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!
For days we have been looking at verse 13. We will go back to it again today.
(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.
Today we will also look at something Jesus said in Luke 6.
(Luke 6:43-45 CEV)
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.
So what does this mean for you today? Let’s learn a few things from what Jesus said.
1. Trees produce fruit. Humans produce words and actions.
— Please read what Jesus said in Luke 6:43-45 carefully and prayerfully. Jesus makes it clear that not only is there is a direct connection between the words a person speaks and the fruit (from their lives) that is produced, there is a direct relationship between the words a person speaks and the type of person he or she is.
— Just like we identify a tree by the fruit it produces (an apple tree is known as an apple tree because it produces apples, an orange tree makes oranges, and neither can produce something it is NOT), Jesus taught that we would be identified (or known) by the fruit we produce.
— In Luke 6, Jesus was talking about words. Just like trees produce their own fruit, we produce our own words. The quality of the fruit is a direct reflection of the makeup of the tree. The same holds true for humans. Jesus taught that a good tree is incapable of producing bad fruit, and a bad tree is incapable of producing good fruit. Why? Because the quality of the fruit is a direct representation of the composition (or makeup) of the tree. This is how it is with our words. Jesus said, “Your words show what is in your heart.” In the King James Version, this portion is translated, “…for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” The point is that the quality and type of your words are a direct indication of the content and quality of your heart.
— Your heart is your reservoir. Your heart is your soul’s deposit. What is IN you abundantly will come OUT of you consistently.
2. You and your words are ONE.
— If Jesus put so much emphasis on the importance of our words, then shouldn’t we? Can we honestly think we can pray (using words) in faith in the morning and then speak words of fear, doubt, and unbelief all day long and still expect to see results? Absolutely not. This is why we must learn to SPEAK THE WORD ONLY! We must speak words of faith from a believing heart. When we believe and then speak what we believe, our words of faith reinforce our words of prayer.
— This about this for a minute, you know God by the words He has given you (whether in His written Word or spoken to you by the Holy Spirit). If you never had words from God, you would not know God. You know God to the level that you do because of the words you have received from Him. Similarly, people know you by your words. Further, most of you (who receive Today’s Word) don’t know me personally, but you know me by my words. By knowing my words, you know me. My words are just as much me as I am myself. My words are birthed out of the reservoir of my soul. My words are an outward expression of the internal content and condition of my heart. Therefore, I cannot separate myself from my words or my words from me. Neither can you. You and your words are ONE.
— John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God and His Word are ONE. You cannot separate God from His Word. In the same way, you and your words are ONE. This is why your words are so important in the Kingdom of God. When you believe and speak what you believe (OUT LOUD), your faith is activated, and it can cause angels to move and heaven to release.
3. Your words are telling everyone outside of you what is going on inside of you.
— The words you speak are a litmus test for the condition of your heart.
— Daily, your words are telling everyone who you are by exposing what is going on on the inside of you.
— Faith has a language. When I listen to someone, it does not take me long to realize whether or not they are a person of faith. I can hear faith. I can also hear fear, doubt, and unbelief. Like it or not, YOUR WORDS ARE TELLING ON YOU!
— If you don’t like the message your words are portraying about you, it is time to make a change. The only way to change your words is by changing what is in your heart. Your heart is the reservoir (or deposit) of your soul. Your eyes and ears are gateways to your soul. Whatever you allow through your eyes gets down in your heart. Whatever you allow through your ears gets down in your heart. To change what is in your heart (deposit), you must change your input: what you see and hear.
— If you can change your input, you can change your heart’s content/quality/condition. Once you change what is in your heart, you will change the quality of your words.
— If you listen to me long enough, you will hear me say, “SPEAK THE WORD ONLY!” Well, you cannot SPEAK the Word if you do not have the Word down in your heart. To change what is coming OUT, you must change what you allow IN. You must change what you give your attention to. The good news is that change IS possible.
— You can RENEW your mind with the Word of God. If you consistently get the Word through your EYE gate and EAR gate, it will get down in your heart. Once it is there, if you meditate and medciate on it day and night, you will literally change the way you think to line up with God’s thinking. Once you change the way you think, you will change the way you speak. Once you change the way you think and speak, it will spill over into changed actions. Once you have changed the way you think, speak, and act to line up with God, then guess what? YOU HAVE CHANGED!
You will wake up one morning and realize that you are SPEAKING THE WORD ONLY! You are at a place in your development where you never allow a negative word or a word that does not align with God’s will to come out of your mouth. This is certainly possible. I will keep preaching and teaching this because I am convinced that the Father wants you to get to the point where we believe and speak what we believe!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me. I know my words flow out of the abundance of my heart. My heart is filled with what I SEE and LISTEN TO. From this day forward, I declare that I will check my input to ensure I am filling my heart with good things. As I fill my heart with things that are pleasing to You, my words will expose the condition of my heart. My words will be words of blessing and not cursing, help and not hurt, good and not evil, success and not failure. Once my input is pure, my heart is right, and my words are righteous, I cannot help but be blessed. My words will support my prayers and never cancel them out. I am looking forward to changing my life by changing my words. I SPEAK THE WORD ONLY! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
