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Speak to the mountains and challenges in your
life and don’t doubt that they will move - put your faith not in the words you
speak, because that is not where the power comes from – put your faith in God
who has promised to bring his word to pass - this is the true source of your
power. Let your faith be solely in God and his word because we know that his
word will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent
Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
Can We Really Speak Things into Existence?
When God created the heavens and the earth,
he did so by speaking.
He said let there be and there was. God in
his great power literally spoke the world into existence.
He spoke into what was void and empty. From
that came this beautiful world that we see all around us.
The question I want to pose to you is, has
God passed this same power and authority to you and I?
Can you really speak things into existence?
There are scriptures that seem to support
this point of view so let’s analyze some of those so we can find the answer to
this question.
Words Are Powerful
Let’s be clear: your words are powerful.
Proverbs 18:21 tells us that life and death
are in the power of the tongue.
That’s right, your words can speak life and
encouragement to a person’s soul.
They can also be discouraging words, shooting
holes in people’s ambition and bringing death to their dreams.
On a positive note, consider all the people
who have been inspired by someone telling them a word of encouragement.
I remember having a conversation with my
pastor and I was telling him about a book I was writing.
The first words out
of his mouth were “how can I help you?”
Those five words were a source of motivation
and encouragement to me. They really inspired me and helped me to get the book
done.
Understand that your words have power. But is
there a limit to that power?
"Speak it into
Existence" A Commonly Misquoted Scripture
In some Christian
circles, you may hear people say “speak those things that are not as though
they are.”
Usually this is said with great faith – with
the thought of bringing something that you want to pass.
Let me be clear, I am not trying to discredit
anyone’s faith. I have no interest in doing that because I believe people who
say this truly believe.
The problem is the quote of the verse is
incomplete.
Here is the full verse in Romans 4:17:
“(as it is written, ‘I have made you a
father of many nations’) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who
gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they
did;” (NKJV).
(For context, the father of many nations to
which Paul is referring is Abraham.)
What you notice in this verse is that there
is someone who can call to being things that do not exist, as though they do.
That person is God.
Though your words are powerful and can have
tremendous impact in people’s lives, your words alone do not have the power to
call things that do not exist into being. That’s right and power is only
reserved for God alone.
Your responsibility is to let your faith be
in the God who calls things into existence and not in your own ability to do
that.
In other words, be like Abraham. God told him
he would give him a son in his old age.
Abraham believed what God said, even though
it took 25 years.
Because Abraham believed God, what God said
came to pass in Abraham’s life.
Let your faith not be in your own words, let
your faith be in God’s word. Here is what we know about God’s word:
“So is my word that
goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish
what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Trusting God’s word is the greatest guarantee
that you will ever have in your life.
But Didn’t Jesus Say…
Listen to the words of Mark 11:23:
“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” (emphasis added).
When we look at this verse, we seem to have
the same conundrum. What you see again is the power of your words.
Does Jesus really mean that all it takes is
for you to speak to a mountain and as long as you believe, that mountain will
move?
It appears on the surface that your words
alone are being given the ability to have mountain-moving power.
Before you make that final analysis, let’s consider
the full context. Look at Mark 11:22:
“So Jesus answered
and said to them, ‘Have faith in God.’”
With the full context, we can now put this
whole thought together.
What I want you to focus on is what the
object of your faith is. Is it your words or is it God?
The object of your faith must be God. The
power in faith is not faith itself – it is the object of that faith.
It is faith in God that makes the impossible
possible.
Here is what Tony Evans said about this in
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary:
“The most important
aspect of faith, then, is the worthiness of its object. You must be trusting in
the right thing. You can place tremendous faith in the tooth fairy or Santa
Claus but you’ll be disappointed. If, however, you have true, vibrant faith in the
God of the Bible, you have spiritual authority to access divine power.”
The result of mountain-moving faith is not
coming just from “what” you say.
The result of mountain-moving faith is coming
from “who” you are believing in.
Believe God and believe his word, for that
gives you access to his divine power. It is that power alone that will move the
mountains and change the situations in your life.
What Do You Do Now?
I want to encourage you to speak. Know for
certain that life and death are in the power of your tongue, so speak.
Speak words of encouragement, life and hope
to those around you.
Speak God’s promises over your life. Speak to
yourself and remind yourself who you are in Christ.
Speak and encourage yourself in the Lord.
Speak the word of God into your situations.
Speak to the mountains and challenges in your
life and don’t doubt that they will move.
However, in the speaking, remember to put
your faith not in the words you speak, because that is not where the power
comes from.
Put your faith in God who has promised to
bring his word to pass. This is the true source of your power.
Let your faith be solely in God and his word
because we know that his word will accomplish the purpose for which it was
sent.
Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a rising speaker,
teacher, author and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He has spent more than
30 years serving the body of Christ in various capacities and has just released
his first book called The Pursuit of Purpose. If you have ever struggled trying
to find God’s will, this book will help you discover the different ways God
leads you into his perfect will. To learn more about his ministry please visit
clarencehaynes.com.
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