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. I have also made a connection between speaking words of faith from a believing heart, and prayer. I made the point that declarations of faith are a form of prayer. Today I will discuss prayer further, and make a connection to the importance of our words.
(2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV)
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak.
(Genesis 1:26 NIV)
Then God (Elohim, the Creator God) said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
One of the key aspects of prayer is the fact that we are humans, born on this earth, placed here by God to exercise Kingdom dominion, power, and authority over it. Please read our text for today. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. As God’s representative on this planet, man is supposed to rule over the earth. Notice the words: “Let them rule”. I will attempt to explain this somewhat complex topic briefly:
1. God gave man (humankind) the legal right and authority to operate in the earth.
2. Man became the legal steward of the earth domain.
3. Man is a spirit, he (male and female) possesses a soul, and he lives within a physical body (an earth suit). Man’s physical body is his connection to the earth realm. He communicates with this world through his five physical senses.
4. God also put His Spirit down inside of man. The Holy Spirit was man’s direct connection to the Father. With his body he communicated with the earth, and with his spirit, through the Holy Spirit, he communicated with heaven. In this way, man was capable of bringing both realms together and God’s desire to see heaven-on-earth was possible.
5. The system God setup is a system where humans rule the earth and heaven influences the earth through humans who are being led by the Holy Spirit. God is so committed to this system that when He wanted to freely operate in the earth, without having to seek the cooperation of a human, He submitted Himself to His own law and came as a human Himself. Jesus was born a man, in the earth, with an earth suit (a body).
6. Adam was supposed to extend heaven to the earth. But Adam fell. So God, who is a Spirit, came to the earth and lived within a physical body so that He could demonstrate what it looks like for a human to be an earthly conduit of the divine. Jesus is not just an example FOR us. Jesus is an example OF us. His life shows us what it looks like for a human, on the earth, to live completely in sync with heaven.
7. Both God and satan actively seek the agreement and cooperation of humans. For either one (God or satan) to operate in our lives we must cooperate with them. When we speak words of faith (words that line up with God’s will) from a believing heart, we are aligning with God. When we speak words of fear (words that line up with satan’s will) from a believing heart, we are aligning with the enemy. Either way, we are going to have whatsoever we say!
8. Spirits external to physical bodies don’t have the legal right to operate in the earth realm. This is why satan and his demons actively seek to possess humans. Many have consciously or subconsciously welcomed evil spirits to possess their bodies. God, on the other hand, freely offers to occupy every human who accepts Jesus as Lord. When we are Born-Again God’s precious Holy Spirit takes up residence inside us. Once we are Born-Again, God’s desire is that we learn to be led by the Holy Spirit in ALL THINGS. If we do, we will discover His purpose for our lives, we will fulfill it before we die, and we will leave a legacy of righteousness that will impact generations to come.
That was a lot to wrap your mind around. You may be thinking, “What does this have to do with prayer?” Actually, it has a great deal to do with it. When you understand the legal right you have as a human in the earth, coupled with the awesome ability to be influenced by the Holy Spirit Himself (who is living IN you as a believer), you can then start to tap into the power of prayer. When you get this revelation you will WANT to pray, because you understand that as much as you need God, He also needs You.
The Father is looking for people to pray, in the earth, to agree with His will, so that He can perform what He desires to do in the earth realm. Now, I will never say that God can’t do whatever He wants to do without prayer, but from what we can see in scripture, it sure seems like He chooses to perform His will with the cooperation of humans. This is a major aspect of prayer. And since speaking faith-filled words is a form of prayer, I hope you see how important your words are. If God and His angels are paying attention to EVERY WORD that comes out of your mouth (because they are looking for faith in the earth), then shouldn’t you pay attention to your words as well? Speak THE WORD only!
So what does this mean for you today? I have already given you a great deal. So I will close with a few quick things:
1. God is counting on you to pray.
2. Prayer is what happens when a human, on the earth, agrees with God’s Kingdom’s plans and purposes. As we cooperate, He is able to freely operate in this world. This is how we get: “on earth, as it is in heaven.”
3. Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.
4. Prayer is what happens when man exercises his legal authority in the earth in order to invoke heaven’s influence on the planet.
5. Prayer is what happens when the creation gets the Creator involved in any given situation.
6. Prayer is exercised by speaking words of faith from a believing heart. Therefore, words are very important to God. He has angels that are literally hanging on every word we speak. If our words are that important to God and His angels, our words should be AS important to us! Never allow a negative word to come out of your mouth. SPEAK THE WORD ONLY!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, thank You for teaching me the importance of prayer and the importance of my words. I now see that I have both a right and a responsibility to pray. My right to pray enables me to come boldly before Your throne in order to receive the grace to help in the time of need. My responsibility to pray puts a burden on me to intercede for those situations I am made aware of and the ones I am facing personally. Prayer is both a precious privilege and a serious responsibility. Prayer is exercised by speaking words I believe in my heart. When I make a statement that I am led by Your Spirit to make, and I believe what I am saying, it is a form of prayer. That being the case, I carefully consider my words. I speak words of faith from a believing heart daily, and I NEVER speak words of fear, doubt or unbelief. I SPEAK THE WORD ONLY! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
