I’m Just Sayin’

On April 25, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Revelations 12:11

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.

You may have noticed that the Old Testament and New Testament verses about healing are different from one another. The Old Testament has the promise, and the New Testament is much more about application. This is one of those application verses. It teaches us how to overcome.
Throughout this series we have seen the implication of our words. Here is yet another verse which leads us to understanding the power of the words we speak. In this case, we learn that our words are a key tool in overcoming the challenges we face. This verse also, I believe clearly, illuminates and resolves the question of who fights the battles of life. We shall never win in our own strength. It is Christ and his victory which has given us the power to be overcomers. However, and this is key, it was not the blood of the lamb alone which delivered. Victory is in the blood and the word of our testimony. In other words, victory is in Christ’s blood and our words.

Jesus paid the ultimate price to gain our release from the shackles that had all humanity bound in slavery. We were destitute, humanity’s only hope, the promised Messiah. Then he came, hallelujah, but was unrecognized by most. In the darkest of hours, Jesus nailed our enslavement to a cross. For all appearances it looked like the ultimate defeat, but out of the shadows arose triumph and that triumph set us all free. Or did it?

Today many remained enslaved. The victory of Christ is ours for the taking, but look around. Many have chosen not to claim the freedom that is theirs in Christ Jesus. It is heartbreaking. Were they to know that their victory is as close as the confession of their lips, then they could be free. Salvation has been won by the bravery and love of the Christ. It is claimed and becomes our own through our words. It is like having something in lay away that all you need to do is claim it through the use of speech. Salvation is for anyone who will claim it.

The great revelation is that all that Christ won for us is claimed in this very same way. As I wrote to you previously, salvation, prosperity and divine health were all purchased at Calvary. The question is why we go to the hill and return with only salvation. It is all there for us if we would only submit our claim ticket. If we can, with confidence, claim, “I am saved,” then we ought to also be able to say, “I am healed” with the same certainty. Likewise, our financial wellbeing is in the blood of the lamb and the words of our mouth.

Here is the point. Jesus’ blood has done its part, but we see from this verse that we have a role as well. Honestly, this truth makes us a bit uncomfortable because we don’t want anything to depend on us. None the less, this is how the Kingdom works. It is how it works for God and for Jesus as well. Remember, the world was not created because God thought it. He said something. That is also why Jesus remained silent when he was tortured and questioned. His words would have changed the outcome. We have been made in God’s image and in Christ’s image too because he is the exact representation of God. Thus, we must operate the Kingdom principles as they have taught and demonstrated. So, the reality is that we must say something. When this verse says “they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony” it means our words are how we participate in the overcoming blood of the lamb. The word of our testimony means the words of our mouth. What are we saying and are we intentionally saying what we want to see manifested in our lives? Look back at the prayer from last Monday’s Word of the Day titled Shift Gears. Borrow language from it, use it to help you write your own if you like. Let today’s word from the Lord affect you. Let it impact how you engage with Christ over your healing. Praise him. Thank him. Oh, what marvelous things he has done for us!

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Truth about Words

On April 12, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 16: 24             GW

Pleasant words are like honey from a honeycomb – sweet to the spirit and healthy for the body.

Early in this series we discussed the enormous impact words have on our health. This verse teaches us that there is a direct correlation between pleasant words and healthy bodies. I do not think this truth can be overstated or repeated too often. Today, I present you with proof of the influence words have over us, our bodies and our health.

Masaru Emoto conducted experiments with water and language. He spoke kind words over some water samples and unkind words over others. Then he looked at the ice crystals under a microscope. The results are astounding! Look at the pictures below and the associated word.

I know the captions are a bit difficult to read.  The first one is “Eternal.”  Beside it is “Peace.”  The second row is “Love and Gratitude” and “You disgust me.”

Emoto conducted his experiments with many different words, but the result was uniform. Nice words yielded pretty crystals. Ugly words, well, they produced ugly crystals.  Observe how much the “You disgust Me” crystal looks like sickness.

I think there are at least two implications for us. First, our bodies are composed primarily of water. Therefore, what we say in the presence of our bodies is having a profound impact on the water within us. We are creating our own Eden within, or a cesspool. This is such a substantial truth that  we all need to grasp this with vigor. What are you saying about yourself? Your body hears it AND responds. You may think not, but just look at the pictures again. It really is profound.

Second, are you praying over your food? Are you speaking kindnesses as you partake of your meals? Does your family squabble and fuss at the table? Or, are you going to lunch with someone and complaining about your boss the whole time? Guess who is harmed by those harsh words.

This is the real deal. You can create what you desire. Pray over your food with words of grace and thanksgiving. Speak kindly over the water you drink. Would it hurt to pray over your water? Why shouldn’t we thank God for providing it? And when you talk about your body, speak kindness. Even if all is not working perfectly, the kind words are more likely to breed the result you wish than the negative ones.

One finally thought. We certainly preach to mind what you say because we believe words are power containers and that they matter. Some people think the “word” preachers go too far and that what you say doesn’t have that great an impact. Here is my retort. Your body and the water in your body does not know if you are serious or just using a stupid idiom like, “I was scared to death,” or “I am sick and tired of such and such.” Negative words are negative words. Period. They do you no good and they can cause you great harm. Let’s speak kindly about ourselves, our bodies and others. Okay?

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Calling Those Things

On March 16, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 4: 17 – 21

17 (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
18 In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall you descendants be.”
19 And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully assure that what He had promised, He was able to perform.

This passage is a keg of dynamite ready to go off in the spirit of the one who can receive it. There is so much to glean from it, but I wish to focus on three points.

1. He grew strong
2. He believed the promise of God meant something and could be relied upon.
3. Speak those things

First, this passage, speaking of Abraham, says that he “grew strong”. This shows that he did not begin strong. Abraham is called the father of faith, but that faith was no more inherent to him than to us. He grew in faith. If you read the account of Abraham’s life, you will see that he was not a paragon of faith in the beginning. He learned and he grew and his faith grew with him. Notice also that he considered the “true” facts, his age and Sarah’s inability to have children, but he did not allow this to disuade him from God’s promise. It is okay to acknowledge facts, but you do not have to accept them as truth. They are only circumstantial and temporary. Abraham was able to recognize the obstacles, but he did not let them negate the promise of God. He grew such that the promise of God was bigger in his heart and mind than the facts.

Second, Abraham took God at his word. He believed that what God said, He would do. He also believed that God was able to do what He promised. When your faith feels small and weak, don’t look at it. Look at God. We measure the value and weight of our faith, but we need not. We only need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12: 2). As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the Father all things, do, seem possible. If we measure the size of our faith, it always seems wanting. Our faith never looks large enough to measure up to the task. Yahweh, however, is large enough to believe in. Focusing our attention on Him brings us to a place of agreement with Him. Abraham believed that God was not a liar and would do all He promised. So, we don’t focus on the facts or the littleness of our faith but rather on the majesty of the God who promised.

Last, Paul recognized a key behavior of God’s. Namely, that God calls into being that which did not previously exist. Hence, we are back to the power of words. The simplest expression of this principle is, you shall have what you say. Because we are made in God’s image and live according to His authority, we operate in this earth as He does. The power of intentional speech is beyond what we currently understand. It is how God created the universe. Unfortunately, the influence of unintentional speech is impactful too, which is why Jesus warned us about careless words (Matthew 12: 36).

We have been given authority in the earth to call things into being as our Father does. This is one of the key things Yahweh is teaching us. What we say matters, but more than that, when we appreciate the link between speech and creation, we will use our words as a painter uses her brush. The creative power of the universe is in our mouths. We can call into being that which does not exist, and the truth is that we are affecting our health daily with the things we say. So, we must use this power, this power of God, to call health into being where it does not exist.

There is a reason Jesus taught us to “say” something to the mountain. He understands creative power and he knows that reality is shaped by what we say. That is also why he said nothing when he was being tortured and questioned. He knew he would shape destiny with his words. He had to keep silent. Likewise, we shape our destiny. We can call those things which currently do not exist into being.

Set your eyes on the promises of God and on He who promised. Gaze upon His majesty and allow yourself to grow in faith and belief as you marshal your tongue into agreement with all He says. Call yourself the healed. Call yourself strong. Be the healed and the strong of Yahweh.

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Fruitful Speech

On February 28, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 18:20-21

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; he will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.

We keep coming back to this, our words. There is nothing in God’s Kingdom that is not hinged on our word and His. The super key is getting our words to align with His. That is why I think this series is so important. You are getting a focused look at what God has to say about health and healing. Let us not forget, though, that God has constantly spoken to us about the words of our mouth. When we get our words in alignment with His teaching on healing then we will have healing tongues.

Truly life and death are in the power of the tongue. Let’s recall Job 22: 28, from earlier in this series, “You will also decree a thing and it will be established.” This statement tells us clearly, I think, that what we say is what we get. I am not saying there are not other forces acting on us, but if God said life and death are in the power of the tongue, and He did, then there must be a great deal of significance to what we say. Today’s verse will not be the last time we see scripture on the importance of our words, but it is significant that God specifically tied our health, and literally life and death, to the fruit of our mouths. Is that fruit good, or rotten?

Let’s think about this a bit more broadly for a moment. In the first place, I would not have you speaking about your life, health, or body in any negative way, ever. Period. That is the first level of this. However, let me dive deeper today by suggesting that other negative language may be impacting your health. Have you ever wondered why God made gossiping a sin? I will tell you that He had in mind your health. Not only does gossip harm the person about whom the tattler tells, it also harms the hearer and the speaker. It’s kind of simple, really. You can’t have garbage in your mouth without it poisoning you.

What about hateful language, words of anger, etc. Do you think those words go out from us without having any impact on our internal and external atmosphere and the people around us? If you remember some of those cartoons that depict foul language coming from a person’s mouth, you will recall the ugly language usually being represented by a black cloud. In a sense, I believe that is the exact environment we create for our bodies when we use hateful, angry language. Remember that God wants us to be at peace and we will not be at peace when we allow ourselves to get into tirades of ugly expressions.

Think back on today’s verse. With the fruit of our mouths, we will be filled. In other words, we will eat the fruit of our mouths. Is that meal going to be something pleasant or something vile? What we eat certainly impacts our health. No doubt about that. The part we didn’t necessarily understand is that we should strive, not only, to eat clean food but to use clean words as well. This is important. In fact, it’s life!

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Life and Health

On February 23, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 4:20-22

20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body.

By now, probably most of us are convinced that God’s Words have healing power in them. I hope so. This tells us that God’s words are life to our bodies. Now, what is hard to understand about that? The challenge is in the preceding verses and even the preceding phrase.

First, we must find God’s Words. Okay, how hard is that? We know the Bible contains a whole lot of stuff God said. Additionally, this devotional sends you a “word” from God every day. What?! That is the power of this devotional. You don’t have to be in love with what I write because you are getting a dose of what Yahweh said every single day. I just love that.

The second piece of this life in the words is that we must not let them depart from our sight. So, find God’s words and hang on to them. Put them as your screensaver on your computer. Write out a 3 X 5 card with each one of these healing verses. Man, that would make a great deck of cards! Just sayin’ . . ..

Keeping these words of God in our sight is how we keep them in the midst of our hearts. You really must rehearse them. That is most easily done by having them where you can read them often. What if you made a list of all of the verses from this series and read one each day? Hmmm, there’s an idea.

Lastly, pay attention! You know what, that is easier said than done. One really has to be intentional about this. Pay attention to God’s words by keeping them before you. It is so easy to read a verse and then move on. God is saying something specific here. He wants us to manage our lives according to His words and we cannot do that if we are not continuously paying attention to them.

So, here we go . . . dust off that Bible because that is how you find God’s words to begin with. Second, maybe do something with all these verses you are receiving. Many of them work for more than healing. All the Lord’s words bring life to every facet of life. Hey, if you are still working on that New Year’s resolution to lose weight, I’ve got your answer right here. His Word is the answer. Speak these verses over your weight loss and believe God. Find His word for your situation and then pay attention to it by keeping it in front of your eyes and in the midst of your heart. They are life and health.

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Decree

On February 16, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Job 22:28

You will also decree a thing and it will be established.

You may wonder about the selection of this verse in a series on healing. I will go so far as to say this may be the most important verse in the whole series. If we wish to live in the Lord’s health, prosperity, abundant life, or anything else he has for us, eventually we have to accept his words and make our words come into agreement with his.

There is more power in this verse today than my words can begin to touch upon. I am even sure that I do not yet have a full revelation of it. However, I am pressing in on this point so that the Father can show me more. One of Jesus’ strongest teachings is found in Mark 11: 23. We, the church, are still trying to figure this one out. Kenneth Hagin spent a 50 year preaching, ministering life on verses 23 and 24. Let’s look at verse twenty-three, “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.” The word “granted” is in italics in the Bible indicating it was added. The text should be more like, “It shall be.”

This was the lesson Job had to learn to get himself out of the trouble he was in. As long as he was mired down in his language, blaming God for his troubles and focusing on them, he remained in the muck. Once Job renewed his mouth, he was restored. His fears and doubts brought about his calamity but his faith in the God of Israel restored him.

In Mark 11 Jesus’ disciples were astonished when they walked by a fig bush that Jesus had cursed the previous day. The fig tree had withered from the roots up. Jesus was astonished that they were surprised. That is when he explained to them that whatever they say, believing, will happen. When faith comes out of our mouths, things have to happen. Jesus was not surprised the fig tree had died. What other outcome was possible? Speaking faith fueled words is how God created everything. God said let there be . . . and it was. He didn’t take out a magic wand and swing it around. He spoke, expecting the elements to obey him. And He is in you. The power that is alive in you creates through spoken language.

What you say, has an enormous impact on your life, including your health. Do you say you are going to get the flu because you get it every year? Guess why you get it every year.

Now don’t get crazy. I am not telling you to go get in someone’s face who has Covid. That is stupidity, not faith. Faith is in walking in God’s wisdom. Get a word from God and stand on it. Job knew the Word of God but got derailed and began speaking the wrong words. We have the Word of God too. All we have to do is to take this list of verses and speak their truths. You don’t have to make up confessions. Just speak the Word.

If you believe for sickness or injury and continually confess it, you are going to live in sickness. If you believe these verses on healing and speak them, then you will establish health. Do not accept a doctor’s prognosis alone. Get God’s advice too. I do not deny that God anointed doctors, but we need to include our healer also. Do not accept that once you reach a certain age you must accept aches, pains and sickness. Reject that junk. It is heathen garbage. You are the blessed of Abraham, Jesus’ own inheritance. Stand on your promises and speak words of belief in those promises. What you say, will be established. Decree something good.

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Say What?

On October 4, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 18: 20 – 21          Tree of Life Version

From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled – with the harvest of his lips he is satisfied. Death and life are in the control of the tongue. Those who indulge in it will eat its fruit.

Of all the challenging things we are instructed about, bridling our mouths is the most difficult. It is also extremely important. Not only are life and death hanging in the balance, but our provision is constantly affected by the things we say.

To be fair, there is some debate regarding the importance of our words. Some believe that words only have power when they are charged by belief. I completely agree that the synergy between your heart and mind is as an amplifier. However, this passage does not equivocate nor make exception so while I agree about the heart/mind connection, I would warn about taking this verse lightly. I believe it means what it says, and that Solomon knew of what he wrote. Take it at face value and make your language comport to your desires.

One of the reasons I believe this is so important is that your mind hears the stupid things your mouth says. Your mind does not distinguish between careless foolishness and intelligent affirmation. It believes everything you say. If you say your toe hurts long enough you may begin to believe it. If you consistently confess something about yourself, whether or not it is a factual statement, it may become true because you will convince your heart of its veracity.

Second, what you say other people have a right and propensity to believe. If you put yourself down, whether a person agrees intellectually, they are likely to be influenced by those ideas. You are going to make it true by repeating it.

Third, there is an entire spiritual realm that none of us fully understands. In that realm, God spoke and created. We do understand that right now, even though we are seated on earth, we are also connected with the spiritual realm. It is a part of life on earth. It is the Kingdom. Jesus taught us that one of the ways to interact in the Kingdom is through our words (Mark 11: 24 – 25). When you read that passage you will find that what you believe when you speak is important, vitally important, but he said to speak to the mountain, and it would move. He was showing us the power of our words.

I am not trying to argue with anyone about the importance of belief. We are looking for truth. There is no value in being right, only in God’s truth. I am, however, trying to get us to take seriously the things we say. Saying that you are “scared to death” certainly has no positive value. Right? You can argue it won’t kill you, but I will argue it does not add anything positive to your life. Further, it just makes sense to me that a person wouldn’t speak death over their life or body.

Words are power vessels. Use them with wisdom and discretion. Anything else would seem foolish.

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