Have you ever heard someone pray for something, then go right out and start saying exactly the opposite of what they prayed for? I have.
For example, I’ve heard someone ask God for direction in life, then heard them say: “I can’t hear from God—He’s not talking to me. I have no idea what to do. It’s so hard to know God’s will.” Or maybe they’re praying for their child, and right after they pray, they say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that kid. …”
That’s just undoing everything they prayed for! They believe more in what’s happening (or not happening) around them than in God’s promises, and they’re undoing their prayer by what they’re saying with their mouths. What should they be doing instead? They should be speaking power words!
Power words are words that agree with God—words that release our faith in agreement with the promises in the Bible, no matter what we feel or see all around us. Our words matter! God created the world with words, and He’s given us that same creative power in our words. So we need to be sure we’re using our power for good and speaking words that agree with God.
When you’ve prayed and asked God for something, don’t negate your prayer by speaking words of doubt and confusion about the situation. Instead, release your faith in what God has promised by using power words over your life and the lives of those you’re praying for.
Agree With the Bible
Simply put, power words agree with God’s Word. Romans 4:17b says we are to use our faith like God does and “call those things that do not exist as though they did.” Say what you want (according to the Bible), not what you have.
For example, say you’ve prayed for healing, and now you’re believing that by Jesus’ stripes you are healed according to 1 Peter 2:24. You may have symptoms and pain, but instead of saying, “I have symptoms and pain,” power words would say, “It doesn’t matter what I see or feel, by His stripes, I am healed!”
Hebrews 4:12 says God’s word is “alive”—it’s as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through every problem. The Bible is what separates the truth from untruth. We don’t want to see the good news in the Bible, pray and ask God to bring it to pass in our lives, then go out and say exactly the opposite of what we just asked for.
That’s easy to do if the situation looks bad or the circumstances look the opposite of what we prayed for, but that’s not what faith is. Faith is believing what God has said no matter what we see or feel. That is the fight of faith, and we release our faith by the words we speak.
Remember, there is creative power in your words. Mark 11:23 says, ” For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.”
That’s amazing, isn’t it? You will have whatever you’ve been saying! So take a good, hard look at what you’ve been saying and make sure you’re using power words by saying what God says. Keep your words in agreement with His Word, and you’ll see the power of faith work for you. {eoa}
Karen Jensen Salisbury has been in ministry over 30 years. Formerly a lead pastor, then an instructor at Rhema Bible College, she is currently an itinerant minister and author of several books. Connect with her on her website, karenjensen.org, on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
This article originally appeared at karenjensen.org.
