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. We will flow in that vein today. The main scripture we have been looking at is 2 Corinthians 4:13. We will look at that again today and also look at something the prophet Joel said.
(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.
(Joel 3:10 GW)
Hammer your plowblades into swords and your pruning shears into spears. Weaklings should say that they are warriors.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. No one is exempt from spiritual warfare or earthly opposition.
a) Joel 3 speaks of the judgment of the nations who rose up against Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet speaks of the power of God and how it will be unleashed against the enemies of the Israelites. God told the prophet to tell the nations to wake up their warriors and prepare for battle. He goes on to tell them to even prepare mere farmers to fight. He told them to hammer their plow blades into swords and their pruning shears into spears. God then used the prophet to provide the key for Judah (back then) and us (this morning). God instructed the weaklings to SAY that they are warriors! Not to speak what they were (in the present), but to speak what they believed God they could be, by His grace.
b) If you read the Old Testament, you will see that while the Israelites were God’s people, it did not keep them from the attacks of the enemy. I would love to tell you that you will never be attacked after you become a Christian, but that would be a lie. The truth is you may be attacked more than you ever have, but the good news is that God will be with you every step of the way. He has given you the grace to embrace victory over every attack of the enemy.
c) One of the reasons I share God’s Word every day and I go to painstaking lengths to do so in a way people can understand is because we have a real enemy. Satan is not going to sit back and watch as you comfortably become the man/woman you are destined to be and you gently leave your mark in this world. NO! The more you walk with God, the more you embrace His grace, and the more you impact the world for Jesus, the more of a target you become. But the good news is that the enemy’s POISON cannot stop your PURPOSE!
d) One of the ways you fight back against the power of the enemy is by unleashing the power of the tongue! You will be attacked. But when you are, you can retaliate with the Word of God! SPEAK THE WORD ONLY!
2. When it’s time to fight you must use what you have at your disposal.
a) In Joel 3 God knew that the warriors had swords and spears, but the attack would come to all the people of Judah. So for those who did not have swords and spears, God instructed them to use their plowblades and shears. They were to use the weapons at their disposal for the impending attack. So it is with us. If you read Ephesians 6 and you go through the pieces of the armor of God, you will realize that our ONLY offensive weapon against the devil is the Word of God, which is referred to as the Sword of the Spirit. When you speak the Word of God over your life and over your family, OUT LOUD, from a believing heart, you are fighting a spiritual battle with a spiritual sword! When you do, your words, spoken in the earth, will activate a spiritual response from heaven!
b) You can only speak what you know. The more you read your Bible and study messages like this one, the better prepared you are for the attack! So, fill your heart with God’s Word, SPEAK THE WORD ONLY over your life, believe what you are saying, and you will have what you say!
3. Our Mouth can transform weaklings into warriors and cowards into champions.
a) God instructed the weaklings across the nation of Judah to open up their mouths and SAY that they were WARRIORS! Why? Because the Power of death and life are in the tongue (Prov 18:21). Your words have the power to transform. If it was true in Joel 3, in the Old Testament, it is even truer now. We have the Holy Spirit. God, Himself is living down on the inside of us. God will speak to our “TO BE” stage from our “RIGHT NOW” stage, and when He does, He is looking for us to agree with Him. He is looking for us to OPEN OUR MOUTHS and SAY what He is revealing, and to SAY IT from a believing heart. If God told WEAKLINGS to SAY they are WARRIORs, so their words can help them come in agreement with His will, then my question for you is: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? What is coming out of your mouth? Are you speaking the PROBLEM or the PROMISE? Are you speaking what you see with your natural eyes, or what God is revealing in your heart? SPEAK THE WORD ONLY!
b) Use what you have (the Word of God) and speak it over your life. The Word of God can transform weaklings into Warriors!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You placed the power of death and life in my tongue. You have set before me life and death, blessing and cursing, and You told me to CHOOSE LIFE! You want me to align with Your will. You want me to come in agreement with Your best for my life. I declare that I do! I open my mouth and I SAY what You are SAYING over me! I am the head and not the tail. I am above only, and never beneath. I am the lender and not the borrower. I am the winner and not the loser. I am the VICTOR and never the VICTIM! I I am ready for every attack. I am dressed for success. I have on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace and the helmet of salvation. I enter into battle every day with the shield of faith to protect me and most of all, I use the Sword of the Spirit, Your Word Father, as the ONLY OFFENSIVE weapon You have placed at my disposal. I go on OFFENSE when I speak Your Word! Your Word has transforming power. Your Word can change weaklings into Warriors. I enter into this day as a Warrior. I SPEAK THE WORD ONLY and I will have what I say! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
