About a year ago, I was facing a series of setbacks. I was not getting the results that I knew were available from the Word. As the days passed by with no improvement, I began to speak negatively about my situation. Just as I was about to give up and accept less than God’s best for my life, someone loved me enough to share this powerful exhortation: “Determine now that you will never again make a negative confession.” They helped me see that what I say matters; it’s a determining factor in what I get.
If we aren’t getting the results we desire in life, perhaps we need to listen to what we’re saying. Jesus Christ taught his disciples about the power of their words.
Mark 11:23:
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
There are two important elements in this verse—what we say and what we believe. The words we speak produce powerful results when they are coupled with believing. Moving a mountain may seem like a feat requiring mountain-sized believing, but God is so eager to perform His Word that He works with even the tiniest amount of believing.
Matthew 17:20:
…for verily I [Jesus] say unto you, If ye have faith [believing] as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Biblically, “a grain of mustard seed” is a proverbial phrase for the smallest particle. Though a mustard seed is small, it grows to a plant of considerable size. Even the smallest particle of faith, or believing, yields mountain-moving results. Say what the Word says, believe what the Word says, and see that Word come to pass. “Nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
In II Kings 4, the Prophet Elisha gave word to a woman from Shunem that she would have a son. Elisha’s word came to pass, but when the child was grown, he died suddenly.
II Kings 4:25,26:
So she went and came unto the man of God [Elisha] to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
The fact was that things were not well. Her only son had died. But facts don’t negate God’s ability to perform His Word. The woman did not allow this devastating blow to be the final outcome. She went for help, and so confident was she in her expectation of deliverance that in response to inquiries about the well-being of herself and her family, she said, “It is well.” She received according to her believing when Elisha raised her son from the dead and told her, “Take up thy son” (II Kings 4:36). Whatever a person believes is directly reflected in what he confesses. This mother’s positive confession meant life to her child.
We can build the practice of saying what the Word says so we get what the Word promises. This may not come easily at first, but there are small steps we can take right now that can lead to big changes in our confession and thus in what we manifest.
- FILL YOUR MIND AND HEART WITH CONSTANT REMINDERS OF WHAT GOD SAYS. Continually put His words in your mind. Make them your words.
- SURROUND YOURSELF WITH OTHERS WHO WILL SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS TO THINK, SAY, AND DO THE WORD. Spend time with and imitate those whose confession and actions are based on the Word.
- EXPECT TO SEE RESULTS. Be confident in your expectation of deliverance.
- SAY ONLY WHAT YOU WANT TO COME TO PASS. If you don’t want it, don’t say it. If you want something different, say something different. If you want the promises of God manifested in your life, say the promises of God.
A positive confession is only one thought away, and it paves the way for positive results to follow. What we say is a determining factor in what we get. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, no matter how big the mountain, let’s determine never again to make a negative confession. Rather, let us say what the Word says and get what the Word promises!