Speaking Faith 8: Why Speaking Faith Works - Part 2
I begin today, where I left off last Sunday – with these words from Scripture:
Jesus says…
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24, NIV.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7, NIV.
“For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:8, NIV.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” Matthew 21:22, NIV.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”
John 15:7, NIV.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14, 15, NIV.
The idea of speaking faith is a clear teaching of God’s Word that impacts every area of our lives.
So, we come today to a bit of a crossroads – the choice is before us: Continue on as we have in the past, allowing fear, insecurity and the current opinions of man to come out of our mouths – or to – Ask the Lord to remake us and build in us a vocabulary of faith.
Defined: Speaking Faith is verbally declaring your confidence that what God has already promised will become true in your life!
Last Sunday we looked at the first four of seven reasons why speaking faith works:
1. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it SOWS the SEEDS of God’s Kingdom. – Mark 4:26-29
2. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it causes FAITH to come to all areas of my life! Romans 10:17
3. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it gives you the MIND of Christ! Romans 12:2
4. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it keeps God’s SOLUTION right in front of you! Philippians 4:6-8
And today we are going to look at the next three:
5. SPEAKING FAITH works because it changes your heart.
6. SPEAKING FAITH works because it sets the law of faith into motion.
7. SPEAKING FAITH works because it puts the Angels of God to work on your behalf.
5. SPEAKING FAITH works because it changes your heart. – Proverbs 4:20-23
One of the biggest concerns that all Christians should have is the condition of their heart. The Bible warns tells us that God is all about changing the condition of our heart.
He says in Ezekiel 11:19
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19
And in 36:26…
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
The world gives us hard, cynical, wounded hearts. And God wants to heal your heart and make it soft and pliable to His Spirit again. This is vital because the heart is the place of revelation – the heart is the place where you’ll hear the voice of God speak to you. And if you cannot hear the voice of God, it is a sign that something isn’t right in your heart.
So, Proverbs 4:20-24 says…
“My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” Proverbs 4:20-24
God is saying to us – SPEAK FAITH – in MY words! Keep my Promises on your tongue! Avoid foolish talk – instead, embrace the Word of Faith – and you will be filled with a ‘wellspring of life’!
When I allow my speech to be filled with the Promises of God – He changes my heart! He keeps me soft and fresh! The more I SPEAK FAITH – the more my heart is receptive to His voice! And the opposite is true – the more I speak FEAR, CONFUSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, DOUBT – ETC., the harder my heart will become, and I will miss what I was created for: To hear God’s voice!
SPEAK FAITH and He’ll soften your heart.
6. SPEAKING FAITH works because it sets the law of faith into motion. – Romans 3:27
Look at Romans 3:27…
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27, NKJV
Paul talks about the “Law of Faith”. The Law of Faith is like the Law of Gravity – it works every time it is tried! Jump off a bridge – and the Law of Gravity will work, you can count on it. Begin to SPEAK FAITH – and the Law of Faith will begin to work on your behalf. You start speaking confidence and faith that what God has promised will become your reality – and guess what? It will! Why? Because there is a Law of Faith that is activated by you Speaking Faith!
In 2 Corinthians 4:13 Paul said:
“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,” 2 Corinthians 4:13, NIV.
That’s how the Law of Faith works: Whatever you believe, you speak. What you speak, you will believe stronger every time you speak it. This process causes faith to develop. You are putting into motion the spirit of faith and the Law of faith!
That’s why we should SPEAK FAITH even when outward circumstances say that it isn’t true in the natural. Some things are true in the Word of God that need to become true in our lives. So, you come up against something that you know God wants to develop in your life – say it’s ‘patience’ – you know that God wants you to become patient. It’s one of the ‘fruits of the Holy Spirit’ in Galatians 5. So, when a situation that you usually respond to with impatience comes along – you SPEAK FAITH and say: “I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and I will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, therefore, I’ll be patient in this moment.” And by doing so, the Law of Faith is set into motion.
It works every time it is tried.
And then #7 reason why Speaking Faith works:
7. SPEAKING FAITH works because it puts the Angels of God to work on your behalf. – Hebrews 1:13-14
You do want God’s Angels working on your behalf don’t you? You want them protecting you, guiding you, battling on your behalf. Right?
Check out Hebrews 1:13-14…
“To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:13-14
God sends His angels to serve BELIEVERS as ‘ministering spirits’. Speaking Faith gets their attention. You start to speak God’s Promises, and the Angels of God go to work to make it come to be.
Look at Psalms 103:20…
“Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.”
Psalms 103:20
What do angels do? They do His bidding, they obey His word! Do you get that? When you SPEAK FAITH that God’s Word – His Promises – are going to be accomplished – you are SPEAKING GOD’S WORD – and in doing so, you are giving angels their assignments! They do what He says – and if you are SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD – they will DO it!
I don’t have time to get into a full teaching on Angels today – but – don’t think of them as these cute little winged cherubs playing harps while seated on fluffy white clouds… That’s nonsense! Three times in the book of Revelation angels are described as ‘mighty’ – and one of them is so strong that he is able to throw a huge boulder into the sea, depicting how God will destroy the wicked!
Again, when I SPEAK FAITH in God’s Word, I am putting God’s angels to work on my behalf.
CONCLUSION:
So we come to the conclusion of what I believe is a series of message that taken to heart and applied to real life has monumental implications for our lives.
When you begin to confess faith in God’s Word – through the Spoken Word – you are setting your goals and planting your seeds in the soil of your heart. You are saying to God: “No matter what, I’m going with You. Lead me to the destination of glory!”
It is time for you and I to allow the Holy Spirit of God to develop within us a genuine vocabulary of faith.
Who here needs to SPEAK FAITH? IT’S CROSSROADS TIME.
Jesus says…
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24, NIV.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7, NIV.
“For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:8, NIV.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” Matthew 21:22, NIV.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”
John 15:7, NIV.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14, 15, NIV.
The idea of speaking faith is a clear teaching of God’s Word that impacts every area of our lives.
So, we come today to a bit of a crossroads – the choice is before us: Continue on as we have in the past, allowing fear, insecurity and the current opinions of man to come out of our mouths – or to – Ask the Lord to remake us and build in us a vocabulary of faith.
Defined: Speaking Faith is verbally declaring your confidence that what God has already promised will become true in your life!
Last Sunday we looked at the first four of seven reasons why speaking faith works:
1. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it SOWS the SEEDS of God’s Kingdom. – Mark 4:26-29
2. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it causes FAITH to come to all areas of my life! Romans 10:17
3. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it gives you the MIND of Christ! Romans 12:2
4. SPEAKING FAITH WORKS because it keeps God’s SOLUTION right in front of you! Philippians 4:6-8
And today we are going to look at the next three:
5. SPEAKING FAITH works because it changes your heart.
6. SPEAKING FAITH works because it sets the law of faith into motion.
7. SPEAKING FAITH works because it puts the Angels of God to work on your behalf.
5. SPEAKING FAITH works because it changes your heart. – Proverbs 4:20-23
One of the biggest concerns that all Christians should have is the condition of their heart. The Bible warns tells us that God is all about changing the condition of our heart.
He says in Ezekiel 11:19
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19
And in 36:26…
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
The world gives us hard, cynical, wounded hearts. And God wants to heal your heart and make it soft and pliable to His Spirit again. This is vital because the heart is the place of revelation – the heart is the place where you’ll hear the voice of God speak to you. And if you cannot hear the voice of God, it is a sign that something isn’t right in your heart.
So, Proverbs 4:20-24 says…
“My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” Proverbs 4:20-24
God is saying to us – SPEAK FAITH – in MY words! Keep my Promises on your tongue! Avoid foolish talk – instead, embrace the Word of Faith – and you will be filled with a ‘wellspring of life’!
When I allow my speech to be filled with the Promises of God – He changes my heart! He keeps me soft and fresh! The more I SPEAK FAITH – the more my heart is receptive to His voice! And the opposite is true – the more I speak FEAR, CONFUSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, DOUBT – ETC., the harder my heart will become, and I will miss what I was created for: To hear God’s voice!
SPEAK FAITH and He’ll soften your heart.
6. SPEAKING FAITH works because it sets the law of faith into motion. – Romans 3:27
Look at Romans 3:27…
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27, NKJV
Paul talks about the “Law of Faith”. The Law of Faith is like the Law of Gravity – it works every time it is tried! Jump off a bridge – and the Law of Gravity will work, you can count on it. Begin to SPEAK FAITH – and the Law of Faith will begin to work on your behalf. You start speaking confidence and faith that what God has promised will become your reality – and guess what? It will! Why? Because there is a Law of Faith that is activated by you Speaking Faith!
In 2 Corinthians 4:13 Paul said:
“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,” 2 Corinthians 4:13, NIV.
That’s how the Law of Faith works: Whatever you believe, you speak. What you speak, you will believe stronger every time you speak it. This process causes faith to develop. You are putting into motion the spirit of faith and the Law of faith!
That’s why we should SPEAK FAITH even when outward circumstances say that it isn’t true in the natural. Some things are true in the Word of God that need to become true in our lives. So, you come up against something that you know God wants to develop in your life – say it’s ‘patience’ – you know that God wants you to become patient. It’s one of the ‘fruits of the Holy Spirit’ in Galatians 5. So, when a situation that you usually respond to with impatience comes along – you SPEAK FAITH and say: “I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and I will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, therefore, I’ll be patient in this moment.” And by doing so, the Law of Faith is set into motion.
It works every time it is tried.
And then #7 reason why Speaking Faith works:
7. SPEAKING FAITH works because it puts the Angels of God to work on your behalf. – Hebrews 1:13-14
You do want God’s Angels working on your behalf don’t you? You want them protecting you, guiding you, battling on your behalf. Right?
Check out Hebrews 1:13-14…
“To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:13-14
God sends His angels to serve BELIEVERS as ‘ministering spirits’. Speaking Faith gets their attention. You start to speak God’s Promises, and the Angels of God go to work to make it come to be.
Look at Psalms 103:20…
“Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.”
Psalms 103:20
What do angels do? They do His bidding, they obey His word! Do you get that? When you SPEAK FAITH that God’s Word – His Promises – are going to be accomplished – you are SPEAKING GOD’S WORD – and in doing so, you are giving angels their assignments! They do what He says – and if you are SPEAKING THE WORD OF GOD – they will DO it!
I don’t have time to get into a full teaching on Angels today – but – don’t think of them as these cute little winged cherubs playing harps while seated on fluffy white clouds… That’s nonsense! Three times in the book of Revelation angels are described as ‘mighty’ – and one of them is so strong that he is able to throw a huge boulder into the sea, depicting how God will destroy the wicked!
Again, when I SPEAK FAITH in God’s Word, I am putting God’s angels to work on my behalf.
CONCLUSION:
So we come to the conclusion of what I believe is a series of message that taken to heart and applied to real life has monumental implications for our lives.
When you begin to confess faith in God’s Word – through the Spoken Word – you are setting your goals and planting your seeds in the soil of your heart. You are saying to God: “No matter what, I’m going with You. Lead me to the destination of glory!”
It is time for you and I to allow the Holy Spirit of God to develop within us a genuine vocabulary of faith.
Who here needs to SPEAK FAITH? IT’S CROSSROADS TIME.
posted by Doug Love at 8:55 AM
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