Say What God Says!
Would you like to experience the power and presence of God every day? Would you like to hear His voice? Would you like freedom from habits and addictions? Would you like to be healed? Would you like to heal others and perform miracles? How about raising the dead - would you like to do that? Then get started building up your faith by saying what God says!
After Jesus ascended into the heavens, He sent the Holy Spirit to the Earth. He immersed his disciples into the Holy Spirit and filled them and they began to do the same things that he did when he was physically on the Earth. The Holy Spirit is still here. All the power and presence of God are still available to all who believe and receive His Son Jesus the anointed one. Can any Christian experience and perform the miracles mentioned in the Bible? Can any Christian experience an intimate fellowship with God in the Spirit? Are these things just for certain special chosen ones? If any believer can experience these things then why aren't they? Why aren't you? There is one major quality that is required for these things to take place in and through your life. It's not the only requirement, but it is the starting point. For most Christians even if this quality is present it seems to be small or weak. What is that one thing?
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.?
Why, without faith it is impossible to even please God. Without faith it is impossible to believe God. Without faith it is impossible to expect anything from God. But Jesus said, "With God, all things are possible" and "all things are possible to him who believes." In the Bible we read that men and women just like you and I believed God, acted on their faith and God did great and mighty things in their lives. People were healed, raised from the dead, food was provided, battles were won, men were cast into a burning furnace and when they came out they didn't even smell like smoke! Others had visions, dreams, and revelations from God. However, many times in the Bible Jesus said to the disciples that their faith was little or weak. He said they could not cast out a demon because of their unbelief. In one town even Jesus could not do many miracles there except to heal a few sick folk because of their unbelief. Their unbelief prevented them from receiving miracles and healing!
"When the Son of Man returns will he find faith on the Earth?" – Jesus
God's plan and design is that YOU who come to Jesus are to live and experience the power and presence of God in the same way that Jesus did. Jesus said that in John chapter 17. If you want to do what Jesus did and experience an intimate oneness with the Father, then you must have the same faith that Jesus has. Is this even possible? You better believe it is! God says that everyone has been given the measure of faith. What is that measure? It is the faith of Jesus himself - the same faith that he has. God says "of his fullness we all have received" John 1:16. When you believe in Jesus, surrendering yourself to him as Savior and Lord, you receive the Holy Spirit of God and all that Jesus has is now yours as well (read: All Things Are Yours). However you must grow in that faith. There are six things you must do to grow in faith or exercise your faith. Say It! is one of those six things and for most Christians it is the place to start. To make your faith as strong as the faith of Jesus you must...Say What God Says.
Luke 17:5-6 Lord, increase our faith! Jesus replied, If you have faith as a grain of mustard you would say to this mountain get up and be cast into the sea and it would obey you.
The common interpretation of this statement is that Jesus is saying you don't need a lot of faith - in fact if you have just a little bit of faith you can do great things. If this were true then why did Jesus tell them that they could not do things because of the littleness of their faith? Could it be that the reason this interpretation is commonly accepted is because most people do not have much faith and so they try to justify the littleness of their own faith with this interpretation? Hey, I admit I used to believe this was correct until a few years ago. Jesus is not saying that their question is not valid - in fact He is answering it! Let's examine what Jesus says:
In the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-18 Jesus again reveals this truth that saying is sowing, but he reveals even more.
Luke 8:4-18 The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.
His disciples began questioning him as to what this parable meant. He said, "the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." If you look at this carefully you will see that Jesus says: the seed is the word, the soil is the heart, and saying is sowing. Do you see that? Remember in those days they did not have printed pamphlets, TV or radio so the only way the sower could sow the word was to say it.
When I became a Christian I began memorizing Bible verses almost immediately because I was told that it would really help me. I memorized over 1000 verses in two years as well as many whole chapters and the entire book of James. All that did was give me a sense of pride. Nowhere in scripture are we told to memorize God's word. We are told to hide God's word in our heart. How do you hide (sow or plant) God's word in your heart (the soil) - by saying what God says! Remember Jesus is telling us how to strengthen our faith. When our faith is as Jesus’ faith then we can do what Jesus did – He said we could! Let’s see what else Jesus said about this.
Mark 4:26-29 The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows - how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.
There are some interesting things here regarding the sowing of the word into our hearts. Once it is sown there must be a season of growth and development. The farmer does not expect a crop to sprout up over night. He waters his crop, nourishes it by putting fertilizer on it, and protects it from invaders and pests. He waits and looks for the fruit before he harvests the crop. But notice the phrase "how, he himself does not know". You may not know how this truth works. When you do it you may not see any results (the seed is in the ground). You might even feel funny or silly for doing it. You may be tempted to just forget this whole idea! A farmer wouldn't just pack up and leave his farm after he sowed the seed in the ground. But one day you will find yourself saying and doing things that you normally would not say or even think about doing. (It happened to me.) Then you will realize that a crop of faith has sprung up inside you and is making its way out through your life. You are becoming the salt of the Earth; you are becoming the light of the world. You practice this truth of saying what God says not because you understand it but because Jesus says so.
Mark 4:30-32 How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.
This is similar to Psalms 1 Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
Do you see in these verses that God's plan is for you to bear the fruit of God and not to bear the fruit of your own labor or effort? Your heart is your spirit. Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you." Jesus wants to change you from the inside out. So many Christians are working hard at trying to change themselves by developing personal disciplines. Let Jesus capture your heart and spirit. Sow his word into your heart and the various fruit (crop) of the Spirit will come forth "some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold". The crop of the Word of God will come forth! God said his word will not fail! There are no crop failures, only sowing failures.
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not be found absent from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Proverbs 18:20-21 With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 12:14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.
Romans 10:8-11 The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Hebrews 3:1 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.
Your confession and your testimony is whatever is coming out of your mouth! Agree with God by saying what God says and you will have the fruit of God's own words in your life! Say what God says. Then when the devil comes to stop you (remember the parable - he comes to snatch away the seed) you can simply tell him to go take it up with God, all you are doing is saying what God says. The best place to start is to read the Bible and say what God says about who you are now... and what you have been given in Christ. Try this by reading through the book of Ephesians or Colossians then when you come across a verse that says something about you - SAY IT! You could also speak the truth about God thereby praising him. What have you been saying and speaking. Have you been saying, "God doesn't always answer prayer." Have you been saying, "It is not God's will to heal everyone." What have you been saying about yourself? Have you been saying what God says or have you been saying what the world says or what you think. Also be careful not to sing (confess) certain songs even Christian songs that have words that doubt God. Stop those negative false confessions. Instead say what God says. You can't go wrong because God does not lie. Remember you are sowing the seed of the word into your heart by saying what God says. Jesus says to do this to strengthen your faith. The more you practice this, the greater will be your faith. God is heart centered not mind centered. He wants you to have great faith and use it!
As I said at the beginning there are six things you must do to strengthen or exercise your faith. This is meant to be a first step for you. Spend a year practicing this truth. Don't be in a hurry to do what Jesus did - that will come later naturally out of the life that you have received from Jesus. After two years of practicing this truth I began to step out in faith in very small, but unfamiliar ways of doing what Jesus did. After two more years I found myself saying and doing things that even shocked me - His life is beginning to manifest itself in and through me, Praise God! You are not trying to learn new information or insights into scripture. You are instead sowing (by speaking) seeds of the word deep into your soil (heart & spirit). Listen to the Spirit speak to you to guide you along this path. I have many times spent several hours on one verse of scripture. The sowing goes deeper and deeper and broader and broader and the word performs its work inside you and you are changed. I have also been led many times to say things that are scripturally true, but to say them in very unique and oftentimes slang forms of speech. For example, " I am the light of the world - God, light me." Also try as soon as you can to speak scripture in the present tense - say: have, am, and do rather than had, was, or did. Your God is the God of the now. He is. Also make your speech intimate and personal. When speaking to God, say "you" (speak directly to God). When speaking of yourself say me, my, I not us or we (It's just you and God, nobody else). As you meditate on what God says get creative. Listen to the Spirit; ask him to give you different words to say the same thing. Again for example: Jesus says, "The words I speak are Spirit and they are life. The flesh will profit you nothing." So I say, "Jesus the words I am hearing from you they are Spirit and life giving. Thank you so much Jesus. My fleshly activities are worth nothing, zilch, zip, nada, void, null, a big fat zero. Engaging in works of my flesh is the biggest waste of investment ever, since I get nothing for it. I would be a fool to continue to invest in something that gave me no return at all and even cost me. So I will invest myself in speaking and hearing your words O Lord. Thank you so much for giving your life to me.”
Would you like to experience the power and presence of God every day? Would you like to hear His voice? Would you like freedom from habits and addictions? Would you like to be healed? Would you like to heal others and perform miracles? How about raising the dead - would you like to do that? Then get started building up your faith by saying what God says!
After Jesus ascended into the heavens, He sent the Holy Spirit to the Earth. He immersed his disciples into the Holy Spirit and filled them and they began to do the same things that he did when he was physically on the Earth. The Holy Spirit is still here. All the power and presence of God are still available to all who believe and receive His Son Jesus the anointed one. Can any Christian experience and perform the miracles mentioned in the Bible? Can any Christian experience an intimate fellowship with God in the Spirit? Are these things just for certain special chosen ones? If any believer can experience these things then why aren't they? Why aren't you? There is one major quality that is required for these things to take place in and through your life. It's not the only requirement, but it is the starting point. For most Christians even if this quality is present it seems to be small or weak. What is that one thing?
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.?
Why, without faith it is impossible to even please God. Without faith it is impossible to believe God. Without faith it is impossible to expect anything from God. But Jesus said, "With God, all things are possible" and "all things are possible to him who believes." In the Bible we read that men and women just like you and I believed God, acted on their faith and God did great and mighty things in their lives. People were healed, raised from the dead, food was provided, battles were won, men were cast into a burning furnace and when they came out they didn't even smell like smoke! Others had visions, dreams, and revelations from God. However, many times in the Bible Jesus said to the disciples that their faith was little or weak. He said they could not cast out a demon because of their unbelief. In one town even Jesus could not do many miracles there except to heal a few sick folk because of their unbelief. Their unbelief prevented them from receiving miracles and healing!
"When the Son of Man returns will he find faith on the Earth?" – Jesus
God's plan and design is that YOU who come to Jesus are to live and experience the power and presence of God in the same way that Jesus did. Jesus said that in John chapter 17. If you want to do what Jesus did and experience an intimate oneness with the Father, then you must have the same faith that Jesus has. Is this even possible? You better believe it is! God says that everyone has been given the measure of faith. What is that measure? It is the faith of Jesus himself - the same faith that he has. God says "of his fullness we all have received" John 1:16. When you believe in Jesus, surrendering yourself to him as Savior and Lord, you receive the Holy Spirit of God and all that Jesus has is now yours as well (read: All Things Are Yours). However you must grow in that faith. There are six things you must do to grow in faith or exercise your faith. Say It! is one of those six things and for most Christians it is the place to start. To make your faith as strong as the faith of Jesus you must...Say What God Says.
Luke 17:5-6 Lord, increase our faith! Jesus replied, If you have faith as a grain of mustard you would say to this mountain get up and be cast into the sea and it would obey you.
The common interpretation of this statement is that Jesus is saying you don't need a lot of faith - in fact if you have just a little bit of faith you can do great things. If this were true then why did Jesus tell them that they could not do things because of the littleness of their faith? Could it be that the reason this interpretation is commonly accepted is because most people do not have much faith and so they try to justify the littleness of their own faith with this interpretation? Hey, I admit I used to believe this was correct until a few years ago. Jesus is not saying that their question is not valid - in fact He is answering it! Let's examine what Jesus says:
- He says, "If you have faith as a grain of mustard..." Here he is comparing your faith to a grain or seed of mustard. Now a mustard seed is very small, but Jesus makes no reference to the size of it. Rather he is referring to its kind - that is, a seed. One of the principles of creation is that everything reproduces after its own kind. A mustard seed will reproduce a mustard plant. A faith seed will reproduce a crop of faith. Jesus says that your faith is like a grain of seed. So what do we do with a seed?
- Then Jesus says, "...you would say..." You must speak out loud, sound must come forth from your voice. He did not say you would think, or you would pray, or you would have a certain feeling. He said you would say. Saying is sowing! You sow a seed. Your faith is like a seed. You sow your faith by saying or speaking out loud. As you speak you are sowing your faith.
- Next Jesus says, "...to this mountain..." Jesus says speak directly to the mountain or to whatever your obstacle is or thing you want to change. He does not say you would speak to others about it. He does not say you would call the prayer line about it. He does not even say you are to talk about it or around it. He says you would speak directly to the mountain! In other words you are to address the mountain as though it can hear you. This is how God created the world. He said Light - Be! Dry land - come forth! He spoke directly to them, commanding them and they obeyed. You are to do the same if you want your faith to grow strong.
- Jesus says, "...get up and be cast into the sea." You say to the mountain (or your sickness for example) and you tell it what you want it to do. Say, "Diabetes get out and stay out!"
- Jesus says, "It will obey you." Isn't that amazing! It will obey YOU, not God, YOU! You will get the results of what you said. Jesus said this and he cannot lie. We have only examined one scripture so let's look at another.
In the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-18 Jesus again reveals this truth that saying is sowing, but he reveals even more.
Luke 8:4-18 The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.
His disciples began questioning him as to what this parable meant. He said, "the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." If you look at this carefully you will see that Jesus says: the seed is the word, the soil is the heart, and saying is sowing. Do you see that? Remember in those days they did not have printed pamphlets, TV or radio so the only way the sower could sow the word was to say it.
When I became a Christian I began memorizing Bible verses almost immediately because I was told that it would really help me. I memorized over 1000 verses in two years as well as many whole chapters and the entire book of James. All that did was give me a sense of pride. Nowhere in scripture are we told to memorize God's word. We are told to hide God's word in our heart. How do you hide (sow or plant) God's word in your heart (the soil) - by saying what God says! Remember Jesus is telling us how to strengthen our faith. When our faith is as Jesus’ faith then we can do what Jesus did – He said we could! Let’s see what else Jesus said about this.
Mark 4:26-29 The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows - how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.
There are some interesting things here regarding the sowing of the word into our hearts. Once it is sown there must be a season of growth and development. The farmer does not expect a crop to sprout up over night. He waters his crop, nourishes it by putting fertilizer on it, and protects it from invaders and pests. He waits and looks for the fruit before he harvests the crop. But notice the phrase "how, he himself does not know". You may not know how this truth works. When you do it you may not see any results (the seed is in the ground). You might even feel funny or silly for doing it. You may be tempted to just forget this whole idea! A farmer wouldn't just pack up and leave his farm after he sowed the seed in the ground. But one day you will find yourself saying and doing things that you normally would not say or even think about doing. (It happened to me.) Then you will realize that a crop of faith has sprung up inside you and is making its way out through your life. You are becoming the salt of the Earth; you are becoming the light of the world. You practice this truth of saying what God says not because you understand it but because Jesus says so.
Mark 4:30-32 How shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.
This is similar to Psalms 1 Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
Do you see in these verses that God's plan is for you to bear the fruit of God and not to bear the fruit of your own labor or effort? Your heart is your spirit. Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you." Jesus wants to change you from the inside out. So many Christians are working hard at trying to change themselves by developing personal disciplines. Let Jesus capture your heart and spirit. Sow his word into your heart and the various fruit (crop) of the Spirit will come forth "some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold". The crop of the Word of God will come forth! God said his word will not fail! There are no crop failures, only sowing failures.
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not be found absent from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Proverbs 18:20-21 With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 12:14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.
Romans 10:8-11 The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Hebrews 3:1 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.
Your confession and your testimony is whatever is coming out of your mouth! Agree with God by saying what God says and you will have the fruit of God's own words in your life! Say what God says. Then when the devil comes to stop you (remember the parable - he comes to snatch away the seed) you can simply tell him to go take it up with God, all you are doing is saying what God says. The best place to start is to read the Bible and say what God says about who you are now... and what you have been given in Christ. Try this by reading through the book of Ephesians or Colossians then when you come across a verse that says something about you - SAY IT! You could also speak the truth about God thereby praising him. What have you been saying and speaking. Have you been saying, "God doesn't always answer prayer." Have you been saying, "It is not God's will to heal everyone." What have you been saying about yourself? Have you been saying what God says or have you been saying what the world says or what you think. Also be careful not to sing (confess) certain songs even Christian songs that have words that doubt God. Stop those negative false confessions. Instead say what God says. You can't go wrong because God does not lie. Remember you are sowing the seed of the word into your heart by saying what God says. Jesus says to do this to strengthen your faith. The more you practice this, the greater will be your faith. God is heart centered not mind centered. He wants you to have great faith and use it!
As I said at the beginning there are six things you must do to strengthen or exercise your faith. This is meant to be a first step for you. Spend a year practicing this truth. Don't be in a hurry to do what Jesus did - that will come later naturally out of the life that you have received from Jesus. After two years of practicing this truth I began to step out in faith in very small, but unfamiliar ways of doing what Jesus did. After two more years I found myself saying and doing things that even shocked me - His life is beginning to manifest itself in and through me, Praise God! You are not trying to learn new information or insights into scripture. You are instead sowing (by speaking) seeds of the word deep into your soil (heart & spirit). Listen to the Spirit speak to you to guide you along this path. I have many times spent several hours on one verse of scripture. The sowing goes deeper and deeper and broader and broader and the word performs its work inside you and you are changed. I have also been led many times to say things that are scripturally true, but to say them in very unique and oftentimes slang forms of speech. For example, " I am the light of the world - God, light me." Also try as soon as you can to speak scripture in the present tense - say: have, am, and do rather than had, was, or did. Your God is the God of the now. He is. Also make your speech intimate and personal. When speaking to God, say "you" (speak directly to God). When speaking of yourself say me, my, I not us or we (It's just you and God, nobody else). As you meditate on what God says get creative. Listen to the Spirit; ask him to give you different words to say the same thing. Again for example: Jesus says, "The words I speak are Spirit and they are life. The flesh will profit you nothing." So I say, "Jesus the words I am hearing from you they are Spirit and life giving. Thank you so much Jesus. My fleshly activities are worth nothing, zilch, zip, nada, void, null, a big fat zero. Engaging in works of my flesh is the biggest waste of investment ever, since I get nothing for it. I would be a fool to continue to invest in something that gave me no return at all and even cost me. So I will invest myself in speaking and hearing your words O Lord. Thank you so much for giving your life to me.”