Since the beginning, God’s representatives on the earth – his sons and daughters – have always been given the mission of establishing a godly or heavenly culture on the earth. Jesus reaffirmed that principle when he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What we need to understand is that through Christ, the Father is now restoring us to the position he always intended his children to possess.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).  As God reigns, we too have been given the authority to reign.

As believers, however, most of us do not understand the position and the authority we have been granted in Christ. We tend to see ourselves as mere men and women who differ from the unsaved only in that our sins are forgiven. The psalmist said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov.23:5, KJV).  What we believe about ourselves typically defines our lives.  A positive, biblical view of ourselves and our abilities opens doors for achievement while a negative view of ourselves and our abilities sets limits on what we accomplish because we will not attempt to achieve more than we believe about our own capacities. The truth is that we walk in much more authority than we perceive and our words carry much more weight than we imagine. 

One of the enemy’s primary strategies is to convince God’s children that even though they are saved and forgiven, they are still worthless, incompetent, weak, broken, powerless and, in many ways, displeasing to their Father.  He convinces them that the wholeness, joy, competence, and glory promised to them is only available after the funeral. Spirits of accusation, condemnation,  rejection, and shame and work tirelessly to keep God’s children from walking in their true identity.

Many Christians are limited by the belief that although they are saved, they are disqualified from doing anything significant in the kingdom of God. They see themselves as prisoners rather than princes and orphans rather than royalty in the household of God.  They have no perception of themselves as highly loved and favored and sense no authority or power in their lives at all. They are literally in bondage to shame and rejection and their shattered identity keeps them from fulfilling a destiny that has already been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Since they feel that they have no standing, no power, and no authority they believe that their words have no more significance than they do. Therefore, they are typically careless with their words and certainly do not use their words and authority to bless others or resist the evil one.  Our words reveal our hearts.  Jesus said,”Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt.12:34). What we believe about who we are and who Jesus is determines our words to a great extent. If you are angry, bitter, insecure, wounded, fearful, feel victimized, and so forth, your words will reflect the beliefs that underlie your self-image. They will be negative, pessimistic, accusing, critical, and demeaning – towards others or yourself.

We have been redeemed to reign and our words carry great power for good or for bad.  They have prophetic power so that the words we speak will begin to create that future for us or for others. Remember the sobering words of Jesus when he said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Jn.12:34). Thankfully, even our words are under the blood of Christ, but the verse tells us how serious God is about our words.  If he is that serious, then we should be as well. James tells us, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (Ja.3:9-10). Make up your mind to be a blessing and to speak blessings. Ask the Holy Spirit to help.  You matter greatly and so do your words.  Direct their power wisely.

When the name Jesus is spoken, what is the first image that comes to your mind? It might be a favorite image from childhood – the one in which Jesus is tenderly holding a little lamb. It may be the familiar image of Jesus lovingly blessing little children who have come to him. As an adult you may first imagine Jesus on the cross as your much-needed savior, Jesus walking across the waters of Galilee, or Jesus graciously protecting the woman caught in the act of adultery. Each of these images would depict a facet of Jesus that is accurate. For the most part, we have come to think of Jesus as the gentle carpenter from Galilee who was willing to lay down his life for each of us so that we might have eternal life. All of us are in extreme need of grace, so we typically think first of the gentle, forgiving, healing, and shepherding Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with that, but there are times when we need another image. When we find ourselves in a showdown with the devil, we don’t need a quiet, gentle Jesus but a powerful and victorious savior who would go to war for us and with us. There are several images of Christ in scripture that I want to point to briefly that may become your focal point when it is time to go to war.

One of these images catches my attention in John’s gospel when he records the words of Jesus speaking to the Father. He said, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (Jn.17:4-6). Jesus is speaking about his position in heaven before he put on flesh and lived among us. Earlier in his gospel, John had recorded the words of Isaiah and then gives us a phenomenal insight into the pre-flesh Son of God. He says, “For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him” (Jn.12:39-41).

He is quoting from the famous passage in Isaiah 6 that declares, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple were filled with smoke” (Isa.6:1-4). Isaiah is given a vision of Christ’s glory before he came to earth and that glory is what Jesus asked the Father to restore.

From a distance, this vision seems glorious and sweet, but in the moment Isaiah received it, he was terrified. Jesus was huge, power, and glorious. He sat on a throne ruling the universe surrounded by weird creatures who0 declared his glory day and night. This Jesus was no one to be trifled with. No little lambs here but rather awesome and even fearsome power and authority.

Another image also comes from John in the book of Revelation. John tells us, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’” (Rev.19:11-16). This is a picture of Jesus riding out to make war against his enemies. The blood on his garments is not the blood of the lamb, but the blood of his enemies.

In Ephesians 4, Paul reveals that after his death, Jesus descended into hell and plundered the devil. He ascended with captives in his train giving gifts to men. This is the picture of a Roman general’s “triumph” as he would march through the streets of Rome pulling captives behind him and giving part of the spoils to friends as gifts. Jesus is painted as a conquering general here who has completely decimated his enemies and returned home to glory.

Finally, Paul shows us another image of the power and authority of Christ when he declares, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil.2:9-11).

There are times when I need to perceive Jesus as the gentle shepherd, searching for me and binding my wounds. There are other times, however, when I need him to be a fierce warrior who rises in anger at those who would hurt me and comes to me as the conquering general and commander of the armies of heaven, ready to decimate those who would attack me. When we are under spiritual attack, this is the Jesus we must hold in our minds and present to the enemy. When demons encountered Jesus on the earth they were terrified. They knew who he was.

I think we shy away from this Jesus because we fear his wrath will be turned against us, but his blood has satisfied his wrath. His wrath is now reserved for the devil and his angels and his unmatched strength and authority is ready to be wielded on our behalf. When demons, disease, or premature death rears its head, this is the Jesus we should call on, for he is surely willing to come. Read Psalm 18:6-19, when you need the ultimate warrior and the Lion of the tribe of Judah by your side.

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Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Amos 3:3

The somewhat familiar passage from the Book of Amos listed above, embodies an important principle in the spiritual realm. Basically, it states that those who are in agreement with one another form some kind of unity – they walk together. That’s because there is no neutral ground in the spiritual realm. You are either with Jesus or against him. He declared, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Mt.12:30). There is no “unaffiliated” category in the unseen realm. You are either a believer or an unbeliever. There is no “agnostic” box on the ballot.

Because of that, agreement is critical to our relationship with God. That’s why James warned the “double-minded,” who were trying to live with only a partial commitment to the Lord and his standards, by saying, “That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (Ja.1:7-8). Being double-minded is not just about whether I believer there is a God or not or whether I believe that Jesus died for my sins. It more often falls in the category of whether or not I believe God’s word is true for me.

Most Christians, if asked, would immediately declare that they believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is, therefore, true. Knowing what is true is critical because Jesus taught that the truth will set is free. And yet, my experience is that many, many Christians are not free. They are still in bondage to past hurts and past mistakes. They still walk under a cloud of rejection and condemnation. They still feel insignificant and unworthy. They still do not feel the love of God and often medicate their emotional pain with some addiction. These good people love God, pray, and attend church on a regular basis and yet can’t seem to break free from their pain and their pasts.

It is also my experience that, on a personal level, they do not believe God’s word for them. In conversations or counseling sessions, they often respond to the promises of God with, “Yes, but…” When God’s word declares his love for them, his provision, or their value and significance in Christ, they reject that truth for them. The issue is that they give their emotions, the wounding words of mothers or father, or the lies of the enemy more authority than the word of God. As they “disagree” with God’s word they unknowingly agree with Satan and through that agreement he gains a foothold in their life. The underlying belief in their objections is that if their feelings don’t agree with God’s word, then his word is not true…at least not for them. It is a trap that prevents many of God’s people from experiencing the freedom that Jesus has purchased for them. Remember that the blessings of heaven are accessed by faith.

The path to healing and freedom often must begin with a decision of the will to declare that God’s word is true regardless of our feelings. It’s good to confess that our emotions and automatic thoughts don’t line up with the Word as long as we stand on the truth that we are in error rather than scriptures – that our emotions are liars rather than God. Our prayer and our confessions must be aimed at bringing our feelings and automatic thoughts into alignment with God’s word rather than distorting his word to match our emotions.

The key to realignment is the renewal of our minds and the revelation of the Spirit in our hearts. The renewal of our minds will come with a constant expression of God’s truth through our own verbal declarations, meditation, conversations, writing the scriptures, memorization, etc. It is how we establish new neural pathways in our minds and extinguish old pathways that contain and prompt our automatic thoughts. At a deeper level, we need the Spirit to give us a revelation of those truths in our hearts as we pray for that revelation and listen to his voice. As we renew our minds through the Word, that truth eventually seeps down into our hearts where the real issues of life reside. Revelation, however, seems to be a moment when the Holy Spirit bypasses our intellect and deposits God’s truth in our hearts. When that happens, God’s truth overrides the lies the enemy or life has written there.

It all hinges, however, on our first and persistent decision to give God’s word more authority than our own feelings, hurtful words, wounds from the past, and our old thought patterns, which often contain lies from the enemy.   Think about your agreement. Where are you agreeing with Satan more than God? Wherever we would say, “Yes, but,” concerning God’s word and his promises for us, there is a pocket of unbelief. Those pockets can give Satan a foothold, which eventually becomes a stronghold. Ask the Holy Spirit and your spiritual mentors to point out the “Yes, buts” in your life. Apply the word of God to those places and give God’s word more authority than those old familiar feelings and beliefs. It is your first step to freedom.

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Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord assures us that when his word goes forth it always fulfills its purpose. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 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” (Isa. 55:10-11).  For us the question becomes, “How does God’s worth go forth?”  Under the Old Covenant, God told Jeremiah, “I have put my words in your mouth.” He went on to tell him that he was appointed over nations and kingdoms to uproot, tear down, plant, and to build although he would never lead an army or a political movement.

Concerning prophets, God’s word goes forth from his lips to theirs by revelation from the Spirit or from the lips of angels and when his prophets declare it, his power is then released and his word fulfills its purpose in lives and nations on the earth. In the Book of Hosea, speaking of his judgment the Lord says, “Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you” (Hos.6:5-6). The declarations of God’s prophet released the angelic realm and even the Holy Spirit to make God’s word a reality.

Under the Old Covenant, God’s Spirit would reveal his will to those upon whom the Spirit operated – typically those appointed to the office of prophet.  Under the New Covenant, the Spirit of prophecy lives in every believer and each of us can hear directly from God and can declare his word over a person or circumstance.  Admittedly, those with a residing gift of prophecy can do so in just about any setting,  but all of us can receive a prophetic word form time to time as the Spirit determines.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Like the Old Testament prophets, uur words in prayer and prophetic declarations release the heavenly realms to fulfill God’s purposes on the earth. So why does he wait on us? He waits for his people to declare his word or lift up prayers because he gave his people – his children – his representatives – dominion over the earth and the works of his hands from the very beginning. He simply continues to honor that intent and honors the authority he has given us. Much or even most of what God desires to do on the earth will depend on our prayers and declarations. God is willing to run and if he runs he will win the race.  But he waits on his people to fire the starting pistol.

Even when we recognize the essential place of our prayers and declarations in releasing God’s will and purposes not he earth, it’s important to notice the analogy God uses for his word as it goes forth from his mouth. He uses the analogy of seed that sprouts and grows, of planting and harvesting. Jesus used the same analogy when he talked about the word of God being broadcast and the different soils it might encounter (Lk.8:4-21). As microwave Americans, we expect instantaneous answers to our prayers, instantaneous healings, and instantaneous shifts in relationships and cultural issues when we have prayed or declared God’s word over a situation. But when seed is involved, we must allow time for cultivation, watering, growth, and then the harvest.

It is true that sometimes, our prayers or declarations will release almost instantaneous results. A person may be healed immediately or within hours. A prayer will bring a check in the next day’s mail. A house will be sold in the afternoon when the prayer was offered in the morning, and so on. But typically, like seeds, the words we have offered up will seem to make no difference for a season. Like a woman who has just planted a garden, we will go out daily to see if anything is pushing up through the soil. Initially, there will be no evidence of God moving to establish what we have prayed or declared or even commanded. Like a master gardener, we will need to have faith, watch the soil, and continue to water with our prayers and declarations until we see the first green sprouts breaking through the soil. Even after the first evidence of life, we will need to guard the initial progress with faith, diligence, and prayer. We will need to pray against the involvement of the enemy in the same way that we would be vigilant to keep insects and “critters” from killing the young plants. Eventually, we will witness a plant growing but that is still only the promise of a harvest. Then, after a season of growth, the harvest will come and there will be the full answer to our prayers or the full impact of our declarations.

Paul encourages us by saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). The harvest comes if we do not give up. Undoubtedly, much of what God wants to do or is willing to do on the earth gets choked out because his people plant their seeds but do not continue to water them with prayer and expressions of faith. After a short season, we too often decide that God is not going to answer our prayer or honor a declaration so we stop tending the plant and it is choked out by the enemy or by our own unbelief. We need to be confident of our standing in the kingdom and of the authority our words carry in declarations and prayers. We need to be confident that if God has placed something on our hearts or has given us a word by his Spirit or a prophetic declaration, then we are the carrier of his word that is to go forth from our lips. We should then stand on that word until it is fulfilled or until God releases us. What a privilege and what a responsibility. Enjoy both. It comes with our dominion over the earth.

Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from your lips. Proverbs 4:23-24

The “heart” is the innermost part of our being. It is where our deepest beliefs and convictions reside. They color and flavor every experience we have and every thought produced by our intellect. Scripture often alludes to the heart and tells us to keep watch over it or to guard it.    In the proverb quoted above, Solomon called the heart the wellspring of life. The word in Hebrew means the beginning place or source like a spring from which a river flows. So for us, our heart is a source of life from which everything else flows.

Biblically, it is hard to define the heart when it is used in this context. It is much more than love or emotions or feelings which we assign to “ the heart” in our culture. It is more than the brain or even the subconscious although the Bible tells us that we believe in our hearts. It simply seems to be the depository of all that we truly are. Some of what is there is beyond our perception so David prayed and asked God to search his heart and to show him if anything that offended God was operating in his heart. We are told that even Jesus resides in our heart. So there is a spiritual dimension to our hearts, a faith dimension, and a character dimension. Out of all that, our life flows strong and clear or trickles out like a polluted stream.

What we speak affects our hearts. According to Solomon, any choice to speak perverse or corrupt things affects our hearts. Paul tells us in Romans 10:9-10 that if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved. There seems to be a connection in that verse between our speaking and our believing. God has created us in such a way that the things we speak get written on our hearts. But there is a cyclical process that also occurs for Jesus tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Mt. 11:34). What we speak repeatedly becomes established in out hearts and then what is in our hearts comes forth in words – especially in unguarded moments. What we store there by the words we speak then reinforces the beliefs or attitudes or desires that are there so that the heart reproduces itself by prompting the words we speak.

Solomon tells us to guard our heart, which is the wellspring of life, by putting away perverse and corrupt talk. Perverse talk is twisted or distorted talk. It is talk with a spin. The devil is a master at spinning a lie so that is sounds like the truth or a plausible explanation. It is the kind of language that deflects blame to others and always justifies the one speaking. However, Jesus tells us to let our “Yes” be “Yes” and our “No” be “No.” He calls for strait talk because when we begin to speak half truths and put spin on our stories to justify ourselves or to hide our own failings in the matter, then it is only a matter of time until we begin to believe our own lies. It is only a matter of time until we begin to minimize or justify our sins rather than confessing them and repenting so that God’s grace and the blood of Christ can cover our sin. If we excuse our sins, then God cannot. If we blame others for our decisions, then he cannot forgive.

Corrupt speech again carries the idea of lies and deception. It is speech is that promotes death. Corruption is decay and decay is evidence of death. Satan is called Beelzebub – the lord of the flies. Flies are drawn to corruption. Ultimately, corrupt speech is speech that disagrees with or opposes God’s truth. Jesus said that his words are Spirit and they are life. The word of God produces life and health. A word that is in opposition to God’s truth produces death and decay.

Whatever we agree with we empower and speaking something brings us into agreement with whatever we spoke. If we speak as God would speak, then we come into agreement with him and empower his word in our lives as we deepen its presence in our heart. If our words do not align with God’s truth, then we are coming into agreement with lies and the father of lies, the devil. We then empower him to operate on our hearts. To guard our words is to guard our hearts and to guard our hearts is to guard our lives. Words matter.

Ask the Holy Spirit and those closest to you, to make you aware of any of your words that are not aligned with God’s truth. When you discover those words simply repent, align yourself with the Father, ask the Spirit to cleanse those lies from your heart, and then begin to speak God’s truth in the matter until that truth is your automatic response. Then you will know that your mind has been renewed in that area and God’s word then will be your words and will begin to produce the life the Solomon points us to.

A declaration is the act of speaking or pronouncing God’s word and will over a situation. It is an essential weapon to be used in spiritual warfare.   Jesus modeled that strategy in his showdown with Satan in the wilderness after fasting and praying for forty days.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.      “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 3:2-11

Satan tried to bait Jesus into engaging in a dialogue with him about his rights and privileges as the Son of God on earth. When Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be drawn into a conversation, they were out maneuvered and manipulated. Sin was the outcome. I don’t believe for a second that Satan could bested Jesus at anything but our Savior modeled a better strategy. He simply declared the word of God over each temptation.

The word of God has authority. When we declare God’s word over a situation, it first establishes His authority and, as his delegated representatives, our authority over the circumstance. If you watch any crime show on television, you know that when police show up at a house, they first have to identify themselves as officers of the law or authorized representatives of the law and then they will still need a warrant or probable cause to begin to exercise their authority. The Holy Spirit within us and the name of Jesus on our lips identify us as representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven. A declaration of God’s word demonstrates the extent of our authority over a situation and establishes that the enemy is in violation of God’s law. That violation gives us probable cause to exercise Christ’s authority and issue commands in his name. The enemy is not always a demon but may also be disease, poverty, conflict, etc.

Paul tells us that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17), which can function either as a defensive or offensive weapon. The word translated as sword in that passage is not a Roman sword or a broad sword but a dagger. Daggers are used when the fighting is close – hand to hand. So when the enemy closes in, it’s time to pull out the word of God and use it as a weapon. Solomon said, “Reckless words pierce like a sword (Prov.12:18). If the words of a man can pierce, how much more the Word of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). These passages suggest that the word of God declared over the enemy not only establishes authority but may inflict pain as well. When I was being schooled in deliverance, I used to minister with a man who had done deliverance for decades. On occasion, when a spirit was stubbornly hanging on, James would lay his Bible on the back of the person and the spirit would leave as if the word had afflicted the spirit in some way. That didn’t work for me, but it did for James. He probably had more faith in the effect of the Word than I did.

Another important aspect of declaring God’s word over a situation is that it helps to keep us aligned with the word of God. The enemy is skilled at twisting the truth and introducing doubt just as he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden. The tempter himself came to Jesus and tried to lure him into sin. With each temptation, Jesus answered with scripture – “It is written…” Not only was Jesus wielding the sword of the Spirit but he was keeping himself anchored in the truth of his Father’s words. Those words were true and had authority. For Jesus, that settled the matter and it should for us as well. Any lack of confidence on our part regarding our authority or the Lord’s authority in a matter seems to give the enemy a right or at least the ability to continue his assignment.

When ministering deliverance, we always want to establish our position and authority first by declaring the Word of God. We typically begin with a declaration that we are servants and sons of the Most High God who come in the name of Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt.28:18) and a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord (Phil.2:9-11). We also declare that the prince of this world has been condemned by Jesus (Jn.16:11), that we have been given power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Lk.10:19), and that no weapon formed against those who belong to the Lord will prosper (Isa.54:17).   We may declare similar things over sickness as well when we suspect a spirit is involved.

Our words establish both the Lord’s authority and our delegated authority over the enemy like an arrest warrant. They also remind us of who we are in Christ as we begin to deal with the enemy. In addition, these declarations establish the victory that is ours in Christ and remind the enemy that he too must bow the knee to Jesus. If Jesus used declarations of God’s word against the enemy then how much more should we? The word of God declared through our lips over people, nations, and circumstances is powerful and an indispensable part of spiritual warfare.

Paul instructed Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). This verse suggests that we are to know and wield the word of God as a craftsman or as one who expertly knows how to use the tools or weapons entrusted to us. Getting the word in us so that the Holy Spirit can pull up the word that we have stored in our hearts whenever the enemy shows up is critical. There is no substitute for time in the Word and the capacity to declare that word over temptation, weakness, or crisis. I’m concerned that too many believers today have substituted good books written by their favorite authors and YouTube sermons for Bible study. Books and sermons are great resources but the Word itself contains the power. Jesus said that his words are Spirit and life. We need all of both that we can get.

This is the third part of a short series on our capacity in Christ to impart life and blessings to others through our words. I want to say again that because, as believers, we have been given authority to represent or re-present Jesus to the world, our words are much more than sentiments hoping that God will be kind to someone. Our words literally direct the power of heaven because we have been commissioned to go and do what Jesus did. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn.14:12-14).

Jesus modeled the life that every believer is capable of living by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. Remember when he told Philip that if anyone had seen Jesus he or she had seen the Father. That is the definition of representation. The question then is simply how did Jesus operate as a representative of the Father while he was on the earth in the flesh. We know he lived a perfect life and loved everyone. But most of his representation was accomplished through his words as he directed the power of heaven.

When he said, “Be healed,” the power of heaven was released into a person’s body and God’s will was done on earth, in that body, as it is in heaven. He released the freedom of heaven by his words when he commanded demons to “Come out!” He overcame untimely death with his words when he commanded the dead to “Come forth.” He stilled storms that were putting lives at risk when he declared, “Peace, be still.” The words of the Son of Man who was representing the Father directed the power of heaven. Jesus had been given a commission by the Father. He spoke of that commission when he said, “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon be because he has anointed me to preach good news …bind up the broken hearted…set captives free” (Luke 4). Where there is an anointing there has already been an appointing or a commissioning. God doesn’t commission men and women without giving them authority and power to carry out the assignment. Jesus understood his authority and the Father’s willingness to back him up and so he fulfilled his commission, primarily through the words he spoke – prayers, declarations, and commands.

We are now the representatives of Jesus and have been given a commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus has commissioned us to go and do what he did in his public ministry as the Son of Man. We too are to heal, to bless, to set free, to calm the storms of life, and so forth just as he did. Like Jesus, we will do most of that through our words as we direct the power of heaven and the presence of God into the lives and situations of others.

Now…like all things in the kingdom, our words must be accompanied by faith in order to move heaven. We should have faith in the authority of our words because of what Jesus has done for us and because the very presence of God lives in us as the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us, “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). Peter’s command suggests that our words should be purposeful and intentional and that we should be aware of the authority attached to them. When we say to someone, “The Lord bless you,” we should fully expect a blessing to be released to that person because we have directed that blessing. When we say, “Be healed,” we should fully expect the power of the Spirit to be released and for healing to occur because we have directed that healing. When we command, “Come out,” we should fully expect the angels of God to enforce our command because our words direct the power of heaven.

If the tongue has the power of life and death and we are to be dispensers of life, then we can expect God to make good on our representation of his Son as we administer his grace to those we encounter. This position is, of course, a great privilege and a great responsibility. We should not be a people who are careless with words or a people who feel that our words are merely sentiments. We are to be intentional dispensers of life – God’s love and blessings – in this world and he has appointed us and anointed us to do so. When we speak, we must speak as we believe Jesus would speak in that situation and have faith that the Father will move to re-present his son through us. Have faith that he will and see what happens. Our words of faith that reproduce what Jesus did while he was on this earth bring glory to both the Son and the Father and all of heaven is poised to do just that. Speak life and expect heaven to move. Be blessed as you bless others.

We all know the scripture that says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Prov. 18:21). It seems that discussions or writings about that verse seem to focus on the “death” part or curses established by our negative words. I want to focus on the “life” part for my next few blogs.

Life may be imparted through our words in various ways. In general, any statement that has the intent of bringing positive, life-giving outcomes to a person or circumstance can be seen as a blessing. As followers of Jesus, we have been commanded to bless those around us – even our enemies.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. James 3:8-12

As those who represent the Father on earth, we are to represent his character. The first impulse and desire of God is always to bless. In the famous chapter on blessings and curses for Israel in Deuteronomy 28, the Father listed the blessings first because that is his desire and his first impulse. In the same way, he told Balaam who, for a price, was wanting to place a curse on Israel, “You must not place a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (Num.22:12). God wants to bless until our continued, unrepented actions force him to do otherwise. Our first impulse should also be to bless.

Jesus took it even further when he said, “Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you” (Lk.6:27). He also told us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt.5:43-45). To be sons of someone is to have the same character as that person. If we are to have God’s character we will love even our enemies, pray for them, and bless them.

There is a time for discipline and judgment but it always comes after a prolonged refusal to repent and it comes in the perfect measure that only God can know. Even when God’s judgment is required by the actions of men, it has a redemptive intent. Initially, God calls men to repentance through his kindness (Rom.2:4) and we are to be dispensers of that kindness through our spoken blessings and prayers for blessings. God calls us to represent his grace to others and leave any judgment to him. Peter tells us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet. 4:10-11). The exercise of our spiritual gifts and the words we speak are to be outlets of God’s grace to not only the church but to the unbelieving world around us as well, so that the kindness of God may bring men to repentance. As a representative of Christ, walking in his authority, your blessings actually direct the good intentions of heaven toward a person.

Just the presence of God brings blessings because there is no other experience in heaven. After David became king over Israel, one of his first acts was an attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. As you recall, David did what seemed right in his own heart without consulting the Lord, the word of God, or even any priests who should have known how God had commanded the Ark to be moved. It was only to be moved by consecrated priests carrying it by poles inserted through rings on the sides of the Ark. David, however, placed it on an oxcart to move it to Jerusalem and in an awkward moment when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, a man named Uzzah touched the Ark to steady it and died because of his “irreverent act” (2 Sam.6:7). Out of fear and uncertainty about how to move the Ark safely, David parked the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom. Remember that the Ark carried the presence of God and after three months it was reported, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the Ark of God” (2 Sam.6:12). Simply the presence of God created an atmosphere of heavenly blessings or shalom – health, protection, provision, peace, etc. We too carry the presence of God.

Jesus instructed us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and when we pray or declare a blessing over someone, we are asking heaven to come to earth in the life of that person. As believers, each of us are to be Arks, carrying the presence of God and extending blessings to the atmosphere around us. The decision to be a person who always speaks life and blessing over others…even when they do not return the favor – makes Jesus very attractive to people as he is seen in us. Our commitment to extend the atmosphere of heaven around us alters the atmosphere wherever we go whether it is in the home, the office, or on the basketball court. If there is anything that would make God’s people stand out in this world, it would be our commitment to speak life and blessings over every situation and person we encounter. If that is not your habit, try it this week and see what happens in your heart and the hearts around you.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, 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 overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:9-10

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. John 6:63

For the word of God is living and active. Hebrews 4:12

These four verses are incredibly significant and not well understood by the majority of Christians in America. They are based on the very nature of God. In the opening verses of Genesis, we discover two essential things. The first is that God exists. The statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” tells us immediately that God exists and that he predates everything in this universe both seen and unseen. Within the next few verses, we also discover that this God has the power to speak things into existence that never existed before. The Hebrew construction in those first few verses insists that God did not rearrange existing matter into a new configuration but rather made something where absolutely nothing existed before. God said, “Let there be light and there was light…” His very words contain creative power.

In Isaiah 55, God announces that because his words contain supernatural, creative power whenever they are spoken they fulfill their purpose. They have power to direct matter, energy, angels, hearts, and circumstances to produce the purposes of God. Biblically, some of those purposes manifested in seconds or minutes while others took decades and even centuries to fully develop, but what God had declared with his words came to pass.

Now here is the lesson for us. God’s word is most often declared through the lips of his people. He whispers his word in our spirit and then, as we verbally declare his words, his purposes are activated. It’s like the angels can’t start their work until they hear from us. God whispers the work order to us, we declare it, the angels here his word from our lips, and then they get busy making it happen. Most believers are unaware of their part in that process. The prophet Jeremiah clearly illustrates the point.   Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, 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 overthrow, to build and to plant.

God did not declare his word but put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth for him to declare. These were words about kingdoms and nations that Jeremiah declared prophetically (by the direction of the Spirit). After he declared them, forces in the spiritual realm were activated so that God’s words came to pass. These prophetic declarations were like a starting pistol that put things into motion.

Jesus added a bit to the concept when he said that his words are spirit and life. When his words are declared either by him or his representatives, they move in the spirit realm to create life or again to bring God’s purposes to fulfillment. When we declare his words over a person or situation, because were are his representatives on the earth, the same effect takes place. Think of God’s word as a bullet – a projectile full of power that goes forth and makes it’s impact. Whether it is fired from God’s gun or ours, it will still have the same impact.

Declarations are like prayers except that we are not asking God to move but rather are declaring what he has already purposed to do. What I am discovering these days is that, like prayer, most things require persistent prayer before they come to pass and most things take persistent declarations before they come to pass. James says that we have not because we ask not, so we should pray. The witness of scripture is also that God’s purposes often don’t move ahead because we are not declaring his purpose….his word is not going forth from our lips.

Let me give an example. God’s will for his people is that we are to be strong and courageous. Sometimes, we don’t feel courageous. In those moments we need the Holy Spirit to infuse us with courage so we pray and ask for that courage. But we should also declare God’s word and will over that situation to empower the prayer. We might declare, “The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). That is the word of God for his people. When we declare it, his word is once again going forth and will fulfill its purpose. By declaring God’s word, we activate a process by which we will begin to manifest a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind rather than fear. It also gives notice that any spirit of fear that is afflicting you is doing so illegally.

If the will of God is clear and his word speaks to it in scripture, we should declare his word over a situation until it manifests in the same way that we should pray over a situation until a prayer is answered or the Lord releases us from the prayer. If we have received a prophetic word from another believer or if we have received a promise in our heart form the Lord, we should declare that as well. I agree with Dutch Sheets that our prayers and declarations seem to release or direct spiritual energy. Every prayer and every declaration strengthens us and weakens the enemy’s position. When we have prayed and declared enough, the enemy stronghold will crumble and victory will be ours.

Overcoming the enemy and establishing the Kingdom on earth can be hard and persistent work. The greatest part of the battle lies in the arena of prayers and declarations – sending forth God’s word over and over until it inevitably fulfills its purpose. The passage form Hebrews quoted above says that God’s word is living and active. The word translated as “living” means that something has physical vitality like a man, an animal or a plant. It has substance and life within it. It moves and produces after its kind. The word translated as active means a “cosmic force.” So the word of God contains cosmic force and its own life that gives birth to God’s purposes. It is a divine weapon that we need to use on a frequent basis. It is sent forth by our declarations. If declaring his word and his promises over your situation is not a significant part of your daily time with Him, you may want to add that as a powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal.
Blessings in Him!

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12:36-3)

This little verse out of Matthew makes most of us swallow hard. We do so because we know we have said things impulsively in anger or in arrogance – sarcastic, demeaning, and cutting. We have lied or at least put a bit of “spin” on things trying to make ourselves look better in an awkward moment. At one time or another, we have all been a microcosm of the election ads and debates that have infuriated or embarrassed us the last six months.

In a world of words that fill the airways, we loose sight of their importance. The abundance of words fools us into thinking that they don’t matter or that they have no eternal consequences. Matthew’s quote from Jesus would push back against that notion.

James, the brother of Jesus said, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (Ja.1:19-20). Obviously, ungoverned tongues are not just an issue of our day. Proverbs is full of admonitions about our words, even to the point of declaring that our tongues have the power of life and death.

Ungoverned words reveal the depths of our hearts. That is why the Lord says that by our words we will be acquitted and by our words we will be condemned. God does not look at the appearance of a man but looks at the heart. Jesus said that out of the mouth comes the abundance or overflow of the heart. What pops out in a moment of stress, frustration, pain, or even lust reveals something that is in our hearts – not everything that is there, but something that is there.

Years ago, I had said something to another person that I regretted. In my explanation, I said, “I don’t know where that came from – that just isn’t me.” Another person who was listening in on the conversation said, “Yes it is you, because your words come out of the abundance of your heart.” I was embarrassed and even a little angry at the rebuke, but I couldn’t deny it. I believe the enemy had prompted my words but only because he had found a small voice already in me that he could amplify. Ultimately, I took his rebuke to heart and dealt with the issue. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.

The constant drumbeat of the New Testament is to speak life and blessing over others – even our enemies and, yes, even those affiliated with the other political party. That allows God to continue to sit in the judgment seat rather than us. The constant commitment to speak well of others and to bless them with our words becomes transformative for us. Eventually the darkness in our hearts is pushed out by the goodness we express toward those around us. Even as believers, each of us has two natures – what Paul refers to as the spiritual man (the redeemed part of us) and the natural man (the flesh). The natural man is demanding, self-centered, arrogant, fearful, angry at times, blaming and prone to gossip. That is the part of us that Satan taps into, magnifies and reinforces. As we grow in the Lord, that part of us diminishes and shows up less and less. If that part of us shows up very often, we need to get busy growing in the Lord because that part of us is destructive.

Paul reminds us, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal.6:8). In the parable of the sower, Jesus compares the Word of God to seed that is sown, takes root, and bears fruit. Our own words are seed as well that can take root and bear fruit. If our words come from the flesh (natural man) they will bear destructive fruit. If they come from the Spirit, they will be life-giving fruit. God cares about the fruit we bear.

Words of life and affirmation reflect the heart of Jesus and create an atmosphere where unity can form and thrive. The great divisions in our country have not been healed by the rhetoric spewing out of the candidates and those who support them. In many cases, their words have taken root and produced the fruit of even greater division and bitterness. The same can happen in our own relationships because of words we speak. Slander and accusation is the language of hell not of heaven and Satan can take the seeds of destruction we have carelessly sown with our words and water them so that they bear a great deal of negative fruit.

We need a nation and a church that turns to speaking life instead of curses over one another. God will eventually honor our choices and if we choose to sow to the flesh with our words, then God will eventually allow us to harvest the fruit of destruction. If, however, we choose to become people who speak blessings…even over our enemies, God will bless us and give us the life and peace that we crave.

I know that many of us have spoken hurtful and even sinful words so long that they have become automatic. They are such a part of us that we aren’t even aware when we speak them. When I say sinful words I don’t mean “cuss words” as much as critical words, gossip, and slander that we fall into at the office or even over lunch with a friend or spouse. Biblically, gossip is listed right there with murder and adultery and yet we often participate in it without thought because it is so natural – from the natural man. A wise person will begin to ask the Spirit and good friends to alert them to those moments when he or she is speaking anything other that words seasoned with grace and life over any person or situation. Once we are made aware of our automatic patterns, we can repent and let the Spirit of God begin to change us.

Our God is a God of words who spoke the entire universe into existence. We are made in his image and that suggests that our own words have power for good or evil. Our words can be a curse or a blessing. God tells us to be a blessing. Paul challenges us when he says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph.4:29).

Today is Election Day after one of the most divisive and demeaning campaigns in history. There will be ample opportunity to sow to the flesh today and to speak evil of all kinds of folks. But Jesus says that we will have to give account for those words. So today, let’s be the exception and speak life and blessing even over those who would curse us. Let’s sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh today and be instruments of healing rather than those who keep inflicting new wounds. Be blessed today and may we all, myself included, speak the language of heaven at every opportunity.