And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13).
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says (Mark 11:23)
Faith cannot be released from your heart to the Father without words. You could say that your words are faith carriers.
In the circumstances that you encounter today, the words that you speak about that event show what you really believe about it. What I say is really my faith speaking.
It’s highly important to speak what you believe. Words fix the landmarks or boundaries in our lives. We never rise above or live beyond the words we speak.
Thoughts of doubt bombard us continually. But thoughts that are not put into word or action wither and will not produce results. You can’t keep negative thoughts from coming to your mind, but you can keep them from lodging there. The best thing to do when thoughts of doubt come is to speak out loud what you believe from the word of God.
In the tests that arise in life, your victory in it will keep pace with how steadfastly you speak what you believe in the face of the grueling circumstance. Your faith keeps pace with your confession.
So many times I’ve had terrible circumstances arise that seem so stubborn. And I had to make a choice to say out loud what God says about the circumstance. As I have done this, I have seen the circumstance give way to the word of God. What was designed to defeat actually became a blessing. It boosted my faith in Jesus when I saw the circumstance bow to the spoken word of God from my lips!
For instance, hundreds of times over my years of walking with Jesus I have had symptoms of illness come upon me. Thoughts would bombard my mind telling me that the symptoms were this or that. Instead of talking about the symptoms or the thoughts, I would simply thank God out loud that Jesus took my infirmities and bare my sicknesses, and that with His stripes I am healed (Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:3-5). The symptoms would persist for days and sometimes weeks, but I would say out loud to myself what I believed from the Word. And every time the symptoms would fade away and I would be healed. You see, words carried my faith from my heart to the Lord, and my words brought into being in my life the healing that Jesus provided for me.
Over the years I have had so many times of feeling down, oppressed, defeated, and fearful. But, instead of giving in to the feelings and the thoughts that accompany them, I affirm out loud what God says about me. I would say, I am a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things have passed away, and all things are new in me (2 Corinthians 5:17). I would say out loud, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved me (Romans 8:37). I would say if God is for me, who can be against me (Romans 8:31). I would say over and over out loud what God says about my life, and the thoughts and feelings would eventually fade away. The key is that you’ve got to say it!
Let me balance this out by saying that there is a place where we must go before the Father and candidly express where we are, how we feel, and how things affect us. The key is not to live there. I always pour my heart out to the Father, but then I go back to His promises and ask Him to work specifically in the situation. And then, I say OUT LOUD what I believe.
Remember to affirm the word of God out loud today. Your faith spoken out loud will eventually change your circumstances!