Imagination

This write up is about imagination. To illustrate why you should guard it, we'll distill the "prophetic" aspect of Frederick Drummond 's 2010 words. The web address is at the bottom of this page. Given Fred's track record at COS of using fear as a behavioral control tactic, I feel his 2010 prophecy is an attempt to do 2 things: pull people in via an enticement or to push them in via fear.

Looking back, we know COS used fear tactics to control people. For instance, when I left COS, they prophesied God might kill me if I left. Many of us resisted those inane tactics and left; not allowing our imaginations to get the best of us. They were 100% wrong biblically and none of us died due to a fear tactic. So, while reading FAD's words, I kept in mind the role imagination plays during interpretation. I also kept in mind God's advice, to guard the heart.

The imagination in general is a vital, free form mental process. It works powerfully when unconstrained and set free. However, we live in an evil world so sometimes we need to control it - especially from outside influence. Many politicians, gov't agencies, advertisers, cable news shows, preachers, authors, propagandist, & con men, know how to influence imagination to elicit a strong, predicted, planned response. Their end game is not your imagination but to get you to take their planned course of action. This action may or may not be in your own best interest. One thing most of them know: fear is a powerful motivator. But not all outside influences are bad. For instance, it's a positive force when we watch movies, read books, tell stories, teach, create music etc In fact...

Your imagination...
....is a beautiful gift from God
....can be leveraged as a powerful tool
....is a very powerful process that affects emotion which can cause action

The 3rd point above is why God warns you to guard your heart: you act because of emotion. A direct wire into your emotion is your imagination. But, an unguarded imagination, in the absence of facts, tends to unreliably make stuff up because our minds do not like the unknown. But God warns you over 3000 years ago, "guard your heart". So, you need to control your imagination so it works for you; not against you. Let's take Frederick A. Drummond 's latest web page as an example of keeping imagination in check.

While reading the "prophetic" words of Frederick Drummond, I noticed there is no biblical documentation to support his claims for what he thinks will occur in 2010. I also noticed a glaring void of specific detail, He did not foretell one tangible, provable, event that will occur in 2010. The vagueness of his "prophecy" leaves a void your imagination might attempt to fill. STOP! DO NOT ALLOW IT,. This is where you have to be careful and think, to guard your heart. For instance, I parsed his opening paragraph for words that deal with specifics. This is all I got:
....many things to fruition ( could be anything, list please)
....surprises (list please)
....something good is going to happen if your here (what good things?)
....something "not good" is going to happen if your there (what "not good" things?)

Right off the bat, Fred's words work on reader's imaginations (intentionally or not - doesn't matter). There are no facts, dates, and figures your rational mind can work with. Just vague, empty words like "something", "every", "surprises"; words that could provoke your imagination to fill in the blanks, in its attempt to make the unknown, known. Instead, keep the imagination in check and rely on the solid foundation of God's word and rational thought.

The next few paragraphs have almost nothing to do with prophecy but deal with FAD's interpretation of events. The past is the past so no guess work is required. Thus, it is here Fred gets very detail oriented giving us dates, actions, quantities, objects, and locations: all very, very specific.

Concluding in the last 3 paragraphs, Fred gets back to prophecy and back to very vague. For instance, he states God is doing "mighty things in his midst". But I noticed, not a mention of one single mighty thing, just a vague, unprovable phrase that could mean anything. The new web site is not a mighty thing; anyone can build a web site. All it takes is clip art and a nerd, not God. When God does mighty things, a universe is created, seas are parted, a cancer is cured, the blind see, sins are forgiven, etc. With a rational mind engaged, Fred's mighty things are discounted as nonexistent as I am not told exactly what they are and no proof is given.

Finally, the prophecy aspect ends with more vague predictions like: promises, fulfillment. victory, worst of times is upon them... Basically a repeat of his opening carrot & stick fear tactic of "victory here and worst of times there"
It ends with a welcome to watch the unspecified predictions with him from an unspecified location. There is no traditional brick & mortar church like COS and there are not throngs of people down there. That's just clip art someone used on his web site that you can buy for a buck or download for free.

I'm not a prophet but I can predict we are heading for the worse of times. That doesn't take prophecy, it takes literacy. Just read the business news. The U.S. is in the biggest downturn since the depression. Many people have already lost their jobs, homes, and security. If this is what he means, stating some are heading for the worse of economic times and calling it prophecy, he's both late and wrong. It has been in the news for the past 2 years and is caused by a decade of bad policy in DC, not God. And, as most economists predict, hard times will spill into 2011.

In all fairness, Fred is right about one thing. Being with God, and in God's will, is an excellent place to be. There are 10,000 plus churches in the world that a Christian can worship in and be in God's perfect will. But, if any of them attempt to manipulate you by using baseless fear tactics as Fred does here, you would be wise to find another church. It is God we seek, not manipulation. There are 10,000 plus churches that will welcome you as a brother in the message of Christ, not a message of fear. Amen

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23

Trust - Wisdom comes from managing the "risk to trust ratio"
Facts - Determine and confirm the genuine facts
Common Sense - Through common sense, you can be convinced of anything

If your critical mind is engaged, this is Fred's new site where you can perform your own analysis.
experiencedestiny.com/2010_Prophetic_New_Year_Drummond.html