Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be “imitators” of God. The KJV says to be “followers” of God. But in the Greek, the word translated as “imitators” or “followers” is the word “mimeomai” from where we get our word “mimic”.
Some of you might remember the old fashioned “mimeograph” machines from the late 60’s and early 70’s which were often used to produce classroom materials and church bulletins. It would produce endless copies of the original (as long as you had ink).
The thing about mimicking a person, is that the more you do it, the more you become like the person you mimic. And Paul is telling us to mimic God.
So how do you do that?
I believe the process starts by thinking like God.
You can learn how He thinks, what matters to Him, how He makes decisions, and gets things done, by reading His Word.
Then, once you have assimilated His Word through the eye or ear gate into your mind, you consider it. Roll it around in your brain. Mutter it. Imagine it… until it drops down into your heart.
Then you begin to speak it.
That’s right. Say what God says! Now we’re getting somewhere!
What does God say about provision or healing or any number of topics? That’s what you begin to say.
Why?
Because you are mimicking Him and in the process, becoming like Him and more and more having the same results as Him and as Jesus said… doing the same works He did… and even greater! (John 14:12)
Did you see the progression?
Read it. Think on it. Speak it. Do it. Rinse and Repeat.
Will you make mistakes? Sure.
But the bigger mistake is not doing anything.
Admittedly at times, the things you feel God is inviting you to step into, may seem daunting or silly or just misguided.
My friend Rick Osborne who is hosting the 5 day, Face To Face with Jesus Challenge has lived his life like this. In his early Christian walk, he would ask God for at least one soul a day.
Instead of going out to preach on the street corner, he would ask the Lord to take him to those who were ready.
On one such day, early in the morning, the Lord told him to go to the nearby Dairy Queen restaurant. That seemed like a strange thing because they weren’t even open.
But he drove over there and parked his car. Almost immediately, the restaurant burglar alarm went off and he jumped out of his car to look in the window and hopefully scare off the burglars.
As it turned out, it was the manager coming in early from the back door who had accidentally triggered the alarm. He was so appreciative of Rick wanting to protect the place that he invited him in for coffee.
It was in that interaction while the store was closed and one other employee had come, that Rick led them both to Christ. I have seen that kind of outrageous mimicking where Rick just mimicked the way he saw Jesus walk on this Earth.
It was his intense desire to mimic God and do what Jesus did that motivated him daily. It wasn’t long before Rick produced a children’s Bible that has now been translated into over 120 languages with over 100 million copies in print.
Rick was always looking for ways to mimic God and teach others the same things. He wrote and/or co-wrote over 60 books with over 10 million copies sold.
But Rick has preferred to make himself of no particular reputation.
So in 2010, he moved to a small mountain town with his precious wife Luba and began what turned out to be a 10 year period where he was sequestered with the Lord and taught by Him.
I’ve known Rick for over 40 years. He has impacted and challenged me and helped shape who I’ve become. It was Rick’s Spirit led direction in my life back in 1988, that caused me to make a small but significant change in my first book, The Bible Incorporated – In Your Life, Job & Business.
It was going to be yet another typical promise book, but Rick showed me how to weave the Scriptures together from various passages on a single topic as though it were one conversation. The result was that I self published this little 320 page book and it became one of the best selling Christian business books in history!
That input, as life changing as it was, pales in comparison to the deposit he made in my life a few years earlier, and on many occasions since.
But after 10 years of being quietly sequestered away in anonymity, the Lord has released Rick to teach the treasure trove of wisdom and unlocking of mysteries in Scripture to whosoever will.
The focus of his teaching is intimacy with God in a face-to-face kind of way.
The kind of intimacy that Moses, David and Abraham had. The kind of intimacy that Jesus offered and promised. The kind that never fails. The kind that transcends religion but is firmly anchored in the Word.
The way Rick is coming out of obscurity is with his FREE 5 day, Face-To-Face master class that begins next Wednesday evening at 8 PM Eastern. It runs for five days in the evenings except on Saturday which is at noon.
I’ve already heard from some of you in different time zones and schedules wondering if you can catch it a time convenient for you. The answer is “yes”.
The five different sessions will be available in the private Facebook group for six days afterwards for you to take in again and again or even for the first time if need be. But if possible, at least catch the first session LIVE. The interaction will be worth it!
My wife Judy and I are excited to attend and I personally will be a special guest on Sunday night (the final session) sharing how this applies to a work and business environment.
So, I am whole heartedly endorsing and strongly encouraging you to make plans to be there LIVE on Wednesday, September 22nd at 8 PM Eastern. My guess is that after that first session, you will be contacting all your friends and telling them to be there Thursday night.
Hundreds have already registered. Momentum is building. You won’t want to miss this.
REGISTER HERE NOW and then be sure to join the private Facebook group. I look forward to seeing you there!