“If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man.”
James 3:2
Welcome to Week Six of our 40 Day Soul Fast series!
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Last week we talked about the importance of identity. The Bible says God has made us kings and priests in order to reign on the earth. (See Revelations 5:10.)
You belong to a royal priesthood.
See 1 Peter 2:9
The word royal is speaking of our kingly attributes as believers—and priesthood as being ordained to speak on behalf of God and “to bless.”
Too many of us have neglected our royal duty to decree blessings over our marriages, families, businesses, ministries, and every other realm of our lives.
The whole universe is waiting for you and I to take dominion, speak out, and give instruction.
That’s what we were created to do! The Bible says, “Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19 ESV).
All of creation waits in anticipation for God’s called out and anointed ones to bring it back into alignment with the Creator’s original intent—to declare His glory to the nations. (See Isaiah 25:3 and 66:19.)
Every word you speak is pregnant with regal, creative power.
You were created in the image of God, and one thing we know about God is that His Word carries immense creative power and always accomplishes what He intends it to.
Through the Prophet Isaiah, God said, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10).
That is how everything that exists was created!
God spoke out what He had seen in his mind.
He dreamed about creating the cosmos, but it was not until His Word framed what He saw in His mind’s eye did the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, as well as every plant, animal, and humanity itself, appear.
Imagination has no power until it is expressed—and the most powerful expression in the universe is the spoken word.
God spoke, and from “nothingness” came everything that exists in the physical universe.
Hebrews states that, “The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
Words are powerful.
Not only that, words can be dangerous. James, the brother of Jesus, said, “The tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire” (James 3:6 NCV).
Listen to how The Message explains it:
“It only takes a spark . . . to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”
James also told us that if we could control the tongue, we would be perfect—“if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2).
And then he gave us further insight into the power of our words by explaining that the tongue is like a small bit used to guide a horse, or the rudder of a great ship used to steer it:
“If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things” (James 3:3-5 ESV).
This is a powerful illustration of how we are to harness the power of our words in fulfilling our destiny.
How does the captain of a ship prepare to sail across the sea?
Once the pilot has set the ship’s course, he keeps the steering as steady as possible heading towards his predetermined destination.
Along the way, he may have to adjust the helm to go around storms, navigate currents, or avoid obstacles in the water, but he always steers with his focus more on where he is going than what he is going through.
If he constantly changes the steering from one minute to the next fixated on his present circumstances, the ship is more likely to go in circles than it is to arrive at the desired port of call.
For the pilot, the course is created first in his thoughts, communicated through the rudder, and then realized as the rest of the ship lines up with his intent.
For us, our lives only arrive at our desired goals if our words are perfectly aligned with the ultimate intentions of our thoughts.
Take time to carefully consider your course.
- Where are you heading and what will it look like when you get there?
Now talk about it. Line up your mouth—the rudder of your life—with where you are going. Then keep it steady and on course.
What happens to a ship if you head it in one direction at one moment, and then turn it in the opposite direction in the next—and keep doing that over and over?
Pretty simple—it goes nowhere.
This is what happens when people speak about the good things they are expecting to happen one minute, and then spend the next half hour talking about all the negative things happening to them that are keeping them from getting there!
Are you steering your life in circles?
Don’t forget you have the power to navigate your life around the storm—to press through toward the sun shining on the other side.
The “Son” never stops shining on your life, no matter how dark the clouds in the sky appear!
In the midst of what looks like catastrophe, keep speaking the blessing—keep the ship of your life on a steady course—and before you know it, the storm clouds will clear and you will have broken through your difficulty and left it far behind you.
Your every decree is pregnant with the power to revolutionize your life.
Words are worth your attention. Be mindful of what you are proclaiming, declaring, and asking.
Your words create a magnetic force that pulls the manifestation of what you speak—good or bad, blessing or cursing—from other realms, regions, and dimensions.
Words have power, presence, prophetic implications, and no geographical limitations. Once released into the atmosphere, they do not disappear and dissipate.
Choose to steer your life into blessings by filling the atmosphere around you with words of faith and victory.
Speak life into your dead areas—speak light where there may be darkness—you’ll be amazed at what God’s words in your mouth will do!
This week we are focusing on the characteristics of integrity, responsibility, potential, impeccability, and compassion.
Focus on what you are saying about yourself and others.
Maneuver the ship of your life by steering your tongue!
Think for a moment…
- What must happen in your heart for there to be a change in your mouth—in order to “speak for a change”?
- Think about how can you “speak for a change.”
Come into agreement with what God has already said in His Word about you and your situation.
Get God’s Word on it!
Then, fill your mouth with His promises and change your world!
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23