Some time ago, I attended Ken and Gloria Copeland’s SW Believers conference in Ft. Worth, and am deliberately applying what I learned. One of the topics I heard taught again, is the importance of watching over the words we speak each day.
I have heard this taught for years, and walked in a certain measure of victory in this, but as time went on, my vocabulary has fallen short of my knowledge, making me by default merely a hearer of the Word of God, not a doer only.
Here’s a few Scriptures to get us back on track in this area.
James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; (Yet, the Holy Spirit Can!) it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 ¶ Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
1 Peter 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
Ok, so we see that much of our problems in life derive from what we speak. James 3:8 says no man can control the tongue, but the Holy Spirit can tame it!
2 Sam 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Colossians 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Why do we do this? We want to be in the perfect will of God, and we want to prosper and increase in every area of life. When we speak God’s Words, in faith, inspired and empowered by Holy Spirit, we open the door for heaven’s intervention upon our lives.
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
How do we do this? We speak the Word of God into the darkness of any situation, and the entrance of His Word brings light, for it is written:
Jer 1:12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
Is 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
With God’s word, we can literally make the desert bloom as a rose, and create something beautiful from nothing…https://chrisaomministries.com/2015/02/26/recreating-eden-replenish-the-earth/
https://timkoop.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/oh-earth/
Proverbs 18:20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
This verse makes it plain, our living is dependant upon what we say, but our increase comes only from the faith filled words we speak.
1 Corinthians 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
See it again here? Paul prayed for the Corinthian church, that they be blessed or enriched. So, what did he pray? That they have utterance (faith filled words that will bring provision and increase), and that they get understanding of this principal.
2 Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
See it again here? Paul’s prayer is getting answered, these folks are abounding in everything, and he explains how. They believed the Word, that is had faith. They spoke, for out of the heart the mouth speaks, and 2 Corinthians 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
When they spoke, God watched over His Word to perform it, and they increased, and were blessed!
Job 22:28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
Ps 2: 7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
This principal is literally a matter of life and death.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
During my years at Rhema, I attended healing school for over a year, every day, determined to learn the ministry of divine healing. In healing, the words we speak over ourselves are critical. There have been cases where people who had been totally given up by medical science, given up for dead, were instructed to confess the Word of God over themselves. In the natural, they were so weak, they were literally at death’s door. Yet, by confessing, “Thank you Jesus, that you love me. I believe I receive your strength. I’m strong! Your Word says I am healed, and I believe I receive your healing. I’m healed, I’m strong, and getting stronger. Thank you Jesus that you sent the Holy Spirit, and He is here, and He is a life giving Spirit. I receive your life, Holy Spirit, and I will live and not die, and declare the glory of my God.”
By having folks simply repeat these words, twice daily, we watched their color come back, and cancer defeated, and paralysis reversed, and folks recover from strokes, and get off stretchers and out of wheelchairs. Continually, often, and it still goes on there 8 times/ week, forty or so years later!
So what should we speak? Healing, Prosperity, Victory, Strength, Wisdom, Direction, Praise, prayer in the Holy Spirit, provision, favor, to name a few things.
Psalms 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
Psalms 119:172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
So we can discipline our tongues, on purpose, through prayer, deliberate confession of the Word of God, and through time spent praying in the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Job 27:4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
A friend of mine Will, a cowboy that was at Rhema when I was there, told me the following, and it has stuck with me over the years. He said, ‘The way I see it, every time you speak, you either feed your faith, or feed your unbelief.” Why? Well, let’s say, I say, I will meet you at 3PM, but I don’t get there until 3:30. Well, actually I am a liar by a half an hour, but though God will immediately forgive us if we ask, we have hurt our own confidence in ourselves, and also in our trust towards God. Cause, we go through each day, speaking words, but not bringing them to pass in our own life, and then we approach a Holy God who cannot lie.
We bring His Word before His throne, and what happens: He is ready to perform it. But, we do not believe He will, because we don’t believe ourselves, for we have been lying to ourselves and others, and it has hurt us and our confidence in our own words.
We may know we have authority with God, and may understand, 2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
God’s Word is Holy, full of life, and cannot be broken. God’s promises are yes, but what is needed is us to agree with us, for the word Amen literally means: ‘so be it!’. When we pray the Word, we are declaring the decrees of God, and God watches over His Word to perform it in our lives, as long as we continue to walk in belief (faith). Yet, when we speak idle, non productive, fluffy words, we actually destroy the very belief that will produce everything we need for life and godliness.
I realize this to be true, and made a quality decision to submit to the discipline of the Holy Spirit in this area, and allow Him to align my words to His Word, in this area.
This has taken radical change, in literally shutting off the cell phone, and surrounding myself with much solitude, so that I can deliberately, carefully pray and hear His wisdom for my specific life, and to carefully create prayer lists and proclamations as to what I want to happen in my life. Then, Holy Spirit gives me wisdom on how to bring it to pass.
I could craft a neat prayer and confession from what I have just taught here, but I am going to let you do it. Just reading this teaching will not do you the good you need, unless you make a quality decision to actually take control of your words on a daily basis. If you do, Holy Spirit will appear on the scene to help us, and there is much more revelation in the Word along these lines to help us.
Like Nike says in their ad, ‘Just Do it!’
Let’s Pray:
‘Father, ambassadors speak the words of the government they represent. I want to represent You well, and establish and increase Your kingdom here in the earth, through my life, only doing what You want me to do. Please Sir, have Holy Spirit breath through me, Your Words, not mine. Set a bridle on my tongue to not speak foolish, vain, lying, unproductive words today, and every day, for the rest of my life. I ask this Father, knowing I am heard and answered, for I have submitted to Your Lordship Jesus, and ask in Your name. Amen’
Read this little devotion by a man named John Oxenham:
chrisaomministries 