A friend and I were praying together, and we declared out loud the words of Psalm 43:5: Why so downcast, o my soul? Put your hope in God!
If anyone knew despair and discouragement, David did, and he knew how to speak to his soul and give it a pep talk. My friend and I did the same thing in addressing discouragement and depression and used our words and our authority in Christ to command the dark cloud of depression to break and lift from her life.
Christ encourages us to use our words to bring about effective changes in ourselves, our families, our government, and our world. The Father waits for us to verbalize our requests and ideas, and then He takes action. For those suffering from depression, for instance, it is a mountain-moving declaration to say to the unseen world that we choose to “put our hope in God” and that “greater is He who is within us than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
There are scriptures for every mountain we face, and it is music to the Lord’s ears to hear us declare verses that we have found to combat the struggles in our lives. Proclaiming His Word gets His attention, and it’s as if He rolls up His sleeves and says, “I can work with THAT!” Jesus said, in Matthew 21:21, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.”
Keeping thoughts and scriptures inside our heads is good but not good enough when facing our enemy. I can wish and hope with all my might that my large, heavy, sleeping cat will jump off my legs so I can feel them again, but until I use my words and tell her to get down, nothing will happen. The sound of my voice and strong command awaken her and prompt her to respond.
Many people remain sick because they do not use their words to speak healing and health to their bodies. I am the Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:26) is a verse that no doubt causes demons to shudder because they know it’s true! Similarly, God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) should be a “staple” in our go-to verses, for how often are we confronted with the enemy of fear? Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Speaking the Word of God aloud can change things!
Little children often ask for things without verbalizing their desires because crying, screaming, or whining is easier than getting another bottle, cookie, or toy. How unpleasant that can be—exasperating, really—for the adult in charge. A child’s growth in communication skills comes when he is encouraged to “use his words” and ask for the things he wants. So, too, as we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we reach a new place of authority and power in activating our faith simply by using our words and declaring scriptures out loud that pertain to our problem or circumstance.
In Psalms 42 and 43, it’s interesting that the psalmist said three times, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” That’s a pep talk if ever there was one! I doubt he was timid about saying it for the third time. It was written for a choir director and intended to be sung! The descendants of Korah sang it apparently, and we should, too—or at least say it aloud.
Developing a library of scriptures to effectively “use our words” in facing life’s difficulties takes a little work. A good concordance is a handy tool for sharpening spiritual vocabulary and communication skills. The Holy Spirit is a great Teacher and Helper, directing us to or reminding us of appropriate verses for various situations or problems.
Many of us have quietly been hiding the Word in our hearts because we’ve been taught memorizing it is valuable. It is, but now is the time to speak it out! I challenge you to use your words to speak scriptures over situations now, for there is nothing as powerful as God's spoken Word.
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre