Today we continue to teach on our overall theme for the year: “GREAT FREEDOM.” Within this series, we have been honing in on the importance of your words. Yesterday we looked at 2 Corinthians 4:13 and Luke 6:43-45. Let’s go back to both today.
(2 Corinthians 4:13 NKJV)
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.
(Luke 6:43-45 Contemporary English Version)
A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes. Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.
One of our ministry partners and Today’s Word subscribers said the following after receiving yesterday’s message, “This word is so good… You and your words are ONE. Wow! That’s deep. I thought I was keeping it real and telling it like it is, but I was completely nullifying what I desire and that is to be pleasing to God.”
I feel led to discuss this comment today. I have been teaching on the importance of our words for years. I am absolutely convinced that the Father does not want us to speak a single word that does not line up with His will, nor a single word we do not expect to come to pass. Whenever I teach on this, I inevitably run into someone who says something like, “Well Rick, I am just keeping it real. You can say all the God stuff you want and you can speak what you believe. But I am going to keep it real and speak what is really going on.” I know people who truly love God to say things like this. To be clear, this is a MAJOR problem. Jesus taught us that our words expose what is going on in our hearts. If we are in the middle of a bad situation and we say that we believe God has something better for us, but we only speak what we see, under the guise of “keeping it real”, then it is clear to me and clear to God that what you see is more real to you than His will. If God is showing you a way out or a better way, but you keep just saying what you see because you want to “keep it real”, then you don’t believe God in your heart at all and your words are showing everyone what is going on in your heart.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God created everything by speaking words.
a) The Bible says, “Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.” (Hebrews 11:3 TPT). I am convinced that most Christians do not understand the power of words. God literally framed the world by speaking words.
b) If you look at the creation account (Genesis 1), you will see that God said, and He said, and He said… and He then SAW everything He Said. Notice that in every account, He did not speak what He saw. He spoke what He had planned. He spoke what He desired. He spoke the end from the beginning. And what He said came to pass.
c) God looked at darkness and He did not say, “Wow, it sure is dark out here.” If God were “keeping it real”, I guess that’s what He would have said. But He did not. He looked at darkness and spoke LIGHT. He looked at chaos and spoke ORDER. And guess what? He saw the manifestation of everything He said!
d) God spoke to the water and called forth fish and everything that will live in the water. God looked at the ground and called forth every herb yielding seed that would come from the ground. The entire planet was framed by God speaking words. In every account, God did not speak what He saw (in the natural). He spoke what He saw in the Spirit. God was “keeping it real.” But not the way many Christians do today when they only speak what they see with their natural eyes. God was truly keeping it real by speaking what He desired in the Spirit.
2. God calls those things that are not as though they are.
a) We serve a God who calls those things which be not as though they are (Romans 4:17). Why? Because speaking what you see will never change what you see.
b) God looked at a barren couple (Abram and Sarai) and called them parents of many nations. They became what God said.
c) God looked at a coward (Gideon) and called him a Champion. He led a mighty revolution.
d) God looked at a young boy (Jeremiah) and called him a prophet. He went on to speak truth to power.
e) God looked at a young shepherd boy (David) and called him a king. He went on to lead Israel and become a man after God’s own heart.
f) God looked a young boy who had not done anything with his life yet (Joseph) and gave him a dream that he would one day rise above all his brothers and even his parents. That dream would up driving his entire life. He was promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister in a moment because he never “kept it real” and lost sight of the dream in his heart.
g) God looked at a man who was living in the wilderness, thinking he had disqualified himself from his life’s assignment (Moses) and He called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. He led millions.
h) God looked at a virgin (Mary) and called her the mother of our Lord. She believed God for the impossible and it came to pass.
i) God looked at a fisherman (Peter) and called him to become a fisher of men. He led the New Testament church.
j) God looked at a terrorist who was having Christians killed (Paul) and called him to lead the same movement he was fighting against. He went on to start churches all over Asia minor and he wrote half the New Testament.
3. Jesus called those things that were not as though they were.
a) Jesus looked at a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years and He did not “keep it real” by speaking what He saw. Jesus told the man to take up his bed and walk. The man did just that.
b) Jesus looked at 10 lepers and He did not “keep it real” by saying, “Oh wow, you guys have leprosy.” No. Jesus told them that they were clean and that they should go present themselves before the Priest, so they could go on with the rest of their lives.
c) Jesus looked a dead man (Lazarus) whose body wa stinking, where rigor-mortis had already set in. Jesus did not “keep it real” and say, “Wow, He sure is dead.” No. If Jesus had spoken what He saw, nothing would have happened. But Jesus spoke what he wanted and Lazarus popped up like a mummy.
d) Jesus looked at a fig tree that was strong and full of leaves and He called it dead. 24 hours later, it was dried up from the roots.
4. We are called to be like God.
Were the Father and Jesus being “fake” when they refused to speak what they saw in the natural? Or were they actually being REAL by NOT speaking what they saw in the natural? What is real to God? You have to get to the point where what God said is MORE REAL to you than what you see with your natural eyes. When you get to that point you can “keep it real” by speaking what you believe over what you see!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for this teaching. I now realize that I am living in two realms at the same time. My body communicates with this world through my senses. My Spirit communicates with Your world through the Holy Spirit. I then have to choose which one I am going to believe and speak. I declare that I will KEEP IT REAL from now on. But NOT by speaking what I see with my natural eyes. I will KEEP IT REAL by speaking what I see in the Spirit because what I believe is more real to me than what I see (in the natural). I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
