I used to love the show Extreme Makeover. Taking that which was less than ideal and sometimes a bit of a nightmare and making into a dream come true. My favorite part was when they moved the bus and there was a new reality. New realities is what the word promises when faith and words are used in tandem.
Our faith and our words are incredibly powerful when tied together. I have shared for many years that our words have power because we are created in the image of God, in His likeness.
Gen 1:2: and God Said (the first creative power of the spoken word)
Gen 1:26; We are created in His Image (He intended our words to have power as His did!!!)
We also know that in the power of the tongue is life and death. So the question is how do we really speak life? I mean speaking so things come alive for us! Speaking the promises of God until they become a reality.
For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Mountains will be moved. A mountain of debt. A mountain of cancer. A mountain in a relationship that seems it can not be scales.
Jesus is re-affirming the need to have faith which is a firm reliance on who God is and the promises he has made to us, guaranteed by the New Covenant. He tells us there is power as we merry this faith with what we say. Then He tells us that this firm belief must be a living thing and living things grow. As with any living things to grow faith must be fed.
So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
As we hear the preached word of God our faith grows. I have always shared self preaching is powerful. As we speak the promises of God our living faith grows greater. This requires that we read and speak the promises of Jesus.
We must also keep our focus on Jesus and not allow ourselves to be distracted by what we see in the natural.
Hebrews 11:1 (AMPC)
11Â Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]
Hebrews 12:2 a (AMPC)
2Â Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].
What distracts us from looking to Jesus? Negative physical symptoms distract me. Doctors reports distract me. Low bank accounts distract me, layoffs distract me, children’s behavior distracts me. Fear distracts me as I contemplate potential future outcomes..Frankly my emotions can be incredibly distracting. What we see in the natural is a huge distraction. If I keep my eyes on what I see it is almost impossible to keep them on Jesus.
Paul knew this was hard for us and in his letter to the Roman church he reminds us to look at what God says and the example for us in Abraham.
Romans 4:17-20 (AMPC)
17Â As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.
18Â [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be.
19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb.
20Â No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,
God speaks of that which is unseen and experienced as if it was already here! Abraham refuses to look at the utter impossibility of the promise of God that he and Sarah will have a child. They are too old. Medically this can’t work. He simply would not question the promise of God. He holds a firm conviction of the reality of the promise over what he is experiencing in the natural.
Then Paul adds a very exciting new fact to Abraham’s story of faith. Abraham grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.
We like Abraham must hear the promises and believe that God who promised will not break His word. We do this by continually renewing our minds by reading and re-reading the word. Then we have to look away. Turn our eyes away from that which we see, hear and feel and focus on Jesus, who we have an unbreakable blood covenant with. Then we begin to speak out what we can yet not see as though we could! And we praise Him for all the resources He promises to provide.
Look away.
Look at the promises.
Speak the promises of God.
Praise God for His provision before we see them manifested.
Watch your faith grow and become empowered!
Friends this takes practice and it will need to be practiced over and over for many situations. However, when we begin to make a habit to meditate on the word and then check our negative confession at the door replacing it with God’s word, our faith will grow. As we praise him our fear will be changed to living faith. And as with a mustard see it will grow into a mighty living thing.
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