Medicine at Work, published by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, has stressed the critical importance of words spoken in surgery. As the anesthetic is given for surgery, deadly fear may strike the patient when he hears someone say, “I’m going to shoot him now,” or, “Hook up the monitor.” “Monitor” to the drugged patient may sound like “monster.” Or a doctor may declare in disgust, “This isn’t my day!” Dr. Paul J. Moses told a medical audience in San Francisco that “the same directions given by two different physicians could help or fail.” One doctor’s voice, Dr. Moses suggested, might make the medicine work, but the other’s might reveal doubt and the medicine would fail. ¹ Words are extremely important in the realm of the faith life. Words are difference makers. They are deal breakers. Jesus said “By Your words you are justified and by your words you’re condemmed” (Matt. 12:37). In this week’s Light on Life, we are going to take a look at the importance of words and their connection to the faith life.

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Snared with Your Own Mouth

Proverbs 6:2 (KJV)
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

• What does it mean to be snared with your mouth?
• The word ‘snare’ means to lay a trap, or to be caught.
• The word picture is one of a hunter who sets a trap for a bird.
• The word ‘taken’, ‘You are taken with the words of your mouth’, means to capture, to catch, or to be taken over or occupied.
• So according to this scripture, we set a trap for our own selves by our own words.
• The bottom line is we can end up in a spiritual prisoner of war camp so to speak because of our words.

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

• The Word of God goes on to inform us further that even death, and the things of darkness are in the realm of your words.
• You have a choice between death and life.
• Your words can be filled with death, or your words can be filled with life.
• What are you saying about your life?

You can speak life to your life. Or, you can speak death to your life.

[Tweet “According to Prov. 18:21, you can speak life to your life, or you can speak death to your life.”]

Speak as God Speaks

• So then can you agree the words we are speaking have a tremendous effect on our lives.
• People in the world are negative.
• People in the world are fearful.
• People in the world are have a losing mentality.
• People in the world are full of doubt and misgivings.
• But, you are not of this world.
• When you were in the world, you spoke as the world spoke.
• You had their accent.
• You had their dialect.
• But now you’re of God and you need to learn how to talk.
• Now, how are you going to learn how to speak?
• The same way babies do.
• They learn to speak by listening to their parents.
• That’s how you as a believer in Jesus will learn by listening to your Father, by listening to Jesus, by listening to the Holy Spirit.
• That’s what the Bible is for.
• The Bible contains God-talk or God-speak.
• Talk like God talks.
• Say things like He says them.

God Uses Faith Filled Words

Hebrews 11:3 (KJV)
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

• The worlds were framed with the Word of God.
• They were brought into being with words.
• Faith filled words are containers of power.
• They have to be spoken out loud in order for them work.

Genesis 1:3 (KJV)
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

• The earth was recreated through the use of faith filled words.
• So, God the Father used words.
• So did the God the Son, in His earthly ministry.

Jesus Uses Faith Filled Words

Mark 11:12–14 (KJV)
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

• Notice when Jesus spoke, He used words.
• He spoke to an inanimate object, a tree.
• What would you think of a person if you saw him talking to a tree?
• But, you know we do this all the time.
  • We talk to our car when it doesn’t work right, when it doesn’t turn over in the morning and we say,  ‘Oh you stupid car.’ We call it names.
  • Or when the oven doesn’t heat, or when the washing machine doesn’t wash. We call it all kind of names.
• We speak to inanimate objects all the time.
• Jesus comes up to this tree.
  • He’s hungry.
  • He wants to eat.
  • He doesn’t find what He’s looking for.
  • The tree doesn’t have the goods.
• What does Jesus do?
• The Bible says He answered it.
• If He answered it. The tree was talking.
• The problem was talking to Jesus and so Jesus spoke to the problem.
• What was the tree saying?
  • The tree was saying, “I’m full of lack.”
  • The tree communicated that “I don’t have the stuff.”
• So what did Jesus say in response? He said, “No man eat fruit of you from now on.”
• He cursed the tree.
• That’s what you do with lack.
• You have to talk back to it.
• All followers of the Master must learn to talk to circumstances.
• Circumstances have a voice and once they speak they need to be answered.
• Why did Jesus curse this tree?
• He cursed it because it was a hypocrite tree.
• It pretended to be a fruit bearer but it wasn’t.
• It feigned to be a blessing to man but it wasn’t.
• You can know God’s opinion about non fruit bearers by reading it in Luke’s gospel.

[Tweet “Circumstances have a voice and once they speak they need to be answered with the Word.”]

Luke 13:7 (KJV)
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

• That’s what Jesus did when He spoke to the fig tree.
• He cut it down.
  • But not with an ax or a saw.
  • With words.
• Later that day the disciples took note of this same fig tree Jesus cursed.
• It was withered away.
• When the disciples brought the tree to Jesus attention, Jesus immediately said ‘If you had faith you would say.
• That means what Jesus did, you can do.
• Jesus spoke to circumstances and so can you.

Mark 11:22–25 (KJV)
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 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. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

• According to Jesus, you can speak to mountains.
• What kind of mountain, physical mountains?
• It’s the same as the fig tree.
• The fig tree spoke the language of lack? Jesus spoke to what it represented.
• That’s what you do. You speak to the circumstances that are reflected by the mountains you face.
• Jesus used faith filled words to do it.
• You do the same.

Saying Is Twice as Necessary as Believing

• Again look at Mark 11:23 and notice how many times ‘saying’ is mentioned and how many times ‘believing’ is mentioned in this most important Bible verse on faith.

Mark 11:23 (KJV)
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.

• Saying is mentioned three times and believing is mentioned one time in the King James version.
• The Lord spoke to a certain well known minister and told him these words.

“My people are not missing it in the believing part. They are missing it in the saying.”

• What is saying?
• Saying is releasing your faith.
• Faith is released by saying what you believe.
• Faith is also released by acting on what you believe.
• It is absolutely possible to have faith and not release it.

Acts 14:8–10 (KJV)
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

• Notice these words…
  • “The same heard Paul speak.”
  • “Perceiving he had faith to be healed.”
• We know faith comes by hearing.
• We know this man listened to the Word of God coming from the lips of Paul.
• We know the end result of ‘listening’ was faith.
• We also know this man had faith but he was still crippled.
• It wasn’t until he acted on the command to rise and walk did this crippled man receive his healing.
• This man had faith because he heard the message of faith.
• But, his faith didn’t produce the healing he needed until he acted.
• Faith is released by acting.
• Faith is also released by saying.

Mark 4:35–39 (KJV)
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

• Did you notice the winds responded to the rebuke?
• The rebuke came in the form of words.
• The exact words were, ‘Peace be still.’
• What does ‘rebuked the wind’ imply?
• It implies that winds can hear your voice.
• The elements can hear you.
• Jesus spoke to storms and so can you.
• What Jesus did, you can do.

Call to Action:

If your heart is full faith, it’s time to release your faith. It’s time to speak. It’s time to act. Act like the Bible is so. Speak like the Bible is true and you will enjoy all it’s realities.

Episode Resources

For more resources on the subject of healing please see the following:

1. Why is Faith Important and Who Has It? [Podcast]

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Question: What have you learned about speaking faith filled words? Please share your testimony in the comments section below.

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