Positive confession and the awareness of the power of words is not just for a particular persuasion of the body of Christ but is a general word for everyone who claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Some will always be satisfied with walking along the shore and getting their feet wet but those who desire to go deeper with God will discover the revelation of the power of positive confessions. The reason why many Christians do not study the Bible is because they are trying to avoid the responsibility of being held accountable. Everyone wants to be blessed but only a remnant are willing to discipline themselves in order to be in the POSITION to receive. Yes, God has a divine order and everything has a reason which means it is critical to be saturated with God’s Word and to develop an awareness of His presence. Each human that has been rescued and redeemed by the grace of God has a new spirit and a divine destiny that God Himself has carefully planned. His principles and spiritual laws are all a part of how He requires for us to live as our SUCCESS has much to do with our OBEDIENCE.

Do you believe the “no pain – no gain” saying is just as true in the spiritual world as it is in the natural realm? Absolutely! Do you believe that Christians need to be accountable for the way they live? I believe we can all agree to “yes” for both of these questions, but why is the power of words so important in this discussion? Well, there are many reasons and one is; what we think controls who we are and what comes out of mouth reveals what is in our heart. Our words expose our thoughts and everyone needs to have the revelation that words can be a huge blessing or a devastating curse. How can this be? God says in Isaiah 57:19, “I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off and to him, that is near saith the Lord; and I will heal him.” Our words are ALIVE and have the ability to build or tear down. Changing our mind will change what we say – and Godly words are a solid direction toward living a Godly life! To dwell in the character and nature of Jesus is what the Christian life is all about. So, in that light, our words might be our most powerful and revealing testimony.

“Father, we believe we are gathered here now to receive your wisdom about how to live for you more effectively. We ask you to remove the veil from our eyes that the light bulb will come on and we will see with the eyes of our heart. Amen”

We have read books about prayer and have logged a lot of hours praying. We have seen God do miracles in our lives and it has encouraged us and built our faith and I am sure that many of us are presently seeking direction and waiting for answers to our request. I am a dreamer and like a child, I believe that when I pray that God hears me and I will receive. If I thought I was wasting my time I would be devastated. I put my trust in God because I believe that what He has promised in His word He will fulfill and I hold them tightly and lean on them with all of my hope and faith. I have read them and studied them and I admit there are some things in my life that it seems have not budged. Of course, we all have been there and wondered what is wrong – is it me? – is it God’s timing? – does God not want this to happen? Is it because I have sinned? Let’s look at John 15 verse 7 – I like using the Amplified because it helps me have a broader understanding “If you live in me (abide vitally united to Me) and My words remain in you (continue to thrive in your hearts), you shall ask whatever you want, and it shall be done for you.”

How many times have you read that? I must admit that in my early walk with God that I was so excited about the word “whatever” that I failed to pay close attention to another very crucial word – ABIDE. In fact, abide is actually the most important word in this promise because without it there is no manifestation. Abide means to live in, dwell in and remain in constantly. It has nothing to do with going to church or owning a bible. When we abide in Him we know who God is and we come to a life-changing understanding of who we are. This “lifestyle” is directly connected with the revelation of being a bondservant which is another teaching that we will look at later. (I do recommend for you to jot this down in your notes and check out the definition of a bondservant). So assuming that we are praying in the will of God (this happens when we are abiding IN HIM) He say’s since it is in my plans and desires for you to have it – I will give it to you. Alright, lets go to verse 16, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed (planted) you, that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting (remain) so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.”

There are several scriptures in God’s word that offer the same promises, let’s look at one more in John 14, verses 13 and 14, “And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in the Son, I will grant whatever you shall ask in My name.” What that means is when you are asking in Jesus Name you are not presenting your will but who He is and what HE wants. This is a conditional promise that is based on us listening to His voice and asking Him to help us with something that He wants to accomplish through us. God owns everything and is the giver and the decider. When we are living our lives the way God has called us to live THROUGH Christ, our obedience activates and releases the floodgates of miracles and becomes our testimony to the glory of God. Our lives should be such a noticeable witness to the world that they become curious and hungry to know more about God. It is the Word of God and the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit that draws people to receive the gospel. We are called to be His instruments and to be the demonstration of His intentions.

We have been called to live a good life. Not a life without trouble but a life where we know what to do and where to go when trouble comes. We can still smile when we are hurting and still have peace when our problems are heavy. Remember the song, “It is well with my soul?” Some of us have been praying for some things a LONG time and we are standing on faith and hanging on to the “whatever” and we will not let go! I know the ones I am praying for have their own free will but I also realize that what I am praying is God’s perfect will. Yes, they are deceived and stubborn but I turn them over to Him and trust that He knows exactly how to deal with them. Since we are talking about our petitions and requests, if it seems that nothing is changing, allow me to ask a blunt question…why are our prayers not working? Now I’m not going to stop serving God if I don’t like the answer or if He decides He does not want to tell me but I’m also not going to be afraid to ask Him questions. It’s amazing how much we can learn by just approaching Him like a child. For example, we remember through the years when certain teachings come on the scene like “name it and claim it” and we embraced it so much that many of us bought tapes and books and watched preachers on television and said, “glory hallelujah! After a while, we began to wonder why we were still disappointed. Unfortunately, many probably walked away and said, “I tried it and it doesn’t work” – BUT for those who were really determined to seek God’s face until they found out WHY their prayers did not come to pass – they discovered a tremendous revelation! They found that many of the promises of God are based on the condition of our heart and whether God wanted us to have them! Oh now brother, wait just a minute, God’s storehouses are endless and He loves us and wants us to have all that we can believe for. That is true – but God is sovereign and has every right to say no. He is also able to detect if we are just trying to use Him as a cosmic vending machine without spiritual discipline and responsibility. Wanting the gifts without seeking the giver is a carnal mentality and will leave us in the default realm of mediocrity.

For example, we know that joy comes from giving but if we are selfish and do not develop sincere generosity, then no wonder we can never find peace and contentment. This is a personal revelation that can expose our problem and reveal that being self-centered is locking the door to our abundance. A person can beg and cry their whole life and not have the joy they are so desperately seeking until they learn what it means to be a cheerful giver. Now is God withholding His blessing of joy unspeakable and full of glory – or is the individual holding it from their self? Clearly, the principle of sowing and reaping is in effect and having a direct impact on this life. It’s true, we all have our share of problems and God is constantly pleading for us to become a living sacrifice, to repent, to be delivered, to be transformed, changed, renewed, purified, sanctified, broken, molded, purged and sold out because He knows that if we are not, we will never be able to complete the construction phase of building our life according to the blueprints He has drawn. This is just another example of the war between our human carnality and the will of God. If we are going to live in the total salvation of abundant life – we must decrease so that He can increase. Let us not only speak forth the life of God but may we accomplish our destiny as we learn how to demonstrate our faith by our works.