Him and His visible and invisible creation. Imagination does give humans the capacity to visualize, conceptualize, and dream. However, the Bible tells us that it can't be trusted.
"The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21 ESV)
"They walked in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backwards and not forward" (Jeremiah 7:24 ESV)
"He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luke 1:51 ESV)
Imagination is not needed to read or study the Bible. If God wanted us to know the intricate details of things written in the Bible, He would have clearly told us.
VISUALIZATION
Some believe that human beings have the power to visualize and shape their reality and then manifest it. When people do not accept the divine guidance that the Bible provides, they will run wild with speculation and doctrines of man rather than God.
Visualization, also known as imaging, is a form of mental activity that draws upon human imagination to vividly picture in the conscious mind a desired goal or objective, as well as attempting to experience something that has never actually been experienced, then holding that image until it permeates the unconscious mind. It is gaining acceptance in the church as a method to help people see the answer to their prayers, bring emotional healing, and initiate entering the supernatural realm.
Vision and visualization are not the same things. Visualization requires the use of the imagination. A true supernatural "vision" is a revelation, or communication, from God that cannot be found in the natural world or through human intellect and does not contradict or add to Scripture.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)
The word "vision" is used most often in reference to prophetic visions or a revelation of the message of God. Prophecy is primarily preaching, expounding, and applying the Word of God. Where there is no Bible, there can be no vision.
The word "perish" literally means "to cast off restraint." This verse addresses hearing and understanding what God is trying to communicate to Christians through His Word (the Law). When people refuse to listen to what God says in His Word, the Bible, they place themselves in danger of eternal separation from God.
Norman Vincent Peale wrote in His book, “Positive Thinking”’ that “visualization is a form of mental activity called imaging. It consists of vividly picturing, in your conscious mind, a desired goal or objective and holding that image until it sinks into your unconscious mind, where it releases great, untapped energies.” It is being used in the church to help a person see the answer to their prayers and to help them enter into the supernatural realm.
Vision and visualization are not the same things. Visualization requires the use of the imagination. It does not function as a bridge between the spiritual and natural realms. A true "vision" is a revelation, or communication, from God that cannot be found in the natural world or through human intellect.
Nowhere in the Bible is it stated or inferred that God imagined something in His mind and then spoke it into being. There is no link in the Bible between faith and imagination.
FAITH DEFINED
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)
We are commanded not to think about our future needs or a test we might go through or to make ANY effort to contemplate what action we might take or a test we may go through.
Faith is the "substance" (Gk: 'hupostasis'), meaning the undergirding support and essence of all things and the "evidence" (Gk: 'elegchos'), i.e., proof and conviction not seen that all things were created by and through Jesus. Salvation is also by and through the faith righteousness of Jesus that also justifies the Born-Again Christian at the moment they receive Him because He gave the faith to believe in Him, and they chose to take it (Romans 3:22; Galatians 2:16,3:22; Revelation 14:2).
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in pray” (Matthew 21:22 NIV)
The Greek word for "believe" is 'pisteuo' and means to entrust to another. The word 'receive' (Gk: 'lambano') is a prolonged form of a primary verb and means to accept/obtain/receive by deliberate action.
The word "faith" comes from the Greek word 'pistis' and means assurance, persuasion, conviction, and reliance upon another. The root of 'pistis' is 'peitho,' a primary verb, an action word that is in a continual state of being, always moving forward or reverse. It means to convince, rely on, agree, and have active confidence. It is best described as Trusting-Faith.
One of the most significant errors that have crept into the church over the years has been teaching faith as if it were a thing or power to obtain or possess. Yet it is the absolute fundamental essential of Christianity. The world can't exist without faith. It is just milk, a tricycle with training wheels in the nursery school of discipleship (Hebrews 5:12-6:3).
Without 'faith,' it is impossible to become a Christian and please God. There is no exhausting it. God gave every Christian all the faith they needed to believe Jesus is the Savior. It is God who gives them the faith to trust Him. They must learn to put on the faith He has given, just as one puts on their clothes each day.
Jesus will always be glorified in everything we do, regardless of outcome or circumstance. 'Faith' is not a tool one can use to make God move on their behalf. Faith is trust in action. A person says by their faith, "God, I trust You to do this for me, but if You choose not to at this time, I will still trust You."
Trusting-Faith does not need the imagination to see "things." It has nothing to do with it. It is not a cycle of imagination feeding our faith to expand it. God wants us to use all of our "heart and with all" our "soul and with all" our "strength and with all" our "mind" to love and trust Him (Luke 10:27 ESV). The Greek word translated as "mind" is 'diánoia, ' which means using critical thinking and reason to reach balanced conclusions. It does not infer the use of the imagination.
MEDITATION
The Hebrew word for meditate is "hagah" and means "to moan, growl, utter, or speak. The word is found 25 times in the Old Testament. It is an onomatopoetic term, which means naming a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz or hiss), reflecting the sighing and low sounds one may make while deeply thinking.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night..." (Joshua 1:8 ESV)
The Greek word translated as "meditation" is 'meletao' and it means to be diligent to care for, ponder, imagine, to practice as the result of devising or planning (1 Timothy 4:15, Mark 13:11; Acts 4:25). It is the polar opposite of the word 'imagining.'
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)
The word "think" (Gk: ‘logízomai’) is where we get the word logic from and means to take into account by reason and come to a logical conclusion. It has nothing to do with the imagination, which can lead to greed, lust, covetousness, jealousy, etc., and result in physical or spiritual harm (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALING
Jesus is the source of all healing. When He healed people, He did so by the touch of His hand. He did not ask them to visualize or imagine themselves whole. In fact, when the devil tempted Him during His 40 days in the desert, he took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him (i.e., had Him visualize) what could be His if He would only bow down and worship him. Jesus responded: "Be gone, satan! For it is written, " 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
A person cannot imagine what a word or verse in the Bible means. The only way to study the Scriptures is to understand the grammatical and historical context. There is a difference between interpretation and definition. The words in a verse can only mean what the original author intended them to mean. The Holy Spirit will illuminate the Word so that it may seem fresh, but there is no new or 'fresh revelation.' A text out of context is a pretext for a proof text to twist God's Word.
The facts are that a 'sanctified' imagination and the use of guided visualization techniques have no power to connect with God or gain knowledge of Him, or to 'spiritually' travel to Heaven, multiple dimensions, or spiritual realities, or to encounter Angels, etc., no matter how pure the intent. Visualization does not function as a bridge between the spiritual and natural realms.
When human imagination and guided imagery are used in an attempt to bring a person "closer" to God or to bring healing to the 'inner' person, there is a great risk of opening them up to demonic deception.
There is no legitimate example of the power of visualization in the Bible. In the Gospel story of the woman with a severe health problem, she was so low in pain and suffering that she had only enough faith to seek Jesus and reach up to "touch the hem of His garment." She was not thinking positive thoughts, dreaming about the future, or using her imagination to visualize herself healed and then act on her visualization. She believed with everything she had left in her that Jesus alone was the source of her wholeness. It was an act of Trusting-Faith (See Matthew 9:19-22).
Young King David went before Goliath with absolute assurance and Trusting-Faith in what God was about to do. He was not visualizing the outcome – he was standing in the confidence that Trusting-Faith brings (See 1 Samuel 17:45-47).
The Bible implores the Christian to take no thought about tomorrow and to cast ALL their "cares" upon Jesus and then walk away rather than trying to use the imagination to ‘visualize’ things under His power and control (See Matthew 6:34; 1 Peter 5:7). God does not give His power through positive 'visualization.'
The imaging and visualization techniques have been regularly used for thousands of years in the Occult and Eastern metaphysical religions that predate Judaism. The Bible speaks out powerfully against all practices of the Occult. These techniques were not stolen from the church by the devil. Quite to the contrary, they have invaded the church and, sadly, have been received with open arms. God warns us about following after mediums, wizards, enchanters, charmers, and those who have a familiar spirit (See Deuteronomy 18:9-14, Leviticus 19:26),
Using them to try and connect with God is a lack of trust – pure and simple. When people think they can shape a future reality through their imagination, they use a demonic practice, not faith. Worry, concern, continually thinking about, or dwelling on the future is practical atheism. God gives every Christian exactly 86,400 opportunities a day to learn to trust Him because that is how many seconds there are in 24 hours!
CONCLUSION
The facts are that a 'sanctified' imagination and the use of guided visualization techniques have no power to connect with God or gain knowledge of Him, or to 'spiritually' travel to Heaven, multiple dimensions, or spiritual realities, or to encounter Angels, etc., no matter how pure the intent. Visualization does not function as a bridge between the spiritual and natural realms.
A person who desires to know the one true God must come to Him by faith through Jesus Christ and not by trusting in their inner vision, or by an alleged mystical union with some abstract impersonal concept of the divine (John 17:2-3; Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9; Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 2:24).
God has promised us that He will finish the work He began in us; our inner self is being renewed day by day and we will stand before Him blameless and perfect because "the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it" (Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Corinthians 4:16; 3:18 ESV).
It is the Holy Spirit alone who renews us daily through prayer, and the study of the Bible. The power of the Word of God to build a truly integrated person in those whom it 'renews' makes modern visualization pale by contrast. Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
There is no verse in the Bible where God speaks to people through imagination or illusions. He speaks to them through the conscious, rational mind. Most experts in the field of Hypnosis agree that directing a person to become introspectively deep in thought is the ideal way to casually place hypnotic suggestions into their mind and easily carry them into a hypnotic trance without them knowing it is happening.
Human psychology has so permeated the church that 'modern' counseling methods include such things as 'womb therapy' or using Jesus as a 'spirit guide' via a 'sanctified' imagination so that a person can 'center down' on a 'metaphysical' journey to mind-travel back into the past. Once the person arrives, they are to use 'god-light' to seek out the hidden inner-child regions and dark rooms of the unconscious mind for repressed or hidden pain or trauma so that ‘god’ can directly speak truth to them for healing. However, only God's written Word - the Bible - is truth.
A 'sanctified' imagination and the use of guided visualization techniques have no power to begin contact with God or gain knowledge of Him, or to 'spiritually' travel to Heaven, or multiple dimensions, or spiritual realities, or to encounter Angels, etc., no matter how pure the intent. When human imagination and guided imagery are used to try and bring a person 'closer' to God or to bring healing to the 'inner' person, there is a great risk of opening them up to demonic deception. Jesus said regarding the "inner" person, no matter what their age is, that;
"What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23 KJV)
When a person thinks about the outcome of things yet to come, they are using the Occult practice of visualization, not Trusting-Faith. Worry, concern, continually thinking about, or dwelling on the future is practical atheism.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say or insinuate that visualization and imagination create a person's reality. Jesus never taught people to use both intellect and imagination. When people travel to a familiar place, they rely on memory to see where they want to go and how to get there. Planning a trip does not require imagination or the ability to visualize. Using your memory or a navigation map is how you get there. The Apostle Paul didn't visualize or imagine his Damascus Road experience; he lived it (Acts 9:1-6). John the Beloved didn't visualize or imagine the Book of Revelation; Jesus gave it to Him, and He actually experienced it (Revelation 1:1).
A person's achievement is not based on visualizing and daydreaming but on preparation, perseverance, and hard work. Imagination is not the main ingredient for success.
"And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things." (Genesis 8:21 NIV)
We are implored to "destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV)
An image in the mind is not an imagination. We are commanded to "not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4 ESV).
The Hebrew Word translated as "image' is 'tselem' which means a statue, image, copy (2 Kings 11:18; 1 Samuel 6:5; Numbers 33:52; Psalm 39:6) as well as "image" in the sense of essential nature (Genesis 1:26-27,5:3). God created human beings as male and female in a loving unity of more than one person in His own "image" which infers we reflect dimly (not possess or duplicate) in our internal and external characteristics His character (Genesis 1:27).
Imagination is NOT an aspect of the image of God. He is omniscient and knows everything past, present, and future in every possible scenario. He doesn't need to use imagination because He lives outside the space-time continuum.
God gave us free will and emotions to imagine, which helps us think in pictures and recall events. We use our imagination when reading/writing a fictional story, music, or poetry because it allows us to conceive of something that does not already exist. When Adam and Eve sinned, wickedness permeated their minds, reasoning, emotions, and imagination.
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5 KJV)
The sinfulness of humanity is expressed in our imaginations and is the source of idolatry which encompasses a legion of things (Matthew 5:28; Acts 27:9). Imagination emanates from the human heart, which is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9-10). The word "'heart" refers to the part of a human that controls their desires, emotions, hopes, and dreams. The word "mind" typically refers to the part that controls intellect, reason, and thoughts.
God uses the mind (knowledge, thoughts) and the emotions (heart) to draw people to Him and are engaged in the process to believe and have Trusting-Faith in Jesus. Believing requires the mind, but to trust someone requires the heart. To become Born-Again requires belief and trust in Jesus, which involves the mind and the heart.
Even though the mind and heart are integral parts of coming to saving faith, it is the eternal spirit of a person that needs to be redeemed to enter Heaven. The heart and mind are positionally sanctified at the moment of Salvation but need daily cleansing. The death and resurrection of Jesus give us forgiveness and the power to die to the old and live to the new. The human heart and mind, which includes the imagination, can only be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit and needs to be cultivated, disciplined, and renewed daily through the knowledge and washing of God's Word (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Ephesians 4:23,5:26; Romans 12:2).
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
The Bible is the only reliable source to hear God's voice (2 Timothy 3:16). Those who genuinely become Born-Again and love God with all their heart and mind will grow more passionately in their love for Him through studying the Bible (Matthew 22:37).
The Bible does not tell us anywhere that we need the imagination to live in the world. The Bible is not here to rekindle our imagination so that we can worship God in spirit and truth. The Bible does not tell us to use our imagination to worship God or read His written Word, nor does it tell us to go to a place where the world is in pain, imagine the love of God there, and then express our imagination in art, music, silence, poetry, literature, etc.
Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus, the Disciples, or any person practice imagination, visualization, or spiritual contemplation techniques. Contemplative spirituality is deceptive and dangerous because it comprises fallen humans conjuring up techniques and using imagination to draw closer to God. True prayer is a conversation with God and is not silent beyond words or thoughts. It does not need visualization to do away with the 'false self' or trigger a transformation of consciousness or an awakening. It is the fundamental element of our relationship with Him.
The ultimate goal of prayer is to have intimate union and dialogue with the Triune God. Prayer is the application of the heart to Him and the eternal exercise of love. It is a dialogue with Him and an act of worship, the communion of the soul with God - Spirit with spirit - the saved with the Savior. It is both wrestling with Him and resting peacefully in His arms.
A person does not need to petition God using their imagination or kneeling in a dimly lit candle-filled room or walk a man-made maze chanting single words and phrases through centered deep rhythmic breathing, as a kind of ethereal mental exercise of mystical introspection and spiritual ascent to 'connect' to Him.
Prayer is no different than a conversation between a husband and wife. I don't know of any healthy relationship spent 'imagining,' 'decreeing,' and 'declaring' rather than just conversing.
The Bible teaches us that meditating and reflecting on God's Word as you think over what you have read and letting it wash through you are the correct ways of learning and understanding. Using your mind is not a barrier to understanding God or His Word.
The Bible does not teach that prayer is a technique or a way to go beyond thinking. The Bible provides everything needed to know about God, understand His ways, and how we live. It does not teach us to use imagination to worship Him or visualize the healing of memories, the body, and mind, or for spiritual growth. Instead, we are called to be renewed daily by the Holy Spirit through prayer and reading/studying the Word of God, the Bible.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)
