The Lord has been reminding me lately of a truth I know well, but still sometimes forget. It is the authority with which we speak as children of God. Sometimes my prayers feel powerless and my commands seem to have little impact. Sometimes I begin to forget who I am in Christ and feel totally ineffective. I begin to feel as if my words don’t matter. Sometimes I need a refresher course in the power God has entrusted to his people.
The first chapter of Jeremiah is incredibly instructive about the power of our words. Early in the chapter, God reveals to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer.1:5). Like many others called by God, Jeremiah’s first response was, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young!” Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, and others strenuously objected when God called them to their destiny. Each felt inadequate. Each was acutely aware of his weakness.
But then God goes on to say, “Do not say, ‘I am too young. You must go to everyone I send you and say whatever I command you…I have put my words in your mouth. See. today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and over throw, to build and to plant’” (Jer. 1:7-10).
As you read the remained for the book, you discover that Jeremiah never led an army or directed a revolution. Yet, by simply declaring the words of the Lord, he launched initiatives in the heavenly realms that tore down nations and built them up. God could have certainly done those things without any prophet declaring them. But God chose to use men to whom he had given authority on this earth. God waited on his people to declare what he was going to do before he would do it. God honors the authority he has given us.
Remember, God’s original intent was to give men who represented Him dominion and authority over all the works of his hands (Ps. 8:6). Jesus demonstrated that perfectly in his ministry. He walked in the Father’s authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, multiply bread and fish, and still the squalls of the Sea of Galilee…with words. Then he gave authority to his disciples, who also healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demon…with words. Jesus then declared that those who would follow and believe in him would not only do what he had been doing but would do even greater things (Jn.14:12).…with words.
As followers of Jesus, our words have power and authority. But how often do we feel helpless and weak. In a sense, just as Jeremiah recognized his own inadequacy, we too are inadequate by ourselves. But, like Jeremiah, God makes us adequate by giving us and our words authority and backing up that authority with the power of heaven. Our failure is to focus on our own abilities rather than His.
When we pray, we pray with authority. When we command demons, we do so with authority. When we command illness, we do so with authority. Certainly, the outcome is not always immediate or automatic. ‘There are many times we must contend for the outcome with persistence, faith, and fervor. But when we are aligned with God’s word and will, then it is his word going forth from our mouths just as it was with Jeremiah. Then the promise is that whenever God’s word goes forth, it always fulfills its purpose.
In the moments when you feel weak and are on the verge of giving up, remember who you are and the authority God has granted you. His word does the work, but we are the ones who must declare it. As followers of Jesus, we walk in authority. When we are aligned with the Father, heaven heeds our words and the spiritual realm moves on our behalf. The key to authority is believing that we possess it as representative of Christ on the earth. From time to time, I encourage you to refresh your faith and remember who you are because of Him.
