Where Are Your Words Taking You?
The apostle Paul says, "Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those that hear them" (Ephesians 4:29). One person who hears your words is you. If you hear them long enough, they'll take root in your spirit. You believe what you say about yourself more than what anyone else says. There's nothing more powerful than you speaking victory over your own life.
When my father went to be with the Lord and I stepped up to pastor the church, every thought told me that I couldn't minister. "Joel, you don't have the experience, you're not qualified, and you're not that talented." One thing I've learned is to not verbalize the negative. Don't give those thoughts life by speaking them out. Instead of talking about how I felt insecure, unqualified, and intimidated, I said what God says about me: "I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. I am equipped, empowered, anointed." The whole time I was saying that, I felt just the opposite, but as I kept speaking victory, as I kept calling myself who God says I am, it took root inside. Over time, I started to feel strong, confident, and well able. I started to see favor, new doors opening, and God taking me where I never imagined.
When God breathed His life into you, He put gifts, talents, and potential inside. You have seeds of greatness. You are destined to leave your mark, to take your family to a new level. The question is not whether you are equipped. The question is, Are you speaking victory, abundance, and new levels? Or are you saying, "I can't get ahead. I never get any good breaks. This addiction has been in my family for years"? You're not being limited by your circumstances; you're being limited by your words. What you speak, you're moving toward. When you speak victory and overflow, that's what you're moving toward.
Here's the key: You have to speak it before you see it. This is what faith is all about. The Scripture says, "Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10). You may not feel strong, but when you say, "I am strong," you're moving toward strength. Perhaps you feel stuck in your career, but when you say, "God is opening new doors for me. Something good is going to happen to me," you're moving toward new levels of favor, something that you've never seen. The next time you're tempted to say something negative about yourself, your future, your children, or your finances, zip it up. Your words can take you to blessing, increase, and abundance. That's what moves you to your destiny.
When my father went to be with the Lord and I stepped up to pastor the church, every thought told me that I couldn't minister. "Joel, you don't have the experience, you're not qualified, and you're not that talented." One thing I've learned is to not verbalize the negative. Don't give those thoughts life by speaking them out. Instead of talking about how I felt insecure, unqualified, and intimidated, I said what God says about me: "I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. I am equipped, empowered, anointed." The whole time I was saying that, I felt just the opposite, but as I kept speaking victory, as I kept calling myself who God says I am, it took root inside. Over time, I started to feel strong, confident, and well able. I started to see favor, new doors opening, and God taking me where I never imagined.
When God breathed His life into you, He put gifts, talents, and potential inside. You have seeds of greatness. You are destined to leave your mark, to take your family to a new level. The question is not whether you are equipped. The question is, Are you speaking victory, abundance, and new levels? Or are you saying, "I can't get ahead. I never get any good breaks. This addiction has been in my family for years"? You're not being limited by your circumstances; you're being limited by your words. What you speak, you're moving toward. When you speak victory and overflow, that's what you're moving toward.
Here's the key: You have to speak it before you see it. This is what faith is all about. The Scripture says, "Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10). You may not feel strong, but when you say, "I am strong," you're moving toward strength. Perhaps you feel stuck in your career, but when you say, "God is opening new doors for me. Something good is going to happen to me," you're moving toward new levels of favor, something that you've never seen. The next time you're tempted to say something negative about yourself, your future, your children, or your finances, zip it up. Your words can take you to blessing, increase, and abundance. That's what moves you to your destiny.