Words have creative power and when you declare it, you give life to what you are saying. It’s one thing to believe God’s word that you are blessed; that’s important. However, when you declare that, “I am blessed,” it takes on a whole new meaning. That’s when blessings come looking for you.
The scripture says, “Let those who have been redeemed by the LORD declare it”— those whom he redeemed from the power of the enemy, Psalm 107:2. It doesn’t say, “Let the redeemed think it, or believe it or hope for it”. That’s all good but you have to take one step further and declare it.
When God created the whole world He didn’t just think them into being. He didn’t just believe there would be light and land and oceans and animals. He had it in His heart but nothing happened until He spoke. He said, “Let there be light,” and light came. His thoughts didn’t set it into motion. His words set it into motion.
It’s the same principle today. You can believe all day long and not see anything happen. You can have faith in your heart, and big dreams, stand on God’s promises and never see anything change. Nothing may happen until you speak. The scripture says faith without work is dead. (James 2:17)
When you speak, just like when God spoke, things begin to happen. Opportunities will find you. Favour, promotions, and ideas will track you down. Instead of just thinking, “I hope I get over this illness. Pastor, I’m praying I will get better”. That’s good but you have to take it one more step and start declaring it. I’m strong. I’m healthy. I will live and not die. With a long life, God is going to satisfy me. That’s how to activate your faith.
Instead of just hoping you have a good year, instead of just hoping that you accomplish your dreams. Hope is good but nothing may happen until you speak. Before you leave the house every day declare it: “2024 is my year. Things have shifted in my favour. God is about to show me something that I have never seen”. When you talk like that the angels go to work, opening up new doors, lining up the right people, and arranging things in your favour.
All of us are hoping, believing, and praying about something. My question today is, “Are you giving life to your faith by speaking it out”? The scripture says, “I will say of the Lord, ‘he is my refuge, my fortress, my shield.'” Psalm 91:2 The next verse says, “He will deliver me, protect me, cover me”. Notice the connection. I will say and He will do. It doesn’t say, “I believe He is my refuge. I believe He will be my strength”. No, declare it that He is and He becomes to you whom you declared!
What are you saying of the Lord? “Well, pastor, My challenges are really big today. My dreams look impossible. My marriage is so messed up. We will never be restored”. No, don’t talk about how big your challenges are. Talk about how big your God is. When you say of the Lord, “You are my healer, my waymaker, my dream giver, my restorer, my vindicator, my health, my peace, my victory,” that’s when God will show up and do more than you can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)
There was this couple who believed in God for another child. They have a daughter but they wanted to have a son. Every time the wife got pregnant she had a miscarriage. This happened five times in nine years. They were very discouraged and tempted to give up. The man’s name is Joe. He had gone by Joe his whole life. But one day he read that his full name, Joseph, means, “God will add”. When he saw that, something came alive on the inside. He knew God was saying, “I’m going to add to you a son.
He remembered the story in the scripture where God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means, “Father of many nations”. God gave Abraham a child, a son, at a very old age when it looked impossible. Joe decided to go back to using his original name. He told his family, his friends, and coworkers, “Don’t call me Joe anymore. Call me Joseph”. They thought he was having a midlife crisis. But every time someone said, “Hello Joseph,” they were saying, “God will add”. They were speaking of victory over his life. He kept saying so, declaring it.
About six months later his wife became pregnant with a baby boy. For the first time in ten years, she carried the baby full term. The baby was born healthy and whole. As a testimony to God’s goodness they named that little boy Joseph, “God will add”.
YOU MOVE TOWARDS WHAT YOU DECLARE!
Here’s the key; you move towards what you keep saying or declaring! You may be struggling with your finances but when you keep declaring, “I’m blessed. I’m prosperous. I have the favour of God,” every time you say it, you are moving toward an increase. You are getting closer to seeing that come to pass. You may be facing a sickness. It doesn’t look good. But every time you declare, “I’m healthy. I’m strong. I’m getting better”. You are moving toward health, wholeness, and victory.
This works in the positive and the negative. If you are always saying, “I am so unlucky. I hardly get favour” you are moving toward challenges, more disappointment. “pastor, my back has been hurting for three years. I don’t think I will ever get well”. You are moving toward more sickness, more pain. If you will change what you are saying, you will change what you are seeing.
The scripture says, “Call the things that are not as if they already were”(Romans 4:17). A lot of times we do just the opposite. In other words, we just describe the situation. Petrol or diesel is so high. I don’t see how I’m going to make it through this period”. You are calling in more struggle, more lack. “I can’t stand my job. My boss gets on my nerves”. You are calling in more frustration and more defeat.
Don’t use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation. If you want to know what you are going to be like five years from now, listen to what you are saying about yourself. You are prophesying your future. Five years from now my messages are going to be better than they are right now. Five years from now I’m going to be stronger, healthier, wiser, and better looking.
Despite how you feel, despite what’s been passed down in your family line, every day you need to declare, “Everything about me is getting better and better: my bones, my joints, my ligaments, my blood, my organs, my memory, my vision, my hearing, my talent, my skill, my looks, my skin; my youth is being renewed.
You talk like that: you are moving toward renewed youth, health, energy, and vitality. That’s a lot better than getting up in the morning, looking in the mirror and saying, “Oh, Lord. I’m getting so old. Look at these wrinkles. Look how bad I look. This grey hair. I’m so out of shape”. You keep moving toward that, in five years, it’s going to be scary. You need to make better declarations.
Don’t talk about the way you are. Talk about the way you want to be. You are prophesying your future. Maybe you are in a challenging time today. Instead of complaining, that’s just going to draw in more defeat. Your declaration should be, “I have grace for this season. I am strong in the Lord. Those that are for me are greater than those that are against me”.
One of the best things we can do is take a few minutes every morning and make these positive declarations about our lives. Write down not only your dreams, your goals, and your vision, but make a list of any area you want to improve in, anything you want to see changed. Put that list on your bathroom mirror, somewhere private. Before you leave the house take a couple of minutes and declare that over your life.
What you consistently talk about, you’re moving toward. The scripture says, “We are snared by the words of our mouth”.(Proverbs 6:2) Could it be if you would simply change what you are saying you would see a dream come to pass, a breakthrough, a healing, restoration?
Some people have spent years saying negative things about their lives. “I can’t break this addiction, pastor my marriage is never going to make it. I will never get out of debt; whenever I borrowed, I used almost all to pay off what I owe, for many years now”. No, you have to send your words out in a new direction. You are prophesying the wrong thing. Get in a habit of making these positive declarations over your life. Every day declare that your dreams are coming to pass. It’s not enough to just believe! Nothing may happen until you declare it.
Let me lead you in a few of these declarations today. Declare it out with great meaning in your heart. “I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am strong. I am healthy. I am talented. I am creative. I am confident. I am secure. I am disciplined. I am focused. I am attractive. I am well-liked. I have a good personality. I make the right decision. I make the right choice. I have a wonderful spouse.
The right people are around me and in my future. The right opportunities are headed my way. I will accomplish my dreams. I will overcome every obstacle. 2024 and beyond is my year. Things have shifted in my favour. God is about to show me something, that I have never seen. It going to be bigger, better, greater than I ever imagined. I am the redeemed of the Lord, and I declare it today in Jesus’ name
