Is that really You, God?
Many people have a hard time understanding how God would speak to them through their imagination. They are interested in the seer gifting, but as they do the Stir the Water Prophetic and Seer Exercises, they are somewhat concerned that they are only strengthening their imagination. How can we know we are seeing “for real” and not just making things up?
There are three things involved with the answer to that question.
First of all, God will speak to us through our imagination. If we tend to be dominated by logic, we may have to do some things we’re not exactly comfortable with to allow our imagination enough room for God to speak through it. Then, when He does, we can expect it to feel like our imagination — that is, we can expect our imagination to be involved.
The issue is if what we are receiving is originating in our imagination or merely passing through it, not whether or not our imagination is involved. Vain imaginings can come from our imagination, but God will speak through our imagination.
That being said, is it possible for us to think we are hearing from God when we really aren’t? Yes. Discernment is always necessary, and being led by the Holy Spirit is vital. If we don’t really want to hear God speak or if we want to hear only certain things from Him, we could find ourselves listening to sources that aren’t God. But if we genuinely desire God’s voice, we’re not opening ourselves to vain imaginings; we’re opening ourselves to Him.
Second, we have to realize that God does not give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). If you are afraid that it’s “just you,” realize that that fear is not coming from Him; it’s coming from you. It could also be coming from the enemy, who doesn’t want you to do anything that would further your relationship with God.
We should be more concerned about being ruled by fear than about being ruled by our imagination. Analytical people in particular seem to struggle with the idea of God speaking through the imagination, but as analytical people, if they are listening to their imagination and that’s all, they will figure it out. However, if we are ruled by fear, we won’t be able to see or think clearly, and until we break out of that cycle, growth could be difficult.
Finally, Jesus says that if we ask our Father for bread, He won’t give us stones (Matthew 7:9–11). In other words, when we ask God to speak to us, we can believe that He is. We can — and should — dismiss the fear that in response to our prayer, He will give us vain imagining instead.
The Bible says to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). It is good to evaluate and test what is coming through our imagination, but the problem is that we can’t do that while we’re receiving. It is very difficult to receive and evaluate at the same time — we tend to get stuck on the first word or picture and not get any further. We start wondering, Did God just say that? Really? How do I know? Once we start focusing on the possibility that it might not be Him, it is difficult to hold onto our faith. So we should receive first, record what we think God is showing or saying to us, and then go back over it later. When we do that, our hearts will be able to tell the difference between what was Him and what maybe wasn’t.
God wants to speak to us. Communication with His people is one of the desires of His heart. If we ask to hear from Him, He will respond. We can trust Him to do that.
If you are struggling with this issue, take a risk, and trust God to be good to you. Again, you should be much more concerned about being ruled by fear than about somehow being fooled.