Imagine it! Believe it!

All true Christians have received life from Christ. The majority, however, know nothing about the more abundant life that He is willing to bestow and this is most evident by our prayer life. For a true life of prayer it is necessary that we walk in an ever-increasing experience of that overflowing life.

Abundant life is neither more nor less than the full life of Christ within us as the:

• Crucified One: We have died with him! We have experienced the exceeding abundance of His grace. We can declare with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live.” (Gal 2:20) Self no longer has authority over us.
• Risen One: The very power God used to raise Jesus from the dead is working in us to give us daily a share of His resurrected life. Through His power we can declare, “Thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ.” (2 Cor 2:14) We can say that with confidence because, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)
• Glorified One: It’s not just heaven someday, but it’s the glorified life of Christ, dwelling in me today! The Lord of all, living within us. We can declare moment by moment, “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom 8:37)

We don’t have to live limited by our human imagination of what is possible. But as we experience His love and infinite faithfulness, we can live with confidence in the Word. As Murray says, “Live in what must be.” When we begin to live this way, these will not just be dreams or pictures of a vain imagination. By experience, we will know the all-sufficiency of grace that can do all things for us as it did for Paul.

In prayer may we learn to take God literally, in a childlike spirit, believing: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21). Imagine it, believe it, acknowledge dependence on the Crucified, Risen, Glorified one within to accomplish it.

Application Questions:

What do I need to be more aware of in my life/thinking?

• How often do I meditate on Gods promise of abundant life and what He desires for us in that life?
• How much do these truths guide / motivate my behavior?
• How should these affect my prayer life? 
• How should these affect how I live?

How does God want me to engage / do with what I have read? 

• I need to “Live in what must be.” Do not live limited by my human imagination of what is possible. I need to be praying bigger. I can imagine God doing some great things through my ministry, but I am not praying for it, nor believing God to do it.
• By experience, we will know the all-sufficiency of grace that can do all things for us as it did for Paul. This will only become reality when I start praying in faith. 
• I will add this to my daily prayer

I choose to take God literally, in a childlike spirit, not just as a dream or dim picture in my mind, but believing: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21). 

I Imagine it, believe it, and acknowledge my dependence on Him;

• As the Crucified one through whom I am dead to self and alive with Christ.
• As the Risen one through His resurrected life dwelling in me, the power that raised Him from the dead is mine moment by moment.
• As the Glorified one, not just heaven someday, but Jesus glorified, in me, today. 

It’s His life within that will accomplish all I can imagine and more!

Adapted from Andrew Murray Living a Prayerful Life, Chapter 7