BY KENNETH HAGIN JR.
Thou art snared with THE WORDS OF THY MOUTH, thou art taken with THE WORDS OF THY MOUTH. – Proverbs 6:2
A man’s belly shall be satisfied with THE FRUIT OF HIS MOUTH; and with THE INCREASE OF HIS LIPS shall he be filled.
Death and life are in the power of THE TONGUE…. – Proverbs 18:20,21
The Bible has a lot to say about our words and what we say. Words are containers. They are filled with something. They can be filled with hate, unbelief, sarcasm, and all kinds of negativity. Or the can be
filled with love, joy, happiness, and blessing.
Words can curse, or words can bless. Words can discourage, or words can encourage. Words can destroy, or words can bring life.
Words that you hear will linger with you throughout the day. Biting, stinging, hurtful words that your children or spouse hear as they leave the house can rob them of efficiency throughout the day. But loving, tender words or words of prayer can fill them with music that leads them to victory!
Sometimes I don’t think we appreciate the power of words like we should. Our words – written words, spoken words, words set to music – are more powerful than we may realize.
PROVERBS 18:21
21 DEATH and LIFE are in the POWER of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
There is power in the words you speak! Your words have the power to motivate people and to create a positive or a negative atmosphere. For example, the atmosphere in your home is to a large extent a product of your words. Your children can fail or succeed in life because of the words that are spoken in the home.
Have you ever wondered why some kids grow up to become strong men and women of character? They work their way through college and go on to achieve great things in life.
They become leaders and successful business people. Have you ever wondered why that happens? One reason is that encouraging and nurturing words were spoken to them when they were young.
Children who become successful in life were probably told somewhere along the way, “You are a success. You can do anything you want to do. Your status and background in life don’t make any difference. If you want to succeed, you can do it!”
You see, your words can build a positive self-image into children and motivate them to succeed. But if you tell them long enough that they’re no good and that they’ll never amount to anything, then that’s
exactly what will happen to them.
Your words affect your life… What you say reveals what you believe in your heart.
I believe it’s very important what you say as you relate to your family. You can either make your home a loving place where family members enjoy being together or a place where everyone stays just long enough to grab a bite to eat and change clothes. You charge your home negatively or positively with your words!
Because your words form your confession and carry power, you cannot afford to talk negatively or confess words of failure, doubt, and fear. Words can register in people’s hearts and influence the course of their lives. That’s why you need to understand that you have a responsibility to control what you say.
Because your words carry power, it’s not good to tell derogatory things you hear about other people. Never repeat scandal or broadcast other people’s calamities. Others may talk negatively, but you should
reserve your lips for speaking helpful, comforting words.
So how can we control our words so we can confess the right words? The best way is to base our confessions on the Word of God. In other words, instead of speaking words of lack, doubt, and fear, speak what God says. Your words affect your life, so be sure to confess the Word of God.
There is another reason to confess what the Word of God says. What you say reveals what you believe in your heart (Luke 6:45). In other words, you will usually confess what you truly believe, whether you’re
talking about natural things or making a specific confession of faith in God’s Word.
By definition, confession is a declaration of what you believe. Confession implies certainty and confidence in what you believe. Therefore, it’s crucial that you believe the truth – the Word of God –
for if your believing is wrong, then your talking will be wrong!
For example, some people have been taught that Christians are supposed to go through life with the top of their hats worn out, the seat of their britches threadbare, and the bottom of their shoes full of holes
in order to be humble before God. Of course, that’s not what the Bible teaches. But if that’s what people have been taught, they’ll believe it and speak it.
That’s why we need to believe and speak the Word, not someone’s opinion about the Word. John 8:32 says, “…ye shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.” We find the truth in God’s Word. Therefore, if God said it, then His truth should be the determining factor for what we say!
The important thing in life is to believe and say what God says! Why? Because when you say what God says, you’re admitting to the truth of His Word. You’re agreeing with Him. You’re believing and
acknowledging that the Word of God is the authority in your life.
So make the Word of God the authority in your life by talking in line with the promises of God! If you will speak God’s Word, you will be strong in faith, fully prepared when problems come. Your faith will be in the Word!
You see, God never said we wouldn’t have any problems, trials, or temptations. But He did tell us how to deal with those problems. It’s with His Word. But that means each of us must get into God’s Word for
ourselves because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).
In other words, faith will come to you by reading God’s Word with your own eyes and stud in and confessing it for yourself. That’s how you will receive the spiritual strength you need to speak what God says in your hour of need.
What you say is tremendously important! Therefore, you are faced with a choice. You can either say what God says, or you can say something else. What will you choose to confess?
You can’t afford to speak unbelief, self-pity, or negative words of any kind. Speak the Word! For example, faith says, “According to God’s Word, I’m strong. By Jesus’ stripes, I am healed. All my needs are met according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus!”
Now I want you to understand that real faith doesn’t deny that negative facts exist. Symptoms are real. An empty billfold is real. A hungry stomach is real. Faith recognizes the facts, but faith is armed with
the greater facts of God’s Word. Faith is assured that whatever the need, God will meet the need!
Suppose someone asks you, “How are you doing?” and your body is aching, your eyes are red, your throat is sore, and your nose is running.
You say, “Oh, I’m healed! I’m well!” But the person takes one look at you and says, “You sure don’t look well!”
What you really need to say is this: “According to First Peter 2:24, by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed.”
You see, the facts are that you have all the symptoms of a cold. You need to recognize that those facts exist. But then confess the greater facts of God’s Word concerning those symptoms until the manifestation of your healing comes. Once your healing is manifested, you can say, “I am healed, thank God!”
Some people get confused about biblical confession because they don’t understand what a scriptural confession of faith is. They base their confession on what someone told them to say, or they base their
confession on another person’s experience. But they’re really not making a confession based on God’s Word!
For example, I can walk up to anyone and give him a promise from God’s Word. I can tell him to confess, “I confess I receive.” Well, that person can say, “I confess I receive” all he wants. But unless he understands what he is saying and really believes God’s promises in his heart, nothing is going to happen.
Sometimes just a little adjustment can help a whole lot. For example, in the natural, a little adjustment can help you get a clearer reception on your television set.
In the spiritual realm, a little adjustment also helps fine-tune your confession of faith. The Bible says you have to believe in your heart what you are confessing with your mouth before it will come to pass (Mark 11:23). And your believing and confessing has to be based on God’s Word.
Other people are confused about biblical confession because they think it means just to make a “positive” confession. But I’m not just talking about confessing something that’s positive instead of something
that’s negative. I’m talking about making a positive confession based on what God’s Word says! A biblical positive confession is saying what God says. It’s making a confession that agrees with God’s Word.
For instance, if God’s Word says that I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24), then a positive confession is saying, “I’m healed by the Word of God.” But a negative confession says, “I don’t know
whether or not I’m healed” or “I don’t know if divine healing is real.” What makes a confession positive or negative is whether or not it agrees with God’s Word.
Now some people just hear one message on confession, and they run off with it. They’re always saying, “You can have what you say.” But, friend, you need to understand that you can only have what you say if
what you say is what God says! In other words, you can have what you say if God says in His Word you can have it!
Too many people try to take a position of faith without first being firmly grounded in the Word of God. They make positive confessions, but if you ask them what scriptures they’re standing on about their
situation, their answer is always very general.
For example, sometimes when I talk with people about receiving answers to their prayers, I ask them, “What are you basing your faith on?” Some of them answer, “The Word.”
I say, “Yes, but do you have particular scriptures you’re standing on for your answer?”
“No, I just heard So-and-so say…
Well, when a person bases his confession of faith only on what someone else says instead of on God’s Word, then that’s where their problem is. The person is not getting results because the Word of God isn’t abiding in him.
In John 15:7 Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” If the Word of God is abiding in you, you’re going to know exactly what scriptures you’re standing on for your answer!
When God’s Word is abiding in you, you can take a strong position of faith and stand firm on His Word. You’ll know exactly what you’re confessing and why you’re confessing it. There won’t be any confusion
or wavering because when you know what the Bible says, you won’t waver or doubt. You’ll take your stand on the Word, and you’ll receive your answer!
That’s why you need to stay in the Word and stay with the Word. You need to be continually saying what the Word says. That’s how to stay spiritually strong and prepared so your faith won’t waver.
I want you to realize that what you confess is not a frivolous matter. In fact, your words or confessions are so important that the Bible says that they’ll either snare you or satisfy you.
PROVERBS 6:2
2 Thou art SNARED with the words of thy mouth, thou art TAKEN with the words of thy mouth.
PROVERBS 18:20
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.
You can tell that most people don’t believe their words have this kind of power because they’re so flippant in what they say. They’re so frivolous with their words or confessions, and it affects their faith.
But as believers, we can’t afford to be flippant about what we say. We need to be well grounded in the Word so we won’t go around making foolish confessions and statements that tear down our faith.
I’m still talking about the power of your words. Your words form your confession. So don’t allow yourself to confess words of doubt, fear, and destruction. Instead, let your words be containers filled with faith, courage, and life. Start by finding scriptures that encourage you in God’s Word and meditate on them every day.
PSALM 119:172
172 MY TONGUE SHALL SPEAK OF THY WORD: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
PROVERBS 12:25
25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but A GOOD WORD maketh it glad.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:16,17
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and STABLISH YOU IN EVERY GOOD WORD and work.
As the truth of God’s Word begins to fill your heart, make it your own confession of faith. Say, “My tongue will speak God’s Word. God’s Word tells me to comfort others with my words, so I shall speak good words to bless others. And the Lord Himself will establish me in every good word!” Believe that in your heart and say it with your mouth.
Friend, what you say is important. Your words contain power. But the decision to confess God’s Word is not up to God or even the devil. It’s not up to your pastor or anyone else. The decision to speak God’s
Word is up to you!
Only you can choose the words you will confess. Death and life are in the power of your tongue. Therefore, speak words of life that will bless you and others. You make the decision to be a success by
confessing God’s Word!
==================================================================
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY THE WORD OF FAITH, AUGUST 1995, PAGES 15-17. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.
