I believe God wants us to live out of the Scriptures so that the Word comes alive in us. I would go so far to say that we need the Word to manifest in our lives. With that in mind, I believe the Lord would also have us to understand and embrace the fact that we are made in His image and His likeness. This means, that we are like God (little gods, His children). The Amplified Bible refers to it as His spiritual personality and moral likeness. This means we have His nature, behavior, disposition, and His character. We can operate like God: think like God, speak like God and act like God. Again, we need to understand and embrace this truth as children of God. When this happens our lives will be transformed.
Genesis 1 gives us insight into creation:
Verses 1-3: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Verses 26-27: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion (dominate, rule) over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
#1 – God used words to create the world as we know it. He spoke everything into existence and then he made man. When God speaks something happens, something changes, something shifts, something moves. The same thing happens when you speak.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me avoid,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)
#2 – After He created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion. That means He gave them Sovereignty, which is supreme authority to control and rule over the earth and animals/wildlife (sea, air, and land). We have that same dominion, authority.
Because we are made in God’s image, we have our Father’s nature, His qualities. We are His children, and we should resemble our Father in heaven. Once again, the children of God should be able to think like God, speak like God and even act like God. We are not perfect, but this should be our goal. If we are not there yet, we will be if we have the desire, the faith, and practice thinking, speaking and acting like our Father in heaven. We are not perfect beings, but we can pursue the heart and mind of God and follow Jesus’ example. (Read Psalm 82:6, John 10:34).
Thinking Like God:
Mind of Christ – 1 Corinthians 2:15-16: But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Renewed Mind – Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Sound Mind – 2 Timothy 1:6-7: Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Double Minded – James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Manage Thinking/Thought life – Philippians 4:6-9: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Having a sound mind is very important. It is a state of mental and emotional health where a person possesses the ability to think clearly, rationally, and make sound decisions. It gives the person the capacity to understand their actions and consequences, and navigate the challenges of life effectively.
Speaking Like God:
Speak Life – Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (because the words that we speak set things in motion, we need to intentionally speak life into every situation)
Declare the Decree – Job 22:28: You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. [CEV: He will do whatever you ask, and life will be bright.] [Message: You’ll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light.] (when we make a decree, it’s an announcement/ruling that will be recognized and fulfilled)
Speak the Word – Psalm 103:20-21: Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. (say what the Word says about the matter: the angels heed His word and when you speak the Word they begin to move to bring it to pass)
Bind and Loose – Matthew 18:18-19: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (we need to bind and loose some things and come into agreement with the saints; we have more power than we realize – only agree to that which brings life)
Acting Like God:
Matthew 10:1 – And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
Further down in verse 8, Jesus gives the disciples specific instructions: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
God wants us to come into the fullness of our position in heavenly places – we have the same authority and power as our Father. This is the same faith, authority and power that created the heavens and earth and raised Jesus from the dead.
Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:19-21 – and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
Luke 10:18-20 (speaks of our authority) – And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Finally, when you look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, we can see the attributes of God: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Now that we understand who we are, we should be able to fully embrace this truth and operate like our Father in heaven. We should see ourselves and others as God sees them. Our faith should be established and firm so that when we speak, there is no doubt that there will be shift in the spirit realm and in the earth. I encourage you to meditate on Genesis 1:26. Pray and ask God to give you more revelation and manifest this passage in every area of your life.
