Another view of this principle is that our words, spoken out loud and in faith, force the material world to comply with spiritual truth.
(Mark 11:22-23 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”)
This is important! Time after time God tells us to guard our mouth. Why is that? It’s because our mouths are powerful weapons. With our mouths we are saved. With our faith-filled words we bring curses or blessings. With our verbal agreement with His word we bring His promises to manifestation in our lives.
In fact, we are to be held responsible for EVERY word that we speak! (Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”) Remember Ephesians 4:29? “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Every word counts. The ones we speak, and the ones we hear.
There are so many sources at work eroding our faith – Satan certainly has no interest in letting us believe and act on the authority given to us to make the kingdom more fully manifest in this world. Our own doubts also tear at our faith when we listen to symptoms or doctors’ reports. Even well meaning loved ones erode our faith when they insist on hearing how bad the situation is, or when they share a story of another brother in the faith who succumbed to a situation “just like yours.” Satan loves to goad people into explaining away God’s promises in order to weaken our faith.
It is crucial to guard our mouths and our ears. There may actually be times when we have to remove ourselves from the repeated eroding effect of well intentioned people. You don’t have to just sit and quietly listen to faith erosion. It is important to stay away from people who you know are going to persistently talk about the problem, or who seem to encourage you to talk against faith-building truth.
This can be a difficult area in which to gain victory,
especially when we have been accustomed to not really guarding what words come out. Oh, sure, we civilized adults avoid crude language, nasty jokes, and vulgar swearing. But how often do we jokingly say belittling or degrading or sarcastic things about ourselves or our loved ones? It’s just a joke, right?
Have you listened to how many times we say things like, “I’m so bad with names.” “I’ve never been good with numbers.” “I’m a horrible business person.” “My kids always get the flu this time of year.” “My wife is horrible with directions. She gets lost all the time.” These flippant words give legal access to negative forces, empowering them to impact your life! How about, “My hypertension…”, “My cancer…”, “My arthritis…”, “My allergies…”, My bad genes…”? Do you really want to legally claim these health curses as your own?
Stop saying it.
We have a choice – our words can be building blocks or wrecking balls. We can choose to speak edifying stability into our lives and the lives around us, or we can throw verbal stumbling blocks in our path. And, again, it is more than “just” words – “God creates the fruit of our lips.” (Isaiah 57:19)
Now this is not easy. We’ve spent years not being aware of the importance of this, and Satan loves it. He loves to hear us, all unaware, give him access to these areas of our lives. And he loves to hear us pooh-pooh the idea that our negative words matter at this level of spiritual encounter and warfare. It’s almost as though our tongues have a mind of their own! (James 3:8 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”)
But it’s time to change.
So here is a challenge.
(Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”) Every time you say a faith-eroding negative comment, stop yourself. Pray a prayer of repentance over what you just said, and replace that sentence with a promise from God’s unalterable truth.
Did you hear yourself say, “My arthritis always acts up with cold weather”? Take a moment, ask God for forgiveness for that lie, and say something like, “I rebuke you, arthritis and inflammation in Jesus’ name, and I command you to leave my body. And in that name, I command you, joints, to function perfectly. Lord, thank you for healthy joints.” God’s Word is clear in teaching us that words, both ours and God’s, are important and powerful. “But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
God has given us authority
to participate in creating a better future by believing His word and speaking it aloud. (Isaiah 57:19 “I create the praise of the lips…says the Lord.”) It has been said, “If we say what God said, then God will do what we say.” A bold comment, yes? But think about it for a moment. God’s word is Truth, and by agreeing with it, we are speaking with God. And because our spoken words are powerful, think of how much more powerful our spoken words are when they are in full agreement with His Word!
Again, the spoken word gives legal permission for either God or Satan to work. Who would you prefer to have free access to your life? Let’s get about the task of taming our mouth and training it to speak Truth, rather than opening a door wider for Satan to steal, kill and destroy us. Are you lacking something in your life that He promised? Find the supporting verses in His Word and speak them – audibly, frequently, and in faith. Believe them, claim them, speak them, and hold fast to them.
Another excerpt from my book "The Rest of The Gospel"
If you want the book now, you can get it at: 4
