Today we continue our series “God is faithful!” The Lord led me to 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage, we are looking at what it looks like to believe God is faithful. Because of God’s faithfulness towards us, we can withstand and overcome anything!
In our last message, we deal with verses 12. Today we will look at verse 13.
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-13, 16-18 TPT)
1 Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
13 We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison,
18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
(2 Corinthians 4:12 TPT)
We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
1. Words matter!
Yesterday, I closed out the message with a statement that urged us to see our challenges from heaven’s perspective. When you look at a challenge through God’s eyes, it will look a lot smaller and more manageable. Your perspective is critical because you will SPEAK what you BELIEVE in your heart! Further, once you speak what you believe, it is only a matter of time before you have what you say.
— Your words can agree with heaven, positioning you to experience heaven on earth, or they can keep you bound to the limits of the earth.
— The power of death and life are released through the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). This is why God NEVER wants you to speak against what He reveals.
— The Bible has so much to say about the importance of your words because, with your words, you either agree with God or satan. Your words are either aligning with the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. When you align your lips with God, His Word, His Kingdom, and His purposes, you are speaking the language of faith.
— When you speak against the promise of God, you are putting the promise at risk.
— God is looking for you to align your lips and your legs with His promises. But your legs will never take you where your mind has never been, and in most cases, where your lips have never spoken. In other words, in the Kingdom of God, you must SEE IT and SAY IT before you EXPERIENCE IT.
— Be careful what you say because words matter. You will have whatsoever you say!
2. You must learn to look at your life and God’s promises towards you from God’s point of view.
— If you only live your life from a human point of view, you will live as a mere human.
— The goal is to renew your mind to think and speak like God. The only way this happens is by meditating and medicating on God’s Word. The more of God’s Word you get down inside your heart, and the more you digest, process, and believe it, the more you will see yourself the way God sees you. Once you get to this point, it will be easy to identify when you are NOT aligned with God because you will know how God operates.
— Many believers don’t realize it, but they are stifling their faith with words of fear, doubt, and unbelief all the time. You cannot pray in faith in the morning and then speak words of fear, doubt, and unbelief all day, but then think that your prayers will be effective. Words of prayer must be followed up and reinforced with words of faith.
— No matter how long it takes, focus on getting to the point where you are conscious of your words. Some people don’t realize how negative they speak. They may not know it, but their words are holding them back from God’s best.
3. Let’s learn about the importance of words of faith from the Roman Centurion.
In Matthew 8, we find Jesus in Capernaum. As Jesus entered the city, a Roman army officer came to him and begged for help. The officer said, “Lord, my servant is very sick at home in bed. He can’t move his body and has much pain.” Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.” The officer responded, “Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You simply need to speak the word only, and my servant will be healed. I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.” When Jesus heard this, He was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has great faith. I have not found this type of faith, not even in Israel.” (see Matthew 8:5-10)
There is a lot to cover in this story, so let’s get to it.
a) It takes humility for a human to interact with the divine.
— At the time of the text, the Israelites were subject to the Romans. For a Roman officer to come and submit himself to a Jew and even call the Jew “Lord,” was a true act of humility on his part.
— This Roman officer did not go out of his way to find Jesus for his wife or his son. This man left his home, looking for Jesus, in order to find help for his servant! He was serving his servant! This is true leadership! Godly leadership serves those you are blessed to lead.
— You will never tap into the power of God unless you are humble.
b) It takes an understanding of authority to access supernatural power.
— The first thing the Roman officer said, after claiming to understand how authority works, was that people had authority OVER HIM. His authority was derived from HIS SUBMISSION!
— You cannot be IN AUTHORITY if you are not UNDER AUTHORITY! This is why Jesus was so powerful. He was completely submitted to the Father. We, too, can be powerful if we live the same way. We must be submitted to God in all things!
— The Roman officer said that he could tell people to “Go” and “Do” because he obeyed his leaders when they told him to “Go” and “Do.” What he was saying was, “Whoever I have authority over, is SUBJECT TO MY WORDS!” I can say “GO” to someone I DON’T have authority over, and they DON’T have to GO! I can say “DO” to someone I DON’T have authority over, and they DON’T have to DO! But if I say “GO” or “DO” to someone who is under my authority, they have to do what I say.
— The Centurion knew that your authority extends beyond your vicinity. You don’t have to be present to exercise authority. You can SEND A COMMAND and those under your authority still have to do it!
— Now I will give you what I believe the Roman officer was saying to Jesus in the Rick Piña Version (RPV). He was saying, “Mr. Jesus, I am not here because I am a Roman and You are a Jew. That has nothing to do with it. I am here because I perceive that You have authority over sickness. I don’t. If I did, I would have simply SPOKEN to the sickness and it would have to go. But I don’t and that is why I am here. I believe You have authority over sickness. So I don’t need to you COME, I just need you to SAY! If You speak the Word ONLY, and You believe what You say, I know my servant will be healed!”
*** Jesus called this man’s understanding of divine authority, “Great faith!”
4. You must get to a point in your life where you can stand on a Word from God and not be moved by anything else.
— The Roman Centurion said, “Speak the Word ONLY!” He was basically saying, “Mr. Jesus, just SEND THE ORDER! If you SEND THE ORDER, I believe it’s already done! I don’t need to SEE IT. I just need you to SAY IT!” The power of God is IN His Word. We must get to the point where we believe like the Roman Centurion believed and where we can simply take God at His Word!
— The Word of God will ACCOMPLISH and PROSPER wherever it is sown. The Bible says:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11 NKJV)
— God’s ways are above our ways. The things of God will not always make sense. God is Spiritual, not sensual. He will tell us things that are far above the ways of this world. But the power to produce what God said is IN THE WORD He spoke. Our job is to receive it and meditate on it, until it becomes more real to us than what we see down here, in this world. When we get to this point, we can STAND on the Word long enough for the Word to produce in our lives!
— The next step, after we BELIEVE what God has said to us, is to SAY what we believe! Let’s go back to our verse as we close out the week:
(2 Corinthians 4:12 TPT)
We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
When you speak words of faith from a believing heart, you are coming in alignment with heaven, and it is only a matter of time before you experience heaven on earth.
I have much more to say about this, but we will pick it up from there next week.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me. I LEVEL UP by speaking words of faith from a believing heart. Never again will I speak against Your promises. I take You at Your Word. I know You will watch over Your Word to perform it in my life. I know You will never allow a single Word to return to you void. So I receive the Word You speak to me. I meditate and medicate on it day and night, to the point where it becomes MORE REAL to me than what I see in this world. I STAND on that Word, no matter how long it takes, and I have the courage to SAY, OUT LOUD, what You have said to me. I BELIEVE IT, and I SAY IT, so it is only a matter of time before I HAVE IT! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
